May 18, 200818 yr When it goes to 4.50 this weekend well never mind the rest might get me kicked off here,again.
May 18, 200818 yr Howard Stern keeps saying they are going to jump to $20.00 a gallon! A great exageration, but they are jumping. I walk if I can help it.
May 18, 200818 yr Where are you guys finding this cheap gas? ONLY $3.65?!? It's around $3.90ish in Louisville. They had an economist on the radio last week. He said we have the most supply of gas and oil right now, more than we've had in years. Yet prices still go up. He said it is all Enron's fault. They lobbied congress to deregulate oil, so they could speculate on it as a commodity. No wonder they went under, and yet congress listended. Ever since then, specualtion has driven up the prices, even with excess supply. He says $5.00 will hit this summer, and you will NEVER see below $3.00 because the oil companies know they can get away with it now. Personally, I would like to see it hit $10.00 or more, even though it will kill me, and I will never get my boat out again. I cut my gas use by 2/3's a few years ago, by not using the jeep and the boat. In the last month, I cut another 10-15 gallons a week by cutting trips out, conserving, walking, carpooling, etc. But I think it will take something drastic to change things in the world, like $10 a gallon. This will push folks to find new forms of energy. Hopefully we have seen our last oil man in office, though sadly I voted once for him. That whole expirament backfired.
May 18, 200818 yr Where are you guys finding this cheap gas? ONLY $3.65?!? It's around $3.90ish in Louisville. They had an economist on the radio last week. He said we have the most supply of gas and oil right now, more than we've had in years. Yet prices still go up. He said it is all Enron's fault. They lobbied congress to deregulate oil, so they could speculate on it as a commodity. No wonder they went under, and yet congress listended. Ever since then, specualtion has driven up the prices, even with excess supply. He says $5.00 will hit this summer, and you will NEVER see below $3.00 because the oil companies know they can get away with it now. Personally, I would like to see it hit $10.00 or more, even though it will kill me, and I will never get my boat out again. I cut my gas use by 2/3's a few years ago, by not using the jeep and the boat. In the last month, I cut another 10-15 gallons a week by cutting trips out, conserving, walking, carpooling, etc. But I think it will take something drastic to change things in the world, like $10 a gallon. This will push folks to find new forms of energy. Hopefully we have seen our last oil man in office, though sadly I voted once for him. That whole expirament backfired. If you want to criticize Bush, then criticize him and Congress for not allowing us to increase our oil supply, and speculators can only assume that supplies will tighten. Part of the way that a firm determines their prices is on future profitability.
May 18, 200818 yr Actually I didn't criticize Bush, I just said an oilman in office isn't good for the gas prices. I voted for him thinking it mattered. I believe Truman said it best, the buck stop THERE, not congress. For the record, I have hated every president in my lifetime. They have all let me down more than I expected when they came in. The Bush administration itself recently said the all the oil in ALaska would only drop gas prices up to $0.03 a gallon. It has nothing to do with supply, as supply is higher than ever. Just last week, the Arabs increased production 300K barrels a day, yet the prices went up $0.30. In the past, before Enron, this would have severely dropped gas prices. Gas in Alsaka itself, outside the few main cities, is $8 - $10 per gallon, even in area where they drill the oil, according to someone from Alaska (from their adminstration) on the radio last week. They want to drill, but know it won't affect prices nationwide, but will increase profits in AK. One thing they are doing, is interesting. They are making so much money on oil right now, too much she admitted, that they want to return some of that profit back to AK citizens, in the form of stipends, residuals, etc. That's impressive. Specualtion is why Enron failed, and they are the ones who paid congress to allow them to do it. That is the sole reason we deregulated, and are where we are now. If specualtion is so brilliant, why not let everyone speculate? Why just oil? Car Insurance for example- if it's gonna rain, your insurance carrier should double your rates until it stopped raining. Or on New Years, when all the drunks are around, triple the rates. If we truly are a capitalistic society, we should let everyone change their prices, every day, based on merely specualtion. The word itself "specualtion" has a negative context in court, yet this is what we determine oil prices with? If the oil industry, I want the right to speculate at work too. I want the right to charge more for water in a drought, then I can make more money. However, I am denied this right by politicians, which is very unfair. Again, I support high gas prices for the moment, because I think it's good in the long run. I don't care if it cripples the economy, because we (and I) will find a way out of it. I learned working at UPS for 15 years, the strike was the best thing that happened to UPS, because they had to learn a way around it, and they became much more profitable afterwards, even if they did cut my retiremnt over half to do it. We the people, and countries are at their best when their backs are against the wall. We're just not there yet. I support home foreclosures too for the same reason, and wish the gov't would quit bailing people out. Just like we keep bailing out the oil industry.
May 18, 200818 yr ^ They increased production to make up for Mexican and it was either Venz/Iran decreases. It wasn't to naturally increase it, they were making up for lost supply. They are still producing a lot less than they were 2 years ago. Here is our GOVT's take on oil... 1.) We have to STOP using imported oil from the middle east. 2.) NO, we are not drilling here, forget it. We need a complete make over it Washington, not just the president.
May 19, 200818 yr Why is it so hard for some of you to appreciate the fact that Bush just being in office -- regardless of whether he actively does anything pertaining to oil -- has enabled oil companies to feel like they have carte blanche to do what they want, without fear of repercussion? Look at it this way -- if your brother were the sheriff in your county, wouldn't you feel like you were a lot less likely to be picked up for speeding or DUI, if at all?
May 19, 200818 yr Why is it so hard for some of you to appreciate the fact that Bush just being in office -- regardless of whether he actively does anything pertaining to oil -- has enabled oil companies to feel like they have carte blanche to do what they want, without fear of repercussion? Look at it this way -- if your brother were the sheriff in your county, wouldn't you feel like you were a lot less likely to be picked up for speeding or DUI, if at all? He has def turned a blind eye on big oil and McCain not a direct oil man is an oil advocate.
May 19, 200818 yr You think we. the voter would have learn about putting those with any ties to oil in charge of this country.
May 19, 200818 yr Why is it so hard for some of you to appreciate the fact that Bush just being in office -- regardless of whether he actively does anything pertaining to oil -- has enabled oil companies to feel like they have carte blanche to do what they want, without fear of repercussion? Look at it this way -- if your brother were the sheriff in your county, wouldn't you feel like you were a lot less likely to be picked up for speeding or DUI, if at all? Oil prices are 455% higher now than when Bush took office. Gas prices are only up 167%. Based on you're post, we should be thankful that Bush has kept gas from hitting $8 a gallon.
May 19, 200818 yr Oil prices are 455% higher now than when Bush took office. Gas prices are only up 167%. Based on you're post, we should be thankful that Bush has kept gas from hitting $8 a gallon. But they are still making record profits.
May 19, 200818 yr But they are still making record profits. That has more to do with the size of the companies than their profits. If the companies had not merged you would not be hearing about these record profits. Let's compare some profit margins of companies you probably know: Paychex Inc. 27.6% Luxottica 10.2% Royal Caribb. 10.6% WD-40 Co. 10.1% Nvidia 19.5% Canon 11.3% Western Union Co. 17.5% Jackson Hewitt Tax Service 17.2% Weight Watchers Int'l 14.6% Procter & Gamble 13.8% Colgate Palmolive 12.9% International Paper 13.8% Exxon Mobil 10.4% Chevron 8.0% BP 7.9% My point is that the amount of profit that the oil companies make is not at all unreasonable. In fact, it's necessary in order to keep people invested in them. Otherwise, they invest elsewhere.
May 19, 200818 yr That has more to do with the size of the companies than their profits. If the companies had not merged you would not be hearing about these record profits. Let's compare some profit margins of companies you probably know: Paychex Inc. 27.6% Luxottica 10.2% Royal Caribb. 10.6% WD-40 Co. 10.1% Nvidia 19.5% Canon 11.3% Western Union Co. 17.5% Jackson Hewitt Tax Service 17.2% Weight Watchers Int'l 14.6% Procter & Gamble 13.8% Colgate Palmolive 12.9% International Paper 13.8% Exxon Mobil 10.4% Chevron 8.0% BP 7.9% My point is that the amount of profit that the oil companies make is not at all unreasonable. In fact, it's necessary in order to keep people invested in them. Otherwise, they invest elsewhere. Down with Western Union! And just to add on, if I may, those investors are average people, not oil kingpens.
May 19, 200818 yr Bought some in Gatlinburg, Tennessee at the bargin basement price of $3.63 a gallon :lol:
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