The average price of oil in 2002 was $22.51. It closed today at $62.52.

 

They're hoping that the refineries can reach 90% capacity by early summer. But I wouldn't hold your breath.

 

I'm pretty sure I was responding to a Habib post in your above quoted post. Not sure why you became involved, but you failed to answer the initial question when you did decide to chime in. :banana:

 

I'm also pretty sure I didn't ask anyone what the price of oil was in 2002 or closed at today.

 

Ahh conditioning... Don't you love it? Start your week out at $2.60 a gallon, hike it up to $3.10 by Saturday, drop it down to about $2.80 on Tuesday and everyone thinks they're getting a bargain.

I'm pretty sure I was responding to a Habib post in your above quoted post. Not sure why you became involved, but you failed to answer the initial question when you did decide to chime in. :banana:

 

I'm also pretty sure I didn't ask anyone what the price of oil was in 2002 or closed at today.

 

This is exactly why i don't post much because of crap like this. Is their some rule i don't no about that says you can only reply to posts that were talking to you? Or do you just make up youre own rules as you go? I was under the impresion that this was an open forum.

Went from 3.29 in places around our area yeasterday to 2.99 today, go figure. :confused:

 

I saw you mentioned it was 3 something in Ashland a few days ago. It's been between 2.90 and 2.99 all week long in Boyd County.

Yesterday it was $3.09, this moring it was $2.99 . No telling what it will be Fri morning !

My problem with Habib is: Just because 3.00 bucks a gallon is nothing to him, it is to other people. I do agree with him that America is the land of opportunity and you open a business to make a profit. Does that mean every car maker in America should raise the cost of all new cars by 10,000 to make a better profit? Should houses that normally cost 150,000 grand cost 250,000 so they can make a high profit? That is exactly what the oil companies are doing. They are making excess profits and robbing Americans. Again, I will use the war as an example most Americans will understand. The major oil companies ALONE could have funded the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and STILL had a nice profit in the bank.

 

I do realize that America is turning into every man for himself and lets all get rich and who cares about the other people, but I do not believe in this. I have no problem with the oil company making reasonable million dollar profits. But the billion dollar profits I have a problem with. They are robbing the American people. If everyone was out to make excess profits where would America be?

Gas will stay up until atleast the Memorial Day holiday and then we can start hoping the prices fall. I just cant see the prices staying up at $3 a gallon the whole summer. I remember seeing something on the news about a month ago saying the highest prices we will see this summer should be around $2.90, i dont know how they came up with that but they were wrong since here in northern kentucky we have seen prices as high as $3.30 the oil companies can keep raising the prices as long as the need for the gas is constant and we keep buying it.

Can't use this as an excuse. Every gas station in the country has plenty of gas everyday, it's not like we're having to ration. Oil is readily available, and our country's oil reserve is full. Demand may be high, but it's not like there's no supply. It's there for an outrageous price.

Start tapping into the reserve and see where the prices escalate. The problem with current costs, are greed and egos.....

 

Oil may be readily available, but a what transport cost, at what refinery cost and who pays, the consumer....Some gas stations, can't afford the cost anymore, as the customers are purchasing less and seeking lower prices, anywhere.

My problem with Habib is: Just because 3.00 bucks a gallon is nothing to him, it is to other people. I do agree with him that America is the land of opportunity and you open a business to make a profit. Does that mean every car maker in America should raise the cost of all new cars by 10,000 to make a better profit? Should houses that normally cost 150,000 grand cost 250,000 so they can make a high profit?

 

Free advice: Come up with better examples. What are the chances of an AMERICAN carmaker raising their prices $10k and actually selling that car? None. Hell, they're barely able to get a few percentage points above cost. What are the chances of a $150k home selling for $250k? None. Why? There's no market for that product at that price. Simple economics.

 

Secondly, why does the level of profit in one particular industry compared to something non-related have any impact? What's the point?

 

Lastly, we as a country like to complain about the gas prices but we do nothing about it. We don't change our driving habits. We don't change the types of cars we drive. That tells me that $3/gallon is still doable. We may not like it but we're still willing to pay for it rather than change our habits.

 

So, we can either continue to live with it or do something about it. Complaining/whining yet not doing anything differently is simply noise.

I couldn't tell you how much I paid for gas ever. I don't even bother looking because I know I have to get it and it doesn't really matter.

My problem with Habib is: Just because 3.00 bucks a gallon is nothing to him, it is to other people. I do agree with him that America is the land of opportunity and you open a business to make a profit. Does that mean every car maker in America should raise the cost of all new cars by 10,000 to make a better profit? Should houses that normally cost 150,000 grand cost 250,000 so they can make a high profit? That is exactly what the oil companies are doing. They are making excess profits and robbing Americans. Again, I will use the war as an example most Americans will understand. The major oil companies ALONE could have funded the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and STILL had a nice profit in the bank.

 

Problem with me? I like how it's personal now. And $3.00 a gallon costs me as much as it costs you. Your arguments are weak here. Competition keeps prices down, not up. No car maker or home seller would ever be able to pull that off, no one would pay that much above market value. Ask yourself why gas companies can do that and quit blaming me and George Bush.

Does anyone else besides me find it somewhat ironic that one of the reasons that gasoline has gotten so expensive is "transport cost"?

My problem with Habib is: Just because 3.00 bucks a gallon is nothing to him, it is to other people. I do agree with him that America is the land of opportunity and you open a business to make a profit. Does that mean every car maker in America should raise the cost of all new cars by 10,000 to make a better profit? Should houses that normally cost 150,000 grand cost 250,000 so they can make a high profit? That is exactly what the oil companies are doing. They are making excess profits and robbing Americans. Again, I will use the war as an example most Americans will understand. The major oil companies ALONE could have funded the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and STILL had a nice profit in the bank.

 

I do realize that America is turning into every man for himself and lets all get rich and who cares about the other people, but I do not believe in this. I have no problem with the oil company making reasonable million dollar profits. But the billion dollar profits I have a problem with. They are robbing the American people. If everyone was out to make excess profits where would America be?

To answer your question about raising the price of a car 10,000......yes, they should, if the market will sustain that. There is no such thing as "excess profits", all profits are in "excess" of the break even point. I still do not understand why you point out that the war in Iraq could be funded with the money, I'm sure Bill Gates could fund the war as well, why is he not being called on the carpet?

 

America is not turning into a capitalist, free market society. It always has been one. Seems to me you should charter the next time machine back to Socialist Russia with all the talk about "the common good". You do realize that this is what your advocating right?

Free advice: Come up with better examples. What are the chances of an AMERICAN carmaker raising their prices $10k and actually selling that car? None. Hell, they're barely able to get a few percentage points above cost. What are the chances of a $150k home selling for $250k? None. Why? There's no market for that product at that price. Simple economics.

 

Secondly, why does the level of profit in one particular industry compared to something non-related have any impact? What's the point?

 

Lastly, we as a country like to complain about the gas prices but we do nothing about it. We don't change our driving habits. We don't change the types of cars we drive. That tells me that $3/gallon is still doable. We may not like it but we're still willing to pay for it rather than change our habits.

 

So, we can either continue to live with it or do something about it. Complaining/whining yet not doing anything differently is simply noise.

 

:thumb:

I couldn't tell you how much I paid for gas ever. I don't even bother looking because I know I have to get it and it doesn't really matter.

I think that is the point that many of us are trying to bring up. At what point DO you begin to look. I'm not criticizing you for your behavior, heck most of the US behaves like this. I'll put it into perspective with this example, since I heard so much talk about this last year:

 

When the PS3 and Xbox 360 were set to drop, much negativity was spewed here and elsewhere about the "outrageous" increase in price for the PS3. The price of the old PS2 was about 200-300 depending on when you bought it, and the new version more than doubled that price. So how did the American and BGP react? They didn't buy PS3's for the most part, they bout XBox 360s. Why do we not apply the same sound logic to gasoline? Why do we not seek out alternative methods of transportation? And for the love of God why do we sit on our tushies and complain and blame non stop about choices that WE make?