Will higher gas prices help America or hurt it?

[SLCPUNK]

Personally I hope it only goes higher.

[polluxlm]

It will help the oil companies.

The sooner it dries out the better though.

[Timothy]

it will do both.

[mrlee]

when our countries petrol prices rose, the place went on strike and no one had any fuel.

But it cleared up within a few weeks, laws were changed to make it impossible to happen again and people just have to accept it now.

[Dr. Blutarsky]

As someone who has a V8 truck & drives over 100 miles a day, it kills me. It is affecting our whole economy, but the oil companies are making record profits.

How Exxon & Mobil were allowed to merge, but Sirius and XM merging is a big issue is absurd.

[fuckin crazy]

Higher prices will encourage conservation , so it is a good thing . BTW , I use about 15 gal. of petrol a day , down from 20gal. a couple years ago .

[Dr. Blutarsky]

I can't exactly ride my bike to work so it does not help me.

[freedom78]

As someone who is poor (I'm a grad student, and my wife's about to be) it hurts.  But, the longer it stays high (or goes higher) the more Americans are going to say "FUCK YOU!" to oil and demand better transportation. 

I just saw the "Who Killed the Electric Car?" documentary, the other day, and it just pissed me off. 

Higher prices will encourage conservation , so it is a good thing . BTW , I use about 15 gal. of petrol a day , down from 20gal. a couple years ago .

But isn't that what big oil would want?  You may conserve, now, but that simply means there's more oil that can be sold at even higher prices, in the future, thus keeping the business alive a little longer.  No, I'm afraid even good changes in habit, such as your 25% reduction, aren't going to solve this problem.       

The sooner it dries out the better though.

I recall reading somewhere, a few years back, that it we were to use all the oil in the Earth, it would be enough to completely destroy the atmosphere.  I don't know if that's true, but I guaran-damn-tee you that some oil exec would rather get that last penny than to do something good for humanity. 

[pilferk]

It's pinching, that's for sure.....I drive 60 miles one way to work.  Much of CT has long commutes since the rural and suburban areas commute to get to the more urban areas to work. Mine is a bit longer than average..but I work in an industry that's pretty limited in geographic scope (essentially Hartford or New Haven).

Again, because of the industry I work in...weather is not allowed to effect my commute very often.  We're open 24/7, 365 because, well....people get sick and injured regardless of whether it's snowing out.  So 4WD is also necessary. I drive a Subaru, which helps some because it's about the best 4WD highway miles (since just about ALL my miles are highway miles) out there.  I've even looked at the 4WD hybrid options (the Escape and Hylander) but their economy is in city driving, not much better on the highway than my Subie.

So the gas prices are hitting us squarely in our "discretionary spending"  wheelhouse.  I make a decent living, so that does help, but the approx $1 per gallon of gas increase since late winter (we were at 2.19 a gallon, we're now in the 3.20 range) is costing me upwards of $25 per week, or about a $100 a month....not a huge amount, but we're not spending that $100 on other things like DVD's, video games, toys for the kids, scrapbooking stuff for my wife...etc.  Again, it's not awful, but we notice it.

No, if it hits $4....I start negotiating with the powers that be here at work to work from home 2 days a week.  I can do pretty much everything, with a few exceptions, required of me with a VPN connection, email, and my cell phone.  Right now, policy is I have to actually BE here to get credit for time worked.  Once we hit $4 a gallon, I'll see if I can change that.

[anythinggoes]

It's pinching, that's for sure.....I drive 60 miles one way to work.? Much of CT has long commutes since the rural and suburban areas commute to get to the more urban areas to work. Mine is a bit longer than average..but I work in an industry that's pretty limited in geographic scope (essentially Hartford or New Haven).

Again, because of the industry I work in...weather is not allowed to effect my commute very often.? We're open 24/7, 365 because, well....people get sick and injured regardless of whether it's snowing out.? So 4WD is also necessary. I drive a Subaru, which helps some because it's about the best 4WD highway miles (since just about ALL my miles are highway miles) out there.? I've even looked at the 4WD hybrid options (the Escape and Hylander) but their economy is in city driving, not much better on the highway than my Subie.

So the gas prices are hitting us squarely in our "discretionary spending"? wheelhouse.? I make a decent living, so that does help, but the approx $1 per gallon of gas increase since late winter (we were at 2.19 a gallon, we're now in the 3.20 range) is costing me upwards of $25 per week, or about a $100 a month....not a huge amount, but we're not spending that $100 on other things like DVD's, video games, toys for the kids, scrapbooking stuff for my wife...etc.? Again, it's not awful, but we notice it.

No, if it hits $4....I start negotiating with the powers that be here at work to work from home 2 days a week.? I can do pretty much everything, with a few exceptions, required of me with a VPN connection, email, and my cell phone.? Right now, policy is I have to actually BE here to get credit for time worked.? Once we hit $4 a gallon, I'll see if I can change that.

Hey you should move to England we pay $7.50 for a Gallon of Petrol it costs me $155 to fill my car from empty, my choice due to me driving a Gas Guzzler at 10MPG so im sorry but i have no sympathy for you guys, id love to pay $4 a Gallon

[D]

Maybe SLC will finally stop voting Republican



Fuck the country, the high prices are killing me.

[Gordon Gekko]

You can not compare Euro pricing to American.

Nearly 50% of the cost of Euro petrol is to pay for National Health and Retirement plans for European Citizens. When our prices go up there is no "quality of life" benefit associated with it.

[freedom78]

Hey you should move to England we pay $7.50 for a Gallon of Petrol it costs me $155 to fill my car from empty, my choice due to me driving a Gas Guzzler at 10MPG so im sorry but i have no sympathy for you guys, id love to pay $4 a Gallon

But isn't most of that difference due to taxes, which presumably go to pay for a number of other services?  Hey, once you've had the privilege of paying $10,000 in hospital expenses, we'll talk. 

But I agree with pilferk that a real problem is the American commute.  This country is immense, and a LOT of people commute 50+ round-trip miles to work each day.   

[SLCPUNK]

  Hey, once you've had the privilege of paying $10,000 in hospital expenses, we'll talk.     

To hijack my own thread for a moment...

A republican friend of mine (yea really) thinks socialized health care if a failure but is about to file for bankruptcy because his insurance won't pay his daughter's medical claims-he's drowning in bills now-after he paid on the policy for years.

I often think of him at the pump, when I see guys bitching about the price of gas and have a W sticker on their window.

[anythinggoes]

Hey you should move to England we pay $7.50 for a Gallon of Petrol it costs me $155 to fill my car from empty, my choice due to me driving a Gas Guzzler at 10MPG so im sorry but i have no sympathy for you guys, id love to pay $4 a Gallon

But isn't most of that difference due to taxes, which presumably go to pay for a number of other services?? Hey, once you've had the privilege of paying $10,000 in hospital expenses, we'll talk.?

But I agree with pilferk that a real problem is the American commute.? This country is immense, and a LOT of people commute 50+ round-trip miles to work each day.? ?

Erm yeah im on Bupa heathcare not NHS i pay for my health care just like you, by my own choice as you get better and faster service that way,

As for my commute its 1 Mile and i do it normally on push bike so i cant say shit all about that. ?

[SLCPUNK]

Erm yeah im on Bupa heathcare not NHS i pay for my health care just like you, by my own choice as you get better and faster service that way,

Right, but the the price reflects more than just profit, that's the point.

[freedom78]

  Hey, once you've had the privilege of paying $10,000 in hospital expenses, we'll talk.     

To hijack my own thread for a moment...

A republican friend of mine (yea really) thinks socialized health care if a failure but is about to file for bankruptcy because his insurance won't pay his daughter's medical claims-he's drowning in bills now-after he paid on the policy for years.

I often think of him at the pump, when I see guys bitching about the price of gas and have a W sticker on their window.

There's no question that the insurance industry is a problem.  It's impossible to say that a company responsible for paying medical bills while still trying to make a profit doesn't have an inherent conflict of interest, in that the better they do what they're supposed to do (pay your bills) the less profit they have.  And so honest people suffer.

I'm lucky.  I have a straight 80-20 policy that has helped me immensely through an illness a few years back and, because I'm a student, they can't cut me as it's the university's student insurance. 

[GNRreunioneventually]

You can not compare Euro pricing to American.

Nearly 50% of the cost of Euro petrol is to pay for National Health and Retirement plans for European Citizens. When our prices go up there is no "quality of life" benefit associated with it.

YEAH
the bastard oil companies are the ones who get that money when gas incresses. I drive a 1990 Ford F-250 and gas prices suck. i can barly afford to fill up the one small tank . even though gas here in Nebraska is only $3.30-$3.40 a gallon thats still alot of money to a high school student

hey, wasn't there sposed to be like a strike or somthing?

[Verse Chorus Verse]

If it gets any higher, Chuck Norris will have to curb his drinking habits.

[Vicious Wishes]

I don't know about America, but it's hurting the shit out of me, and all I basically do is drive back and forth to work. If it creates other forms of fuel, I'm all for it.

[Dr. Blutarsky]

I have my own company providing exercise equipment service and delivery within a 1.5 hr radius here in FL. I need a big truck. I can't really raise my rates too much or I lose customers. Big business (oil) always fucks over the small business guy.

[SLCPUNK]

I have my own company providing exercise equipment service and delivery within a 1.5 hr radius here in FL. I need a big truck. I can't really raise my rates too much or I lose customers. Big business (oil) always fucks over the small business guy.

Dodge Diesels are supposed to be pretty good.

[pilferk]

Hey you should move to England we pay $7.50 for a Gallon of Petrol it costs me $155 to fill my car from empty, my choice due to me driving a Gas Guzzler at 10MPG so im sorry but i have no sympathy for you guys, id love to pay $4 a Gallon

I'd gladly pay $7.50 per gallon if that price picked up the costs of my families health care, higher eductation, etc.

But I have to pay for all that stuff in ADDITION to the higher gas price.

[Cornell]

Personally I hope it only goes higher.

Why?

[Doc Emmett Brown]

Hey you should move to England we pay $7.50 for a Gallon of Petrol it costs me $155 to fill my car from empty, my choice due to me driving a Gas Guzzler at 10MPG so im sorry but i have no sympathy for you guys, id love to pay $4 a Gallon

I'd gladly pay $7.50 per gallon if that price picked up the costs of my families health care, higher eductation, etc.

But I have to pay for all that stuff in ADDITION to the higher gas price.

So true!  higher education repayment is a noose around my neck.   I actually began biking to work a few days this month, I only live a couple of miles away so it's not too bad.  I dont know if I can completely substitute for the car though, sometimes I need to take a laptop, books and crap.  A car has its purpose 

what's strange is I seem to remember a bigger hoopla in the news about approaching the $3/gal mark, but now that we're moving onto $4, it's just more grumbling rather than alarm like last time.

[Bodhi]

I think we should just take all of Iraq's oil...isnt that the reason we went there in the first place?!?! where is all of this oil?

[SLCPUNK]

I think we should just take all of Iraq's oil...isnt that the reason we went there in the first place?!?! where is all of this oil?

Well, as it turns out, it appears Iraq has double the oil we once thought it to have, second on to Saudi Arabia.

[Bodhi]

I think we should just take all of Iraq's oil...isnt that the reason we went there in the first place?!?! where is all of this oil?

Well, as it turns out, it appears Iraq has double the oil we once thought it to have, second on to Saudi Arabia.

exactly...so lets just take theirs...security is so bad over there its not like they are going to be able to stop us...

[GNRreunioneventually]

I think we should just take all of Iraq's oil...isnt that the reason we went there in the first place?!?! where is all of this oil?

Well, as it turns out, it appears Iraq has double the oil we once thought it to have, second on to Saudi Arabia.

exactly...so lets just take theirs...security is so bad over there its not like they are going to be able to stop us...

KILL'EM ALL

if we drop a nuke on them that'll destroy the oil won't it

[Krispy Kreme]

Personally I hope it only goes higher.

That is exactly  right. America uses too much and needs to change the vehicles  it  drives, the way it uses energy (become more efficient), and end its profligate use of oil by developing alternative  sources of energy, and  by that I mean renewable sources. The US uses 24% of the world's oil every year. People will respond to prices. And if you feel the pain, buy some stock in Exxon  or a mutual fund that invests  in energy companies, so at least you make some money back.

[GeorgeSteele]

Anything that hastens the transition to renewable forms of energy is a good thing.  As China continues to grow into an economic superpower and increase its demand for oil, the prices will keep on rising.

[mrlee]

Anything that hastens the transition to renewable forms of energy is a good thing.  As China continues to grow into an economic superpower and increase its demand for oil, the prices will keep on rising.

china can suck my dick, god damn communist polluting ass of a country.