I don't like high fuel prices any more than the next person. I'll tell you what REALLY ticks me off.......

I bought my first (and current) diesel in June of 2005. At the time, diesel was running 5 to 10-cents cheaper than gas (and had historically been doing something similar). Then Katrina hits. gas shoots above $2.00......then $2.50.......then $3.00 and beyond. Diesel and gas stayed about the same.....then gas started falling again and has maintained about a 15 to 25-cents CHEAPER price than diesel over the last year. Now it's $2.09 locally, and diesel is still stuck right around $2.45 to $2.49.....35 to 40-cents more expensive.

No one can explain why this is. And no....the new ULSD blend is NOT an excuse for higher prices.....Back in the summer before the ULSD came out.....gas was supposedly at it's highest price because of the summer blends, but diesel STILL never fell below the gas price.

Ergo.....Whatever I buy turns to crap......You gas hogs better hope I never go back to gasoline, because the gas price will surely shoot up....

If there's an Exxon conspiracy, it's against me........CMPD1781.......

 

The think the biggest concern with people is that this affects poorer people that still have their regular monthly costs and never did have money to BUY SHARES.

The middle class part of society of North America has been targeted for years in PAY PAY PAY through the nose.

Poor people go without
Rich people have tax havens

Life is all about:
Education
Attitude
Timing

I would like to know why Energy companies are still getting subsidized by Governments.

They are up here in Canada.

 

hmmm... It appears the government is becoming more communist and less free trade... and Bush says "we are doing everything we can to control fuel prices". Not that anyone believes him but... ya...

I know exactly what we need to do to lower fuel prices. The only problem is no one will do it. But if they did all problems would be fixed. If everyone just stopped buying fuel for even a week and said "we are not buying fuel until you lower your prices". I guarantee you with absolute certainty prices would drop like a stone because the fuel companies would be out of business if they didn’t... Too bad there is always some idiot in the crowd that screws up a good plan…

 

If we would just pick one major oil company and boycott it untill they went bankrupt the oil companys would know that the consumer had some power, They would wonder who we would boycott next. We wouldnt stop buying gas, we just would stop buying it from the one company,,,Let them scream unfair

 

What makes you think a boycott would work? The oil companies can get by without the US market. One of the biggest reason gas is so high is the fact places like China now have cars. Twenty yrs ago private ownership of cars there was unknown. We pay very low prices for fuel compared to many countries. I'm glad we have plenty because it could be worse. We could be waiting in lines due to shortages or buying on certain of the wk like we did in the 70s.

 

Sorry, SPLTech, but a week-long boycott would only wreck the economy, not just hurt oil companies. There are far, far too many people who commute an hour or two ONE WAY to work. There's too much food that needs to be shipped. Ever see an Alabama grocery store when ice is predicted? No grocery store has a week's worth of stock. The solution is not boycotts. The solution is to reduce usage and diversify energy sources so that not all our eggs are in one gas can. More ethanol, hydrogen and biodiesel would help, without going to just one "alternative", which would just put all our eggs in a different gas can.

Jason

 

Please read post #31 and explain why you think a boycott is warranted......What did this private company do except make a 10% profit that you feel warrants a boycott?

To be fair to fastford, only a couple of people in this thread answered that question or somewhat addressed it.

My bigger worry is the cacophony of politicians out there screaming "unfair" and threatening to confiscate part of the profit for whatever program the government feels they need to administer "for the people"......(research into alternative fuels, environmental consciousness, whatever).......In other words, another illustration from the government that THEY know what to do with the money better than anyone else does.

"Let the individual or private business make the money....we'll just take it from them"

THIS caused gas lines, rationing, etc. in the late 70s.....It was called the "windfall profits tax", which is about as friggin communistic/socialistic/anti-free-market as you can get.

Exxon is just the biggest.....The biggest are always the easiest target for pissed off citizens and the government. Wake the hell up, people!

 

actaually no, we pay the same, if not higher for fuel compared to other countries, if you want to comapre with the absence of taxes. take alabame, why is it fuel is more expensive in the south than in the north? heck, they make the stuff along the gulf coast.

china has cars, india has cars....and you know who's fault that is? oh yes...US!!! all that chinese made junk and outsourcing from US companies has enabled them to purchase things and make the world prices go up, good job everyone, if it wasn't for our greedy companies seeking out every single penny of profits, perhaps our own commodities would be way cheaper for us regular folks to afford.

if everyone would just take a look at commodity prices between 1999 and 2006 you will see the effects of this "globalization" has been disatrous for the US "happens to be my business paper project i am working on" oh, sure, the stockholders come out ahead, but just tell me how many poeple in america actually make their living off of stocks? no, most people work.

 

bf250, now I see where you get your point of view from. Apparently your in school and have given in to what the leftist professors are telling you, thats what they like, for you to have a one track mind and to not question their point of view. You do know that you can pay extra on your taxes if you'd like, I'm sure the gov't would appreciate it besides why should you make what you make, share the wealth just like you expect all of these companies to do. Thats why they are in business to make a profit not to appease you!!!

 

A stockholder isn't necessarily making their LIVING off of stocks....It's just a personal tool to build personal wealth...much like putting it in savings...and along the way, partaking in capitalism and "owning" a piece of a company (or companies). What in the hell is wrong with that?....

Oh....And if you partake in 401-Ks, or 403-Bs, or 457s for retirement, then you are making money (and your future) off of stocks. All a mutual fund is is a basket of stocks and bonds. You more than likely DO make money off of the stock market.

 

50calmike-where did i ever state about paying extra taxes? and if businesses are just there to make a profit, why all the anti-trust laws and regulations? i am sure that no one should care what businesses do if it was an open market for them to operate in.

and another thing, if everyone is getting so rich off everything, why is the savings rate the lowest in 77 years? why have there been more bankruptcies and forclosures now than ever? why has the exchange rate for the dollar dropped so much? heck, even the business i am involved with overseas we switched from the dollar to the euro this winter.

and i am pro corporation, but you all are telling me that it is great that the prices for almost all commodities have doubled or even tripled over the last 6 years? who is benefiting with that besides the few who control it?

and being left thinking, thats funny, never been accused of that one before, i guess i will turn in my republican party membership, my guns and trade my f250psd in for a pirius.

 

And, how about Chevron making a record profit???

 

I think it is the Upper 10% of rich people making all the money from shares.

I also think this is what bothers people...the ultimate rich making virtual "fortunes" off the back of the average person.

That's one reason I won't buy a professional sports ticket. if an Media corporation wants to pay a team millions for broadcast rights.....let them .

But you ain't going to get $200.00 a ticket from me to watch over paid people.

When it comes to energy consumption it is as low as it can get right now.

When I say energy I mean ALL forms of energy. Gasoline/Oil/N.Gas/Electricity.

The biggest problem is America's HUGEEEEEE appetite for fuel.

 

The average consumer is the victum,Sure gas companys need to make money, but since they have a monopoly on gas and get away with price fixing they are no better than our drug companys that have to build all of their new stores on the most exspensive real estate in town,why is that?

 

I understand what you are trying to say and you're wrong.

1. Demand for oil is not sensitive to high prices. Our economies needs oil and credit like people need water and clean air. And we're gonna pay whatever it costs to get the gas we need to go to work.

2. The oil bust of 1980 will tell you oil markets are long-term. You're probably too young to remember, but only two ways this is going to end. we produce more oil and oil markets crash, or we don't produce more oil and the economy crashes.


Jackpot.

10 years ago we were using 75 million barrels a day at a cost of $10-20/barrel.
Today we are using 81 million barrels a day at a cost of $50+/barrel.

Consumption of oil +10%
Price of oil +500%



Because the large oil companies that produce oil, and sell oil at the retail level, and do everything in between, these companies don't need to buy oil on world markets. And they don't need to sell all their oil on world markets either. And that's why prices are going all over the place even though we're using the same amount of oil every day. Because only a small amount of that oil is actually being traded on the commodities exchange. And it's being bought over and over again, by the same speculators inflating the price.

And all the oil we actually use and consume, it's just sold to us at the retail level, by large oil companies that have all conspired to make us pay this artificial market price, even though the oil is not bought or sold on this market.