Gas prices have increased 84.2% under Bush!

[nonconformist]

Yes, you read that right. 84.2%. 84.2 fucking percent.

Just before Bush's inauguration day, on January 15, 2001 the average price of gasoline was $1.46. http://www.democrats.org/a/2005/08/american_famili.php">Source

Today, the average price of gasoline is $2.69. http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-gas11apr11,0,823050.story?coll=la-story-footer">Source

Remind me again... what did George Bush do before he got into politics?

[Squatch]

1. Didn't I just ask this question a couple days ago?

[nonconformist]

3. Great minds I guess! nt

[proud2BlibKansan]

2. They went up from under a dollar to $1.50

during Clinton's last year in office.

[marmar]

9. No doubt to make it look as if Clinton-Gore....

were responsible for gas price increases, while Chimp and Satan chirped on about the lack of energy policy.

[Sinti]

16. Clinton wanted to start an investigation into gouging because of this n/t

[nonconformist]

19. I guarantee if gas prices went up 84.2% under Clinton

It would be the lead story in every newspaper and every newscast across the nation, and congress would be loudly discussing it. And Rush Limpdick would be calling for his head on a pike.

Guarantee.

[Talismom]

41. I was thinking this the other day, as I was filling up...

If nothing else happened--no 9/11, no Iraq debacle, no FEMA failure in NO, no deficit explosion--only these gas price increases under Clinton's watch, the Repukes and their media would be out at the white house with torches and pitch-forks demanding Clinton's head! We pay and the oil ceos get richer than ever and not one effing word in the media!
Makes me furious!

[bobbieinok]

51. and repubs howled + screamed in congress + on trucker radio shows

etc

all to the tune that 'things would be different under republicans'

[bluethruandthru]

4. Regular is now over $3.00!

I couldn't believe when I drove by the station this morning.
$3.01
$3.11
$3.21

WTF!!!!

[spinbaby]

5. On the radio this morning...

...they were talking about this survey where they asked Americans what their biggest fear was. The number one answer was high gas prices.


Edited for spelling

[librechik]

6. that's why we elected an MBA president--to increase profits!!

oh, that wasn't supposed to be for oil companies? Were we not aware Shrub was an oil man? We were?

[tyedyeto]

14. Profit Soars at Exxon Mobil

Surging Oil Prices Lead to Company's Best Second Quarter

By Joe Carroll
Bloomberg News
Friday, July 29, 2005; Page D02

Exxon Mobil Corp., the world's largest publicly traded oil company, said yesterday that second-quarter profit rose 32 percent, to $7.64 billion, as Asia and North America used more crude oil and gasoline.

The quarterly profit was the third-highest in the company's history. Revenue climbed 25 percent, to $88.57 billion, Exxon said. A doubling of oil prices since 2003 has put the Irving, Tex.-based company on a pace to surpass Wal-Mart Stores Inc. this year as the largest U.S. company by total revenue.

Profit from worldwide oil and natural gas exploration and production operations jumped 28 percent, to $4.91 billion. Production decreased 4.3 percent, to 3.91 million barrels a day.

The gap between crude oil costs and prices for refined fuels was the widest ever, as consumption rose faster than supplies. Exxon's refining and marketing profit rose 34 percent, to $2.02 billion, mostly outside the United States.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/07/28/AR2005072802085.html

Then there is this report

Exxon Mobil Profit Soars 75%

By Justin Blum
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, October 28, 2005; Page D01

High prices for crude oil, gasoline and natural gas helped Exxon Mobil Corp. to its highest-ever quarterly profit, $9.92 billion, up 75 percent from the third quarter last year, the company said yesterday.

Profit in the third quarter at the world's largest publicly traded oil company set an industry record, and its sales of $100.72 billion were the highest in a quarter by U.S. company, according to Standard & Poor's.



Exxon Mobil's third-quarter profit, $9.92 billion, was the highest the oil company had ever recorded. (By Matt Slocum -- Associated Press)

Transcript
Oil Company Profits
Washington Post staff writer Justin Blum was online to discuss recent oil company profits, gas prices and proposed drilling in Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.


http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/10/27/AR2005102700449.html


EDITED: COPYRIGHT...PLEASE POST ONLY FOUR OR
FIVE PARAGRAPHS FROM THE COPYRIGHTED NEWS SOURCE
PER DU RULES.

[nonconformist]

15. The haves and the have-mores are laughing all the way to the bank

After all, they are Bush's "base".

[tyedyeto]

30. So true n/t

[SammyWinstonJack]

48. Where does that leave the FReeps?

:evilgrin:

[nonconformist]

49. Either living in mom's basement or their Hummer! nt

[no_hypocrisy]

7. I remember paying $1.08 for high test in 1997-98 under Clinton.

That would make it 167.5%. (Check my math please)

[Cosmocat]

8. YES !!!

People take the starting point as when he took office, I would hazzard a guess that from the point he won the election, it will be even more marked ...

[WePurrsevere]

10. $2.84 here. What % has the AVERAGE American wage gone up since then?

I suspect that it's not anywhere near 84.2%.

So many prices are influenced by fuel costs. As gas (and heating fuel) prices increase other prices must increase to pay for the extra cost of the gas that is needed to grow, transport, etc.

[Roland99]

11. That's an extra $3,616 over the last 5 1/4 years for an average driver

(assuming 14,000 miles/yr; 25mpg)

Oh, and that is also assuming that the price has always been $2.69 since 2001 so I guess that total is not really accurate.



oh well...nevermind. :)

[eek]

21. Yeah, but at least we got those tax cuts.

x(

[Richard Steele]

12. "Rising gas prices are a sign of a failed presidency"; Dick Cheney, 1998

[nonconformist]

13. Great quote! nt

[Richard Steele]

17. The "great disappearing quote", apparently....

I had used that quote here at DU last year,
and couldn't remember the year he said it,
so I Googled it for accuracy.

The same thing happened just now: forgot year again, Googled again.

Only THIS time, instead of several pages of hits, I got ony ONE:
my own DU post from last year.

History has been rewritten, or maybe just ERASED.

[nonconformist]

18. Wow, that is very suspicious

:tinfoilhat:

[The2ndWheel]

20. If we have enough of it, sure

But when a thrid of humanity wants to drive cars, nobody is finding more oil, and no alternative(outside of nuclear, and the needed infrastructure to make that possible) can compensate for that increase in demand, we're kind of SOL.

[eek]

23. Well, we *do* want hybrids.

They can't make Prius fast enough.
In my village it seems like every other SUV has For Sale signs.

I think we would like to cut back but really, what incentive does the insane clown posse have in lessening gas consumption?

[The2ndWheel]

33. But hybrids still require oil

And more people will just drive more if it's cheaper. That's how we got in this mess in the first place.

[eek]

53. drive more if it's cheaper

you're right.

[Kingofalldems]

22. Attention freepers, read it and weep

ALL energy prices have risen dramatically since you boy took office. Your tiny little tax cuts just flew out the window along with a good part of your paycheck. Now don't you feel stupid?

[sinkingfeeling]

24. And don't you remember all the anger directed at Clinton in Feb.- Apr.

1996, when gas prices went up? The editorials? The pundits critizing Clinton?

[cynatnite]

25. Complaining about gas prices helps the terrorists

Why do you hate 'murika?

:yoiks:

[mzmolly]

44. Heh.

;)

[dogday]

26. Bush said if Kerry was president then

the price of gas would go up... He forgot to say if he became president, that it would go up even higher than we could imagine... Where is the Iraq oil you ask?.. They are holding on to it so shrub's buddies can make than 8 billion dollars a quarter for oil....

What a freaking mess, I hope this administration rots....

[Scriptor Ignotus]

27. I remember very clearly that

Bush's website had a "Kerry Gas Calculator" so you could see exactly how high gas would go.

http://wizbangblog.com/2004/03/30/kerry-gas-tax-calculator.php
http://web.archive.org/web/20041101035527/http://www.georgewbush.com/calculator/

The calculator doesn't appear anymore, but the bottom link shows that it used to be there. This was a campaign issue for Bush. I wonder how many people got duped into voting for Bush on this issue alone? I'd laugh if I wasn't so angry.

[dogday]

34. Read this post, I know what you mean

about being angry


http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=364&topic_id=903093&mesg_id=903093

[nonconformist]

28. No kidding.

Not only were gas prices going to go up under Kerry, but the Iraq oil was supposed to pay for the war.

And nobody in the media holds their feet to the fire with their own words.

[Pacifist Patriot]

52. Yep, it'll go up under Kerry, but...

"it'll fucking soar under me!" GWB- in his head

[spanone]

29. Just what you'd expect from a failed Texas oil man.

[Fovea]

31. Mission accomplished!

IT is exporting jobs and energy is king!

Bush has been a phenominal success for his constituency.
You know them, they are the haves and the have-mores.

[SammyWinstonJack]

50. Or as ** called the, The Elite.

[Brazenly Liberal]

32. I'm sorry, but that's just not possible

Back in 2000, when he was first running for pres, he said that he would never stand for the gas price increases that took place under Clinton. He said if the oil companies got frisky, he'd have a little talk with them, hash it out, and see to it that Americans paid a fair price for gas.

Now, we know an 84% increase couldn't be due to unavoidable expense increases because oil companies are posting record profits. So to have that kind of increase, there would have to be some major price gouging going on. But if that was the case, why he'd just have a little talk with them, hash it out, and see to it that Americans paid a fair price for gas.

So you see, it's just not possible that there's been an 84% increase.

Because that would mean our beloved President is a BIG FAT LIAR

[Lasher]

35. Yep, pants on fire

Mr. Bush was critical of Al Gore in the 2000 campaign for being part of "the administration that's been in charge” while the “price of gasoline has gone steadily upward." In December 1999, in the first Republican primary debate, Mr. Bush said President Clinton "must jawbone OPEC members to lower prices."

As gas topped a record level of $50 a barrel this week (September 28, 2004), Mr. Bush has shown no propensity to personally pressure, or "jawbone," Mideast oil producers to increase output.

A spokesman for the president reportedly said in March that Mr. Bush will not personally lobby oil cartel leaders to change their minds.

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/09/28/politics/main646142.shtml

[nonconformist]

37. America... you've been PUNKED. nt

[Jack Rabbit]

36. I bought gas last week and noticed the price was way up

It came as a bit of a surprise. Everybody was talking aobut the Bush follies or the downfall of DeLay.

I suppose the conspiracy theorists will tell us that the latest Plame revelations are a distraction to keep us from noticing the latest oil corporation jack ups.

[RaleighNCDUer]

38. Around here, it's more like 105%.

It was $1.21 (for the cheap grade at cheap stations) and is now $2.54.

[AndyA]

39. How anyone can possibly say Americans aren't being cheated is beyond me.

Take a look at the facts:

1. Gas prices up 84.2% under Bush.

2. New energy policies were made behind closed doors, and with participation of CEO's from the major oil companies.

3. Bush has a lot of buddies in the oil business.

4. Oil companies have been earning record profits, as high as $9 billion + PER QUARTER.

5. Oil companies are getting government subsidies despite their record profits.

Now I ask you: Why are we subsidizing companies setting new record high profits? And how can a company make $3 billion in profits PER MONTH without overcharging? Is this a reasonable profit? No other company in any industry makes profits this high.

And all gas stations are charging almost the exact same amount, they all go up at almost the exact same time, and we're supposed to believe that the industry will regulate itself? Supply and demand changes consistently, across the board every time?

BULLSHIT!
AMERICA IS BEING TAKEN FOR A RIDE BY BUSH AND HIS CRONIES!!
HE IS A LIAR AND A THIEF.

THROW THE BUM OUT!


IMPEACH - PROSECUTE - INCARCERATE!

[nonconformist]

46. I wish the media would start hitting on all those points you listed

Maybe we can start an email campaign to, say, Cafferty about this?

[Az_lefty]

40. I want to know how much $$$$ the bush oil cartel has profited !!!

I cannot find an answer to this question and I think it's an important one.
There's no doubt these profiteering MF's have screwed the rest of us to line their pockets and they need to be exposed.
:grr:

[KyuzoGator]

42. A photo I took on Nov. 12, 2001 in Seattle (gas price flashback):

Here's the gas price in one of the most "expensive" areas of the country at the end of 2001:

[mzmolly]

43. Record profits for oil companies as well.

huh.

[ChairmanAgnostic]

45. who wudda guessed?

huh?

[paparush]

47. No One Could Have Predicted what a total Clusterf*ck Bush Would be...

Oh ..wait...yes we did...