How About Them Gas Prices Eh?

[JerryK]

Gas is up to 3.40 around the Portland Oregon area. It's amusing to hear politicans

and executives talk about this. "It's an unusual combination of refinery problems and closures.

They blame this, they blame that....What it is is profit margin!. I saw a graph on one of

the business web sites. The graph charted the oil company profit margins on a gallon of

oil. The graph goes almost straight up. This isn't about anything other than pleasing

the investment community, driving up their stock price and corporate profit.

It isn't about refinery capacity....they could create more if they wanted it. It is about profit

margin. If people want to do something about it...buy a little car...a gas sipper like I did.

We bought one of those Honda Hybrids about two years ago. The thing gets 42+ MPG and

goes over 500 miles on one 12 gallon fillup. Better yet, just stay home once a week. Don't drive!

End of soapbox.

[SunnyDyRain]

Gas is up to 3.40 around the Portland Oregon area. It's amusing to hear politicans

and executives talk about this. "It's an unusual combination of refinery problems and closures.

They blame this, they blame that....What it is is profit margin!. I saw a graph on one of

the business web sites. The graph charted the oil company profit margins on a gallon of

oil. The graph goes almost straight up. This isn't about anything other than pleasing

the investment community, driving up their stock price and corporate profit.

It isn't about refinery capacity....they could create more if they wanted it. It is about profit

margin. If people want to do something about it...buy a little car...a gas sipper like I did.

We bought one of those Honda Hybrids about two years ago. The thing gets 42+ MPG and

goes over 500 miles on one 12 gallon fillup. Better yet, just stay home once a week. Don't drive!

End of soapbox.

Yeah these gas prices is ALMOST enough to make me want to trade in my SUV for a SUV Hybrid! LoL. Actually If i had the money to get a Saturn Vue Hybrid, I would, but I am having problems saving money right now! (something about high cost of Gas and high cost of Gluten free Food!)

I wish auto makers would make more of the Hybrids... they seem to be kind of ard to get your hands on.

oh, BTW... gas in Central Pennsylvania.. 2.95 last night for reg.

[blueeyedmanda]

Yep, Central PA- 2.95. I got mine 2 nights ago at the Hess on 22. I wanted to cry as I filled my tank and watched the dollars add up. I have a Sante Fe and it is actually very good on gas. Gets me to Scranton and back and I still have 3 quarters of the tank left.

[confused]

Gas is 3:29 here, but if u buy groceries u get 10 cents off at safeway or city market, so its not that bad. My light came on my van last night and im dreading going and filling it up today.

paula

[Jo.R]

Yeah, we usually go to visit my DH's parents in Idaho a couple of times in the summer, not this year. We usually go camping at the sand dunes 1-2 weekends a month, not this year. Gas in my small SW Washington was $3.49 last week.

[JerryK]

I've seen mail going around...saying not to buy gas on May 15... a lot of good that did eh?

What people really need to do is pick on day a week, preferably on a weekend, not do drive.

Just leave your cars parked..stay home...work in the garden etc...

Do you know how many MILLIONS of dollars that would cost big oil? It doesn't work to just have

a no buy gas day, you must have a no USE gas day...

[confused]

I've seen mail going around...saying not to buy gas on May 15... a lot of good that did eh?

What people really need to do is pick on day a week, preferably on a weekend, not do drive.

Just leave your cars parked..stay home...work in the garden etc...

Do you know how many MILLIONS of dollars that would cost big oil? It doesn't work to just have

a no buy gas day, you must have a no USE gas day...

I so agree. I know when i go out, i try to do as many errands in one trip. I only drive if i have to. My oldest son walks to school, so i only have to take the other 2 boys to school, since i have to sign them in and out, and they cant walk at age 5 and 7 lol.

My husband walks to work alot in the summer, he only works like 10 blocks away.

But the sad thing in todays society is we are lazy, we will jump in our cars and not care how much it cost us to drive 10-15 miles for one item, we allow the gas companies to keep raising the prices cause we dont want to walk or change the way we live.

paula

[SunnyDyRain]

Yep, Central PA- 2.95. I got mine 2 nights ago at the Hess on 22. I wanted to cry as I filled my tank and watched the dollars add up. I have a Sante Fe and it is actually very good on gas. Gets me to Scranton and back and I still have 3 quarters of the tank left.

I have a Ford Escape, takes about 1/2 a tank to go the 150 miles home to Newfoundland where my parents are. Ironically it takes less to get back to Harrisburg! I figure on average I get 21 mpg. I could prolly get more If I emptied the back, I keep 2 mountain bikes in there.

But the sad thing in todays society is we are lazy, we will jump in our cars and not care how much it cost us to drive 10-15 miles for one item, we allow the gas companies to keep raising the prices cause we dont want to walk or change the way we live.

It's sad to say, but sometimes I drive to the gym that is across the street!

Only when snowing and raining, but still!

Me Bad!

[aikiducky]

Would it cheer you all up to know that a gallon of gas is around 6-7$ here?

Pauliina

[SunnyDyRain]

Would it cheer you all up to know that a gallon of gas is around 6-7$ here?

Pauliina

WHAT?!? Where are you from?

[Nancym]

The prices are that bad in CA too. Every year they blame the refineries. Why must they close them at the time of the year that demand is the greatest?

[JerryK]

The prices are that bad in CA too. Every year they blame the refineries. Why must they close them at the time of the year that demand is the greatest?

Ooo Oooo I know (raising hand)

They "close" the refineries at the perfect time of the year to keep prices the highest.

It's funny, the broke up AT&T years ago, because they had a monopoly on phone service,

but yet "they" (whoever they are) let this type of crap go on. It's because politicians are in the

pocket of Corporate America and always have been. GW, love him or hate him, is a Texas oil man.

[Generic]

Gas is up to 3.40 around the Portland Oregon area. It's amusing to hear politicans

and executives talk about this. "It's an unusual combination of refinery problems and closures.

At least they pump it for you!. I just payed 3.43 for regular at the am/pm (cheap gas station) in Seattle.

[confused]

I finally broke down and put gas in my van, i put 50 bucks in and i only got half a tank. I hate gas prices

paula

[DingoGirl]

I've seen mail going around...saying not to buy gas on May 15... a lot of good that did eh?

What people really need to do is pick on day a week, preferably on a weekend, not do drive.

Just leave your cars parked..stay home...work in the garden etc...

Do you know how many MILLIONS of dollars that would cost big oil? It doesn't work to just have

a no buy gas day, you must have a no USE gas day...

Jerry Jerry Jerry. I do this all the time. Central CA, here. I work at most four days a week, and stay home usually two, on purpose. aren't you proud?

Would it cheer you all up to know that a gallon of gas is around 6-7$ here?

Pauliina

are you in Great Britain? oh my gawd. I would be riding a bicycle, if that were the case. Not so much fun in 110 degrees.

[aikiducky]

are you in Great Britain? oh my gawd. I would be riding a bicycle, if that were the case. Not so much fun in 110 degrees.

Close, I'm in the Netherlands. And of course I bike everywhere just like the Dutch do.

I found a picture for you, this is from in front of the central railway station in Amsterdam:

Open Original Shared Link

Pauliina

[darlindeb25]

I live on the south shore of Long Island NY and I just drove to my nephew's wedding in Michigan last week. I paid more for gas one way then I used to round trip. The highest I paid was here on the island and in Michigan, around $3.20. In Penn somewhere, I got gas for $2.99. I drive a Mercury Mystigue and it is pretty good on gas.

The gas companies always raise prices when the season is prime. I used to work at a gas/convience store and customers are very rude to the workers. Workers have no control over the price of gas. When someone yelled at me for the price, I would tell them I had asked for a raise in wages that morning, so the price had to go up!!!

They have us over a barrell--we must pay the price. We have to work, therefore, most of us must drive. I'm not sure, with my neuropathy, that I could ride a bike anymore, yet I am equally as sure that I would not feel safe riding a bike--the traffic is horrendous here.

[JerryK]

At least they pump it for you!. I just payed 3.43 for regular at the am/pm (cheap gas station) in Seattle.

Every once in a while they try to repeal that law(Oregon is one of 2 in the US that doesn't allow drivers to pump their own gas) and tell us how much extra we are paying because of the poor slob making

minimum wage, frantically running from car to car....

Doesn't seem to make much of a difference from what I can tell....

[ravenwoodglass]

We pay more and the oil companies record record profits.

Those that have the right stocks are real happy. As for the rest of us poor slobs, oh well.

[tarnalberry]

I didn't complain when I paid >$6/gal in Europe; I'm not going to complain paying a bit more than half that. Maybe it'll encourage people to stop thinking of gas (and the resulting pollutants from it) as a nearly free resource.

[debmidge]

I found something interesting....in 1954 the US price of gasoline was .29 per gallon; lettuce was .29 for two heads (how much does 2 heads of lettuce cost today?) a box of Grape Nuts cereal was .19 - isn't this about $3. today? and a frying chicken was .29 per pound (what is price today - about $2.50 per lb.?)

I recall in 1970's that gas was about .40 per gallon and wasn't minimum wage about .75 per hour? During those days that would mean that gas cost half of a minium wage hour. During the 1970's USA we were feeling the effect of losing the post-WWII economic advantage. During the 1980's-90's we had a glutted economy so we didnt' feel the effect of moderate increases in gas prices.

I find gas prices to be high, yes, but not much higher proportionately than in the 1970's. Just an observation that the cost of basic things in general are going up - from gas to housing to food and salaries are not keeping up with these rising costs. I feel the problem is in stagnant wages and we are focusing on gas, while it's wages that need a boost. Based on the average wage today everything seems overpriced. Today approximately a gallon of gas costs half of a minium wage hour....in order to be above the cost of living, it needs to be below this level.

Just a different twist on the same economic problem.

[confused]

We pay more and the oil companies record record profits.

Those that have the right stocks are real happy. As for the rest of us poor slobs, oh well.

i just wanted to say omg yes they do make an nice profit. I know some people that have oil royalities. They get checks for like 4,000-10,000 all the time and they dont have that many oil royalities. These are in wells that are not touched. And this are only the tiny people in the oil world. i cant imagine what the top leasders make an day

paula

[AndreaB]

Gas in my small SW Washington was $3.49 last week.

We are in sw wa also. It's 3.43 here at chevron.

[Lister]

3.40 here also (c-town oregon) another good reason as to why i dont drive, my towns small enough anyways that a bike can u get u anywhere withen 20 minutes. gas is way to expensive even to just drive around town now

[corinne]

The gas prices sort of make me feel better. Between the town where I work and the town where I live, there's a 2000 foot difference in elevation. This elevation is gained in just 5 miles and this is one of the steepest sections of Highway 101. I drive a small car and I usually try to start up that hill at least at 75 miles an hour so that I'm still going 50 miles an hour at the top. On busy days, when I can't get a run at the hill, there's a line of traffic behind me. When I bought the car, I wanted good gas mileage and it was before I moved to this area with the big hills. I get 35 mpg even in the city and it's not a hybrid. Putt, putt, putt. I'll get there eventually and with a few $$ leftover.