Being robbed

I agree...capitalism is directly supported by people putting money into the system (READ: spending money). However, I don't think people have to be lied to by the government and corporations to want to put money into the system. If good products and services were offered to the country, "funding" the system wouldn't be a problem. The issue takes form when these companies want to maximize their profit by offering sub-par services and products or constantly increase the price of something that hasn't changed from our benefit of new technology. If you think about it, technological advancement should make things easier and more efficient to produce and, therefore, cheaper. Just my thoughts on the subject.

 

Yes, the Plutonium Salamander has a good point. When the system works, a good product or service at a good price point is available it sells well. When junk is produced it becomes clear eventually and the product goes away because people wise up and do not buy. But when a critical/essential product goes up in price not for legitimate reasons but for profiteering, we all are relatively helpless...either pay the price or do without. The latter choice may be very difficult. That is what the business entity is planning on...that we will just "put up" and pay the price. Increasingly, many companies feel it is only right for them to jump on the bandwagon and charge excessively. But, then we end up in a crisis where everyone is charging huge amounts for every product and service. Things go from bad to worse in that case. I hope we are not moving towards that but I sense we are.

 

is it me, or does it seem like elf start the exact same thread over again?

oh, stay on topic...

You can call them oil companies, but I think they are run by folks that are savy enough to have them being our energy companies in the future. When the irreplaceable fossil fuels run out, the Exxon, Shells, and others will be offering Hydrogen or whatever is the next fuel source.

 

Just remember folks that we(Amercicans) voted these lardpots into office and the beauty of it is.....we can vote them out.Although I am a firm beleiver that you only go into politics when you are incapapble of making an honest living.Everybody does their part somehow,the Hippies put a "rare" frog up on a hill in a valley in California:The government comes back and says it's now a protected area.No oil drilling allowed. Meanwhile the Hippies do more damage while driving their Volkswagon bus down the hill leaking oil the entire way.
The middle class:We keep buying SUV's instead of motorcycles. I am guilty of my big 4wd trucks and my muscle cars too,but I suck it up and gripe every time I have to fill up anything.The reason,I like my big old stuff because the cost of owning it is less than a car payment by a greedy big company that will fold up next week.It's all about greed,all the way from the top to the bottom.When the feds finally have their b@ll@ drop and realize that it's the big companies that are driving the prices of everything through the roof and decides to act........we will be free,free at last.

Now lets go for a ride!

 

1. I would think the profit on a gallon of gas is pretty small. Its just when you multiply it by the millions(billions ?) of gallons it generates big money. This is America after all.

2. The government, if involved with the oil industry, would cause the price of gas to skyrocket. The people involved just to oversee it would cost millions. Then add all the waste that happens when .gov gets its hands into anything. Have you ever seen an efficient government program? Anyone heard of $17000. hammers or toilet seats?

3. The only way to reduce your fuel cost is to USE LESS. If you are driving 160 miles a day to work and back, thats your decision. Moving closer could possibly save a ton of money. Personally, my commute is 8 miles round trip, reduced from 50 several years ago.

4. There are ways to eliminate buying gas. Most people wont tolerate the inconveniences. We are spoiled.

 

the government makes an average of 50 cents on a gallon of gas through taxes.

the big bad companies make 3-8 cents profit.

who is the crook? we need more oil and more gas. its not he companies fault.

where is the outrage on the "profits" the government is making?

 

But .gov works for us right? They are just doing what "we" ask them to do. If we ask them to do more, they need more $$$ to do it with.

There is always someone asking them to do something. Not enough of us asking them to do less.

 

Oil is the life blood of this country, the engine that drives everything. It isn't evil, it's good. We need to drill our asses off to get more, now, immediately. The greater the supply, the lower the cost. And we don't have to "destroy" the environment to do it; that's a myth, just like global warming.

 

Horses$#%

I am so tired of this arguement!!! I don't give a shit what anyone compares a bottle of waters cost to a gallon of gas. If my bike ran on water, I would care...but it runs on good ol' American dinosaur skin...that's gas to you and me. This is really stupid thinking...there is NO REASON for any company to make record profits, whether it be Exxon, or Evian. The beauty of America is that we can make a profit. And we are free to make that profit. However, there is a question of morality. Should ANYONE be able to make a profit at someone elses loss?

Before anyone answers that, think about the single mom/dad that has to fill up the SUV that is the only car they can afford, and wonders how, after that fill-up they are going to keep food on the table???

That is the reality for a lot of people I know.

 

Good Rants and Raves on the cost of oil, gas prices, etc.

But when I become King I will do the following to solve the oil price gouging.

1. Create a "Public Energy Commission" (similar to the PUC) that will regulate all energy prices,
and of course oil will be the number one item.

2. Liberate the oil fields in Saudi Arabia. Anyone have a problem with that?

If yes, ........ too bad! LOCK-N-LOAD, watch your target (OPEC)....fire!

Remember boys and girls....the Saudis are our worst enemy, as they are to many other countries in the world.

3. Get the Sierra clubbers out of our hair and let's drill for oil, build more refineries and of course many more
clean-energy nuclear power plants.

We shouldn't be using our oil, dirty burning coal or natural gas for heating houses in the eastern states.

4. Stop sending our Alaskan oil to Japan.

IMHO, all of the above would cure the price gouging we are experiencing here and around the world.........
BUT (there is always a but) the US does not have the balls to do this. We don't have a generation like in the 40s.
All this latest generation can accomplish is to watch hockey or basketball on tv. Truly sad . . .

 

The global supply of oil is limited. As others have correctly pointed out, the supply will seem even more limited as China and India use more oil. We could drill for more oil here in the U.S., but that would be only a very temporary fix because of the rate at which we are using oil.

Our vehicle fleet is less efficient now than it was 20 years ago, which makes no sense. Part of the reason is that modern engine technology, which can be used to improve fuel efficiency or increase power, is being used to increase power instead of to improve fuel efficiency. The other part of the reason is that people are buying less fuel efficient cars, such as SUVs. If we had taken action 20, 30, or 40 years ago, when the problem was anticipated by forward looking people, we'd be in much better shape now.

I'd suggest gradually transfering our tax burden from the income tax to an energy tax. That would, of course, result in much higher prices for gasoline and Diesel fuel, but the average person would come out even because of reduced income taxes. It would increase the incentive to conserve energy, which would include conserving vehicle fuel.

Byond that, technology may help. It looks as though electric cars may become practical before long. The efficiency of hybrid vehicles could be greatly improved, and they could be designed to run for perhaps 50 miles on battery alone so that if the batteries were recharged at home overnight or at work, most driving would be done without the engine. Central power plants are more efficient than automobile engines.

There are solutions, but I fear that we have waited so long that we may have to endure a period of considerable pain until we make the necessary adjustments.

 

E'rrr would that be " off " ? if think so it would cost a lot more than its worth...a liberated Iraq has the next biggest Oil field's after the Saudi's and they're not very efficent at present.

 

Off?....yes. I won't parse words. I mean wipe them out.

Besides oil they are our worst enemy, second to complacency.

 

Good point but a cheap, clean efficient energy like a "workable" Cold Fusion process needs to become widely available first then we can tell the Oil companies to just sod off.

 

Was wondering when someone would work that out....

 

Just A Little Prayer For Us European Riders : Today 8th May 2008 I Paid A Litre Of Unleaded Gasoline € 1,500. Try To Change This Price In Us $. Isn't It A Scaring Price ? And This Is The Common Price In All Western Europe !
Lamps !
Carmine

 

I say let those greedy punks raise the gas prices, Sooner or later the population will become unstable and if you own a gas station your gunna get whooped something bad for your greed.

I remember a few months ago some guys ripped off about 9k worth of gas from a gas station owner and the news said the owner was complaining because he didnt make as much profit as he wanted to off all the fuel they stole.

Well i say good for the guys who stole it, The gas stations owners have NO right to steal from the public the way they have been because they can. Sooner or later the gas companies are going to run the public broke and then its them who will be screwed when they cant afford to pay for the fuel sitting in there tanks.

 

My two cents.

The issue at hand is unregulated speculative trading of commodities(subject at hand, oil). These irresponsible punks set up shop outside the US where they know they have no one to be responsible to. The rise in gas prices has little to do with, nor is it largely responsive to supply and demand. The only effect personal conservation will have upon the situation is to make us all sit at home, watch American Idol, and be so proud of the fact that we "BEAT" the system. Our freedoms will be effectively self regulated. To those who feel it's the oil companies greed that causes the high prices, you are a bit naive. The price that's paid for discovery and recovery of new sources of oil is astounding. The risk involved would keep you awake for years, wondering if a well will hit. I'm sympathetic to entrepreneurs who would put everything at stake and risk it all. They deserve to be successful. I wish I had the suds to do it myself.

Price differential between countries is largely dependent upon the degree to which Socialism has invaded each specific free9or formerly free) society. In America we spend our hard earned on health care (among the best in the world, incidently) and other public services. Elsewhere, people have "free" services (usually substandard, incidently) that are paid for through other means, taxation of all products(Oil) and other services. Our friends in other countries , in a seemingly smug manner, tell us to suck it up because they have it so much worse, pricewise. Unfortunately, the price they pay is WAY beyond dollars, pounds, etc. It is usually comprised of loss of freedom to do and own what you please (ie. try to own a gun in Britain, just try!)

No one here mentions the exodus of jobs from America, they simply purchase what tickles them on any given day and rationalize the purchase of their Toyota, by extolling the wonderful quality, cupholders, power points, or GASP.....gas mileage. The simple truth (and it REALLY is this simple) is that no matter who built it, in Tennessee or Tokyo, the FINAL profit after expenses goes to Japan. Americans should look beyond weak excuses and buy American. That goes for gas, too! Google the gas companies and find out where they are based and who gets the final dollar. Yeah it's refined and mixed together and each company draws off the same spigot, but when you drive in to a Shell station, I can tell you that the PROFIT goes straight out of America. A good American company to patronize is Valero. the profits stay here.

Again, just my two cents worth.

 

We have a 200 year plus surplus in this country of fuel and no one is angry about paying 4 bucks a gallon and almost 5 for diesel?

discovery and refinement my arse, i used to work at a refinery and i can assure you that there is no reason to steal that kind of cash per gallon from us. I cant understand why we the people are ok with being ripped off?

You talk about our freedoms being self regulated? If there is a few things i know its this.... Gas goes up because we cant get our collective arses on the same page and 2 the govt is taking our right away 1 by 1 yet i dont see anyone else up in arms about it.

OH well i guess i have gotten of subject but gas prices are to high and greed seems to rule the world once again........

 

When did that happen ?, if true then the world Oil prices are totally over inflated mind if the US has discovered a previously unknown cheap to extract reserve's ( excluding expensive deep sea wells ) then the Oil companies would just sell it on the world market like the oil companies do here to the Australian sweet crude so you still end up paying International market rates for Gas extracted and refined domestically.