Highway Rapery - how high will they go?

[WolfeMacleod]

A few weeks ago I posted a Highway Robbery Thread with a picture of alocal station's gas prices.

I pased them today and just about greased my pants.

"Scuse me sir, hand me the lube, while I bend over, will ya?"

[tabs]

U live in a state that Bush hates, so U boyz are gona get reamed. That is until U throw the Liberal bums who run your state outa office. Then gas prices will come down. "Either U join the Repblicans or we are gona fk U." Dick Cheney

[WolfeMacleod]

Originally posted by tabs
Then gas prices will come down. Either U join the Repblicans or they are gona fk U.

The state has begun "looking into" the high gas prices here. Funny thing is, the state adds on huge amount of gas taxes...and they wonder why it's so high?
Heard on the news tonight that we're much higher than the national average.

I'm not a political person but...
..screw Bush. He should have been burnt on Mount Horeb.
(I'm not religious either, I just throught it was too good to pass up)

[on-ramp]

Originally posted by tabs
U live in a state that Bush hates, so U boyz are gona get reamed. That is until U throw the Liberal bums who run your state outa office. Then gas prices will come down. "Either U join the Repblicans or we are gona fk U." Dick Cheney

Is that how democracy works? U are very funny, my friend.

[speeder]

I'll bet you could get a steal on that Lincoln about now.

[on-ramp]

$3.83 for Unleaded? That's the "Spirit"

[Aerkuld]

Stop complaining. My parents were over the other month and told me that they have passed the 1 pound per LITRE mark in the UK. That equates to about $8 per gallon.
To be honest, and I am sure this will be hugely unpopular, but I think we need higher gas prices here. It would do us good to start looking at vehicles as economical trasportation rather the the largest SUV in the neighborhood. Sure, some people need a large vehicle but there are more efficient options than a honking great SUV.

[Eric 951]

Originally posted by Aerkuld

To be honest, and I am sure this will be hugely unpopular, but I think we need higher gas prices here. It would do us good to start looking at vehicles as economical trasportation rather the the largest SUV in the neighborhood. Sure, some people need a large vehicle but there are more efficient options than a honking great SUV.

You're right that would be hugely unpopular. You have to think of the ramifications of such a move on the cost of many consumer goods which would be enacted as a result of higher freight fees being passed through. We run a fleet of 25-30 diesel pick-ups, and everytime the price of fuel rises, so do our costs, and as a result our prices.

[Aerkuld]

Originally posted by Eric 951
You're right that would be hugely unpopular. You have to think of the ramifications of such a move on the cost of many consumer goods which would be enacted as a result of higher freight fees being passed through. We run a fleet of 25-30 diesel pick-ups, and everytime the price of fuel rises, so do our costs, and as a result our prices.

Do you get to deduct the tax on the fuel expenditure?

[Rondinone]

Originally posted by WolfeMacleod
A few weeks ago I posted a Highway Robbery Thread with a picture of alocal station's gas prices.

I pased them today and just about greased my pants.

"Scuse me sir, hand me the lube, while I bend over, will ya?"

As I have posted so many times before on this board, oil production worldwide is flat for the last two years, while demand has continued to rise. This is not a temporary event, this is the new way of things. Expect the cost to go even higher this summer.


see www.eia.doe.gov for the nitty gritty, or www.theoildrum.com if you want to be depressed.

[speeder]

Originally posted by Aerkuld
Do you get to deduct the tax on the fuel expenditure?

Even if he does, it is only a deduction off of earnings, not a tax credit. It's not like the government is paying your business expenses.

The price of fuel is what it is, and it has been the final nail in the coffin of my 30+ year car/motorsports addiction. I have all but completely lost interest in cars as any kind of hobby or enjoyable distraction from the rest of life. The disgusting thing of course is the reasons why fuel prices have jumped so dramatically under the disastarous leadership of Bush/Cheney. It's just another wonderful "side benefit" to their completely failed foreign and domestic policies which the entire world will be effected by. Basically it is a tranference of an enourmous amount of wealth from the public everywhere to the hands of oil companies and their (large) shareholders. Don't forget the millions(?) of gallons that all of the Fire/Police/city maintanence/Muni bus and train lines/etc. everywhere in the world use and that the public pays for.

That is the true Bush/Cheney legacy: The unprecedented transfer of wealth from public to (a few) private hands. And the Chinese.

[cashflyer]

Originally posted by Aerkuld
To be honest, and I am sure this will be hugely unpopular, but I think we need higher gas prices here. It would do us good to start looking at vehicles as economical trasportation rather the the largest SUV in the neighborhood. Sure, some people need a large vehicle but there are more efficient options than a honking great SUV.

I agree with the premise, but I have no desire to see the government get another tax windfall.

[Eric 951]

Originally posted by Aerkuld
Do you get to deduct the tax on the fuel expenditure?

No, and the costs easily add an additional 10-15 percent to the overall cost of a given project--in the past several years, crane companies have even added a straight "fuel surchage percentage" to their bills--with is usually between 6-8 percent of the total invoice cost. Add in the increases in freight to get materials to projects, the increase in keeping manlifts/forktrucks/generators/welding machines fueled, and the travel costs to get men to and from the projects and the money gets serious--especially on the larger projects.

Meanwhile oil companies are making all-time RECORD PROFITS each quarter, everytime there is an inkling of a perceived threat to refineries and/or oil fields(be it man-made or weather-related) the price of both oil and gasoline immeadiately increases. Yet when the threat passes, notice how long it takes for those prices to decrease to the pre-threat levels--which they usually do not even reach. And nobody who is in a true position of power who can affect these practices does a thing.--CAHOOTS! CAHOOTS I say.

[Rot 911]

You guys in CA are paying about a dollar more across the board then we are here in MO. I suspect it has to do more with the amount of taxes levied on gas then on the price of crude oil.

[Aerkuld]

The difference in the UK is that most of the $8 per gallon is in tax. Combine that with the fact that diesel is much cheaper and I don't think it hurts commercial operation to the same extent. This way it is the retail consumer that really sees the high fuel costs.
I think we are already starting to see some 'benefits' of increased fuel costs. I had been visiting the USA since the late 70's before moving here and I can see that there are a lot more small cars both available and on the road. I am sure there are people you know that are talking about buying a small commuter car or even a motorcycle for the daily drive. I believe we are experiencing a degree of culture change where a small car no longer is automatically viewed as being for a low income driver.

[Superman]

The final scorecard on this "administration" will be beyond embarrassing. Next year, the libs will be able to toss spending statistics out that will leave no doubt as to who the "conservatives" really are.

Gas prices before the Dubya "administration":
Gas prices after:

Federal gubmit spending before:
Spending during the "administration":

Number of federal gubmit employees before:
After:

Oil company profits before:
During:

Real wages (adjusted for inflation) before:
After:

I think Hitler could win this next election, as long as he does not run on the "R" ticket. The one good thing, as I mentioned years ago, is that this "administration" is going to teach America why it does not usually put people in charge who hate government and place commerce over public welfare. The proportion of people who still support Dubya and those of his ilk, is at the 30% level that is the "floor." The same proportion of folks who believe we are in contact with Aliens.

[Rick Lee]

I will never understand how Bush and Cheney get blamed for the price of gas. But since I think gas should be $7-8 per gallon, I guess Bush and Cheney have been doing a good job then. We should have a floor tax on gas, so it never gets below $4-5 per gallon. That might teach Americans to start conserving. Nothing else will.

[Aerkuld]

Originally posted by Rick Lee
...But since I think gas should be $7-8 per gallon, I guess Bush and Cheney have been doing a good job then. We should have a floor tax on gas, so it never gets below $4-5 per gallon. That might teach Americans to start conserving. Nothing else will.

I don't know. Personally I think that $8 per gallon is a little excessive. I mean, in the USA there really is no other way for a lot of people to get about as the distances between places is so great. Remember that the UK is a fraction of the size and it is fairly unusual to travel more than 10 miles to work. Also there is a public transport system - it's not very good, but there is one. Basically there isn't the quite the same dependancy on fuel if you are prepared to adapt. I don't think you could do realistically do that here unless you live and work in a major city. But I don't think that $3-$4 per gallon is unrealistic. Do I prefer cheap gas? Heck yes, but It doesn't make a huge difference to me with a reasonably efficient (and fun) car and average commute.

[hytem]

Originally posted by Aerkuld
Stop complaining. My parents were over the other month and told me that they have passed the 1 pound per LITRE mark in the UK. That equates to about $8 per gallon.
To be honest, and I am sure this will be hugely unpopular, but I think we need higher gas prices here. It would do us good to start looking at vehicles as economical trasportation rather the the largest SUV in the neighborhood. Sure, some people need a large vehicle but there are more efficient options than a honking great SUV.

In America, every poke has an SUV pig in it. That's why gas prices are high.

[Rick Lee]

As it is now, it's way cheaper for me to drive to work than take public transportation. Even if I didn't ride a motorcycle that gets around 42 mpg, it's cheaper to drive. That's the problem. Plenty of folks in Europe live far from any public trans. too, they make less money and are taxed way higher and still find a way to own a car and get around.