Gas Price at Second Highest Level Ever

[truthpusher]

http://reuters.myway.com/article/20050314/2005-03-14T215234Z_01_N142853_RTRIDST_0_NEWS-ENERGY-GASOLINE-PRICE-DC.html

Gas Price at Second Highest Level Ever -Govt
----------------------
Mar 14, 4:52 PM (ET)
By Tom Doggett
----------------------

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The average price U.S. consumers pay to fill their cars with gasoline climbed to the second highest level ever, and is less than a penny from the all-time record, the government said on Monday.

The national pump price for regular unleaded gasoline increased 5.7 cents over the last week to an average $2.056 a gallon, up 33 cents from a year ago, according to a survey of service stations by the U.S. Energy Information Administration.

The current record gasoline price is $2.064 a gallon set last May. The EIA has forecast the pump price will rise above $2.15 a gallon later this spring. When adjusted for inflation, gasoline cost the most in March 1981 at $3.08 a gallon, according to the agency.

(snip)

"When gasoline prices go up to this degree, family finances suffer -- and not just at the gas pump, but at the grocery store and the department store, too," Democratic Sen. Ron Wyden of Oregon said on Monday.

complete story: http://reuters.myway.com/article/20050314/2005-03-14T215234Z_01_N142853_RTRIDST_0_NEWS-ENERGY-GASOLINE-PRICE-DC.html

[whistle]

1. It went from $1.89.9 a gallon ten days ago to $2.04.9 yesterday

...for regular unleaded in Orlando FL

[Resin]

50. Yep.. I missed out

Saw $1.85 at the Mobile on 441 and Wekiva Springs Road. Across the street, 7-11 had just put up a sign for $2.02. I filled up my wife's car immediately. I then picked her up from the airport and brought her home, but I had forgotten to take my car down to Mobil while the getting was good.

Ended up buying at $2.03 last night. Damn, coulda saved $1.50!

I was reading posts over at some conservative website about the drilling in alaska. It was all "I paid $2.05 a gallon today. Drill!"

High gas prices aren't the problem people. They may just actually be the SOLUTION.

[renaissanceguy]

51. I thought I was seeing things

when the prices were that low. But then again, I just had to blink my eyes, and the prices were back to their high norms.


http://www.cafepress.com/liberalissues.19254800

[westcor]

63. THIS JUST IN, HIGHEST PRICE EVER FOR GAS!

Just got word in that oil is at the highest price ever at $56.60 a barrel, closing price, up from $55.17 in Oct 22, 2004. Congress has acknowledged peak oil, looks like its all down from here, though I did hear Bush wanted to have cars w/ 300 MPG by 2009, laughable yes, just another lie, how will his friends stay in business?!?

[physioex]

2. It has been really bad...

I think it will be $3/gal soon. Let the schmucks who drive Hummers and those that voted for Shrub feel the pain, they wanted this....

Imagine some of those things have a thirty gallon tank.....Now imagine filling up at $3/gal wheeeew...... :nopity:

[bunkerbuster1]

29. When it hits an adjusted-for-inflation peak, let me know.

Until then, we're all just blowing smoke with these numbers.

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

34. Clearing the smoke...

[nolabels]

35. Very interesting chart, thanks

After all the oil is burn up what should we do :think:

[montanaliberaldem]

66. Keep in mind that this is not the real cost of gas.

When you look at the external costs of gasoline - tax subsidies; gov't program subsidies for production,extraction and use of petroleum and petroleum fuels; protection costs involved in shipment of oil; and environmental, health and social costs of gasoline usage -the industry is subsidized to the tune of $2-3 per gallon. Ever wonder why gasoline costs twice as much in Europe? Could you imagine how most Americans in their SUV's would react to paying $5.00 a gallon while driving a vehicle that gets only 14 mpg? The public would demand vehicles with better mileage and the industry might respond.

[Rainscents]

37. But... but...but, it's Clinton's fault!!!

[Mugsy]

49. But those HUMMER drivers can afford it.

Do you really think people who are concerned with gas prices are among those who bought Hummers? DON'T rely on high gas prices to wake up mega-SUV drivers to the need to drive more fuel efficient vehicles. Gas prices would have to triple by 2006 to even stir them from their "tax-cuts for the rich" induced economic slumber.

[Inland]

3. Lowest price in Chicago area, $2

[ekelly]

11. I just paid

$1.86 here in the Ft. Worth, TX area yesterday.
Don't know how long our luck will hold out.

[UpInArms]

20. but in Texas that is for 86 octane -

can't burn that in my car - need a minimum of 87 - and in Texas - that's another dime or so per gallon.

[Digit]

4. I have noticed the gas guzzlers driving s-l-o-w-e-r...

I was behind one at a light and we both turned right. I had noticed the "W" in their rear window just before I made the turn.
He went in the left lane, I in the right.
Since he was going slower, I passed by him, but stayed in the right lane. Maybe he noticed my scowl as I noticed his sticker, I dunno.
We began to come upon another light, which was red. Two cars were standing still in the right hand lane. I switched to the left....signalling first, of course. He had sped up to keep me from getting ahead of him.
Since I was going to be making a left hand turn, I stayed left. He began tailgating me (I proudly wear the democraticunderground.com sticker).
The speed limit was 45, and he had been going 40. I was now doing 55 and he was on my ass.
As I got to the left turn lane, there was a brief break in the traffic and I made my left turn leaving the "w" man at the intersection. I left him in the dust.
Damn, it felt good.
Still does.
He was happy poking along until he saw my sticker.
Hope he used a boatload of gas. I didn't....I drive an economical car.

[ktowntennesseedem]

24. It times like that when I wished a drove a old rust-bucket clunker.

An economical one I hope, but at least on with a beat-up, strong rear bumper. I'd love to demonstrate how much I appreciate tailgaters, especially morans with their "W"-stickered SUVs! (I actually do drive a clunker, but its the only car I've got, and one good tap from one of their behemoths would probably total it!)

[ConcernedCanuk]

5. of course - they COULD park that War Machine for a bit ???

.
.
.

That'd save a heck of a pile of oil, no?

______________________________________

Every year the U.S. military uses enough energy to run all U.S. mass transit for 22 years.

An aircraft carrier uses 150,000 gallons of fuel per day.

A fighter jet consumes as much fuel per hour as the average U.S. motorist uses in two years.

Info from: http://www.warresisters.org/environment_flyer.pdf
______________________________________

naaah

gotta blame sumthing else

parkin' that war machine thingy is a no-no!

:silly:

(where WOULD they park all that sh*t if they ever brought it all "home"??) :freak:

[physioex]

6. I have a feeling....

A lot of that shit is going to come back torn to pieces. And now that the rest of the world has caught up in technology, they will have much more superior weapons.

[spooked911]

45. Excellent point. The military is very wasteful.

But no one will want to cut back when people are afraid of those nasty terrorists.

[bluestateguy]

7. God's punishment for the war in Iraq

Yeah, I can play that game too.

[rocktivity]

13. Actually, it's Bush's punishment for not falling for his SocSec scam.

:headbang:
rocknation

[Blue to the bone]

8. I'd imagine that adjusted for inflation, it's no where near its high. n/t

[truthpusher]

10. from the article:

"When adjusted for inflation, gasoline cost the most in March 1981 at $3.08 a gallon"

[Blue to the bone]

14. When all else fails, read the article. n/t

[eddieb]

39. They don't include Oil in the calculating inflation!

[Blue to the bone]

42. Huh? n/t

[jayfish]

64. Yeah And I'd Imagine...

that (correctly)adjusted for inflation I make less then what I did 5-years ago. So whats your point?

Jay

[dweller]

9. okay, bets are now open for when they'll hit record highest...

ooops. n/m

they probably already have in the time i wrote this.

dp

[YvonneCa]

12. California checking in...

...$2.44, $2.54 and $2.65 per gallon here! :scared:

[rfkrfk]

17. goofy California gas laws

How people in California think
about California's gas laws, being different?
The different 'Cal. specification',
costs big money.
In addition, the MTBE ban costs big money,
because 'specialty of specialty' blending gas
is neeeded to be blended with ethanol.

Do people perceive any benefit from all that bs?
If so, what?
To me, its just 40 cents extra from the poor and
middle class, that the rich get.

Do local politicians claim they are doing there constituents
a favor with these laws?
If so, what?
How do politicians explain that no other states
have copied Cal laws? {note, several states have banned MTBE}

[not systems]

56. It cuts air pollution it is a very good thing most...

people I know have asthma and the incremental reductions
in pollution make a huge difference in real quality of life.

I invite all people who don't like cleaner air to move
to a dirty gas state and take a big suck of freedom air.

So you could say I favor these laws and all the
kids with asthma living in the city deserve the better air.

[rfkrfk]

18. dupe

edit, dupe

[dbt]

15. Another round of test marketing.

bu$hler's Big Oil contributors are merely probing, looking for the highest price per gallon that the sheep will tolerate. Yeah, it's a game. If the Senate were to announce an investigation into high gasoline prices, you'd see an immediate decrease at the pump; it's happened at least once since Idiot Boy took office.

[NeoConsSuck]

16. Cover your ass..

and if you have any disposable income, invest in a global natural resource fund. My fund shot up almost 10% yesterday! The profits will help pay for my gas and heating bill this year. In three months, my fund is up over 30%.

Another classic case of the capitalists reaching into the pockets of the peasants.

http://finance.yahoo.com/q?s=PSPFX&d=t

[LiberalPersona]

19. Here

It was about $1.64 or so this time last year I believe, and it was in the $2.05 range last time I looked in the past week. Over a 40 cent rise in a year.

I'm verry worried, my family violently refuses to believe my attempts to tell them about what's really going on, they think it's all because of Bush.

[stevebreeze]

21. the point of controlling the oil for the petroleum industry is NOT low

price. Vote for an oil industry shill and this is what you get.

[ktowntennesseedem]

22. Anyone notice the latest car-safety reports coming out right now?

Ratings for all variety of cars, trucks, and SUVs, and in general it points to the dangers of smaller cars, less safe in crashes and all that. (Of course, if everyone drove smaller cars, it wouldn't be a problem. It's only a real problem when one of those smaller cars tangles with a big SUV; the reports conveniently avoid this little fact.)

So basically the message/spin/lie of the day is: "Don't worry about filling up your SUVs. Sure it costs more, but you and your children are safer, and you can't put a price on safety!"

[rfranklin]

43. Actually the death rate is higher in SUVs than in VW Jettas...

Researchers assume its because the SUV drivers feel safer and drive worse.


For more info:

http://www.aceee.org/pubs/t021full.pdf

[HereSince1628]

23. Cheapest gas in Wisconsin is ON BASE at Ft. McCoy= $1.95

In the Milwaukee area prices are running from $2.05 to around $2.20

[4dsc]

25. PEAK OIL!!

Get use to the high prices. i do not see price coming down much at all for the rest of my life.. In fact, I believe we will see iol at $100 barrel in the near future(2-4 years).

And we will sit around until its too late..

I suspect that PEAK OIL was the subject of the Cheney secret energy task force meeting!!

[acmejack]

30. May I suggest reading "The End of Oil"

By Paul Roberts. He is most enlightening!

[Strelnikov_]

46. " . . PEAK OIL was the subject of the Cheney secret energy task force"

I agree. Matt Simmons was a member of the task force. And he has been very vocal that the Saudi fields have been mismanaged and may be approaching peak.

Kinda funny how Our Leaders legions are being moved from SA to Iraqnam, where some in the industry estimate that there is a lot of untapped reserve due to 25 years of war and sanctions limiting development.

Freedom is on the march, when it's not reigning.

[Bluzmann57]

26. What Senator Wyden says is obviously correct

If it costs more to ship goods it will hit the consumer, as the ceo's won't take a hit in their salary. Having said this, please don't put down everybody who drives a big pickup or SUV. Maybe we have reasons for doing so. In my case, I bought a pickup to try and make a little extra money by hauling junk and branching out into lawn care this year. Sometimes people have three or four kids to haul around so they get SUV's for space considerations. Also, people don't always have access to public transportation, so they have to drive to get where they need to be. In my caes, the city busses don't run out to where I work at my regular job, so I have to drive, as do the rest of us. So please think before putting down all people who drive larger vehicles, we may have reasons for doing so.

[eddieb]

38. Next excuse

Listen this is not personal it is a National problem. We need a world wide policy to get the OilMonkey off our backs. If we didn't need the oil do you think our boys in un-armored Humvees would be in Iraq?

[ClintonTyree]

41. That's why they exclude................

rising food and fuel prices from inflation numbers. If the public really knew how much less their dollar is worth today, they'd be in the streets wanting bush's head on a platter. But we all know THAT will never happen.

[newportdadde]

27. My wife and I stopped to get gas over the weekend

we have a buick, gets about 24mpg. When we pulled up to the pump I noticed someone had just filled up their tank, must have been an SUV or suburban... it was for 67.62 price was 1.95.... DAMN.

[BobF]

28. Blast from the past

Quick history lesson...Who once said THIS:

“What I think the president ought to do is he ought to get on the phone with the OPEC cartel and say we expect you to open your spigots. One reason why the price is so high is because the price of crude oil has been driven up. OPEC has gotten its supply act together, and it's driving the price, like it did in the past. And the president of the United States must jawbone OPEC members to lower the prices.”

Yep, that's right...the thieving Monkey said that, back in 2000.

Gee...wonder why the Monkey isn't 'jawboning' anyone now?

Just a wild guess, but maybe it's because he's bought and paid for by his wealthy oil patrons?

[Catfight]

31. Bush needs to liberate more oil fields. nt

[Mugsy]

32. It's ENRON all over again.

It amazes me that I don't hear anyone pointing out the parallel.

ENRON tried to rake in BILLIONS in revenue by creating an artificial energy crisis that pushed profits through the roof.

A year ago, a neocon friend of mine said, "You Liberals think: Gas prices are through the roof. The oil companies must be making millions!"

Six days later, Exxon passed G.E. as the most profitable corporation on the planet.

[Knight of Ni]

59. And Chickenhawk Little himself was one of the loudest voices....

...Crying "CRISIS!!"

[KansDem]

33. This wouldn't have anything to do with the ANWR vote tomorrow?

I wouldn't put it past the thugs in the White House to have the price of gas hit record highs the same week the US Senate votes to open ANWR to drilling.

It was George W. Bush who stated in the 2000 debates when asked about the price of oil that the POTUS needs to get on the phone and "jawbone" with the mid-east oil barons to keep the price of oil down. Well, four years later the price of oil is at record highs; where's George and his "jawboning?"

Oh, yeah, I forgot: perhaps Guckert/Gannon has been the object of Bush's "jawboning" these past four years...

[eddieb]

36. A Cartel is a Monopoly

If Govt decides to raise a gasoline tax 5 cents the right goes Nuts but not a word when the Oil cartel raises gas(tax) 25 cents or 50 cents! This to me is the essence of the Right they don't hate Taxes the hate Government! We seem to have accepted the practice of Price fixing with out the Left or Right making even a whimper of protest!

[natrat]

40. what does that douche bag harrold ford have to say ?

probably not much as he casts his vote for anwar drilling

[spooked911]

44. A coincidence that oil prices set records as congress votes on Anwar????

Just a coincidence?

[pedestrian]

47. Gas prices in the US

are ridiculously low anyway, compared to prices in Europe. Consequently, auto manufacturers here have too little incentive to produce energy-efficient cars. On average, cars used in the US require significantly more gas than cars in Europe. Since fuel prices in the US are lower, research spent on increasing energy efficiency of cars does not pay off to a sufficient degree.

Someone has suggested increasing gas taxes in the US, and reserving this extra revenue for researching and developing renewable fuels. As far as I know, the limiting factors in developing environmentally friendly vehicles are not so much technological as economical. The competition to produce cars at lower prices is intense, and so diverting money for developing vehicles that run on ethanol or whatever is not nearly attractive enough. A higher tax on fossil fuels could remedy that - and the people that would pay the most would disproportionately be owners of several gas-guzzling SUVs.

Apart from the environmental benefits to be had, a United States self-sufficient in fuels just might have more palatable geopolicies... It is in many people's interest worldwide that the US becomes less dependent on imported petroleum.

Besides, if driving were just a little less convenient and affordable, perhaps the popular demand for better public transportation networks and bicycle routes would be stronger.

The Pedestrian (yep!)

[Knight of Ni]

58. Before you say US has a better deal than Europe on gas.....

You need to take other factors into account:

1. How do MEDIAN WAGES for the middle class in those European countries compare to those of middle class Americans?

2. What percentage of those wages does the average middle class American spend on gas and how does that percentage compare to those of average middle-class Europeans?

3. Europe has universal healthcare and we don't.

[Snivi Yllom]

48. I sure am glad I can walk to work

No cars or gas for me. Just my feet or public transportation.

[toast_buster]

52. $2.05? try $2.53!!!

down in san diego,ca the gas prices have been above $2.00 a gallon for months if not a year (i'll have to check). gas this morning was at $2.53 a gallon. its killing us down here.

[Gregorian]

53. $2.79 here. And a bargain at that, I say.

The world can't afford cheap gas.

[don954]

54. Fort Lauderdale, 2.09 for the cheap racetrack stuff

and $2.19 at cheveron (which my old car needs to keep running good).
thats 87 oct, the minimum here.

[mark wayne]

55. We need to organize!

Get an e-mail campaign going to protest. This is a bullshit gift to the oil companies. They kept prices down in the run up to the election and now that their "boy" is in we get the shaft. Bush could open up the SPR to drive down prices.

[not systems]

57. Organize to demand a price rise...

would be a better idea.

The sooner people start feeling real price pain the
sooner they will make better choices about wasting fuel.

If we never start moving away from wasting gas we will pay
big time down the road.

[Az_lefty]

61. The Bush cartel is heavily invested in oil.

as long as it's to their advantage to keep prices up, don't expect them to drop.

[Make7]

60. Remember when George said this:

George W. Bush (1/29/2000):
The president of the United States must jawbone OPEC members to lower the price.

Source: http://www.house.gov/georgemiller/press/rel33004.html

Notice the website domain - the US House of Representatives
And the date - 03/30/2004
And finally the title: Bush's Energy Policy Failures Blamed For Soaring Gas Prices

Priceless....

:) Make7

[Mithras61]

62. Remember when OPEC said this?

OPEC says it has lost control of oil prices

http://msnbc.msn.com/id/7190109/

[RedCloud]

65. Social security and gas! 2 election issues ducked!

The least thing that should have happened was to get Bush to promise not to continue terrorizing the social security funds so he can create more black and silver jobs (i,e, neo-nazi)for his minions. And not to allow his gas buddies to burn us at the fuel tank. It's bad enough that those bastards will not allow alternate forms of energy to take a hold but to fleece us at the same time!

And I suppose the draft will be next as they can't keep paying military recruits such high pay...