Gas prices

JCJ · 08-14-2003, 07:28 PM

OK,can anyone give me a rational reason why gas has went up over 20 cents a gallon in less than 2 weeks?Or is this just another plan to rip us off at the pumps because they can.Has anyone noticed that when gas goes up the economy goes in the toilet or when it goes down we flourish.Any connection to each other or is this some idea thought up by someone with too much time on there hands?

skrimmy · 08-14-2003, 07:32 PM

Geez, I was wondering the same thing today. It looked like they jumped a dime at least in the last day or two. What gives?

1pump · 08-14-2003, 07:48 PM

Supply is running a little short of demand. I heard today that all the major brands are on allocation (in Eugene anyway. It's basically being rationed at the wholesale level. :depressed:

Conspiracy Theory · 08-14-2003, 09:23 PM

In otherwords the oil companies monopoly is artificialy raising the prices again becuase they want more profit.

STGRule · 08-14-2003, 09:29 PM

Can you say "Labor Day Weekend"? SOP.

skrimmy · 08-14-2003, 09:45 PM

You hit it on the head Ruth!

Fish_N_Russ · 08-14-2003, 10:03 PM

yeah freaky I was just thinking today about the same thing..........I don't think there is anything going on right now that would cause prices to be so high. Before they had said it was OPEC probs and the labor strike in venezuela (or somewhere down there). Both those issues have been resolved and now the prices are back up to where they were a few months ago!

As if the oil companies need MORE money.....talk about GREED!

BrionLutz · 08-14-2003, 10:05 PM

JCJ,

Hmmm...they are rioting in Iraq over lack of gasoline supplies.

I wonder if we'll have similar rioting here if gas runs short?

Brion

Fshklr · 08-15-2003, 05:06 AM

The shortage is being created at the FEDERAL LEVEL

. While supply was in demand and fuel prices were low they opened the federal reserves to supposedly ease our prices [img]graemlins/stupid.gif[/img] ,...now it has been ordered to RESTOCK the Federal Reserve which has created a nation wide shortage and costing you more money at the pump. Bush couldn't have done this at a worst time when fuel costs are at an all time high for production

Hold on folks...this is just the beginning. Expect gas (fuel) to climb another 10 cents before the end of the week.

TheRogue · 08-15-2003, 05:14 AM

Gas prices skyrocketing, interest rates on the rise again.....

Boy, sure glad that Bush met with his economic team at "the ranch" this week. I feel soooooo much better because of it.

At least ANOTHER terrorist was caught this week!!

TR

Silver Hilton · 08-15-2003, 06:46 AM

Gas prices are up because this is a time of year when lots of people are traveling, and are not near their local stations. This means that if a station's price is a bit higher, the customer will still buy the gas, because he/she doesn't have time/inclination to search for a cheaper source. After labor day, more people will be near home, and stations/oil companies begin to compete for the close to home customers agin, by lowering price.

The summer price hike has been a predictable phenomenon for as long as I can remember. It's simply an opportunity for the oil companies to make more money. The station owner doesn't see much of this, as the driver for the price is the underlying wholesale price.

skein · 08-15-2003, 10:19 AM

Here's a simple way to fix it.

Boycott ONE supplier.

They know we can't stop buying gas, but if we collectively singled out one major supplier, say Texaco or Chevron, and refused to buy our gas there until the price went down, it wouldn't take long for them to come around.

It's as simple as A B C.

A, no sales, no profits. B, we might just like the service we get from that other supplier. And it won't take long for them to "C" the light.

Wasn't it Exon that posted a 58% increase in profits after that last price gouge?

Skein

fortywinks · 08-15-2003, 05:59 PM

Problem is, as I understand it anyway, is that essentialy all the fuel in the northwest comes from one supplier out of Seattle irregardless of "brand".

While typing this I noticed a familiar smell wafting through the air--the smell of MONEY - mine disappearing while some fat cat executive somewhere is counting zeros. Oh well, at least I have time to fish now and then.

LIMIT LANDER · 08-15-2003, 06:26 PM

I voted for George Jr. with some reservations, and one of them being he is from a big oil proudcing state and He and Cheney have "strong" ties to oil people. :depressed:

Silver Hilton · 08-15-2003, 07:20 PM

Shoot, oil prices are nothing to get excited about - gas prices are still cheaper here than most anywhere in the world. If you want to get excited, focus on health care costs and the insurance business. The health insurance business adds 40% to the cost of health care, while trying heroically to avoid providing the service that we are paying for - delivering health care. Every year the rates go up faster than the cost of the underlying services, which in turn rise faster than the average rate of inflation.

When I retired and had to start paying health care costs directly, I found that over the life of my employment, I and my employer had paid about $90,000 in premiums. During this time, I figured that my family had used about $60,000 in health care services. This included having two kids, one by C-section, one with a congenital defect, and my wife coming down with cancer. So we were a pretty high user of health services, and we STILL would have been better off paying cash.

It's a racket, and it's time for the racket to end.

Thumper · 08-15-2003, 08:28 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Silver Hilton:
It's a racket, and it's time for the racket to end.

<font size="2" face="verdana,arial,helvetica">Actually, that is not true. The problem with health care is that the technology is now there to keep us all alive for way too many years. The cost of that technology is more than we, as a society, can afford.

I had a heart attack 5 years ago. 30 years ago I likely would have died. But they stuck a stent in to stop the attack, put me on about 6 medications, and I am nearly as good as before the attack. Cost for the hospitalization and the meds? About $100,000 so far. Guess who's paying for that ---- Bingo! You are!

Technology has far outpaced the ability of society to pay for it. Just look at the Oregon Health Plan. It is broken due to the cost of technology.

We now have the technology to keep a severed human head alive for years. The cost would be huge, but it could be done. I could get a new heart, but the cost would be ridiculous considering my age.

The issue is --- for whom do we spend the money? And who pays the bills. No solution in sight.

Conspiracy Theory · 08-16-2003, 12:03 AM

I don't believe the technology is what is costing so much. Check out your bill and find out what the surgeons charged for you 4hr operation. I'll almost bet that, that part of the bill was the largest item on the bill.

Also find out what the medications cost. Talk about a mark up. I take 2 medications, one for high blood presure and one for acid reflux. The one for high blood presure cost over $2.00 per pill and the one for acid reflux cost almost $4.00 per pill. I take one of each every day. And these could be considerd cheap now days. If it weren't for insurance I couldn't afford them.

Yes, it cost money to do the research for these pills. But when they sell millions of pills per day. Come on, it don't take that long to pay for the research involved.

Silver Hilton · 08-16-2003, 06:51 AM

Thumper, I agree that technology has advanced, and that there are costs associated with that. However, a perusal of any health insurance organizations financial statements shows immediately that the health insurance infrastructure, as currently designed, adds about a 40% premium to the cost of the underlying medical service that is provided.

Generally I prefer free market solutions to economic problems. However, health care and health insurance is an area where I think a more socialist approach would result in increased availability of care and a lowering of total cost.

Lepper · 08-17-2003, 10:26 PM

i'm confused...

This about Gas prices or healthcare???

stop messing with my head!!

BonkBonkBonk · 08-17-2003, 11:26 PM

one word: "biodiesel"

Adofish · 08-18-2003, 04:27 AM

Before you get too wound up. The U.S. has the cheapest gas on the planet. I am currently on a work trip to Ireland. Gas is well over $4.00/gal.

lingslayer · 08-18-2003, 05:14 AM

Welcome to a tourism state/region. Gas goes up every year over the Memorial Day and Labor Day weekends when the "touristas" are thick on the highways. It should be back down by end of September and will probably spike again around Thanksgiving.
Jamie