An arm, a leg and half a foot: the gas price thread

[ChibiHorsewoman]

[color=darkviolet]Well, it was inevitable wasn't it? The price of crude oil goes up to $6. something billion and prices go up $0.10 at least in the US all ya'll know this thread is going to rear its ugly head.

I live in upstate New York. The sales tax is 7.5 percent and we have a gas tax on top of that. Last week when I went to get gas at Delta Sonic (We have a gas station called Deta Sonic not a drive in restuarant) which is the cheapest place to get gas and it was $2.35 a gallon. I was at a quarter tank and filled up for $25.04. Lucky me, there was a guy in front who paid $59.60- okay so he was driving a CHevy Avalanche and it's his own damn fault for driving it! Today the gas at the same station was $2.37 a gallon and about to go to $2.40 after I paid! Damn!

I've seen higher though. The Hess (some of you may know this brand) station by my work is $2.51 for the regular and $2.71 for premium. Premium doesn't do anything for you- get gegular.

This is getting crazy. I remember when it would have been cheaper to fill up your car on gas instead of milk, now you can buy milk for $1.69 a gallon, but gas is up. I think I'm going to invent an engine run on milk. Hey cows are more renewable!

Okay so gas prices, and gas stories. I know we Amaericans are paying less than the Canadians and the people in Europe, but share your stories anyway. Do you know anything funny. Or do you want to vent?
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[Morpheus]

First and foremost, the comic was wonderful. Secondly, I'm suprissed in this situation that one company doesn't up production and sell oil for less than the $66 a barrel psychos. Maybe it's my logical mind, but these kinds of things have always confused me. It's not like ExxonMobil's profit margins would be dried up at $60. We've payed $53 for years and they have amassed [B]25 billion dollars[/B] which is, for those that don't live here in the U.S., a sh*tload of money.

A lot of the blame actually lies elsewhere in a very outdated source: [B]Minimum Wage.[/B] I don't know what Mr. 150,000 dollar-a-year Polititian thinks, but you simply cannot stay afloat on [B]$5.15[/B] an hour. According to inflation rates, Minimum Wage should be right at $7. And it should be increased at the current inflation rate. Minimum wage is considered to be the minimum standard. Yet, at the current rate, that is 60 hour weeks for 47 years (18-65). No one can do that.

[SilentSecurity]

Gas prices have gone up $1.00 in my area over the past year. THAT's ******* INSANE, if you ask me. I'm scared to drive to the grocery store knowing how much gas it'll take and how much money it will cost. Call me cheap but hey I've got to draw the line somewhere.

I blame the war plain and simply. Now terrorists are destroying or gas flow, and were the ones paying for it. Plus refinery problems add to the issue of higher gas, with no end in sight. Hydrogen cars better come quick, or I'm buying a brand new bike.

[SunfallE]

Gas prices certainly are annoying. It's ironic that I got a smaller car this time around as it took $25 to fill the huge tank of my older car. Now with a smaller tank I still spend around $25 to fill it! I actually drive a Semi Truck so I only fill my car about once a month as I rarely drive my regular car.

As the price of diesel fuel is over 3 dollars a gallon in some states I'm glad that the company I work for pays for it instead of me. It's quite expensive to fill the tank of a Semi. >_< Makes me glad I'm not an owner/operator as the increase in diesel fuel would be very frustrating.

[Sage Kaley]

I'm going to agree with Morpheus about the minimum wage problem. If gas wasn't coming so close to the minimum it wouldn't be so bad. But it is. The wage stays the same, according to politicians, because if the wage increases, all other prices have to increase to keep up. How does that work though? I'm awful at economics, I'll give them that but it seems to me if people, I dunno, finally had enough money to live then maybe they'll start buying more things! Wouldn't that void any price increases? I probably don't understand it but to me it's silly that minimum wage (the wage at which you should be able to live comfortablely) is $5.15 when gas is as high as $2.77 on a bad day.

But I digress.

The fact is most of the time, to fill up, my parents no longer have the cash on them to do so and use credit cards to charge gas. I can remember when slapping down a $20 would fill up the tank but now...heh well good luck on that. Gas has gone far too high for many reasons...oil men pressuring Congress (no offense meant to Bush supporters but he does like oil men), then there's the war in Iraq which is a huge factor but also I've noticed prices tend to go up on holidays and weekends. Gee that's interesting. It's insane! There's not reason oil prices should be like this. Driving is very important to 97% of all Americans.

Although in light of these prices, I do hope research goes further into alternate resources. The fact is oil isn't that great of an idea in the first place and we need a different, country wide solution. Sorry to be all Eco!Friendly on everybody but it's true. There's tons of good options out there, we just need to improve on them and make them more appealing. Gas prices won't get better and neither will the environment at this rate.

That's my two cents ^^;;

[Sara]

[color=#6699cc]It's frustrating, but more than anything else, it makes me glad that I don't drive at all during the school year. Holy moly. I really appreciate the transit system in Minneapolis, too.

I don't plan on buying a car until I'm out of college. If gas were half the price, I'd probably consider it, but I don't have enough [i]need[/i] to justify owning a vehicle. (Because if I had one, I'm sure it would be used more for convenience than need.)[/color]

[Corey]

[quote name='SilentSecurity']Gas prices have gone up $1.00 in my area over the past year. THAT's ******* INSANE, if you ask me. I'm scared to drive to the grocery store knowing how much gas it'll take and how much money it will cost. Call me cheap but hey I've got to draw the line somewhere.[/quote]

[size=1]Please, PLEASE, tell me you're joking...
It's topped, thus far, in Milwaukee, WI at about $2.70 for regular.
And Europe is worse than any area in the US.[/size]

[Horendithas]

Seems to me that fuel prices? actually dropping is a rare site these days. It seems that no matter where I go it is slowly creeping up and never down in price. For now it is no issue as I have no car and rely on public transportation to get me to where I need to go. But I?m quite sure that in the next two to four years when I finally do get a car the prices will not have gone down.

I agree that the current lack of a decent minimum wage does not help. Most people cannot even afford to feed themselves on such a poor pay rate let alone afford to put gas in their vehicle.

I saw that diesel fuel is up as well. As diesel is cheaper to make than gasoline is I can only assume that the oilmen are taking advantage of the situation to gouge the trucking industry as our nation depends upon them for pretty much everything. Virtually everything you own is brought to you by a truck. And increasing the cost for transporting it ends up in the average consumer paying more for their goods.

I am not a supporter of Bush as he favors businesses and not the people. Why else would he sign a bill handing over taxpayer?s money to the energy companies claiming that it will encourage production? Perhaps he refers to the effort of them fighting among themselves to see who can get the most for their own pockets.

However, that is not the topic of this thread so I will move on. I too hope that alternate resource research is continued as the oil will not last forever and one day it will run dry. If something isn?t done it won?t be long until the alternate will be to walk to one?s destination. It may not be in our life time, but it will happen.

[You Don't Care]

FOOLS!

I pay $200 all year on public transportation! I never needed the use for a car and everything I need to get to is within 2 miles.

Of course I'll sacrifice [B]my right[/B] to spend thousands of dollars a year on private transportation and take that extra 15 to 45 minutes a day.

Besides. Getting up earlier to get to work and finding ways to plan your day better builds character (and fattens your wallet a little every day).

[Morpheus]

Xy GGu, you've got to realize that not all of us live in an area that has public transportation. I for one live in a city of 20,000 and I'm lucky if I see one taxi a month, and we have no buses period. It's not that we don't want public transportation, but it simply isn't available.

[Semjaza]

It's $2.79 for regular here at a "fair" place. Premium is $2.99 at that same place.

I don't think I'd be complaining if we were still around $2.50, honestly lol.

[Lafleur]

[COLOR=DarkRed]Gas is re-goddamn-diculus in Quebec. Ultramar hit 1.25 a leiter, over 3.50$/gallon USD. It's completely ******. Some places it's cheaper, in some of the more secluded Towns in the area it's only about 75cents for some stupid reason. In Alberta and Saskatchewan it's cheaper, and a bit cheaper in Manitoba, but Quebec and the Marintimes got completely reamed with the Gas prices. If it ever hits 2/leiter (Likley, at this rate) I'm going to have to start stealing gas again... Stupid Bush starting dumbass goddamn wars without thinking is costing the Western World to goddamn much :animeangr
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[QUOTE]

Please, PLEASE, tell me you're joking...
It's topped, thus far, in Milwaukee, WI at about $2.70 for regular.
And Europe is worse than any area in the US.

[/QUOTE]
[COLOR=DarkRed]
I think Silent Security meant per lieter, and there is approximitaly 3 leiters in a gallon, so there ya go...[/COLOR]

[Semjaza]

[quote name='Sage Kaley']I'm going to agree with Morpheus about the minimum wage problem. If gas wasn't coming so close to the minimum it wouldn't be so bad. But it is. The wage stays the same, according to politicians, because if the wage increases, all other prices have to increase to keep up. How does that work though? I'm awful at economics, I'll give them that but it seems to me if people, I dunno, finally had enough money to live then maybe they'll start buying more things! Wouldn't that void any price increases? I probably don't understand it but to me it's silly that minimum wage (the wage at which you should be able to live comfortablely) is $5.15 when gas is as high as $2.77 on a bad day. [/quote]

It's one of those situations where they have very little precedent to cite. Even back when everyone was flopping around and going nuts about oil shortages months back there were quite a few people who knew far more what they were talking about claiming there was nothing to get crazy about. Oil prices nowadays get pumped up for reasons beyond simply "oh, we don't have enough". Inflation on anything isn't really black and white anymore, I guess.

Minimum wage here isn't "living wage" and it probably never will be. I doubt many politicians and such are very concerned about how closely these prices will likely come to minimum wage. I don't really think raising it some would affect much considering the average profits of many of these companies compared to what they pay their employees, but I'm digressing. In fact, I think a lot of people would work harder if they were paid what their job description likely deserves. I sure would. To claim these things as issues for prices and such when stores hire anaylists to figure out how to make people do more for less is rather strange to me.

I'm glad I don't use a car any longer. I stick with the bus.

[SunfallE]

[QUOTE=Xy GGu]FOOLS!

I pay $200 all year on public transportation! I never needed the use for a car and everything I need to get to is within 2 miles.

Of course I'll sacrifice [B]my right[/B] to spend thousands of dollars a year on private transportation and take that extra 15 to 45 minutes a day.

Besides. Getting up earlier to get to work and finding ways to plan your day better builds character (and fattens your wallet a little every day).[/QUOTE]


It's really easy to depend on public transportation if there happens to be some. But many areas have none. The areas without public transportation here in America far outweight the few that actually do have it.

If I depended on public transportation I wouldn't be able to work as there is nothing from the town I live in to get me to my job. I may be a truck driver but when I am off for a few days the truck stays at work, I don't get to drive it home. I can't say I blame them as Semi trucks only get around 7 miles to the gallon. That may sound bad but when you consider that they can haul 80,000 pounds that's far better gas milage than any car or truck I know of.

Now if they would only finish putting in the light rail here in Utah, I could forgo the car and ride it to work instead. ^_^

[ChibiHorsewoman]

[QUOTE=Xy GGu]FOOLS!

I pay $200 all year on public transportation! I never needed the use for a car and everything I need to get to is within 2 miles.

Of course I'll sacrifice [B]my right[/B] to spend thousands of dollars a year on private transportation and take that extra 15 to 45 minutes a day.

Besides. Getting up earlier to get to work and finding ways to plan your day better builds character (and fattens your wallet a little every day).[/QUOTE]

[color=darkviolet]Okay first of all it's not very nice to call people names. You know do unto others... blah blah blah.

Second I live in Western NYS (yeah like I'm telling all of you my city!) Or public transportation system is a joke! I laugh at our public transportation! Ha ha ha! Maybe if my city- larger than Waco, TX, but smaller than say Miineapolis/St. Paul- had better public transportation (and my job was on the bus line) I'd use the bus, but alas I would get to work either too early or too late or not at all. Besides, I car pool and swap with one of my friends over who drives other places.

I pay $217 for a car payment and $240 for insurance. Then at least $25 for gas (My salary is $7.50 an hour hopefully I'll find someting better) But I have the freedom to go anywhere I want. If I want to go to Letchworth, or Cinncinnati or Toronto I can do that without making reservations on Greyhound. Yes i have to pay thruway tolls (damn you NYSDOT!) but I have more freedom. To me driving is like... well a three letter word that soem of you have no experiance with. It's not important unless I can't do it.... Wait that sounds bad... oh well.

And I agree with Morpheus as well- although New York state pays about $6.15 for a starting wage- the minimum wage hasn't increased since the 90's yet everything else goes up. Go figure[/color]

[Gavin]

[SIZE=1]Interesting, most interesting.

[quote name='Corey][size=1']And Europe is worse than any area in the US.[/size][/quote]

I'd like to thank Corey for bringing that up, Americans have been getting away like bandits for years in terms of what you guys pay for petrol and diesel. A gallon is actually the equivalent of about [B]five[/B] litres, not three and if I could get away with ?2.05 (about $2.75) for five litres of petrol or diesel I can tell you I'd be a very happy chappy.

As it stands in the Republic of Ireland we're paying about ?1.15 ($1.44) per litre and that's in places with some kind of concept of fairness in terms of price when back about a year or so ago the price was about ?0.95 per litre. In the United Kingdom I believe the price is more than ?1.54 (£1.10 or $1.92) per litre, though I may be wrong as it's been a while since I heard the current cost in England.

So really everywhere you go people are going to complain about the cost of fuel, if you can I suggest changing to public transport, if you can't it's really just a case of grin and bare it. Because with countries like China and India getting more drivers every year the cost of petrol is just going to keep going up, and we're going to have to get used to it. [/SIZE]

[Roxie Faye]

[color=#9933ff]I'm not driving yet, but I dread it, because of the gas prices. It's *not* going to be cheap, and that's not fun when you're making $7.50 and hour for less than 10 hours a week (during the school year). :/

Someone brought up the point that the oil companies justify the prices by saying "we're going to run out of oil soon!!111" and then that person said that wasn't true. I agree. We aren't running out of oil anytime soon, no matter what that environmental spokeperson says (actually, I'm a tree hugger myself. That's right. WE'RE NOT RUNNING OUT OF OIL!!!). Why should we find alternative fuel options? Because gas prices are too high. AAAAAAAAND we're adding to the CO2 in the air. And America does it more than other other country. We're the only one who's pulled out of the Kyoto pact, wants to drill for more in Alaska (yes, let's screw over the wildlife!!!). I don't blame other nations for breathing down our necks like fire dragons.

I say we push for hydrogen fuel because the result of burning it is water. H2 + O2 -> 2 H2O =) The nearest hydrogen gas station in my area is Albany, New York, and I think Ford has some concept (or marketed?) hydrogen fueled cars. SWITCH NOW OR RELINQUISH YOUR SOUL. Er... just kidding. ^^; [*stares intently at Digimon freaks.* You better understand that.]

My friend and I were complaining that nothing about switching fuel, or making prices go down, is going to be done in the nexy four years because Bush owns some stupid oil company. :/ Loser.

The other question I wanted to ask is: why does everybody think the war has to do with higher gas prices? Iraq doesn't even have the most oil. We get ours mainly from Saudi Arabia and Venezuela, I believe. Like... 80% in those two countries. We didn't go to war for oil, either. Never. lol. I'd like to ask, though, is there a more complex part of this that I'm missing? Please explain to me why the war would make gas prices higher - I've heard the arguement enough that now I want to know why people think that. X_x;

And lastly, I know that everyone except Americans has it bad in terms of gas prices, but no matter where you are, people are still going to complain because [b]to them, in their personal experience[/b], the current gas prices are high. I believe most Americans (well, the ones that pay attention to world affairs) are aware that they have it better off than other countries, but that doesn't make it easier to bear. [Especially when mass transit sucks in this country. Seriously.][/color]

[Lafleur]

[QUOTE]
The other question I wanted to ask is: why does everybody think the war has to do with higher gas prices? Iraq doesn't even have the most oil. We get ours mainly from Saudi Arabia and Venezuela, I believe. Like... 80% in those two countries. We didn't go to war for oil, either. Never. lol. I'd like to ask, though, is there a more complex part of this that I'm missing? Please explain to me why the war would make gas prices higher - I've heard the arguement enough that now I want to know why people think that. X_x;[/QUOTE][COLOR=DarkRed]

Yes, a lot of Oil does come from Saudi Arabia and Venezuala (As well as Alberta and Texas) but a lot of that oil that would be going to the econemy is instead going into War, a large, large percent of it is going into fueling tanks, planes, ships etc etc. The reason this effects the rest of the Western world so much is that a lot of the oil in the world (Particularily in Canada) goes through the US first, and than into the country it's destined for. For processing, pricing, market etc etc. So now that oil becomes scarcer due to the war, the US has the ability to significantly mark up prices on crude oil, or just reserve it for themselves, thus thurougly boning the rest of us. That's the biggest problem with giving one of the most militiristic Western worlds so much money; the government is just bound to rob the rest of us blind.
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[QUOTE]And America does it more than other other country. We're the only one who's pulled out of the Kyoto pact, wants to drill for more in Alaska (yes, let's screw over the wildlife!!!). I don't blame other nations for breathing down our necks like fire dragons.
[/QUOTE]
[COLOR=DarkRed]
Actualy, China, and the former USSR, the so-called Communist countries (So-Called because they were in fact imperialist dictatorships that give us Commie Socialists a bad name) were MUCH more lax about their pollution cotrole. It's disgusting; nuclear waste is being poured into lakes, they have no laws againts burning coal or oil, it's a complete disaster. Brazilians burning the Rainforest to make room for McDonalds cattle isn't helping neither....[/COLOR]

[Goodbye, Face]

[font=trebuchet ms]Gas is about $2.80, depending on where you go in my area.

When I can't depend on my parents for a ride, I break out the bicycle and ride it to a friend's house, etc. I realize that not everyone has the same type of convienient area as I do, of course. It takes me about twenty minutes to walk to Will's house, which has been my second home this summer, twenty minutes to ride to Wal-Mart, and about fifteen minutes to get to Food Lion, Harris Teeter, or Bi-Lo. There's also a Putt-Putt and a card game (Magic, Yu-Gi-Oh) store within walking distance of my house, but me and Will make a day out of the trip, both are about three hours away on foot and about one hours away on our bikes. Needless to say, I'm not as overweight as I used to be before summer began.

Seriously, people, stop using cars if you're able to. If you have to use a car to get to work, don't make side trips unless they're on the way, etc. For some reason my parents drive to places where we could easily walk to, and then complain about gas prices. Yeah.[/font]

[Godelsensei]

Throw your shoes at me and call me crazy, but I'm actually kind of glad.

Seeing as I never plan to live anywhere without a proper public transit system, I find it highly satisfactory to see SUV owners suffer. The less gas people use as a result of its rising price-tags, worldwide, the fewer tons of crap that's released into our lovely atmosphere every day.

Incidentally, gas prices have just gone over a dollar in my province, Ontario.

[foolycooly6363]

I just filled up my friends H2 today and the total came to over $90, luckily he's picking up the tab. Why would anyone buy Hummers these days anyway, with gas prices and all. In my area gas is only a few cents off $3.00 per gallon and yet I see some idiot driving around in a hummer with a temporary license plate on back. Now, Hummer is trying to make their tanks more wallet friendly with the H3, it's still huge to me. Seriously, why would anyone besides the army buy Hummers right now, you'd be paying $100+ in gas a week (If you drive a lot).

[ChibiHorsewoman]

[color=darkviolet]I drive about 40 miles to and from work every day :animecry: I just filled up my gas tank again the price was $2.54.9 a gallon I was just under half a tank and I paid $21.86 for about 9 gallons. My tank is about 13 gallons and I need an oil change!

I try to walk more places if I can. I managed to walk to the grocery store that's about a mile from my house and back. I may have only done it due to the fact that it was only 83 degrees or less outside. This heat has been a killer- another reason I've avoided walking. And here's another I have a baby and no baby seat on my bike. It's all nice and good to say don't drive walk or ride your bike, but Every time I go out some where I have to pack like I'm staying for a while. So in some ways a car is more convieniant for me.

But seriously I wish I didn't have my car sometimes, I used to be able to ride to my grandparents house the next town over, but now I can barely ride to the library. Damn it all!

I laugh at people who drive SUVs or Trucks and don't need them. I can understand if you have more than two kids or own some kind of company or car pool. But for two kids or a single person get a friggin' car and get on with your life. I'm honestly taking some guilty plesure in the fact that Lincoln owns an SUV and by the time he gets up here next month gas will likely be around $2.80 a gallon here pricier in Watertown. I wonder if he'll be so insistant on keeping the gas guzzler then. :animeswea [/color]

[Burori]

[QUOTE=Ilium][COLOR=DarkRed]Gas is re-goddamn-diculus in Quebec. Ultramar hit 1.25 a leiter, over 3.50$/gallon USD. It's completely ******. Some places it's cheaper, in some of the more secluded Towns in the area it's only about 75cents for some stupid reason. In Alberta and Saskatchewan it's cheaper, and a bit cheaper in Manitoba, but Quebec and the Marintimes got completely reamed with the Gas prices. If it ever hits 2/leiter (Likley, at this rate) I'm going to have to start stealing gas again... Stupid Bush starting dumbass goddamn wars without thinking is costing the Western World to goddamn much :animeangr
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[COLOR=DarkRed]
I think Silent Security meant per lieter, and there is approximitaly 3 leiters in a gallon, so there ya go...[/COLOR][/QUOTE]

*Cries* I got Pawned in my own province. It seems anyone who decided to start driving last year was sucked into the worse gas Monopoly ever. God how I crave for the old days when gas was 70 a litre here in Quebec. Hell now today everyone is gittery when it is seen as 90.....sad sad world we live in....

[Lafleur]

[quote name='Burori']*Cries* I got Pawned in my own province. It seems anyone who decided to start driving last year was sucked into the worse gas Monopoly ever. God how I crave for the old days when gas was 70 a litre here in Quebec. Hell now today everyone is gittery when it is seen as 90.....sad sad world we live in....[/quote]
[COLOR=DarkRed]
To think, just 9 short months ago gas was going for 76, and that was high! It seems like such a long time ago :animecry: [/COLOR]

[Leofski]

I work at a petrol (gas) station here in England. Currently, we're at 92p (about $1.5) a litre or $6.3 a gallon. Funny thing is that even then it's technicly underpriced in terms of its social costs, so maybe these rising prices aren't such a bad thing.