Article: Crude oil is getting cheaper — so why isn't gas?

[MadisonMPG]

I love high gas prices they make me happy. 12mpg SUVs=not on the road

But not "high" prices, just "increasing". Once gas stays at X dollars/gallon SUVs start coming out of the woodwork again.

[trikkonceptz]

It has been kinda humorous ... just a couple of years ago every other Escalade and Navigator on the road had 24" wheels and was driven by teens that still lived at home with mommy and daddy.

Fast forward to today and go figure, they are back in their Civics and Scions .. Some that I talk to even carpool again because its cheaper to give a buddy a couple of bucks for gas ....

[rmay635703]

Originally Posted by jkp1187

Instead of signing a petition that will likely accomplish nothing, have y'all thought about, I don't know, just reducing your gasoline usage...?

Organized petitions with specific goals can be usefull if documented, signed in person, distributed to news and then presented to the legislating bodies. I did my small part at a fair getting them to install (or should I say reenable) ventilation in their exhibition building, a couple hundred signitures with phone and addy plus a little blurb in the local news made it happen once the petition was presented to the board. It was amazing how the we can't turned around fast, (but this was a very small inexpensive issue)

I would rather see that petition have some additional verbage to reduce the price of gasoline by removing more of the speculation, adding more regulation (of the right kind in the right places), more public ownership of oil resources directly, mainly in cases where the companies have viable wells purchased for the purpose of capping them. I say if you have a fully productive well, without massive environmental issues and you don't want to pump it for 5 years or even 10, perhaps the mineral rights should go away. Motivation to keep good wells running and bad can go on the open market.

And ESPECIALLY to offer cars that get higher fuel economy, allow lighter cars to be legal and to advance alternative fuels, be it electric, CNG, syth or whatever. A requirement to store all CNG and make it illegal to just gas the CNG except during emergencies might force the hand to find uses for the "excess" stuff that just isn't profitable enough to process.

We complain about cars and emissions yet enough CNG in the US alone goes up in smoke without being utilized to power approx 800,000 cars for a year. (and that is just the documented figures which are guesses) May not seem like much to you but 1.5% of cars seems significant enough. Heck even if that "Waste" could be used in coal fired plants to offset their massive pollution somewhat.

What we need is a force independent of vested interests to do what everyone needs but no one wants to do, even if there is a cost associated.

Sadly what we need is rarely what we do because it might hurt someones profit. But that is exactly what needs to happen, truth and frank talk and direct changes and research.

[trikkonceptz]

I agree to an extent. Alternative fuels may never be cheaper. I have seen E85 in Florida as expensive as regular gas. As long as there is someone controling the fuel, there will be someone manipulating the price.

If we were to go electric suddenly, they would make up for it in our electricity bills by designing the cars to charge off of independently monitored outlets or simply add a surcharge for having an electric car.

Heck if we went solar electric, I am sure they would find a way to get us there by charging more to register the vehicles or give us special travel lanes on the highway that we would have to pay for. Or maybe just raise toll rates to recover any money lost.

For any alternative to oil we find there will be equal due diligence to make money off it.

Thats why I think its futile to fight against higher prices, I'd rather focus on giving other countries less of my money for the fuel I have to use by using the least amounts possible.

[Frank Lee]

What a horribly misguided petition. I'll have nothing to do with it.

[Patrick]

Originally Posted by Laurentiu

Sign here please

...WE THE PEOPLE....

A) This is probably just a scam to get email addresses.

B) Whatever happened to free market capitalism?

C) If you don't like high gas prices, buy some oil company stock. Exxon/Mobil would be good, but I'd stay away from BP right now.

[Thymeclock]

Originally Posted by Patrick

A) This is probably just a scam to get email addresses.

B) Whatever happened to free market capitalism?

C) If you don't like high gas prices, buy some oil company stock. Exxon/Mobil would be good, but I'd stay away from BP right now.

I will only address point B:

B) Whatever happened to free market capitalism?

"We the people" have elected a president and congress who are disdainful of capitalism. The previous administration pretended to promote a "free" market, but their version of the market wasn't exactly that, and it ended up giving capitalism a bad name.

"Democracy is the theory that the common people know what they want, and deserve to get it good and hard." (H.L. Mencken)

[trikkonceptz]

Originally Posted by Thymeclock

"... and deserve to get it good and hard."

I'd say we are getting it like that already ..lol

[gone-ot]

...I didn't realize that Hugh Hefner or Dr. Ruth were writers of 'political copy' for Mr. Mencken.

[jkp1187]

Frankly, the cheap and easy shots at 'big oil' and 'speculators' are misplaced. Big oil only has the power we give it, and we're giving it power right now because nearly all of our transportation needs are fueled almost exclusively by petroleum-based products.

It's easy to rant and shout, but it's hard to actually change your lifestyle. I suggest that the emotions I see displayed in that petition are indicative of people who don't want to face up to the fact that if they don't like big oil, the answer is not government regulations to make sure that big oil sells its product cheaply, the answer is to stop purchasing what big oil has to sell.

In short: we have met the real Big Oil, and he is us.