Just spent $1.78 a gallon for gas at local Exxon(were is the media outcry)

[59millionmorons]

This is getting ridiculous.

[Rockholm]

1. $1.99 today in MA

[Kathy in Cambridge]

10. $1.80 at my local cheap gas place in Cambridge

It was $1.69 last week! :wtf:

[PaDUer]

23. $1.71 in Scranton, PA n/t

[solinvictus]

2. $1.59/ regular unleaded

which my little car rattles on, so I have to use the $1.69 89 octane stuff. It's the same as when Chimp's dad was in office. When he was elected, gas went to $1.25/ gallon in 1989. Oil men as presidents mean high gas prices.

[59millionmorons]

4. Why

I don't understand why this is happening. Last week when I went by Exxon it was $1.69. Why is it going up?

[alexwcovington]

3. Welcome to Canada

:P lol 1.78? outrage? We should double the price just to discourage consumption.

[Kanary]

14. Just to punish the poor?

"We should double the price just to discourage consumption."

I get soooo tired of hearing this!

You really think all those driving their beeeg SUVs, which already consume more than the cars poor folk drive, are going to care one whit if you jack up the prices, just to "discourage consumption"??

They would just laugh at you, and buy another Hummer.

The only people you hurt by raising gas taxes, and other prices, is the people who truly can't afford it... the poor.

Then what will you do about those who are now over the edge, can't afford to run a car because of your higher gas prices, and can't get to their work?

What do you do with the single mothers who can only get between work and picking up kids and taking them to the dr etc, on a tight schedule because they have a car? You can't do all those things in one trip on a bus!

edited to add:

If you *really* wish to "disencourage consumption", the actually address the REAL problem, and start working on *rationing* gas and oil consumption. That would certainly make people make some more reasonable choices of vehicles they drive, and would certainly be a lot more fair to poor folk, who ALREADY LIMIT THEIR CONSUMPTION.

If people my parent's age could live with rationing during the second world war, surely we can too, for something this important.

To just jack up prices does NOTHING to deal with the actual problem, and just plays into the hands of the right wing.

Kanary

[solinvictus]

25. I agree

Back a couple of years ago when my wife and I both made about $7.50/hour and drove an old GM gas hog, an increase in gas prices killed us. When gas went up drastically in 2000-2001, it effectively immobilized us as far as any unnecessary trips.

[Catt04]

5. Florida (South)

1.99

[lastknowngood]

6. The country is being run by the oil company's and the

media is owned by them the outcry will occur when we need to invade the next oil country.

[Djinn]

11. comparative

1 gallon = 3 .785 litres

Australian petrol prices between $1 and $1.50 per litre (in capital cities the rural price is higher). UK and Europe prices are even higher. Personally I have to drive long distances that are not covered by public transport for work but I'd like to see higher petrol prices, milk costs more per litre than petrol here yet the milk just needs to be squeezed from a cow, pasteurised and packed, to from crude oil to petrol you have to go through considerably more than that.

It's a finite resource and it's nearly all gone - the price should reflect it's worth - atleast more than it does now.

Ask the Iraqi's about the price of oil - they'll tell you that in the last year it's been roughly 10,000 dead and counting.

[stevedeshazer]

13. Good comparison

shitty lives vs. cheap petroleum.

Why can't we see this?

[Eroshan]

7. By July it will be

over three bucks per gallon. This has already been speculated upon by the oil industry. If they said it watch it happen. SUV drivers make me :puke:

[maggrwaggr]

8. why did you buy at Exxon?

I've boycotted Exxon ever since the Valdez incident. They still haven't paid a dime for that mess.

In So Cal we've been paying those prices for a while, that's about average here.

[loudnclear]

9. People don't give a damn as long as they can shop at Wal-Mart and

and read about Iraqis being killed. America has been significantly "dumbed down."

[Foswia]

12. No its not!

To match the average price of the mid 60s, w/ inflation, you have over $2 per gallon.

[Kanary]

15. Time To Start Talking Up Rationing!

I added this to my other reply, but since I doubt that many people will actually read that much, I'm going to say it again in another reply.

I have absolutely NO idea why people in this country insist on continuuing to talk about artifically raising the price o gas and oil with taxes, etc., with the thinking that then people won't drive their cars so much. This is Nonsense!

With a non-renewable resource, the only way to effectively cut down on consumption is to RATION it, just lik was done during World War II. That is the *only* way those who have plenty of $$$ are going to reduce the gas that they use.

If my parents could live with rationing, so can we!

Think for just a minute about all the people who have lost jobs during this misadministration, and now have to settle for jobs at a fraction of what they were previously earning. Do you really believe that they can afford to keep paying more and more for gas, which is soooo necessary?

To keep comparing it to Europe is, in this instance, just not thinking too straight. The US does NOT have, for the most part, public transportation anywhere near equivalent to that in Europe.

Kanary

[Djinn]

17. totally agree

in Australia the scarcity of water is currently a bit higher on peoples minds than the scarcity of oil (except maybe for the australian soldiers in Iraq) and the "raise the prices" suggestion is often made as water is really pretty cheap - my response is always that all that will do is mean that Mr & Mrs FatRich will STILL have five olympic sized pools and hose off their driveway instead of using a broom but that Mr & Mrs FixedIncome will have to decide whether to wash or cook. It would be exactly the same with petrol. You should get X amount at a certain price and anything over and above costs heaps - obviously there would probably have to be some exceptions and I don't know how it would be enforced but we're going to HAVE to start thinking of stuff this soon - even if we can by dint of superior fire power, horde ALL the oil ourselves it's still going to run out.

Just a note on edit - in Australia the public transport system is shite and if you live outside a capital city pretty much non existant

[Kanary]

21. Didn't know about public transport in Australia

Which was why I didn't mention it. Thanks for describing it. ^_^

I appreciate that you posted in response to what I said about rationing. Hardly anything I say here gets any response at all, and I think it's *VERY* important to start talking about rationing. All that you said about it is very true.

As for how it would be enforced... there are usually holes in *any* system, but that doesn't mean we throw up our hands and don't even try to work it out. Obviously, big changes have to be made, and it's time.. actually, past time.... to start getting to work on it, or the rich will be the only ones with the oil.

Having grown up in the US West, I know what it's like to deal with water shortages. You have my sympathy. If we keep going the way we are, letting corporations spoil resources all over the planet, there won't be *anyplace* with decent water, so .... time to work on that, too.

Thanks for your thoughts!

Kanary

[bonemachine]

27. The price is already artificially low here

Because we don't calculate in all the government subsidies and military expenditures to ensure the free flow of oil...

[emc]

16. you don't get it ,do you????

Here it is---the media whores make 5 million a year---what the hell are they concerned about the price of a gallon of gas---their more concerned about Michael Jackson and his sister----a 1.78 a gallon is chump change to them---------

Example---Diane Sawyer----and all the rest----why do you think everyone wants to get on the TV---big bucks from the start---its like playing the lottery---why make an honest living when you can get you mug in front of the audience and make 100 thousand plus just to start---------------and who knows where the top is----

[opihimoimoi]

18. In Kona its $2.47, its nuts man.

[Fight_n_back]

19. Because

you got a great deal, thats why.

Gas should probably cost closer to three bucks a gallon if not for enormous government subsidies...

[Eureka]

20. So who's getting the money?

As Djinn has pointed out, we are paying roughly $A3.70 per gallon (so about $US3, give or take, and we are told by our federal govt (just google 'conga line of suckholes' for these guys) that we still get it cheap.

If prices are raised to discourage usage, who gets the extra cash? (I'm guessing the oil companies, who would then dish it out to the poor and needy, right?) There seems little point in charging extra if all we do is make BFEE and their mates richer still.

And if anyone isn't already convinced the oil industry is duping all of us.... Australian fuel prices are benchmarked on the supply and demand situation in Singapore. Go figure. We import only 12% of all petrol used here, but the oil industry says its only fair to base prices on Singa's anyway.

[Djinn]

22. if Latham never again does anything of which we can be proud

that line will ensure he's remembered atleast somewhat fondly by lefties!

[maveric]

24. $1.79 at the cheap ARCO station in San Diego.

It got down to $1.49 around Christmas.

[guitar man]

26. 1.41 here in Oklahoma n/t