Don’t confuse the economically ignorant (politicians especially) with facts.
“9. Crude oil prices, which make up 90% of the total cost of running gas refineries, are set by the international market of supply and demand, which fluctuates hourly,...”
Should read:
“9. Crude oil prices, which make up 90% of the total cost of running gas refineries, are set by SPECULATORS, which fluctuates hourly,...”
Brilliant. I’ve been saying that bit about prices skyrocketing after government stepping into the profits for a while now.
Bottom line: Big Government is raking in 3-6 times the profit that the oil companies make for doing nothing but writing a tax law. I had to shut up the other day while a tin-foil hatter went on and on about how Bush and Cheney are so intertwined with oil and that Bush is personally setting the oil prices to his economic advantage. Nothing I said would change her mind.
Bookmarking for future reference
makes me all warm and fuzzy knowing that today, paying over a half a hundo for a tank of gas in inflated adjusted dollars, is better than paying 20 bucks a tank in the 80’s.
I don’t pretend to know the intricacies of crude oil prices re. production or delivery costs to us.
I DO know what a friend who ran a small convenience store told me they paid for the gas they had delivered to their 2 pumps.
This was not a chain store, so it did not benefit from the lower costs for huge amounts purchased.
This store paid about 75cents a gallon for the gasoline.
It charged about $2.00 a gallon. This was pre Katrina.
Even if the price they pay is double now- $1.50 a gallon, it’s at the pump that the price is doubled!
So if the crude price is half what the supplier charges and they double the price to make a profit; then the service stations double or triple it again, who is gouging here?
Good stuff.
#9 Should say the Opecker Thugs have set up an illegal cartel to make oil scarce and expensive. Their excess $’s fund their Islamofacist terrorists and terrorist countries like Iran/Syria.
Not to mention that prices are high because we aren’t building refineries thanks to the environmentalists
10. If government is serious about both curbing oil company profits as well as curbing U.S. reliance on foreign oil, the only way to do it is the way the Europeans do it: a gasoline tax that raises the pump price of gas to about $8. And that’s one thing you can be sure the politicians will never, ever tell you. <
It is worth noting that since 1970, our population has increased by 100 million and we will add another 63 million by 2030 or the equivalent of the current population of the UK. Since 2000, we have added 21 million people or the equivalent of our six largest cities. Three-quarters of the population increase can be attributed to immigration, legal and illegal. Is it any wonder that demand is going up and we are just treading water to stay afloat?
“At over $3.00 a gallon, the U.S. inflation-adjusted price for gasoline in May 2007 is now less than it was in 1981, a remarkable decrease in price over a 25 year period during which real prices in other sectors, such as health and education have tripled and quadrupled.”
Not being old enough to drive in 1981, why would I care?
2. This decline in the price of gasoline since 1981 is enjoyed almost exclusively in the U.S. In most other developed counties in the world, the price of gas is at least double what Americans pay. Consumers in the Netherlands now pay an average of $7.77 gallon, while those in Great Britain pay over $7 and consider it a bargain.
I live in America, I do not care what they pay in Eurpoe.
4. At present gas prices, the major oil companies make a profit of between 10 cents and 12 cents a gallon...
Really? Then how are they taking in recored breaking profits year after year?
judging by the people that pass me, and i’m doing the speed limit +4 mph,
and they’re doing 10-20 mph over the limit,
gas is not high.
Now I can understand we have to import Oil but there is no reason to import the finished product!
We're from the government and we're here to help you.
5. At present prices, combined federal and state government profit (i.e. taxes) on each gallon of gas is 28-68 cents a gallon, depending on which state you live in. Pelosi’s San Francisco enjoys tacking on an extra 26 cents bite.
Always worth repeating.
If it doesn’t I will be joining the ranks of the “It is a conspiracy†crowd. It should drop that much because we will be off these stupid “summer gas blends†and the summer driving season will have past but the winter heating oil season will not be upon us. Baring something like US nuking Tehran Sept 20th, there should be no structural reason for the price per gallon to be over $2.34 a gallon on Oct 1 2007