When analyzing why gas prices are too high I can to one conclusion: its the governments fault. They start unnecessary overseas wars, make 40 cents per gallon profit, and subsidize illogical "alternative fuels" like ethanol. Putting this into perspective, oil companies only profit about ten cents per gallon.
I wouldn't go as far as to blame the government, really, it's not thier fault. All they do is try to give the people the supplies according to the demand.
Really it comes down to the consumer.
I would say that the consumer has to bear some blame, but the government creates false demands when they subsidize both oil and ethanol. Check out my hub on the topic for a more in depth look.
well whatever be the case, the only way to really fix the problem will ultimatly have to come from the consumers. I don't believe the government can or will fix anything, but of course they are trying there best in different way to make it better.
Us consumers are just too set in our ways to understand that the problem is us period. trying to blame someone else for your consuption of gas is just well...stupid. If you cant afford it, find another way, if you don' think that is fair, then what can anyone say?
We create the problems together and we can't rely on a small group of people to fix the problem which is caused by the entire world. My sh*t doesn't stink more than anyone elses.
Conspiracy, schmeracy, lol. Go do something about it or just accept it. I mean you would have to make changes to your own lifestyle, not demand change from somewhere else.
It doesn't work like that and It wont work like that. Even though I do wish it would and I do wish for an easy fix, I just know it wont happen. So instead, I walk, I buy local goods, I turn off the lights not in use. I turn off the water when brushing my teeth or washing my face. I take quick showers, I reuse just about everything and give almost everything I buy back to a sencond hand stores or libraries or whever I know there is use for stuff.
All these things have a remarkable impact on oil.
No the government has a bigger role in this they set policy, subsidise the farmers and the oil companies and they maintain large crude oil reserves - The consumer plays a role in consumption (demand) That demand from the US consumer has not changed in any drastic way devolping naions are adding to demand. Governments and their policy can affect supply. Our leaders are looking to line thier pockets based on the policies they are promoting if they wanted to help this country the would be funding viable alternatives not food sources and big oil companies. read my hub on this topic http://hubpages.com/hub/Who-is-running-the-Country
There is truth to what you say. However, gasoline is still cheaper here than in other countries other than the oil producing Arab countries and Venezuela. Nobody likes to pay $4/gallon, but it is encouraging people to buy more fuel efficient cars. I stopped in my local Saturn dealer a couple of days ago, and they said there has been a big shift form 6-cylinder engines to 4-cylinder engines. It's not politically feasible, but in order to promote more fuel efficient vehicles we should be increasing the gasoline tax to European levels. This would cut demand for giant SUVs, pickup trucks, and other heavy or high horsepower vehicles.
Sandy, you keep surprising me
Looks like our takes on such issues are getting closer and closer
Most everyone in the world buys oil with US dollars. Because Bush has bankrupped the gov, the dollars becomes worth less and less. If you are a country selling crude oil, you have to raise the price of oil to keep the same value as the dollar becomes worth less. Only the US just prints money to pay for oil.
Who owns the Federal Reserve?
Really??? I thought the fall of the U.S dollar was a product of outsourcing and free trade policy.
As far as I knew, America does not print more money to pay for oil. It's a myth.
For the most part, the Federal Reserves comes from the tax payers. On average we pay about 15% to the federal government (an estimation of course) and about another 5% to the state, depending on what state you live in of course.
Other causes for the decline of the american dollar comes from immigration. Ileagal workers taking untaxed money back to thier countries which in turns increases thier buying power within thier nations and decreases the buying power of our own currency.
You should know how it is like in my country.
Right now I walk to work. I can't afford to take gasoline all the time.
And my car doesn't spend a lot. (Toyota Aygo)
Here is a story about it:
http://edition.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/europ … index.html
There is also a video of a protest.
On October 16, 1973, OPEC cut production of oil and placed an embargo on shipments of crude oil to the West, with the United States and the Netherlands specifically targeted. The Netherlands had supplied arms to Israel and allowed the Americans to use Dutch airfields for supply runs to Israel.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1973_oil_crisis
Same thing happening today. US backs Israel and prices go up as production goes down. The war in Iraq surely makes it a little worse, but it is still like the oil producing nations are blackmailing us, or trying to.
I agree that the dollar is weak because so much was printed. It was done in 71 after the US pulled out of the Bretton Woods agreement. Other countries followed and oil was then priced based on the US dollar.
According to my knowledge the Federal Reserve has nothing to do with the US. It is a worldwide organization. They set the standards so to speak of what the interest rates are and they do help at times by raising the prime rate slightly.
1973 France wanted gold for the money the US owed them, and Nixon said
No gold, and took the US off the international gold standard, which had backed the dollar before. The dollar became worthless thus the oil spike. The US made an agreement with Saudi Arabia, to keep the oil producing monarchies in place, {arms and remember Kuwait} in exchange for the use of oil, to back the dollar in replacement for gold. What they need to do to save the dollar is what they did back then, or raise interest rates to 20%. But they won't so good luck.
As far as the Fed is concerned, you should all dig a little deeper. The Federal Reserve has no interest in the well being of the citizens of America. It is legally a private corporation which serves the ultra rich. Start here: http://www.save-a-patriot.org/files/view/frcourt.html
As far as the high price of gas is concerned it has little to do with supply and demand. America and its government are controlled by corporate interests. We live in a plutocracy or, if you prefer, a corporatocracy. Bottom line is, our country and most of the world, is controlled by a very small number of ultra-wealthy individuals operating through monolithic international “corporate persons” created, mostly, in the United States. They know global peak has been reached for the production of oil and that, in order for the human race to survive into the future, we MUST switch to solar and wind as our primary sources of power. This presents a very serious problem for the energy monopolies like ExxonMobil et al. The use of solar and wind would allow individuals private ownership of their source of energy. Their homes would be completely self sufficient and their electric vehicles could be charged at no cost to anyone. There would be no further need for commercial energy production and the existence of these corporations would no longer be justified. This would be incredibly beneficial for the entire planet over the long term. Unfortunately the psychopaths that control the “free market” have no ability to see beyond the next quarter. They worship money and power and live only for the immediate gratification it brings them. They are more than willing to aid in the extinction of the human race so long as it allows them their moment of glory.
Until free market capitalism in all its forms is eliminated there will never be hope for any “civilization” among humans. Frankly I think our extinction is overdue. Once we are gone the Earth will heal itself and life will be able to flourish in harmony with nature once again.
'There would be no further need for commercial energy production and the existence of these corporations would no longer be justified.' That would seem is the crux of the problem. Hits it on the head, what are they goin' to do. Personally I'm likin' hydrogen generator in the garage. Will be huge transformation of the economy if they allow it. However we survived the democrazation of knowledge, i.e. the computer thus far, although some are working for corporate control.
Hydrogen is a non starter. It takes more energy to get the fuel out of the water than it creates. It’s the law of diminishing returns. Also, it still has to be burned. Although it only produces water vapor as exhaust, consider what the atmosphere might be like if we were pumping the same amount of that into the air as we are CO2. Would our cities be coated with mold and mildew? In any case, there’s no need to go through all the processing needed to get hydrogen as a fuel.
Biofuels are a dead end as well. They also require a labor intensive, massive production system which uses more energy than it produces. Such production facilities would be owned by the same criminals that gave us peak oil and global climate change. We’d end up paying through the nose just like we are now. It steals food from the starving and still has to be burned to produce energy. It’s inefficient, harmful to the environment and just more of the same capitalist crap.
I don’t understand why everyone keeps avoiding the obvious. Why are people so unwilling to accept the truth? Is it some kind of masochistic state of denial? Solar and wind generated electricity, even with the present level of technology, CAN provide all the electric energy we need in less than five years if we would just stop mucking about and get it done! Actually, solar could do it alone! Any claims to the contrary are capitalist propaganda financed by money worshipping psychopaths.
http://www.americanenergyindependence.c … nergy.html
This is just one source and it would be a commercial endeavor just like coal, gas or oil fired power plants. We’d still have to pay some company every month to provide us with energy from a source that can’t be owned by anyone! In fairness I guess we would be paying whatever company built the solar farm for the construction and maintenance of the facility. But even that is not necessary.
Bottom line; right now every home in America could be energy independent using existing technologies for around 50K per home. That’s the beauty of solar and wind. The hardware needed can be owned by individual private citizens. After the initial investment there would be NO monthly payments to any greedy, uncaring, immoral and soulless corporation!
If our politicians really wanted to do something worthwhile they would be cutting our military budget in half and passing bills to subsidize the retrofitting of existing homes and buildings with solar and/or wind technology and requiring ALL new construction to be energy independent. I’ll bet it could be done for what we’re spending in a month on the illegal invasion and occupation of Iraq (a year at most)!
Easy. Cut the "defense" budget by about 60%. Stop corporate welfare. Restore the pre-bush taxes for the ultra-wealthy.
I could go on but I think you get my drift.
Maybe that would be a good idea if we were living in a peacful time, but it isn't exactly like that right now.
I don't know what you mean by corporate welfare. Is that just welfare? I don't think welfare should be stopped all together, just modified a bit more.
If I remember right, welfare was changed so that there was a limit on how long one could collect welfare. Of course it doesn't seem like that is working, but I wouldn't want to leave the poor out to be with nothing at all.
It would be nice to get rid of it all together but I don't believe that people would help those less fortunate, which I think would be ideal. I guess somewhere down the line people turned from helping their neighbors to looking poorly on those who have/had or came into difficulties and at the rate of change we experience, I can understand how difficult it is for some people to get back on thier feet.
I would like to hear more of your thoughts ColdWarBaby.
Corporate welfare = huge, multi-billion dollar government subsidies and tax breaks for corporations that are already reaping record windfall profits from the suffering and oppression of the great majority of people in the world. Google it!
The term "Welfare" has been manipulated by the fascist spin doctors to have a very negative connotation. Try thinking of it as well being. The well being, or welfare, of the population of America in general is the main concern of and purpose for the existence of any government in the first place. This is supposed to be a civil society in which everyone acts and works for the benefit of all the people, not just the richest 2 or 3 percent. We live in a country that practices socialism for the rich and fascism for the rest of us.
If you’re really interested in what I think, check out mu HUBS. I’ve only got 4 so far but I’ll be adding more.
You can also try here: http://coldwarproductions.blogspot.com/
Did you hear about the typhoon in Myanmar? Well besides it killing 371 people and completely flattening a poor city, their government or whoever decided to raise the gas prices from 2.50 to 10 bucks a gallon. OMG, how and why wouldn't they do this to these people who were already poor to begin with, now completely vulnerable and now that.
Grrrr, it gets me so bent.
I concur that solar is the way to go, we need to spend more money on R&D making cells more efficient. "Real" alternative energy sources need to be pursued more vigourously.
Interesting stream of thoughts here.
-e-
The Nation India shocked with the statement of President Bush that oil price is being hiked because India & China using more Petroleum.
Mr. Bush should ask himself which country is consuming highest petrol (Gas) since more than half a century?
Who is behind the war in gulf? Who is trying to exploit Iraq? Who is spreading tension in Iran?
Are not all these resulting to hike in oil price?
And the only one answer: Mr Bush himself is responsible.
Jyoti Kothari
That's an interesting outlook. I would not say only Bush is responsible, though. He had overwhelming support from American people when he started these wars... so, looks like now they are just seeing consequences of their own deeds
What I can't stand is, I don't know anyone, have never met anyone who supported Bush. I remember sitting in a bar watching the results in 04, I almost blew a nerve, no one in the bar nore anywhere voted for him.
I remember watching in 00, when he first got elected and I cried, I thought, f**k, he is the Anti-Christ. It's been downhill from there.
I think it was rigged, all of it.
You got it. These Bush types blame everything but themselves. You over there in India/Asia are only worth to them, as someone to blame. That's how they non-think.
Agree - and then there are those responsible for that
overwhelming support - the US media, that sheltered Bush and got him almost elected, supported the war, and is still doing so.
You know Knol,
I don't blame media. Media was promoting lies - and still does - but this is what mainstream media does always and everywhere. People need to start thinking for themselves... en masse...
Wrong.
During the Viet Nam mess the media was part of the solution. The media also helped to force Nixon out of office. There was once, and there can be again, a free press.
You are free to keep your illusion. This does not make my opinion neither right nor wrong
I don't think you are one to speak of others illusions. Enjoy your life in la la land.
Sure I am enjoying my life
You obviously aren't... choice is yours
What makes you think that Mr. Sunshine? Never make assumptions about things of which you have no knowledge. I am thrilled to be witness to such a pivotal moment in the evolution of humanity! I feel privileged to alive in a time which will determine whether or not we will continue into the future or join the many other species that have failed the test of survival!
I'm glad to know that choices are so easy for you and that you are never troubled by doubt or concern for the future. I'm sure that it will be much easier for you when you can no longer afford to feed your family or pay your mortgage. You can simply smile and say this to shall pass.
Don’t worry, be happy.
Your hubs and posts make me thinking you are in a big pain. Sure, some people do enjoy being in pain. I don't. And yes, this is a conscious choice - and not an easy one at that. But it pays out tenfold.
As for evolution of the humanity - I think every moment is pivotal. Every moment we make decisions, jointly and individually, that determine our future.
And "don't worry be happy" is actually one of the greatest slogans - if you dare to stop for a moment and give it a careful thought.
butting in again....CWB, if it is almost certain that all this "stuff" will rear it's ugly head no matter what we do because we have no control over the spin, what folly does Misha present by his slogan, "don't worry, be happy?"
Regardless of how I feel about the situation, which is in line with what you think, do you really believe that all people should worry today about the things they can not control and be caused to suffer for things that will probabaly come to no avail?
I was unnerved at first with Misha's approach to the oil crisis, but after a while I gave him a lot of thought and I agree with him, so while I may be out trying to help fix the problem with you, I also do not feel the need to discourage happiness where it can be found because in a little while it wont be so happy.
I am possitive in time, if all things go as they are expected to go, then Misha will buckled down and deal with what we all helped to create.
I am not talking about voting for him in 00 and 04. I am talking about people supporting his decisions to invade Afghanistan and Iraq. And this was almost unanimous... What actually scared me a lot at the time...
The best course of action when mistake was made is to acknowledge the mistake, fix what can be fixed, say "I am sorry" to those who was hurt - and move on
I don't see any noticeable support for this idea among Americans, though...
I was just remarking to myself today. People don't drive any different at $4 a gal than they did at $2. They drive as fast as they can to the next light, slam on the breaks and sit there till the green, and then gun it to the next light to sit and wait again. If you try to pace the lights, so you don't have to stop and go they
are climbin' all over ya so they can get to the next wait.
Just stumbled upon another interesting point of view on this problem:
http://businessshrink.biz/psychologyofb … -and-bags/
'Say anything that you like about me except that I drink water.' 'I never drink water because of the disgusting things that fish do in it.' 'You can't trust water: Even a straight stick turns crooked in it.' WC Fields. Now me I don't drink much water and never have.
My body don't seem to like it. Generally I do what my body tells me. Also don't care for fads.
Yeah, America really knows how to deal with this sort of thing. Look at the way they sorted New Orleans out. Every one was saved and it was rebuilt in days. Awesome.
Thank you sir for that very welcome bit of sharp cynicism amidst a sea of banality.
Thanks. They call me Mr. Sarcasm.
It so happened I was living in the US at the time, and whatever respect I had for that country went out the window as I watched the "greatest nation in the world," completely fail to do anything constructive about the second disaster within their own borders in a few years.
But if you guys think there is a lot of issues over gas prices, wait 'till the water runs out.
I predict Canadian "terrorists" will be attacking the US as water becomes a bigger problem in the states, and Canada will need to be invaded for their own freedom. (Canada has a lot of spare water and most of it is drinkable).
Mark my words.
Yeh, it was l337, Blackwater even rolled in and ignored an order from an officer of the US Army to standdown.
Real. Cool.
LOL Didn't you know Mark America is the democracy!
Not some crappy dictatorship
If one views politics from a detached perspecitive like reading Roman history, one can at the same time be quite jolyful, even while pointing out the nasty truth. However this truth can be quite depressing for most who are unused to such views.
There is one word for high gas prices: Speculation. There should be no reason for the price of gas now, we have just as much as we did before, we are producing it faster then we did before, we own the rights to the land where it comes from, we own it all so why the hell is it over a quarter? Because there greedy.
I don't believe OPEC has increased production for the last few years or more. I agree that speculation is a cause but I think supply and demand is a factor as well.
We could solve all of this by building resolve, electing people into our Congress who have spine and will face bullies by impeaching them, and by drilling under Colorado and Wisconsin where we have massive reserves:
http://www.fossil.energy.gov/programs/r … 10-373.pdf
I encourage all to read the very first page. This is a U.S document posted on a government website and as such is authoritative. It basically says that we could become independant of Persian Gulf resources if we drilled under our own territory, thus we could make things like "wars in the middle east" a non issue long term.
Thats is all I have to say on this topic.
Check out the first page, the very first page illustrates what I am trying to say with graphical depictions as well as text.
Leaving anything to congress is a bad idea tbh. They all have no clue.
If they all have no clue then why are they in power still?
They are obviously still in power, which means that we must be quite clueless compared to them if one follows your logic.
It is not very practical to allow clueless people to remain in power now is it?
In the land of the blind the one eyed man is king.
This requires a two-tier solution. One is to drill for oil here now. This will being the price at the pump down. If we start drilling for our own oil OPEC will produce more and bring the price down to try and discourage us. Second we must get away fron oil ASAP. However until alternative energies are actually affordable for average people, and no one knows when that will be, we will need oil.
<no links or signatures please>
Wrong, scientists know when that will be and there are already plenty of alternatives that could be discussed easily if there were not so much money involved.
Drilling on our own country and calling the shots is wise, in the short term. In the long term we will have to let fossil fuels go as a means of energy in order for this planet to keep going without detriment.
Big picture wise, fossil fuels are not good long term, this is why humanity will move away from them.
Short term wise, drilling under our own territory is a really really good idea that we would be stupid not to do.
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