[UserPPC]

What is the real reason behind these huge gas price, increases?

Take into account, this:

Gas, as far as I know, has had zero changes in how it is made. The product is the same, and nothing has changed except the price.


It is my opinion, that, we will never be given the chance, at least in the US, to use alternative products. Why? Because the government can't control how much water or Oxygen you have..

[kareem]

Almost four bucks here in cali (not to mention diesel is already there). Around this time, we'll probably see 5. The go down at times quite a bit then jump so much higher.

[UserPPC]

I recall when I was paying about 1.98, and thought; this is crazy, I can't believe I am paying 2.00 almost. Then, for some reason, I stopped paying attention, and I think we all just learned that the prices go up, and then down. What did we do? We just put a few dollars in, before it went back down; then we would fill'er up. I guess we never realized, that slowly, it never returned back to the original price. It is a game, and I am really tired of playing.. What are we going to do, though? We're stuck. It costs 45,000 to get any better gas mileage, yet people pay 50k+ to get worse mileage. I doubt those big trucks and suvs are getting anywhere near 25MPG.. Yet, if you just pay 40,000, you can get four times that much.

To be honest, I'm not even satisfied with that, even if I could afford those hybrids.. We are still paying the same per gallon, no matter how less or often we need to fill. We just need to get off of these oils, period.

[kareem]

I'm not paying anything yet Only have my permit--but when i do get my liscense, it's not going to be so much fun.

[tapdov]

There of course a couple of good reasons for gas prices going up, among them:
1. Nearly no new oil drills are allowed in the US for environmental reasons, even though according to recent reports, between Alaska and the Gulf of Mexico the US is sitting on more oil than Saudi Arabia.
2. No refineries are being built in the US either, for the same reason as above and because of NIMBY activists.
3. Obviously don't expect the gas prices to ever go down to where they were because of general inflation.
4. There are oil market speculators who artificially inflate oil prices, just like real estate speculators just caused a housing price bubble.

I don't think the oil company profits have anything to do with it. Since they take a few percent (Less than 5 I think) of the total price for themselves, their profits will obviously go up.

[gautxori]

i liiike to ride my biiicycle
(biiicycle, biiicycle)
....

[kareem]

i liiike to ride my biiicycle
(biiicycle, biiicycle)
....

Lol, i wish i had a bike. Haven't had one since i was around 7. If i had one, i'd like to ride it to school and back. Great excercise and fun. I use my goped sometimes to get around in the neighborhood.

[UserPPC]

There of course a couple of good reasons for gas prices going up, among them:
1. Nearly no new oil drills are allowed in the US for environmental reasons, even though according to recent reports, between Alaska and the Gulf of Mexico the US is sitting on more oil than Saudi Arabia.
2. No refineries are being built in the US either, for the same reason as above and because of NIMBY activists.
3. Obviously don't expect the gas prices to ever go down to where they were because of general inflation.
4. There are oil market speculators who artificially inflate oil prices, just like real estate speculators just caused a housing price bubble.
I don't think the oil company profits have anything to do with it. Since they take a few percent (Less than 5 I think) of the total price for themselves, their profits will obviously go up.

1.) Hmm.. That is interesting...
2.) ---->>> This is even more interesting. You mean to tell me, that we are sitting on gold, but we want to take everyone elses, and then have the only supply? Is this a strategy to be on the recieving end, of all of these profits?
3.) Yea, I know we are in the middle of a war, that is costing a lot of money. I just don't think that is enough of a reason, to let oil companies, charge this much money.
4.) That is exactly my point; why are we letting them just raise the price of gas, because they feel like it? I have seen how these things operate, I was partially trained on running a business that sold gasoline. They literally, can see a price higher than them, and raise their price just to be par with the competition. Granted, they don't go higher, but still they raise the price to "gouge" the consumers. That gas doesn't cost anymore, just because the other people are selling it higher..
5.) Are you sure that they aren't making more than 5% of that xx billion dollars they are making, in profits?

[tapdov]

There of course a couple of good reasons for gas prices going up, among them:
1. Nearly no new oil drills are allowed in the US for environmental reasons, even though according to recent reports, between Alaska and the Gulf of Mexico the US is sitting on more oil than Saudi Arabia.
2. No refineries are being built in the US either, for the same reason as above and because of NIMBY activists.
3. Obviously don't expect the gas prices to ever go down to where they were because of general inflation.
4. There are oil market speculators who artificially inflate oil prices, just like real estate speculators just caused a housing price bubble.
I don't think the oil company profits have anything to do with it. Since they take a few percent (Less than 5 I think) of the total price for themselves, their profits will obviously go up.

1.) Hmm.. That is interesting...
2.) ---->>> This is even more interesting. You mean to tell me, that we are sitting on gold, but we want to take everyone elses, and then have the only supply? Is this a strategy to be on the recieving end, of all of these profits?
3.) Yea, I know we are in the middle of a war, that is costing a lot of money. I just don't think that is enough of a reason, to let oil companies, charge this much money.
4.) That is exactly my point; why are we letting them just raise the price of gas, because they feel like it? I have seen how these things operate, I was partially trained on running a business that sold gasoline. They literally, can see a price higher than them, and raise their price just to be par with the competition. Granted, they don't go higher, but still they raise the price to "gouge" the consumers. That gas doesn't cost anymore, just because the other people are selling it higher..
5.) Are you sure that they aren't making more than 5% of that xx billion dollars they are making, in profits?

2.)I don't think there's any sort of strategy involved since by the time the middle eastern oil is used up a different energy source will probably have been developed. It seem to me like good old environmentalist "animals-before-people" activism.
3.)The inflation is definitely helped by the war, but I was refering to inflation in general which is always happening, even though it isn't always as noticeable.
4.)By speculators I didn't mean price-gougers. I was refering to investors who buy and sell oil futures irresponsibly based on the latest rumors or fads.
5.)I remember the last time they were being grilled in congress, I think it was two or three years ago, the numbers floating around were about ten cents a gallon. The rest went to the original suppliers (i.e. Saudi Arabi, Venezuela etc.), taxes, refining costs, ant transportation.

[Phex]

Almost four bucks here in cali (not to mention diesel is already there). Around this time, we'll probably see 5. The go down at times quite a bit then jump so much higher.

you are so lucky living in America... in Germany we pay 10.5 bucks per gallon... evry month i pay 450$ only for gas... so, don't think your gas prices are high ;D

[UserPPC]

WoW.. I knew they were high overseas, but 10.5$!! I guess maybe we are all suckers..

[tapdov]

I was going to point that out in my post but I forgot by the time I reached the end.
Thanks Phex!

[UserPPC]

So... We are all paying for the gas, and paying high prices.. Why are we not going to the alternatives? Why does it cost just as much, for a huge SUV, as it does for a hybrid?
When are we going to see truly hybrid vehicles, that don't run on gas?

What happend to all of the research and development, that was done years ago? I recall GM having made a prototype vehicle, that shared a multi-platform base, that fit underneath several different vehicles. It was very high-tech, and ran on Fuel Cell Technology. What happened to all of that?
..

[pink panther]

10.5 bucks a gallon? try 20$ a gallon here in my country. its been like that since forever. it takes me at least a gallon everyday to get me to and from uni.

[UserPPC]

See.. I wonder really how different it would be, if we were using hydrogen fuel cell. We would probably have to pay some kind of premium price for the vehicle, and a huge tax on the purchase, just so the government could get some money from it.
That is the #1 reason, why I think we'll never see it in the US; the government, can't control how much water we have. They can't control who makes the product, since the resource is so plentiful.