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We here in Lexington need to take some action on this issue.
I'm not trying to make this a political thread, we have enough of those here already. Furthermore anyone who drives is being forced to pay far more than we should have to.
We need some local action groups to STEP UP on this issue. The only organization that seems powerful enough is a group like the Tea Party folks. If they want their candidates to win next election cycle they need to spend the next year (before the campaign begins) working on common issues like gas prices.
I think we need to, as a city, boycott buying gasoline for a couple of days per week. You would be surprised to see how this would work. You need to hit the stations in their pocketbooks, which will hurt all the other groups factoring in the prices being raised.
OPEC raised the cost per barrel $2.00 the past few days. This does not translate into a $.25 cent increase at the pumps. It is injustice aimed at the working class person, the last majority of our city, county, state, and nation.
1 - the Tea Party can't do much about the price of oil; we don't control the source of the asset so unless the gov't somehow buys it at market and subsidizes it to us albeit a lower than market price (happens in emerging countries such as China) we pay what we pay. Only if they can work some miracle and reverse the course of the dollar and somehow reduce worldwide demand (yeah right).
2 - the retail distribution portion makes very little profit on gas sales; like just about all distribution businesses, the profit is low and business owning or controlling the asset makes more profit
3 - the US infrastruture was built for cars, not mass transit so most people HAVE to drive although people can take steps to minizmize consumption
4 - you should direct some of your anger at the current administration's efforts to weakean the dollar as it affects the price of oil (oil is traded in USD). In fact, I challenge you to show us that demand has substantially risen since the economic decline to prove the rise in price is more about demand and not a weak dollar.
"And finally, there is the oil price issue. A weaker dollar will mean more expensive oil for Americans, and that's true whether or not oil is priced in dollars. If oil is priced in dollars and dollars become weaker, then the dollar price of oil must rise to ensure a steady price against other mediums of exchange (be they euros, gold, or moon rocks). If oil is priced in moon rocks and the dollar weakens, then Americans will pay more for oil because it will take more dollars to buy a moon rock. The effect is the same in both cases." The price of oil | The Economist
People can take actions to lessen their own usage thereby saving money at the micro level but there are bigger moving parts that dictate the price itself - most of which we have little control over at the micro level
And BTW, this is not a KY issue, it's a national issue. There will be some transition away from oil but that could take years and what you get in return for the price of oil is still pretty reasonable.
I work at home, drive a 4 cylinder and combine errands into one trip and you could see how my efforts have impacted the price of gas.
So what exactly do you plan to do to lower the price at the pump sir/madam?
Easy does it, you are doing your part by not driving a huge gas guzzling SUV or hummer. I commend you for that.
Everyone needs to act on an national level to be truthful. It is the only way to really make a difference for everyone. However gas boycotts have never worked on a national level. Truth is, one day worth of not buying gasoline will cost the giant corporations that control the prices nearly 4 billion.
We need to hit them in their pocket books.
I think that acting on a local level would force the local stations to respond by slightly lowering the costs. The article I posted said that the rise in prices is DIRECTLY due to the retailers wanting to raise their profit margin. So it is not the administration's fault, nor OPEC's. Not this time anyway :P Obama wants gas at $4.00 per gallon, however. And so do most republicans for that matter. So we cannot expect the government to do anything for the people, as per usual. We need to take matters into our own hands.
You know, for the cost of war in Iraq, we could have converted our system of fueling our transportation from petroleum to hydrogen. That would have been a zero emissions approach and a very little to no cost after the initial investment (a couple trillion dollars to convert). Can you just imagine what a logical solution that would have been. Long term, that may have saved the world.
I mentioned the Tea Party because they seem to be the only group with the effective grassroots organization to pull of any meaningful effort to help people with this issue. And if they actually move from their extremist positions and do something like this, they may win millions of voters over.
Easy does it, you are doing your part by not driving a huge gas guzzling SUV or hummer. I commend you for that.
Everyone needs to act on an national level to be truthful. It is the only way to really make a difference for everyone. However gas boycotts have never worked on a national level. Truth is, one day worth of not buying gasoline will cost the giant corporations that control the prices nearly 4 billion.
We need to hit them in their pocket books.
I think that acting on a local level would force the local stations to respond by slightly lowering the costs. The article I posted said that the rise in prices is DIRECTLY due to the retailers wanting to raise their profit margin. So it is not the administration's fault, nor OPEC's. Not this time anyway :P Obama wants gas at $4.00 per gallon, however. And so do most republicans for that matter. So we cannot expect the government to do anything for the people, as per usual. We need to take matters into our own hands.
You know, for the cost of war in Iraq, we could have converted our system of fueling our transportation from petroleum to hydrogen. That would have been a zero emissions approach and a very little to no cost after the initial investment (a couple trillion dollars to convert). Can you just imagine what a logical solution that would have been. Long term, that may have saved the world.
I mentioned the Tea Party because they seem to be the only group with the effective grassroots organization to pull of any meaningful effort to help people with this issue. And if they actually move from their extremist positions and do something like this, they may win millions of voters over.
Gasbuddy listed NW Lex lowest @ 2.78 11 hours ago
A 1 day boycott doesn't matter if you fill up the day before or after and consume the same amount; it would have to be a permanent reduction in consumption to really cost them any money. Also the MPG for newer vehicles has greatly improved over decades but again it can offset by rising worldwide demand (more cars on the road) - the US can reduce consumption from current levels w/o a doubt.
The article says the retailers raised their price in reaction to a rise in their wholesale price - as in they raised the price to maintain their profit percentages. I didn't get the idea that retailers are raising their price to make a profit above and beyond what they have traditionally earned. If you really believe what they are doing is price gouging, I encourage you to contact the state attorney general.
I think the Tea Party is a minority and will have trouble passing many of the ideas they campaigned on.
Brazil is the country closest to energy independence that I know of - outside of the country's controlling supply. IMO they got there b/c their gov't made it a priority years ago.
Sorry but that site is not usually accurate. Cars on average are less fuel efficient now than in the 60's and 70's. True story.
The government does not care about the price of gas, so contacting government is not going to work. You really think they listen to their constituents on most any issue? We both know better.
Our government, starting in 2001 should have made energy independence a top priority, if because of the national security benefits alone. We could have been mostly hydrogen powered by now had we started the change of infrastructure back then. Instead we killed 400,000 Iraqi civilians in the name of freedom and safety at home.
If there is a change it will have to come from the people, but I do agree with you on the zany tea party's ideas for helping the country. They need to embrace things that will actually help people. Starting with ideas like the one I proposed.
Profits for all parties in the making of gasoline are way to high as it is, and that includes retailers. They are as greedy as the rest of them.
Location: New Albany, Indiana (Greater Louisville)
11,974 posts, read 25,476,450 times
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No one is gouging anyone.
1. Most oil in the USA does NOT come from OPEC nations. We produce 40% of our own oil. Most of the remaining 60% comes from Canada and Mexico
Mid East oil fuels Europe, not America.
2. Oil is a FINITE resource. Every gallon of oil burned takes millions of years to replace.
3. When you consider how many trillions of dollars our government spends to install puppet governments in oil rich countries the cost is way more than $2.99 per gallon.
Sorry but that site is not usually accurate. Cars on average are less fuel efficient now than in the 60's and 70's. True story..
Just filled up @ 2.79 (2.89 w/o Kroger card) for regular off Shell Tates Creek. Thought you said it's 2.99 everywhere
And where are you getting the idea that cars are less fuel efficient, especially with the advances in technology & fuel standards the govt has set over the years? And although the CAFE pre-dates the 60s, I doubt the fuel efficiency was better back then.
Last edited by easydoesit; 12-06-2010 at 09:14 PM..
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