gas prices going down ?

[Smokyroo]

Oil compamies also paid about $9 billion dollars in federal taxes each last year. They make tops 8 cents a gallon profit where our government makes anywhere from 60 to 80 cents per gallon profit (taxes) on the same fuel. Who is ripping who off here? Politicians are slime balls, they could actually reduce spending and, and cut some taxes too. They stand around blaming exxon while their hand is the biggest one in the cookie jar. Kill exxon and see what happens to their tax base and see what happens at the pump...we would be totally hosed.

Now I know fuel taxes pay for roads and so forth, but the reality of it is they could fire at least 1 of the 4 guys in charge of the DOT leaning spade at the job site. I was traveling through the Smokies where they are fixing Newfound Gap Road and 4 or 5 guys were standing doing nothing.

This year, because I have been too lazy in the past, I am getting my tax rebate when I fill my boats or lawn equipment up with fuel. I never claimed the off highway rebate, but I am starting this year.

We simply need to increase supply domestically and keep it domestic as possible..it has to manage this as oil is global demand item. I am in the travel and tourism business where I own 5 nice cabins in the Smokies. My bookings are waaaay down and while I welcome lower gas prices, it has damaged my summer already...it may be too little too late for peak season. As soon as gas prices went above $3.50 a gallon, my inquiries nearly stopped. I had 3 straight weeks where I did not get a single inquiry.

When the travel industry starts recovering you will know our entire economy is on the rise. We have been down now for 3 straight years here in the mountains. It is terrible.

Originally Posted by TheSasks

We already pay a road tax here in a way. If the GCWR of your rig is over 11,000lbs your registration goes up. I am registered at 17,000 and my registration went up $156.00 per year plus I had to get a National Safety Code Certificate of Safety Fitness that must be with the registration for the truck all the time because I travel outside the province weighing over 11,000 lbs and that cost another $50.00.

[revrnd]

But won't the oil companies use the unrest in Syria as an excuse to raise the oil price?

There was a oil pipeline break in Alberta last week. Apparently 28,000 barrels of oil leaked before the flow was shut off. I'm pretty sure that amount should cause an industry wide shortage.

[Smokyroo]

Oil prices are somewhat dictated by supply and demand and investors/speculators on said supply and demand. Fear and greed tend to drive the markets and right now there is alot of fear in it which in turns drives the price up which then attracts the greedy. Oil companies dont set the prices, commodities traders do coupled the drug cartel, I mean OPEC countries. If we actually based the price of oil on demand, right now it would be heck of lot less. Secondly, when the Federal Reserve does this BS called quanitative easing, ie printing money, they are devaluing the US Dollar and oil is traded in dollars which means commodities are being inflated.

I make chocolate treats for part of my living and my chocolate costs have gone up 38% in 4 weeks and this is due in large part of actions by the federal reserve and their efforts to devalue our currency. A friend of mine owns a growing beef jerky operation and Friday his costs went up $1.65 a pound. Again, you can blame inflation and the Federal Reserve for this. It is easy to blame the oil companies especially when they report profits, but they report profits because that is how their leases are structured, they have too and politicians and the media blame them because somehow in my short life capitalism and profit have gone from the American way of business to dirty words. We need to put the blame where it squarely resides here and that is our own government and the Federal Reserve...

[revrnd]

Smokyroo, well put. It's too bad that the oil companies don't deal directly w/ the producers be they private or nationalized companies. Eliminate the commodities traders/investors/speculators who drive the prices up on the flimsiest reasons (Does Libya produce only 2% of the world's oil?).

Maybe John Q. Public could pull a Trading Places & put the speculators in the poor house.

YouTube - Trading Places - Final Scene

[rivercat49]

I was at a stop light earlier and watched as the attendent increased the price at a local bj's by .05 for regular and increased high test by .01. the stations seem to react slower to oil decreases than to increases.

[caper]

The price of gas went up in Ont. today. We are at $1.39 / L or $5.26 / gal. When will it stop?

[08flagvlite]

Here in Florida, we are beginning hurricane season. Since almost all of the oil refineries in the US are in Louisiana ands maybe Texas, IF a Gulf coast hurricane threatens to come near those refineries, and possibly shut any of them down, it makes the oil prices spike up. There are already supply disruptions being talked about from the Mississippi flooding tragedy.
I'm not counting on prices dropping too far, but hopefully they will! Randy

[prof_fate]

Originally Posted by Smokyroo

We simply need to increase supply domestically and keep it domestic as possible..it has to manage this as oil is global demand item.

That won't affect a thing. 80%+ of our oil is domestic or from canada, a most of the rest is mexican or venzuelan. It won't affect what we pay no matter where it's drilled. Why? SImple - there is no shortage of buyers at $100/barrel, so even if we drilled every drop we need in your backyard you'd not sell it for $50 a barrel, you'd still sell it for $100.

Last time gas got this high we were taking a 1200 mile trip with our camper and my mother in law asked what we budgeted for gasoline. My reply was "I don't care if it's $12 a gallon, I'm gonna fill 'er up. There's no way I'm pushing this rig home"

About the only thing we can do is conserve fuel - either because it's in our own best interests (due to high costs) or because we're forced to. I remember well the 80s, when the biggest honda (accord) was smaller that today's smallest honda (the fit). When a civic got 51mpg - no hybrid, no fuel injection.
Apply today's technology to that 85 civic and you'd have a car getting 80mpg if not 100.
But the only way cars like that will be widespread is if gas prices stay high long enough for car companies to create such cars again, or if the gov't mandates it.

Till then, we pay.

BTW, gas prices here are up 10c today, to $4.09.

[acadianbob]

The best way to lower gas prices is to use a lot less of it. Remember how gas prices plummeted when the recession hit? People driving less? IMO, if you are going to tow, expect to pay for it.

There is also a lot of speculation going on with gas prices. This last little run-up was largely due to speculators; like some of the big banks we just bailed out. They will jump on any excuse, like the 2% of world oil Libya produces. An elk passes gas along the pipeline in Alaska, better raise the price!