Im finally gonna rant about gasoline.

Zoink · Post by **Zoink** » 2003-03-12 02:23pm

Yogi wrote:The good thing is, perhaps now the car companies are going to start seriously considering promoting more fuel efficent cars (read:When I get out of college, mabye the price will be low enough so I can buy one.)

Make sure you tell your insurance you have a degree in whatever. When I got my insurance for my car, I mention off-chance that I had finished University a few years prior, and got a discount. Maybe not all companies do this, but its worth mentioning.

RedImperator · Post by **RedImperator** » 2003-03-12 02:32pm

Price gouging! It's all Shrub's fault!

It's speculation. The price of oil is going up because commodities traders are buying shitloads of it expecting there to be a shortage when the war gets started. On top of that, there's a heating oil shortage because of the winter we've been having, forcing refineries to produce more heating oil instead of stockpiling gasoline for the summer months. It's called "supply and demand", and it's the price you pay for not having to stand in line for twelve hours with a government rationing ticket in your hand to buy fuel for your furnace or car.

That being said, I'm getting damn tired of gas prices going up. This doesn't hurt the assholes in the land barges, because if you can afford a $35,000 SUV, you can afford to pay $50 to fill up the tank. This hurts schmucks like me who bought small, fuel efficient cars who nevertheless are paying over $20 a week to fill the tank (a big deal when you work part time for a nickel above minimum wage).

As to the Europeans bitching about high fuel prices, write your damn congressman (or whoever). You let the tree huggers and welfare vote leeches tax petrol up the wazoo, not me.

jegs2 · Post by **jegs2** » 2003-03-12 03:02pm

Gasoline is too expensive. Let's open up those Alaska places for drilling. We can bring in hunters to whack whatever endangered species are living there first, so the environmenalist whackos will be content. That way, everybody wins -- the hunters have some cool trophies, meat in their freezers and pelts for their loved ones, and my gasoline is cheaper.

Enlightenment · Post by **Enlightenment** » 2003-03-12 03:24pm

RedImperator wrote: Price gouging! It's all Shrub's fault!

Two words: war premium.

Blame both Shrubby and Saddam.

Bartman · Post by **Bartman** » 2003-03-12 03:33pm

I'm not worried. By the time you adjust for inflation Americans are still paying about the same for gas as we did in the 1950s. All in all $2/Gallon is dirt cheap. And even then it will drop back down to normal as soon as the supply situation is resolved.

The problem is that the current spike is not being driven by the Iraq situation, but by Venezuelan instability. And even if Iraq is resolved today, oil prices wouldn't go down much if at all. But if it makes you feel any better RedImperator, Bush has bungled that situation as well so you can still justifibly blame him.

Joe · Post by **Joe** » 2003-03-12 03:36pm

I'm glad that I got a car and started driving when gas prices were high. I've never been spoiled by low gas prices, so maybe I won't grow up to be a whiny bitch who endlessly complains about gas prices. I'm not trying to point fingers, I don't mind people being unhappy about high gas prices, I just hate people who bitch about them and then inevitably call for the government to swoop in and use its magical scarcity-nullifying power to solve the problem.

Crayz9000 · Post by **Crayz9000** » 2003-03-12 03:51pm

I drive a 1991 Suburban, and I'm getting damn tired of it. Sure, it has power and handles well, but it drinks fuel by the bucketload.

But at least we do use it to haul stuff in.

Knife · Post by **Knife** » 2003-03-12 03:58pm

Slightly off topic, but...

But if it makes you feel any better RedImperator, Bush has bungled that situation as well so you can still justifibly blame him.

How has Bush bungled the current crisis in Venezuala? Is he suppose to invade them too? Let them hash it out themselves, and we'll deal with the victor.

Cpt_Frank · Post by **Cpt_Frank** » 2003-03-12 04:05pm

Here we pay about 4,60$ per gallon, so I'd say every single driver in Germany would give his right arm for such cheap gasoline...

Only if he's got a car with automatic shift

Seriously prices for gas here in Europe aren't funny anymore.

Bartman · Post by **Bartman** » 2003-03-12 04:32pm

Knife wrote:How has Bush bungled the current crisis in Venezuala? Is he suppose to invade them too? Let them hash it out themselves, and we'll deal with the victor.

I'm refering to the abortive coup attempt last year. I will discount the rumors that the military had US material support in the coup as unconfirmed. But the Bush govenment was the only one in the world to recognize Carmona. When Chavez returned to power, the US attempt to give the coup plotters moral if not material support destroyed US/Venezuelan relations. While the US may or may not have lent US equipment and bases to the plotters, Chavez and the average Venezuelan think we did. Basically Bush has backed himself in a corner where now the US has no legitimacy with either Chavez, his opposition or the Venezuelan public. That is a poor position to be in, especially considering that Venezuela supplies a good portion of the USs oil.

Post by **Beowulf** » 2003-03-12 04:34pm

Well... If the European Governments didn't have a 100% tax on gas, maybe you'd have gas at the same price as in the US...

Nathan F · Post by **Nathan F** » 2003-03-12 04:44pm

Another reason to leave California, LOL!

Heh, here in TN, the going price is between 1.40-150

Post by **weemadando** » 2003-03-12 05:09pm

105.9c a litre down here in Tas. The best thing though is that my car makes about 350km to a tank.

Knife · Post by **Knife** » 2003-03-12 05:17pm

Bartman wrote:
Knife wrote:How has Bush bungled the current crisis in Venezuala? Is he suppose to invade them too? Let them hash it out themselves, and we'll deal with the victor.
I'm refering to the abortive coup attempt last year. I will discount the rumors that the military had US material support in the coup as unconfirmed. But the Bush govenment was the only one in the world to recognize Carmona. When Chavez returned to power, the US attempt to give the coup plotters moral if not material support destroyed US/Venezuelan relations. While the US may or may not have lent US equipment and bases to the plotters, Chavez and the average Venezuelan think we did. Basically Bush has backed himself in a corner where now the US has no legitimacy with either Chavez, his opposition or the Venezuelan public. That is a poor position to be in, especially considering that Venezuela supplies a good portion of the USs oil.

I am not saying that I don't believe you, but do you have some links on that. I appearently am not up to speed on this situation. Thanks in advance.

Asst. Asst. Lt. Cmdr. Smi · Post by **Asst. Asst. Lt. Cmdr. Smi** » 2003-03-12 06:08pm

Admiral Valdemar wrote:Get rid of the 4x4s that the "soccer moms" use and you may just have lower prices again.

I, personally, dislike people who have to have a large Land Rover or Mitsubishi or Merc SUV just to go to town.

It's not the soccer moms that shouldn't have SUVs, it's those morons who, despite being single and living in the city, still buy an SUV. Soccer moms have kids and equipment to transport, while the only other thing those inner-city single folk that drive SUVs carry are their oversized ego.

Nathan F · Post by **Nathan F** » 2003-03-12 07:10pm

Asst. Asst. Lt. Cmdr. Smi wrote:
Admiral Valdemar wrote:Get rid of the 4x4s that the "soccer moms" use and you may just have lower prices again.

I, personally, dislike people who have to have a large Land Rover or Mitsubishi or Merc SUV just to go to town.
It's not the soccer moms that shouldn't have SUVs, it's those morons who, despite being single and living in the city, still buy an SUV. Soccer moms have kids and equipment to transport, while the only other thing those inner-city single folk that drive SUVs carry are their oversized ego.

SUVs should be limited to country folk like me or people who will use the four wheel drive...

Give the soccer moms minivans again.

Post by **Colonel Olrik** » 2003-03-12 07:14pm

AMERICANS ARE FORBIDDEN TO RANT ABOUT GAS PRICE.

Until they pay 4X as much as they do now, earning a third of the salary. Then they'll realize the lucky bastards they once were, compared to my little nation at the seaside.

Post by **Beowulf** » 2003-03-12 07:16pm

Colonel Olrik wrote: Until they pay 4X as much as they do now, earning a third of the salary. Then they'll realize the lucky bastards they once were, compared to my little nation at the seaside.

It's not our fault that you have such absurd gas taxes...

Post by **Colonel Olrik** » 2003-03-12 07:17pm

Beowulf wrote:
Colonel Olrik wrote: Until they pay 4X as much as they do now, earning a third of the salary. Then they'll realize the lucky bastards they once were, compared to my little nation at the seaside.
It's not our fault that you have such absurd gas taxes...

It's not my fault either

Mark S · Post by **Mark S** » 2003-03-12 07:20pm

Wow. And I thought the gas prices were getting crazy here in Canada. Sounds like you Europeans are getting raped.

Ted · Post by **Ted** » 2003-03-12 07:24pm

It's 85 cents a litre here now.

It was 75 cents two days ago, those bastards.

Post by **Beowulf** » 2003-03-12 07:51pm

Colonel Olrik wrote:
Beowulf wrote:
Colonel Olrik wrote: Until they pay 4X as much as they do now, earning a third of the salary. Then they'll realize the lucky bastards they once were, compared to my little nation at the seaside.
It's not our fault that you have such absurd gas taxes...
It's not my fault either

*Points to your government*

Might want to vote to change that then...

Slartibartfast · Post by **Slartibartfast** » 2003-03-12 07:59pm

Colonel Olrik wrote:AMERICANS ARE FORBIDDEN TO RANT ABOUT GAS PRICE.

Until they pay 4X as much as they do now, earning a third of the salary. Then they'll realize the lucky bastards they once were, compared to my little nation at the seaside.

Yes that's more or less what I said.

XPViking · Post by **XPViking** » 2003-03-12 08:06pm

I pay about 1400 won per litre.

1400 won = 1.12 US$

1 gallon = 4.55 litres

About 5$ US per gallon. Can anyone beat that?

For you Canadians (since I am one), it works out to about $1.66 CAD per litre.

XPViking

Master of Ossus · Post by **Master of Ossus** » 2003-03-12 08:22pm

I see no reason to complain about the price of gasoline. It's regulated by supply and demand. While the California lawmakers have doubtless contributed to the high prices, what we pay for gasoline is substantially less than what other people pay for gasoline around the world. In fact, it's less than a lot of things you also pay money for. For example, beer is somewhere around $6.50 a gallon, and no one ever complains about that.