Fuming about gas prices!
Just in time for summer, gasoline prices have jumped to more than $3 a gallon across Northwest Florida. The price is even higher in other parts of the country.
I know the price of gasoline is already impacting my household. It's causing me to drive less, and to use my wife's more fuel-efficient car more often.
No doubt, gasoline costs are affecting you, too. Blog to me, and tell me your answers to the following questions:
Will gasoline prices make you re-think your vacation plans?
Will it keep tourists from visiting the Emerald Coast?
Will it increase the costs for your business?
Is it causing you to spend less money on other things?
Is it causing you to drive less?
Write me what you think. And if you want the The Daily News to use your comments in a story later this week about rising gasoline prices, please leave your name and hometown. Thanks.
posted by Patrick Rice @ 11:51 AM
21 Comments
21 Comments:
If there are a few hurricanes in the next few months they’ll use it as an excuse to jack up prices even further. If there are no hurricanes they’ll raise them anyways just in case there is one.
That’s what the insurance companies did. They raised rates because of the storms in 2004 and 2005. They also raised them because of “expected” storms in 2006. The “expected” storms didn’t materialize, but they still raised rates. The legislature helped the insurance companies in their endeavor, and will also help the energy companies.
If you drive a huge car or SUV you have no reason to complain. Those of us who drive small economy cars (and always have)shouldn't have to bear the brunt of everyone elses mistakes and complaints.
i don't like the prices, but what other choice do people have? as for small cars, keep them. i'm 6'5" and have a family to take with me on trips. econo boxes just don't work. another reason is, i've seen what happens when an econo box meets a regular size car. a toyota corolla tried to cave in the passenger door(he ran a light) on my'76 monte carlo. i got a minor shoulder injury and was able to drive my car home, while the toyota driver had to be cut out of his car and hospitalized. yes he had his belt on. not only was his car totalled, i bet the money he saved on gas didn't cover his hospital stay.
There are two main things that I think of when I see high gasoline prices. First I give thanks that I do not live in Europe where prices (gas) are more than twice what the prices are here.
Second I think that all of the idiots that refuse to let us utilize the oil that is in Alaska and offshore should be required to walk. The Alaskan pipeline has been in place for decades now. Just how many major ecoligical disasters have there been because of this pipeline?
How many offshore ecological disasters have there been because of drilling there?
Locally I believe that interference with the military mission is the only legitimate reason to oppose offshore drilling. Any drilling and consequent usage that can be achieved without this problem should proceed immediately.
As far as gas prices effecting my driving it has not much effect. I do not do much driving that is purely for recreation.
G
All those who drive large vehicles -don't complain. It is your choice not mine. And by the way all vehicles should exercise some courtesy, consideration and respect for other drivers. Ie.People who drive large vehicles should not take advantage of their size and attempt to do things just because they can get away with it.
The fuel situation will not change until we get a new Prez..Shalimar Partisan
the prices are kinda like dealing with the gov. you pay a premium for crappy and inefficient service.
It’s all relative, if the price of gas kept pace with inflation since 1981 it would be right where it is now. Prices now are where they belong, the problem is we’ve enjoyed inexpensive energy for two decades and now everybody expects it to last forever.
I don’t understand what a different president will do to lower prices as the president doesn’t control the free market and global commodity prices. I remember there we a lot a people a few months ago who were actually naïve enough to believe the democratic candidates running for congress when they promised to lower gas prices. Since January prices are up by about 50%.
This is America, we’re a capitalistic society. If you don’t like the price, don’t buy the product.
Remember that capitalism thrives on competition, and that’s what’s lacking in the energy industry. We had a lot more competition in the energy industry until the mid 1990s. It was the Clinton administration that assisted and approved multiple mergers among the large energy companies. So if there is a president to blame, it’s Clinton.
That "anonymous" guy is a prolific writer. Even disagrees with himself from post to post.
If you have to drive on a trip - and for more than one person, it's usually still cheaper than flying - you "bite the bullet" and shell out the $$ for gas.
The compromise you make is biting the bullet on meals - fast food time instead of fine dining!
Why don’t we import our gas from China? They make everything else we consume and we get high quality at low prices. Let’s see if they can do the same for gas, they sure can’t do any worse than Exxon and the others.
What if: There are 20,000,000 illegals in this country...
What if: One quarter (5,000,000) own and operate a vehicle...
What if: Each vehicle is filled with 20 gallons of gasoline each week.
Does this not equate to 100,000,000 gallons of gasoline, each week, being appropriated (stolen) from the citizens of this country.
No wonder the refiners can't keep up with demand and prices are through the roof.
This is a pretty good article regarding high gasoline prices.
http://articles.moneycentral.msn.com/Investing/SuperModels/TheTruthBehindThoseGasPrices.aspx?page=2
Read it and learn something.
G
I personally think the cost of gas is unreal! I feel that the price of gas seems to have a very distinct pattern....when a natural disaster is about to happen....prices go up. On the weekends when people travel....prices go up. When a major traveled holiday is approaching..prices go up. Has anyone else noticed this pattern! I am furious!I wish there was a way for people to ban together in unity and just stop buying the gas...but that is of course not possible, and the gas companies know it. Thats why they continue to jack up the prices.Maybe we can start a national car pooling site...wouldn't that be interesting. Us as Americans could cut the us in gas with dramatic #'s.
In capitalism companies produce products and sell them for what the market will pay. People are free to either buy the item at the selling price, or not to buy it. There is no right to inexpensive gas, medicine or anything else.
This is strictly a supply and demand issue. If people would drive just 10 miles less per week (about a half gallon of gas) it would have a downward affect on prices, but it isn’t happening. According to the data, demand is still rising even though prices are going higher.
It’s funny that people are buying more gas than ever before, and then complaining about the price. For some reason people seem convinced that they “need” gas and “have” to buy it, so it should be cheap.
If you “have” to go to work demand that your employer pay you a gas surcharge until prices come down (if they ever do). If they refuse then find another job that meets your needs.
Employers are, in effect, buying your labor. If the cost of the product you’re providing (your labor) gets more expensive to provide, then you should pass the cost onto your customer (your employer). They then have the option to buy your labor at the market cost, or do without it.
The same goes for insurance, a 3% raise doesn’t cover a 65% increase in insurance so your employer should either pay the increased cost or do without the labor you provide.
American Consumers will eventually learn to live within their means and cut out this extravagant lifestyle. Drive less, use less fuel--DUUUHH.Partisan
I was in Denver for the 1973 gas shortage and it was not fun. I do not like the current prices, but we have as a nation brought this on ourselves.
After 1973 every President has had a goal of reducing our dependence on foreign oil. Each President and Congress sat by and did nothing. Have we made any serious attempt to develop technology to convert the tremendous reseves of oil shale in Colorado and Wyoming, have we built any new nuclear energy facilities, built new hydroelectric projects, drilled off the coast of Florida or in known oil fields in the Alaskan Arctic?? No to all of the above. The most recent refinery, built in the Phoenix area, took 20 + years from idea to completion beaacuse of the environmental considerations and law suits. We have sat around for 30+ years and have done virtually nothing. What savings were accomplished in miles per gallon for vehicles went out the window with the SUV and light truck addiction starting in the 1990's.
We have a Congress that only looks to the next election and nothing long term is accomplished. Until we as a nation accept drilling off shore of our coasts, incoveniencing a few caribou and bears, build nuclear energy plants and figure out how to develop oil shale to reduce oil demand, prices will only go up. Gas prices are driven by worldwide demand for oil(which is going up), our refining capacity which is maxed out and no quick fix is on the horizon, and all the taxes that the Federal, state and local governemnts can pile.
I am not changing any of my plans for trips, other than they will cost a few dollars more as the cost of gas is insignificant compared to hotel and food costs.
Anonymous,
What do you mean when you say you don't want to "bear the brunt of everyone else's mistakes and complaints"? Your choice to drive a fuel-efficient car saves YOU money...you have to fill up less often. Those who choose fuel-gobbling cars fill up more often. It sounds like THEY are paying the price for their choice of vehicle and you are saving with your choice of vehicle. Supply and demand determine prices. The choice to travel by automobile is still a choice. Quit your complaining and choose another mode of travel.
The price of a pack of cigarettes has increased at a much faster rate than gas prices have over the last 10 years. Why hasn't a bill been passed to stop "gouging" smokers? the truth is, there is no such thing as "gouging" in a free-market economy.
If you are "furious" about paying high gas prices at holiday time, take a basic economics course and learn the difference between capitalism and communism. When we depend on the gov't to step in and reduce gas prices, we aren't too far away from gas rationing. Do you really want to have cheap gas with limits on how much you can buy or how many miles you can travel? What's worth more to you? Set some priorities. "Do I want to drive to work today or ride a bike?" Give up a few trips to Starbucks and get to work in comfort. Hey, what about driving slower, rolling down the windows in place of using the A/C, combining/planning your trips, or carpooling to work and soccer practice? Naaahhh! It's easier to blame Bush, curse private industry, or rely on the gov't to pass "anti-gouging" bills than to do anything so uncomfortable.
Raybo is right. We can either have gas readily available at the market price, or we can have no gas available at an artificially low price.
The reason cigarettes cost so much is because of all the taxes the various levels of government levy on them, and it’s the same thing with gas.
Remember people complained about insurance rates being too high and the government got involved and what look what happened. Insurance still cost 7 times what it did 4 years ago and the private sector disappeared so the government (Citizens Insurance) now has to insure the bulk of the property in Florida.
If the government gets involved here and the private sector declines to sell their product at a low price mandated by the government our economy, and everything else, will come to a halt. The government doesn’t have the capability to refine and distribute gas.
If oil company CEO’s worked for free and oil companies made zero profit the price of a gallon of gas would fall by, at most, 13 cents. By contrast the government takes about 50 per gallon in taxes.
I do not care if fuel is 5 per gallon , because I drive my small vehicle 90 percent of the time now, and leave the S10 blazer SUV parked in the driveway. I hope the peopel with larger cars enjoy. Har har harr. Partisan Moderate
My car gets 25 miles to the gallon. Last summer, I made a 2,000 mile (round) trip to visit family. So the gas prices have risen by $1.00 per gallon. That computes to an extra $80 for me to make the same trip this summer. $80 will determine whether I make the trip or not. Seriously, if $80 keeps me from making the trip, I have more problems than gas prices.
The tourists will still come, they may not come from as far away as they used to, but from Texas to Georgia, they will come to our glorious beaches. We own two fuel efficient vehicles,(that's why we bought them) but I still consolidate my errands into one trip. It's money in my pocket.
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