Gas Prices

[ham2004]

On the more serious side

Elf is right, people who drive SUV's and bigger fuel comsuming cars are not doing our part to help the price of gas.

BUT and this is big but ... with only 25% of all crude oil supplies being used as fossil fuel, that leaves a heck of a lot of crude that can be conserved other ways.

More energy effiecent housing would be a start, reusable fuel by-product techonoglies would help. Solar heating and wind generation electricity to reduce consumption by coal and oil burning hydro electric operations. Better hybrd vehicles. I spent an extra $6,000.00 to replace my other car with an effiecent Escape hybrd, replaced all the older energy consuming appliances in the house, put in a radiated heat system in my house and garage, I have done my part (except for the SUV, which I need for work).

 

[RogerRabbit]

Elf is right, people who drive SUV's and bigger fuel comsuming cars are not doing our part to help the price of gas.

Is it worthwhile/ cost effective, in terms of return on investment, to convert a V-8 Jeep™ to Natural Gas/ propane?

 

[Svend]

I don't think you'll see driving habits change unless we get a real shock at the pumps. None of this creeping up of prices, double the them immediately with taxes to reflect the real costs to our environment.
Then you'll see greener alternatives that can compete.

 

[Keebler Elf]

ok pop quiz keebler... name me one thing other than a baby that isn't delivered by a truck? you might want to set your alarm clock a bit earlier tomorrow so you can drive to columbia to pick up the beans for your morning cup of coffee.
also any other fuel saving techniques for the trucking industry would be much appreciated,we may have missed some.

I dunno what yer talking about, I was agreeing with you...

 

[Keebler Elf]

......last time I checked , this is basically a free country. If I have the jack to drive around that gas guzzlin SUV, and am willing to pay it's higher initial cost, it's higher insurance rates, it's higher fuel rates,it's considerable depreciation...and any other cost factors....then I'm gonna drive it....I can spend my money on whatever I want.

Of course. I'm not saying you shouldn't be allowed to make that choice. But in making that choice you're spreading the additional expense to all gas consumers; you're certainly not paying the full added cost by yourself. I know I don't like the fact that the price I pay for gas is inflated b/c some image-conscious guy wants to drive around Toronto in an excessively large and unnecessary vehicle.

So, yes, I agree you should have the right to buy gas-guzzlers. And the rest of us should have the right to jack up the gas prices for people who choose to drive inefficient vehicles to the point that people begin reconsidering buying them (personally, I would favour graduated gas pricing for consumer vehicles whereby you would pay more as you pump more into your vehicle). The choice should always be yours, but it should be a very expensive one to make...

 

[booboobear]

. So I don't feel too bad since gas prices don't seem to be any worse then last year (well, maybe a little worse).

As for the price hitting $1.00, I hate to say it but it would probably be a good thing. We really need to get the gas guzzlers off the road. I recently heard/read (can't remember which) that replacing all the gas guzzlers in North America with smaller/more fuel efficient cars would result in the price at the pumps dropping down dramatically (to the 60-cent range, IIRC).

As much as people complain about being gouged by the gas companies, just take a look at the price of a barrel of crude. It's at an all-time high so I dunno how people can act so shocked about the price of gas...

Great logic first we shouldn't feel too bad as long as we get screwed to the same degree each year. And yes $ 1.00 per litre good for who , only the greedy millionaires already making huge profits. Tell it to the parents struggling to make a living and pay a mortgage. The reason crude is high is simply GREED. Maybe we should raise the price of food 500 % then there wouldn't be as many fat people right. Great attitude as long as you can afford it or don't need it to hell with those less well off.

 

[Keebler Elf]

Uhhh, ok. Maybe you shouldn't own a car then, since you seemingly can't afford it. Time to take transit.

I recognize that the price of gasoline is the price of gasoline. I can take it or I can leave it. I don't blame it on "millionaires" who are somehow out to get me. If the price of bananas on the world market went up by 500%, then hell yeah I would expect the price of bananas at the supermarket to go up by a similar amount. I certainly wouldn't be blaming "millionaires" who are out to gouge me on banana prices.

Here's a mystical little truth that people don't want to believe. You ready? Gasoline is underpriced in North America. Gasp! Oh my god! Scary, but true. The price we pay is insufficient to deter consumers from using it in the amounts we do at the price we pay. When the market begins to correct itself, people start screaming for caps and removal of gov't taxes. Why? So we can underpay by even more.

Look, I don't like paying high gas prices. But I also realize WHY they are so high and I for one am willing to help contribute to lower gas prices in a more meaningful way than "some millionaire is out to screw me" bullshit.

 

[booboobear]

Uhhh, ok. Maybe you shouldn't own a car then, since you seemingly can't afford it. Time to take transit.

. I certainly wouldn't be blaming "millionaires" who are out to gouge me on banana prices.

Here's a mystical little truth that people don't want to believe. You ready? Gasoline is underpriced in North America. Gasp! Oh my god! Scary, but true. The price we pay is insufficient to deter consumers from using it in the amounts we do at the price we pay. When the market begins to correct itself, people start screaming for caps and removal of gov't taxes. Why? So we can underpay by even more.

Look, I don't like paying high gas prices. But I also realize WHY they are so high and I for one am willing to help contribute to lower gas prices in a more meaningful way than "some millionaire is out to screw me" bullshit.

You sir are what I would call the perfect sheep . You understand do you why all of a sudden gas jumped so much good for you , greed has nothing do with it . Anybody can come up with your logic if the price of a barrel is such and such then the price of a gallon is such and such I'm in pricing so don't use that so called logic on me. What you don't address is why the price jumps , it's speculation and greed. Of course like I said it's obvious you don't care about anyone else but you defend the millionaires and Sheik's and all the other billionaires but to hell with the common man .I used the family as an example . Guess what I DON'T CARE WHAT PEOPLE PAY IN OTHER COUNTRIES IF THEY PAY MORE. How does that justify the sudden jump, again poor logic . I guess we should apologize for paying less.

Again you just seem to think everything is so perfect in your little world , no complaints and I'm all right JACK right. Boy are you gullible.

 

[Keebler Elf]

Uhh, I am the common man. Duh.

If you're in pricing and you don't know what speculation is or somehow think it is illigitimate ( ), then whoever you work for should seriously consider issuing some walking papers.

So you don't care what people pay in other countries. That's great and all, but it does nothing to address the point I was making that WE pay LESS than we should be paying. So when the market begins to correct itself, you shouldn't be so surprised (and coming up with bizarre conspiracy theories). Sudden jumps in gas prices come from speculation; nothing new there. If I have a limited commodity that is in short supply and I know a lot of people want it, Economics 101 tells us that the price will go up. Wow. Shocking. Must be a conspiracy right? Greedy bastards out to get us my ass.

I don't defend billionaires and sheiks. But I also don't defend moronic, irrational arguments made by people such as yourself who have some kind of inferiority complex that the world is out to get them.

 

[booboobear]

Uhh, I am the common man. Duh.

If you're in pricing and you don't know what speculation is or somehow think it is illigitimate ( ), then whoever you work for should seriously consider issuing some walking papers.

, Economics 101 tells us that the price will go up. Wow. Shocking. Must be a conspiracy right? Greedy bastards out to get us my ass.

I don't defend billionaires and sheiks. But I also don't defend moronic, irrational arguments made by people such as yourself who have some kind of inferiority complex that the world is out to get them.

I give up trying to reason with you . Listen to yourself , you are defending speculation and greed . What you are saying is that this increase is all right and so is greed. Oh I am in pricing and my company would never issue me walking papers , how do you like that. Any idiot could understand your reasoning why gas has gone up but you keep on saying it's ok that's the issue. Line up with the other sheep.

 

[someone]

our roads are better then ever before,gas prices are at the highest point in our country then they have ever been.

Actually, in real terms they are NOT at an all time high. The following has a graph of the real price of oil (the price of gas would follow the same trend) since 1973 in 1947 dollars.

http://www.theshortrun.com/articles/Roger Kuo/oilgas.html

 

[mmouse]

Great logic first we shouldn't feel too bad as long as we get screwed to the same degree each year. And yes $ 1.00 per litre good for who , only the greedy millionaires already making huge profits.

Um... so who's screwing you? You think Mr. Greedy Millionaire sits in his office and sets the pump price to some arbitrary number?

Oh Mr Greedy Millionaire, you're really bad. Please stop doing that, then gas will be cheap. Booboobear told me.

 

[booboobear]

Um... so who's screwing you? You think Mr. Greedy Millionaire sits in his office and sets the pump price to some arbitrary number?

Oh Mr Greedy Millionaire, you're really bad. Please stop doing that, then gas will be cheap. Booboobear told me.

Is this your level of intelligence ? . No the gas barons and cartels don't make any money . Maybe you should send them a private donation.

 

[mmouse]

Is this your level of intelligence ? . No the gas barons and cartels don't make any money . Maybe you should send them a private donation.

I don't know about my level of intelligence, but my level of kneejerk paranoia is definitely less than yours.

 

[booboobear]

I don't know about my level of intelligence, but my level of kneejerk paranoia is definitely less than yours.

You know what , I take back what I said about your level of intelligence I decided I won't be dragged into a name calling fest. I will just say if you really think I'm paranoid then you are misusing the word. In other words you don't think people are reaping immense profits ? If the price of a barrel jumps from $ 40 to $ 80 as arbitrary figures then to me it would mean that someone is reaping huge profits. Where do you think the money comes from that enables the Sheiks to buy 5 Rolls ?

 

[ham2004]

Ok, so lets look at this a different way...

You know what , I take back what I said about your level of intelligence I decided I won't be dragged into a name calling fest. I will just say if you really think I'm paranoid then you are misusing the word. In other words you don't think people are reaping immense profits ? If the price of a barrel jumps from $ 40 to $ 80 as arbitrary figures then to me it would mean that someone is reaping huge profits. Where do you think the money comes from that enables the Sheiks to buy 5 Rolls ?

If you as an inventor, invent a device that elimanates the need for fossil fuels, how much would that be worth... would you give it to the world at your cost or would you profit large from it..

 

[Quest4Less]

Interesting note...

Here is an interesting note that no one seems to mention, or maybe be aware of?

Canada has the ability to produce more oil than it uses.. that's right we could be self sufficient. So if we wanted to we could produce all our own fuel, and set the price at whatever we wanted - say at "cost".

 

[tboy]

Good point Quest, but the same old adage will apply: Whoever produces the oil will sell it based on WORLD prices, not local...If we produced all our own oil here, the profits would still go to the oil cartels that are currently in place.

 

[Keebler Elf]

Interesting, but does that include processing the raw oil? Of course, this brings up the issue of privatization vs. public ownership (which I thought everyone was against). Why would a company sell at cost to us when they can sell at market price to other buyers? And if they're selling it at cost, then there is no incentive to invest and build new refineries.

We're currently involved in the same type of situation with the electricity sector. The gov't has put a cap on electricity prices that is well below cost. The result is that our electricity usage is subsidized and everything above the cap is incurred as debt by the gov't. As a result, few companies want to invest in the electricity sector b/c prices are capped and there isn't enough profit to make it worthwhile. IMO, the caps should be gradually removed (as the current gov't is slowly doing) and each of us should pay the true cost of electricity. That would provide incentive for most of us to cut back (or at least monitor) our electricity usage.

(I know I know, I always seem to be in favour of higher costs for ourselves, but I don't believe in short-term gain for long-term pain and we're really shooting ourselves in the foot both on the electricity and the gas scenarios)

edit: not to mention the political ramifications that would result from cutting the States off from our oil...

 

[someone]

Here is an interesting note that no one seems to mention, or maybe be aware of?

Canada has the ability to produce more oil than it uses.. that's right we could be self sufficient.

We actually are a net exporter of oil. Thus, a high price helps our balance of payments.