Politic arguments are always amusing when it comes to oil prices.

Nobama made a HUGE issue of it when he was running for office how Bush and Cheney were "tied" to "big" oil in Texas and that is why the oil companies were charging what they were charging...it is comical that the "change" people voted for with barrack hussein obama gets us right back to the SAME result...actually it is WORSE today since the barrel price is roughly 2/3 the price it was in 2008 when 87 octane sold for just over $4/gallon. Today the barrel price at 2/3 the price of then and 87 octane is selling for $4.29 in Fort Wayne Indiana...so much for "change"...I kind of liked the old way if you ask me...

But politics aside...those that thing one person can make a REAL difference in the WORLD commodity of OIL are kidding themselves...the comical part for me (a staunch conservative) is how big a deal barrack hussein made in '08 when he was running for prez about how tied Bush was to "big" oil...who's tied now?...hmmm...

 

When "maximizing profits" is accomplished without regard for its' effect on the public it is merely unbridled greed.
I dont want to risk politicizing this thread so I'll refrain from the remainder of my post. Suffice it to say it has a lot to do with the lobbies of congress.

 

4.45 average for a gallon of 10% ethacrap 87 octane in Chicago today. We made CNN news, oboy. Thats an average. Closer in to the loop its as high as 4.99. If any is over 5 bucks yet, they're keeping it off the signs.

 

It was low hanging fruit...look at the comments here as an example most don't know how oil pricing works or the mechanics of it, everyone has a different theory and rationale...during Bushes term the price of gas went from 1.40 to about 3.75 in some areas, unheard of...a gallon of gas had never breached 3.00 before...you could have told the masses Davy Crockett scratching his behind was the reason for the increase and with the climate of the country at the time...most would have believed it and never questioned it...

 

It will be interesting to see how high it will go and what can or will be done about it. He who has the gold makes the rules which is scary and it paves the way for claimjumpers.

 

Just filled up at Costco in Chino Hills yesterday at $4.09/gal 87 octane.

 

We, the consumers of oil, can't do a thing about it. Even though more and more fuel efficient cars are hitting the public highways worldwide every day, daily demand for gasoline and diesel still continues to go up as well.

Gasoline and diesel prices will continue to go up until 90% of the cars on the highways are getting 40 to 50 mpg. Only then will we see prices even think about coming down.

Gas prices have not hurt me at all yet. But..... it's only because I now spend less on groceries, beverages, clothing, entertainment and travel.

 

That actually sounds cheap for California.

 

I am sitting in SoCal for work...travel out here frequently.

I see prices out here in the Anaheim/Cypress CA area in the $4.07/gallon for 87 octane up to about $4.23/gallon for 87 octane.

Up at the LAX airport area I will pay $4.35/gallon for 87 octane.

Indiana's gasoline is HIGHER than SoCal.

Hawaii has the highest I believe followed closely by Chitown and Indiana ranks 8th on the overall list.

NJ is near the bottom and the sad thing for NJ drivers...they could pay much LESS if the legislators would catch up with the rest of the US and allow pump yourself...the NJ legislators basically "create" the need for gas station attendants to pump the gas. It is ILLEGAL in NJ for a driver to pump their own...I guess they feel NJ drivers are too stupid to do what the rest of the country (save Oregon I believe) do...the price per gallon obviously has to include the added costs for the labor to man the station...so that tells you the real story of how bad the rest of us are getting bent over by taxes etc.

In Indiana a number of years ago our legislators really pulled one over on the residents. They added State "sales tax" to the price of a gallon of fuel. this is a VARIABLE tax on a gallon. When they put it in the State sales tax was 5% and fuel was $1.50 per gallon...so roughly 7.5 cents tax. Today our State sales tax is 7% and the price of a gallon is $4.29 for a total tax today of $.30 per gallon...the tax has quadrupled since they instituted it. The state of Indiana collects hundreds of millions of dollars in sales taxes on gasoline alone...they actually have a vested interest in higher fuel prices because that leads to more revenue for them...

I also read an interesting article in the paper the other day...the government is now worried that electric cars will not be paying 'road use taxes' which are collected at the pump per gallon...so now they are kicking around a $100-$200 per year per vehicle TAX on electric vehicles so they can collect their taxes...go figure...you buy an electric car at a phenomenal premium and the government is thinking of new ways to bend you over yet again...our government at work..."we're from the government and we're here to help!"...yeah right...

 

The government is also looking into GPS devices for each car to track your mileage and tax you on the distance driven not just on the fuel you use.

 

My Suffolk County (NY) legislature was thoughtful enough to give us a break on the local sales tax on fuel. But they failed to register the bill with the state properly, so we don't get the decrease.

 

Many states don't even have motor vehicle inspections, so putting a
GPS into every car is about as likely as finding Osama Bin Laden.
Err, wait, as likely as balancing the Federal Budget.

 

Hey x hemi guy I'm from NJ, and your right most NJ drivers are to stupid to pump their own gas. 99 per cent of them don't know how to intelligently drive a vehicle either.

 

Diesel is 17 cents a gallon cheaper than regular gas here in the Chicago burbs @4.09.

 

$4.17 for reg 87 here in anchorage, Alaska. other parts of the state are paying close to $10/gal!

i've been driving my expedition which gets about a consistent 1-1.5mpg better then my excursion. every little bit helps right?