I agree. We have a right to bitch all we want about gas prices. The lack of anything from the media just furthers the proof that they are so far up Obama's butt they can see his brain. I don't know about all the successful wealthy people on here, but gas prices nearing $4 dollars and up seriously hurt when you make $11/hr. I don't need a condescending lecture about getting a better job or moving closer to work, either. As if I can just up and move and get a better job. Must be nice not to have to worry about not only gas prices, but everything else that goes up as well.

closer26;738162 wrote:iknow i don't post much, but sleeper your being pretty dumb here. No one claimed it should be free, but clearly the major companies can still make quite a profit at $3.50 a gallon as opposed to $4.00 a gallon like it is nearing now , and you can't really argue that. It's just a frustating situation and I think everyone has the right to want to vent. But I rest my case, whoever contradicts you obviously needs to get a life or a job, because obviously no one on here has either of those things.

Can they? The profit margins for oil companies are like 10% which is hardly anything out of the ordinary. Oil companies don't dictate the price of oil, the market does. Also, companies are not benevolent entities designed for public good, they are designed to make a profit and the great part about it is if you'd like you can be become an owner in those companies and share the wealth. Otherwise, stop crying.

BCBulldog;738171 wrote:I'd love a job. Tell me where I can get one.

McDonalds.

WebFire;738208 wrote:You don't think we should do something to decrease our dependency on oil? Or should we all just be quiet and pay $5..6..7..8 a gallon? If people don't bitch, nothing will ever change.

As the price goes up, it gives a greater incentive for companies to come up with a cheaper solution to power our country that doesn't involve oil. The free market is a beautiful thing, no amount of bitching is going to do anything other then sell magazines and waste your time.

Sleeper and Fab are making some of the best points, so far.

sleeper;738128 wrote:No. If you don't like it, you don't have to buy it.

I do have to buy it. I work as a marketing rep. My job requires me to drive to various locations around the city. So therefore, I do have to buy gas...and a lot of it. But that's what happens when you have to drive an average of over 100 miles a day for your job.

sleeper;738146 wrote:My question is for all the people that bitch, what price should gas be? Free? LOL

Those that complain about the price of gas need to get a life, or get a job.

I don't have a number. But why are you content with paying whatever they say? Gas has shot up 20 cents/gal in less than a month...up over 70 cents/gal in less than 3 months...up about $1/gal in 6 months...and up almost $2/gal over the past 2 years. So we're supposed to be fine with a 100% increase over a two year span? If any other product or service went up 100% in 2 years, people would be livid. But we're just supposed to accept it because it's gas? Fuck. That. Shit. If a cellphone company raised the rates on their plans 100% over 2 years, they would be out of business because they wouldn't have a customer left. But gas companies can do it and we just have to bend over and take it.


As far as the current problem, the last time gas got over $4/gal was in 2008, when the national average was about $4.12/gal. That's when it plummeted. By January 1, 2009...gas had dropped all the way down to $1.61/gal! It has steadily risen since then to where we are now. Let's hope we see another huge drop, soon...but I highly doubt it.

sleeper;738295 wrote:Can they? The profit margins for oil companies are like 10% which is hardly anything out of the ordinary. Oil companies don't dictate the price of oil, the market does. Also, companies are not benevolent entities designed for public good, they are designed to make a profit and the great part about it is if you'd like you can be become an owner in those companies and share the wealth. Otherwise, stop crying.



McDonalds.



As the price goes up, it gives a greater incentive for companies to come up with a cheaper solution to power our country that doesn't involve oil. The free market is a beautiful thing, no amount of bitching is going to do anything other then sell magazines and waste your time.

I also love how people bitch about gas prices and the "big bad oil" companies,,,,, But never a word about cell phone or cable companies, who gouge at profits well over the 50% mark.

What is it,, for every $1 at the pump, oil companies only get $.20. Due to ALL the taxes they have to pay.

But I also think that Congress needs to tell the EPA to go fuck themselves and allow drilling in our own Country.

coyotes22;738314 wrote:I also love how people bitch about gas prices and the "big bad oil" companies,,,,, But never a word about cell phone or cable companies, who gouge at profits well over the 50% mark.

What is it,, for every $1 at the pump, oil companies only get $.20. Due to ALL the taxes they have to pay.

But I also think that Congress needs to tell the EPA to go fuck themselves and allow drilling in our own Country.

JMHO

I dont agree with gas prices either. But what can we do,,,, Honestly?

Say were not gonna buy gas for a day, get 1,000,000 people to do so? Then what? If I was an oil company and people did that to my profits, Id raise gas for a whole day by $2, and see if it happened again.

The agrument about not having to buy gas is BS, it isn't like it's coke or something. In this country most if not all of us must drive. We don't have dependable transit systems like in other countries!! Gas/Oil is a must for almost all of us in some capacity. Now I am lucky I live a mile from work, but that doesn't mean $3 + gas doesn't hurt, it damn sure does and it isn't all about gas. When gas moves up, all other things do to especially food and shipping cost, not to mention airfare!! Oil is the biggest scam known to man and they got us by the balls, it helps keep the rich rich, and the poor poor!

sleeper;738295 wrote:As the price goes up, it gives a greater incentive for companies to come up with a cheaper solution to power our country that doesn't involve oil.

This is the Obama energy plan. Thanks for pointing out why he'd love for it to "necessarily skyrocket" so that inefficient green energy systems (wind, solar, cow farts) are closer in price and become reality sooner. Unfortunately, by the time oil/coal/nat gas reach the prices of the green varieties, there won't be enough people with jobs and money to pay for it.

sherm03;738313 wrote:I do have to buy it. I work as a marketing rep. My job requires me to drive to various locations around the city. So therefore, I do have to buy gas...and a lot of it. But that's what happens when you have to drive an average of over 100 miles a day for your job.

Find a different job. Ask for higher reimbursement for business travel expenses. Car pool. Take a bus. Walk. If these options don't work for you, that is your problem, not the publics. Gas is a luxury that we take for granted, it won't always be there. QQ

I don't have a number. But why are you content with paying whatever they say?

Who's "they"? Gas companies don't set the price of oil, the market does.

Gas has shot up 20 cents/gal in less than a month...up over 70 cents/gal in less than 3 months...up about $1/gal in 6 months...and up almost $2/gal over the past 2 years. So we're supposed to be fine with a 100% increase over a two year span? If any other product or service went up 100% in 2 years, people would be livid. But we're just supposed to accept it because it's gas? Fuck. That. Shit. If a cellphone company raised the rates on their plans 100% over 2 years, they would be out of business because they wouldn't have a customer left. But gas companies can do it and we just have to bend over and take it.


As far as the current problem, the last time gas got over $4/gal was in 2008, when the national average was about $4.12/gal. That's when it plummeted. By January 1, 2009...gas had dropped all the way down to $1.61/gal! It has steadily risen since then to where we are now. Let's hope we see another huge drop, soon...but I highly doubt it.

Like I said, no amount of bitching is going to fix anything or solve anything. In reality, the only thing you can do is not buy gas if you don't think its price is fair. If enough people did that, it would lower the demand of oil and cause the price to drop to a range in which people would start buying again. Clearly, the reason oil is as high as it is, is because people are willing to pay that price.

You should start your own oil company. Apparently its easy money and you think you can provide oil at a cheaper costs than the market.

justincredible;738132 wrote:I'm getting a motorcycle and using $5 gas as an excuse. My wife bought it. Dumbass.

redundancy is redundant.

sherm03;738313 wrote:If a cellphone company raised the rates on their plans 100% over 2 years, they would be out of business because they wouldn't have a customer left.

And why wouldn't they have any customers left? Because the customer would stop using the product.

Fab1b;738322 wrote:The agrument about not having to buy gas is BS, it isn't like it's coke or something. In this country most if not all of us must drive. We don't have dependable transit systems like in other countries!! Gas/Oil is a must for almost all of us in some capacity. Now I am lucky I live a mile from work, but that doesn't mean $3 + gas doesn't hurt, it damn sure does and it isn't all about gas. When gas moves up, all other things do to especially food and shipping cost, not to mention airfare!! Oil is the biggest scam known to man and they got us by the balls, it helps keep the rich rich, and the poor poor!

What do you propose we do to fix it? You want to subsidize gasoline? That's just another way in which we will be ultimately paying for it.

BGFalcons82;738327 wrote:This is the Obama energy plan. Thanks for pointing out why he'd love for it to "necessarily skyrocket" so that inefficient green energy systems (wind, solar, cow farts) are closer in price and become reality sooner. Unfortunately, by the time oil/coal/nat gas reach the prices of the green varieties, there won't be enough people with jobs and money to pay for it.

Sorry, but no governmental energy plan is going to work. I'd rather have private industry come up with the solution.

Fab1b;738322 wrote:The agrument about not having to buy gas is BS, it isn't like it's coke or something. In this country most if not all of us must drive.QUOTE]

This

and just so everyone is clear here, Exxon Mobil, Chevron, etc. has nothing to do with the price of oil and gasoline being set. so comparing them to cell phone companies and what they charge for data and voice services is assinine.

a more representative analogy:

If a comodities trader on the NYSE decided that the airwaves over which data and voice transmissions were past were worth 5 times what they were currently valued at and started trading accordingly and a cellphone company raised the rates on their plans 100% over 2 years, they would be out of business because they wouldn't have a customer left.

This is now a true statement and it's representative of how gas prices are set.

I don't know how to fix it but we all know the oil companies damn sure aren't hurting for money and are making profit whether gas is $2 or $5 dollars. The crap they use to justify the rising cost of gas is BS. opec and the arab countries have us and the rest of the world by the balls on this, our govt refuses to use our own oil here in the states but instead keep lining the pockets of terrorists and dictatorships!

sleeper;738328 wrote:Find a different job. Ask for higher reimbursement for business travel expenses. Car pool. Take a bus. Walk. If these options don't work for you, that is your problem, not the publics. Gas is a luxury that we take for granted, it won't always be there. QQ

None of those are even options. And I realize that it's something I have to deal with and it's not someone else's problem. Gas is not a luxury...it's a necessity for just about every person. It effects every other product besides what you are putting into your own personal tank. What would you tell companies that have to raise the cost of the food they make because it costs them more to ship said food because gas is high? Grow your crops closer to the store? Don't distribute any farther than you can walk? Bottom line, high gas prices affect just about every other item you buy. THAT is the problem for the public.

sleeper;738328 wrote:Like I said, no amount of bitching is going to fix anything or solve anything. In reality, the only thing you can do is not buy gas if you don't think its price is fair. If enough people did that, it would lower the demand of oil and cause the price to drop to a range in which people would start buying again. Clearly, the reason oil is as high as it is, is because people are willing to pay that price.

You're right. We shouldn't complain or be upset about anything. We should just sit around and hope that things work out. That's a solid mentality there...

GoChiefs;738331 wrote:And why wouldn't they have any customers left? Because the customer would stop using the product.

If a single cell phone company jacked up their prices, they wouldn't have customers left because people would go to a cheaper provider. There is no cheaper provider when it comes to gas. We are stuck with whatever the sign at the pump is, and all the stations are at the same price or very near the same price.

Fab1b;738343 wrote:I don't know how to fix it but we all know the oil companies damn sure aren't hurting for money and are making profit whether gas is $2 or $5 dollars. The crap they use to justify the rising cost of gas is BS. opec and the arab countries have us and the rest of the world by the balls on this, our govt refuses to use our own oil here in the states but instead keep lining the pockets of terrorists and dictatorships!

I'm sorry but I can't take you seriously. Clearly, you don't have a flippin' clue.

sleeper;738347 wrote:I'm sorry but I can't take you seriously. Clearly, you don't have a flippin' clue.

WTF are you talking about? Our govt does depend on foriegn oil and we have plenty here. Telling me the oil companies don't profit at $2 gas??

Fab1b;738348 wrote:WTF are you talking about?

Even if we opened up this entire country to people drilling oil, it wouldn't do a heck of a lot to the price of oil. We have oil here, sure, but we don't have endless amounts. Your rant seems like textbook talking points from people just trying to stir the public up about something that is impossible to control.

It needs to be restated again and again I suppose for it to sink in. Oil companies have NOTHING to do with the price of oil or gas. They are making huge profits, yes, but their profit margin is what actually the focus needs to be on and I believe the industry average is 10%. Translation, they sell a lot of product and make a ton of revenue, and they also pay a lot of money to generate that revenue. If oil companies could make a profit at $2 a gallon, then they would sell at $2, otherwise another company would take all their business.

You're right. We shouldn't complain or be upset about anything. We should just sit around and hope that things work out. That's a solid mentality there...

I'd love to hear your solution.

Fab1b;738343 wrote:I don't know how to fix it but we all know the oil companies damn sure aren't hurting for money and are making profit whether gas is $2 or $5 dollars. The crap they use to justify the rising cost of gas is BS. opec and the arab countries have us and the rest of the world by the balls on this, our govt refuses to use our own oil here in the states but instead keep lining the pockets of terrorists and dictatorships!

crack spread is the thing that sets profit on gas sales, not price of gas. low crack margins (like what we have now) are a result of supply and demand being pretty in tuned with each other. back in 2008 when the spread was like 15 bucks thats when there was a huge disconnect between supply and demand and people were getting fucked. regardless the oil companies don't set that price.

Fab1b;738343 wrote:I don't know how to fix it but we all know the oil companies damn sure aren't hurting for money and are making profit whether gas is $2 or $5 dollars. The crap they use to justify the rising cost of gas is BS. opec and the arab countries have us and the rest of the world by the balls on this, our govt refuses to use our own oil here in the states but instead keep lining the pockets of terrorists and dictatorships!

I agree 100%. Every time a camel farts in the Middle East, gas goes up 10 cents. It's complete bullshit.

But the last part of your statement isn't exactly true. Most of our oil comes from Canada. I don't know of any terrorists or dictators there.

I know oil companies don't set the price but you cannot sit here and tell me they weren't making profit at $2 a gallon! I understand where the price set comes from but like I said the reasons they use to set the prices are BS. It's raining somewhere in the middle east so expect gas prices to raise is pretty much how it is conveyed to the people in this world. It's a fucking scam and you won't convince me otherwise. I will however pay for it because I must drive, I just try to cut out driving where I don't need to or combine trips, I just flat out don't go if I don't want to spend the extra on gas. Some of you are eating off the spoon that is feeding you this shit too!

sleeper;738359 wrote:I'd love to hear your solution.

I don't have one. I just don't think that your idea of just shutting up, bending over, and taking it is a good mentality.