create your own

Derugulation And Gas Prices: George Bush's Legacy

68
rate or flag this page

By bgpappa


Someone asked as a request whether the rise of gas prices is tied to a Bush being into office. The simple answer is yes, but not for the reasons that you would think.

Politics aside, there appears to be a connection with a Bush being into office and the rise is gas prices. I am not, however, like so many of my liberal friends who believe this is due to a corrupt intention to manipulate the gas prices by the Bush family. Instead, I believe it is a change in regulations.

Generally, Republicans want as little regulation as possible over American business. This is also known as the free market approach. The current Bush ran a deregulator believing that the market could better regulate the economy that the government. For the most part, I actually believe this is a valid contention. However, I do not believe this theory works when it comes to energy.

In the early part of this decade, California deregulated power. What was seen as a way to promote competition in the marketplace became an economic disaster. California no longer had enough energy and experienced rolling blackouts. Prices rose out of control. There was no competition. This is due to the fact that there are only a few producers of energy.


This tends to be the sentiment
This tends to be the sentiment

 The same is true for oil.  There are very few countries that can produce the amount of oil the United States uses.  Granted, many countries have oil, only a few companies control its output. Without government regulation, these companies have complete control over the price.

Now I believe in alternative energy. But it is not here yet. Alternative energies are not yet cost effective or feasible. The Bush administration did nothing to move it along and showed no interest to do so. This meant that the oil producers knew that there would be no regulation of gas and no competition. This leads to the price going up under any economic model.

So yes, it is coincidence, but not by corruption. If President Bush had not been so anti-regulation and pro-market, the prices may have remained stable. But given the various wars, the use of oil by the military in those wars, and a complete lack of discovery on alternative fuels, the prices we paid a few months ago was inevitable. And now, in Bush's last days, the prices are higher to get some last minute profits before regulation returns. Hopefully, we will push for alternatives as well. We will see.

Just my rant. I may be wrong.


Comments

RSS for comments on this Hub

babyfee  says:
11 months ago

Its a great opinion.

bgpappa profile image

bgpappa  says:
11 months ago

Thanks.

Lgali profile image

Lgali  says:
10 months ago

good hub

bgpappa profile image

bgpappa  says:
10 months ago

Thanks

JamaGenee profile image

JamaGenee  says:
10 months ago

Regulation is not a bad thing.  I liken it to what would happen if all traffic lights were turned off and stop signs taken down.  Total chaos, of course, where only the biggest vehicles and most intimidating drivers would get through interesections.  Pretty much what happens to the price of oil when a Repug is in office.  Just as traffic lights and signs keep traffic flowing smoothly, regulation of industries that serve the general public keep the monster trucks from hogging the road. We've just seen what DEregulation did to the economy.

Had Bush been a real president last summer, one of those executive orders he was so fond of signing could've have dropped gas prices *for national security*. Such a weinie. So glad he's GONE!

bgpappa profile image

bgpappa  says:
10 months ago

I am glad as well, even written a few hubs on my celebration of change. One thing that is interesting is here in California, everytime the Attorney General says he is going to look into gas prices they drop by twenty percent within a week. Even the threat of regulation seems to regulate the price. My problem with President Bush's policies is that it was obvious nothing was going to be done and "market forces" would go unchecked. Think history will show that this much of a hands off approach on necessities (gas, food, housing, finanical) does not work.

Thanks for reading.

Submit a Comment

Members and Guests

Sign in or sign up and post using a hubpages account.


optional


  • No HTML is allowed in comments, but URLs will be hyperlinked
  • Comments are not for promoting your hubs or other sites

Do You Think It Is A Coincidence Gas Prices Rise Every Time A Bush Is In Office? in the News

  • Regular gas prices in city ranging from $2.30 to $2.49 a gallonThe Springfield News-Leader1 second ago

    Gas prices in Springfield today were ranging from $2.30 to $2.49 for a gallon of regular gas, according to missourigasprices.com.

  • Gas Prices Up on Busy Travel WeekendWWNY - WNYF Watertown1 second ago

    Thanksgiving weekend is one of the busiest travel weekends of the year, and, according to AAA, gas prices are significantly higher than last year.

  • Gas prices rise by as much as 10 cents in Southwest MichiganThe Kalamazoo Gazette31 hours ago

    KALAMAZOO - It may be getting harder to find gas prices below $2.50 per gallon in Southwest Michigan.

  • Find the lowest local gas pricesThe Spectrum30 hours ago

    An updated list of the lowest local gas prices in the Cedar City and St. George areas can be found here at www.thespectrum.com. Check back daily to find the cheapest place to fill up your tank.

  • Gas prices stable as Dubai default clouds financial marketsThe Delaware Business Ledger7 hours ago

    Motorists took to the roads last week, for what is typically the busiest travel weekend of the year, thankful for stability at the gas pump for the fourth consecutive week, AAA Mid-Atlantic reported.

  • Gas prices shoot up over past yearColorado Springs Gazette2 days ago

    Travelers driving home after the Thanksgiving holiday are paying much higher prices for gas than they did a year ago, according to figures compiled by AAA. The automobile association figures the average prices for regular-grade gas in Colorado...

  • Lowest gas prices on Staten Island for Saturday, Nov. 28, 2009Staten Island Advance30 hours ago

    The lowest gas prices on Staten Island for this morning can be found at the Gulf station and the 7-Eleven, both in Port Richmond. The price of a gallon of regular, unleaded gasoline is $2.79, according to NewYorkGasPrices.com The stations are...

  • REGION: Gas prices edge up in countyThe Californian1 second ago

    RIVERSIDE - The average price of a gallon of self-serve regular gasoline in the Inland Empire rose seven-tenths of a cent today to $2.938, a day after falling six-tenths of a cent.

working