Gas prices are almost at an all time high and I for one have yet to figure out for sure why.
At close today (5/3), Oil was trading at just over $63 a barrel which is down $13+ dollars from where it was a year ago, yet gas prices are the same. I have been reading the Wall Street Journal and other publications yet not too much talk about it. I believe that it has to do with refineries having problems not being able to produce enough because demand is so high.
So as Americans, have we accepted $3 gas as a way of life? Realistically, this is still a low price compared to western Europe, but do we have to accept it? Demand in America has not slowed even with the increase in gas. Somehow this might get placed on Bush and the Republican party like it has in the past, but as a non-election year, where are all the democrats in congress complaining and trying to protect their people? Did they focus so much on it last year just because they wanted to be elected and now that they have, just forgotten all about it?
With the oil price, gas should not be as high as it is.
I just seen 3.09 for reg at the citgo beside my house. That is ridiculous. I asked the girl workin in there when it got so high and she said it went for 2.86 to 3.09 over night...
Just talked to my Cousin in Washington State and she said gas was up to $3.45 a gallon there.
DevilsWin Wrote:Just talked to my Cousin in Washington State and she said gas was up to $3.45 a gallon there.
wow, now that is redilcious good thing i dont live up there
Overnight it went from $2.89 to $3.09 in Richmond, the same happened in Louisville, except it jumped to $3.39 there.
It's my belief that it's jumping high right now because of the Derby.
It's now $3.09 for regular here as well!! It went from $2.85 yesterday to that this morning!!
it was 1.99 at Food City in Pikeville just about three, maybe four months ago. I havent seen the prices there lately, but I know in Floyd Co its 3.09 everywhere, and in Melvin at the Melvin BP its 3.15 for regular....I for one, cant put a big enough exclamation point on how bad I hate it. I travel about 200 miles per day for my job, and it is truly killing anything I make. Its price gouging at its finest. And I hope one day it comes back to bite whoever is responsible for it.
I saw an event on facebook that is trying to organize a protest that said not to pump gas on May 15 to see the effect it may have. It worked once before in 1997. Might as well give it a shot again.
It was $3.09 in Prestonsburg, Hazard, Clay Co, and London, wednesday.
alfus21 Wrote:I saw an event on facebook that is trying to organize a protest that said not to pump gas on May 15 to see the effect it may have. It worked once before in 1997. Might as well give it a shot again.
I got the e-mail about this the other day.... I know we basically live in a small community BUT.... put Pike, Floyd, Magoffin, Martin, etc together and if there were NO gas pumped on May 15th... this maybe could impact the gas prices in our area!! I saw as well on a site that the gas prices (barrel) are actually DOWN from last year.... seems like it said that last year it was like $89.00 at this time but is now only $65.00!!! Last year we were only paying like $2.19 and maybe a little higher! I saw tonight that it is expected to be over $4.00 a gallon by July 4th!!
This is an outrage for all of us especially the elderly on a fixed income who have Dr. appts. My grandmother only drew a little over $600.00 a month and there is NO way she could have afforded this! Maybe a "gas out" may be a way to make a statement!!!
these gas prices are pure BS 5-15-2007 do not buy gas day it was on my space.
I worked at a job for about 3 years where I monitored the TV & radio news. It became clear after not much time that there was little logic behind changing gas prices. Prices would rise when a worker was kidnapped in Nigeria but not go down when the worker was freed. And not buying gas for one day won't make a difference; people will buy gas the day before or after so the oil companies will make their money either way. I guess conspiracy theroies about gas prices make as much sense as any actual analysis of facts or trends.
I agree with ya GB1, not pumping gas isnt going to change anything. These companies will make their money regardless. Its all about the upper class of people now, the middle and lower classes dont stand a chance. They know people have to work and in order to get to work they have to fuel up, and will pay whatever, its a win-win for the price gouging oil companies, and a no win for people like us.
I think it is all BS. A month ago, a gallon of gas here in Pikeville would have cost you on average $2.50 compared to a gallon of diesel fuel which would have set you back $2.79. Gas prices have went up over 50 cents a gallon and the price of diesel has not went up a penny. My theory behind that is if diesel rises the same as gas prices, all the over the road truckers, coal truckers, ect. would just park up and protest. That would get congress and the President involved then the prices would be ordered to go down.
I hear on the news the problems are with the refineries being down for repairs and maintenance. My question about that would be do they all get together and decide that they are going to cut back production in all the major refineries at the same time so they can jack up the prices?
Just got back from Florida and the gas prices there are around anywhere from $2.95 to $3.09..... Flew back into Charleston and as I left the airport.... $3.44 a gallon!!! This is insane!!!
BasketBallonlyfan Wrote:I hear on the news the problems are with the refineries being down for repairs and maintenance. My question about that would be do they all get together and decide that they are going to cut back production in all the major refineries at the same time so they can jack up the prices?
The problem is the refineries are working at near 100% capacity. So when any kind of maintenace or problems occur, gas prices rise becuase of no added capacity from any others to pick up the slack in supplies. We need more refineries, but certain people wont let them be built.
Just saw on the news about a memo released by the oil companies back in 1997. They said that many of the refinery problems were caused by themselves because they wanted to max proffits. They were the ones that shut down a total of 15 refineries including one of the largest ones on the west coast. Also they said that the amount of driving in the past two years is the lowest it has been in the past 25 years. No excuse for it being over 3 dollars a gallon.
The rich get richer; the poor get poorer;
and everybody in the middle gets squeezed.
We need some rich guy who owns an electric
car company to get elected president...bet
that would bring gas prices down in a hurry...
Filled up today at Lousia 3:16 and the lady said look for it to be higher in the morning!!!!!!!!
I filled up in Johnson County this morning and regular was $3.09, and as I drove thru Charleston WVA , I noticed regular was $3.44 per gal.
It's 2.99 in Richmond, VA if anyone wants to fill up here!
Looks like congress is getting ready to file suit against OPEC for the high prices of gas. We never saw prices over 2.50 until Huricane Katrina and Rita. That was almost 2 years ago and the refineries are back to max production, seems to me like the prices should be back on the decline instead of sky-rocketing. You have to know something is up when a man retires from an oil company and gets a $700 million dollar retirement. About two months ago I filled up in Simpsonville for 1.89 a gallon, now I'm paying almost double any where I go. I hope OPEC gets a new one from all the fines that could be coming their way.
The thing to do is BOYCOTT just as they did in Martin Luther King's day. The people will have to stand strong for a while, but perseverance is the key. I don't mean to totally quit driving. I mean to carpool. If one car is parked, that is less profit for a greedy business. School students and working commuters can really make a big difference by carpooling. If people doesn't take many vacations this summer, than states will suffer in tourism money. When states start to suffer, than the politicians will feel a press to push on congress more. We elect these people to be our voice!! They should be shouting about these appalling prices. Who ever heard of 3 gallons of gas costing almost $10.00, most tanks are 20 to 25 gallon. It's breaks you up to cut your grass. As Earl would say "WAKE UP AMERICA"
The problem is, there won't be enough people to boycott. Most people need to buy gas to get work, etc. In my case, I can't carpool because there isn't anyone near where I live that is going in the same direction at the same time.
Carpooling, etc. would be fine if you live in a big city, but they already have mass transit in big cities, such as buses and subways.
Too many people NEED to buy gas just so they can keep going to work and can keep making a living.
One thing, I may try and do (if I can save up enough money), is buy something like a Vespa. I saw where they can get around 55 miles per gallon. Vespas are scooters, but they are not a cute little scooter that only goes 5 mph, these things can get up to 60 mph. This would be very efficient for my travel, as I go about 4 miles of highway and then I'm in downtown.
GRIZZ Wrote:Looks like congress is getting ready to file suit against OPEC for the high prices of gas. We never saw prices over 2.50 until Huricane Katrina and Rita. That was almost 2 years ago and the refineries are back to max production, seems to me like the prices should be back on the decline instead of sky-rocketing. You have to know something is up when a man retires from an oil company and gets a $700 million dollar retirement. About two months ago I filled up in Simpsonville for 1.89 a gallon, now I'm paying almost double any where I go. I hope OPEC gets a new one from all the fines that could be coming their way.
Like they are going to listen to Congress. The US has no control over what they do. It is an Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries, so there is nothing that we can do against them except place a ban on American companies from purchasing oil from OPEC. But this will only make the price of gas continue to go up.
What we need is one of the OPEC countries to get a little greedy and start to slash their prices so that they can sell more. This will get all the other countries to do the same and start a price war like there was in I believe the early 1990's.
Just a question, but if the U.S. were to institute a price ceiling on American oil, thus not allowing it to go over, say...$2.00 a gallon. Couldn't this actually force competition on foregin oil companys?
If they lose the entire U.S. market, because now American gas is cheaper....wouldn't this make them want to lower their prices and get back into the field?
ComfortEagle Wrote:Just a question, but if the U.S. were to institute a price ceiling on American oil, thus not allowing it to go over, say...$2.00 a gallon. Couldn't this actually force competition on foregin oil companys?
If they lose the entire U.S. market, because now American gas is cheaper....wouldn't this make them want to lower their prices and get back into the field?
One would think. But the problem is the amount of US oil available. Yes, we do have enough oil underground to support our country, but we are not currently pulling enough up to continue to support our needs. If OPEC was smart enough, they would just wait. A thing such as this would cause a shortage in gas in the US and therefore there would be an outcry to lift the limit allowing OPEC to come right back in.
Also not helping the cause is that OPEC doesn't see the need to increase production meaning that the price of gas doesn't look to be dropping anytime soon.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB11800565...ts_news_us
(Link might not work because it is a pay site of Wall Street Journal)
I forgot where I saw this at, but the US importing oil costs around 25 million per load to send over, but only costs the foreign nations 900k to produce the shipment. Someone is making a handsome 24.1 million dollar proffit.
3.01 at a Marathon in Pikeville yesterday, 3.19 this evening at the same place.
Gas is too dang expensive. Period. I own a Tahoe and can't afford to drive anywhere.