Who is mostly to blame for the high gas prices?

[DivineComedy]

Umm.....sugar cane is very hard to grow in the US. Corn is a good alternative and I guess it is in fact being used as a source of ethanol. That shall be good for the agricultural industry and it will not produce as much waste.

I know you mean well, but are you willing to hold a pone of cornbread in one hand and a sterilizer in the other next time there is a famine somewhere?

I have a problem with burning food, just to go zoom, when someone is hungry.

 

[alphieb]

I know you mean well, but are you willing to hold a pone of cornbread in one hand and a sterilizer in the other next time there is a famine somewhere?

I have a problem with burning food, just to go zoom, when someone is hungry.

That is the beauty of crops......we CAN always plant and grow.

 

[Scarecrow Akhbar]

Umm.....sugar cane is very hard to grow in the US. Corn is a good alternative and I guess it is in fact being used as a source of ethanol. That shall be good for the agricultural industry and it will not produce as much waste.

That's probably true about sugar cane, but sugar beets grow in RUSSIA.

 

[DivineComedy]

That is the beauty of crops......we CAN always plant and grow.

Farming is less reliable than the sun. And consider how many crops do you think it took to make coal and oil; it is simply inefficient to burn food and abandon coal. If you go down the road of looking to farming for an alternative source of energy we will wind up eating SOYLENT GREEN!

 

[Scarecrow Akhbar]

Well it all depends on how much driving you do or how much gas will increase in the future. Do you commute a long way to work? How much does it take you to fill up your bus tank and how many times a week do you do that?

That doesn't matter. All that matters is that I'd have to drive about a hundred thousand miles more in my van before the thing would start costing me more than if I'd bought a hybrid. Look at the total dollars spent, not just the weekly or daily budget.

And that was assuming the hybrid cost only $20,000 more than my van. The reality is more like $30,000. I'm definitely safe from smug by driving a 16 year old gas hog, aren't I?

 

[Deegan]

I am actually ashamed to call myself an American when this issue comes up.:roll:

First, we pay less then most of the world for gas, and use more then anyone, next, if we didn't demand so much, it would not cost 3.00 bucks a gallon. We need to invest in more public transportation, learn to carpool, and just stop driving so much, then supply and demand would obviously lower the price at the pumps. The fact that politicians are using this as a campaign issue, and without giving us all the tough talk we need to hear, makes me all the more ashamed to call myself an American. I live in the city, I sold my car, but still, everyone I know still owns one, two, even three cars, and drive them around the city when the could easily take a train, bus, or just walk for pete sake.:roll:

 

[ALiberalModerate]

I am actually ashamed to call myself an American when this issue comes up.:roll:

First, we pay less then most of the world for gas, and use more then anyone, next, if we didn't demand so much, it would not cost 3.00 bucks a gallon. We need to invest in more public transportation, learn to carpool, and just stop driving so much, then supply and demand would obviously lower the price at the pumps. The fact that politicians are using this as a campaign issue, and without giving us all the tough talk we need to hear, makes me all the more ashamed to call myself an American. I live in the city, I sold my car, but still, everyone I know still owns one, two, even three cars, and drive them around the city when the could easily take a train, bus, or just walk for pete sake.:roll:

I could not agree more.

 

[Scarecrow Akhbar]

I am actually ashamed to call myself an American when this issue comes up.:roll:

First, we pay less then most of the world for gas, and use more then anyone, next, if we didn't demand so much, it would not cost 3.00 bucks a gallon. We need to invest in more public transportation, learn to carpool, and just stop driving so much, then supply and demand would obviously lower the price at the pumps. The fact that politicians are using this as a campaign issue, and without giving us all the tough talk we need to hear, makes me all the more ashamed to call myself an American. I live in the city, I sold my car, but still, everyone I know still owns one, two, even three cars, and drive them around the city when the could easily take a train, bus, or just walk for pete sake.:roll:

Gas it only now becoming comparable in price to the costs of gas in the seventies. It wouldn't even be that much if it weren't for the fact that 1/6 of the cost of gas is taxes.

But you know what? They have the freedom to drive cars. It's a choice. Their body, their choice, and all that, and they choose to put their bodies in cars of their own instead of rubbing their bodies against the great unwashed public transit masses.

I can't blame them for that.

 

[The Mark]

I am actually ashamed to call myself an American when this issue comes up.:roll:

First, we pay less then most of the world for gas, and use more then anyone, next, if we didn't demand so much, it would not cost 3.00 bucks a gallon. We need to invest in more public transportation, learn to carpool, and just stop driving so much, and then supply and demand would obviously lower the price at the pumps. The fact that politicians are using this as a campaign issue, and without giving us all the tough talk we need to hear, makes me all the more ashamed to call myself an American. I live in the city, I sold my car, but still, everyone I know still owns one, two, even three cars, and drive them around the city when the could easily take a train, bus, or just walk for pete sake.:roll:

All good points, but.....

It seems to me that most people like having the freedom of owning their own vehicle, in case they want to go somewhere inaccessible by public transportation, or if public transportation has problems, or....

True, if you live in the same city you work in, you can take a train or bus to work, but if you live outside a city, you have to get transport from your home to the bus or train station, park your vehicle somewhere safe so no one takes it, then get on the train or bus. For many people it's much easier to just get in their vehicle and drive directly to work.

If public transportation was easily accessible, more people would use it...I think.

An interesting point about the gas prices, we pay much less than people in, say, the UK do, but most of their extra costs are in taxes. So they could be paying less, but they don't mind paying the taxes, because of the services provided by them. Or at least some of them don't mind the taxes.

And about being ashamed to call yourself and American.....don't be; just be ashamed that those politicians call themselves Americans.

 

[alphieb]

Farming is less reliable than the sun. And consider how many crops do you think it took to make coal and oil; it is simply inefficient to burn food and abandon coal. If you go down the road of looking to farming for an alternative source of energy we will wind up eating SOYLENT GREEN!

Coal sources are not as abundant as they used to be, but I guess we still have a lot. It is very difficult and expensive to create gas with it, however we have the ability to farm.

 

[Deegan]

All good points, but.....

It seems to me that most people like having the freedom of owning their own vehicle, in case they want to go somewhere inaccessible by public transportation, or if public transportation has problems, or....

True, if you live in the same city you work in, you can take a train or bus to work, but if you live outside a city, you have to get transport from your home to the bus or train station, park your vehicle somewhere safe so no one takes it, then get on the train or bus. For many people it's much easier to just get in their vehicle and drive directly to work.

If public transportation was easily accessible, more people would use it...I think.

An interesting point about the gas prices, we pay much less than people in, say, the UK do, but most of their extra costs are in taxes. So they could be paying less, but they don't mind paying the taxes, because of the services provided by them. Or at least some of them don't mind the taxes.

And about being ashamed to call yourself and American.....don't be; just be ashamed that those politicians call themselves Americans.

We have an excellent transportation system in Chicago, but unfortunately, few take advantage of it. We have a Metra train that comes in from every suburb in the greater chicago area, and they are rarely full, it's quite sad. I don't know why people would rather sit in the horrendous traffic, then just on a train, and be here in 45 mins, compared to two, three hours of traffic. But as someone mentioned, I guess it's awful to have to sit next to someone....."unwashed":roll:

 

[oldreliable67]

Coal sources are not as abundant as they used to be, but I guess we still have a lot. It is very difficult and expensive to create gas with it, however we have the ability to farm.

Ethanol/methanol can help but can't cure. To 'cure' our addiction to oil would require using virtually all of our available acreage for ethanol/methanol feedstock, reducing the acreage available for food. The best contribution that can be expected of ethanol/methanol - given current technology - is to be an 'extender', that is, use a blend of ethanol/methanol - as indeed we have begun doing.

Inadequate planning for the logistics of the switch to an ethanol blend is actually responsible for the higher prices being experienced in some regions of the country.

(There are some stats/comments in this regard on the "combat high gas prices" thread in the Economics Forum that may interest you.)

 

[LeftyHenry]

Ethanol/methanol can help but can't cure. To 'cure' our addiction to oil would require using virtually all of our available acreage for ethanol/methanol feedstock, reducing the acreage available for food. The best contribution that can be expected of ethanol/methanol - given current technology - is to be an 'extender', that is, use a blend of ethanol/methanol - as indeed we have begun doing.

Inadequate planning for the logistics of the switch to an ethanol blend is actually responsible for the higher prices being experienced in some regions of the country.

(There are some stats/comments in this regard on the "combat high gas prices" thread in the Economics Forum that may interest you.)

Right which is why the government has to do a couple of things like give massive tax deductions to people who use ethanol/hybrid/solar cars And massivly tax people with hummers and big SUV's.

 

[DivineComedy]

Coal sources are not as abundant as they used to be, but I guess we still have a lot. It is very difficult and expensive to create gas with it, however we have the ability to farm.

No, I don’t want to gas the coal, silly! We already use coal for electricity, the infrastructure is almost good enough going right to every house, just clean up the coal better and improve the electrical grid like Bush proposed in his energy policy almost immediately after taking office. New cars gas electric hybrids or whatever hydrogen electric hybrids; it doesn‘t matter to me. Electric motors and batteries are getting better all the time. If we had done the good parts of Bush’s energy policy, like fixing the damn electrical grid, we would not have as much of a problem now, but no, they would rather hold up the whole thing on one damn point about drilling oil on the damn ice. Electric can be a long term solution with the ability to upgrade the source of energy using solar, wind, and nuclear power (scream, but it is better than burning food).

Burning food is only a short term solution unless you can genetically engineer a super kudzu fuel source; drop the seed and run. Just kidding!

It would be easier to put solar panels on your roof to supplement power to the electric car than to put a damn hanging garden up there!

People are starving in Africa right this minute and farmland is disappearing in this country just as you want to in essence burn it. My father used to run a still, and he ran a vehicle off coconuts during WWII, and my father got the town leaders drunk down in my grandfathers barn, and the only thing that is new about this story of renewable energy resources is that the farmland is not there because the commute to grandma’s house got easier. My father wouldn’t let me convert my mini-bike to burn our corn when I was a little kid, and the moral reason and the amount of energy you can derive from corn has not changed much since then. If cattle farming isn’t the most inefficient use of biomass for feeding the world, I guarantee that burning food isn’t the best way to run a damn car!

Jesus Christ liberals please tell me you aren’t going to burn some poor kid’s food just to have cheap gas?

We need to invest in more public transportation, learn to carpool, and just stop driving so much, then supply and demand would obviously lower the price at the pumps.

Then when the price gets lower they would drive more raising the price again.

That only tells me that rationing, instead of the economic penalties, is what we need. Give everyone that works and drives a noncommercial vehicle a specific number of monthly fuel stamps, allocating them based upon the Average Fuel Efficiency, distance to and from work, shopping, and other necessary travel per household, with a small amount for recreation. This is just an off the top of the head suggestion. Listen to them hoot and holler now!

 

[DivineComedy]

Oops, I said "isn't," like cows are friction in the wire. Burn garbage, yeah, burn garbage, leave my cornbread alone!

 

[Scarecrow Akhbar]

Right which is why the government has to do a couple of things like give massive tax deductions to people who use ethanol/hybrid/solar cars And massivly tax people with hummers and big SUV's.

If people want to buy hybrids, why can't they use their own money? Is there some reason money has to be taken from people not wishing to ride death traps have to finance cheap bastards that do?

It's a really stupid notion to say that gas is costing the economy, say, $500 million more so the government is going to take a billion from the ecomony to subsidize Toyota motor company sales.

I thought commies were opposed to "corporate welfare"?

 

[Scarecrow Akhbar]

Electricity...there's an idea. How about if we established a new Manhattan project and paved all the roads with silver and gave them copper roofs? Then we could have brushes mounted on the cars and drive electric without all that hassle about batteries...sure it will work. Never rode the bumper cars at the carnival?

 

[aquapub]

This says it all...


http://www.ucomics.com/glennmccoy/2006/05/01/


Democrats are against every common sense alternative we have (that is feasible within this decade), so I would like to know what their plan is.

What ever happened to that idea Democrats loved so much? Oh, what was it? Oh, right...to jack up sales taxes on fuel to force people off the road.

Want to see something neat?....Watch this political season...Democrats will mysteriously forget that they are finally getting exactly what they have been pushing so hard for and all we are going to hear about is how this is a Republican conspiracy. :roll:

 

[LeftyHenry]

If people want to buy hybrids, why can't they use their own money? Is there some reason money has to be taken from people not wishing to ride death traps have to finance cheap bastards that do?

It's a really stupid notion to say that gas is costing the economy, say, $500 million more so the government is going to take a billion from the ecomony to subsidize Toyota motor company sales.

I thought commies were opposed to "corporate welfare"?

These is no reason people should own a Hummer. It is wasteful, inefficient, and is bad for the enviroment. hybrids on the other hand, have become sturdier and will continue to become more reliable. If you need a car at than try use one that helps the enviroment.

I am. This isn't really corporate welfare. It's a way of killing two birds with one stone. Keeping the enviroment from becoming worse and taking care of this nations addiction to cars. It just seems like the most practical solution in my opinion.

 

[LeftyHenry]

This says it all...


http://www.ucomics.com/glennmccoy/2006/05/01/


Democrats are against every common sense alternative we have (that is feasible within this decade), so I would like to know what their plan is.

What ever happened to that idea Democrats loved so much? Oh, what was it? Oh, right...to jack up sales taxes on fuel to force people off the road.

Want to see something neat?....Watch this political season...Democrats will mysteriously forget that they are finally getting exactly what they have been pushing so hard for and all we are going to hear about is how this is a Republican conspiracy. :roll:

WOW... A cartoon. Are you serious?

Have you been paying attention at all to the discussion taking place? One word Ethanol.

 

[Scarecrow Akhbar]

These is no reason people should own a Hummer. It is wasteful, inefficient, and is bad for the enviroment.

I don't need to give YOU a reason why I want to buy anything. If I want to buy a Hummer and sit it in my driveway just running it to keep the airconditioned inside like a really big humidor, that's MY business.

Don't like it when someone buys something you don't approve of?

Good.

hybrids on the other hand, have become sturdier and will continue to become more reliable. If you need a car at than try use one that helps the enviroment.

Why? I like driving tanks, made with honest detroit steel and enough mass to push six hybrids off the road. See? It's the benefit of living in a free country, I can use four times the gas you do, and be annoying, too, as well as safer.

I am. This isn't really corporate welfare. It's a way of killing two birds with one stone. Keeping the enviroment from becoming worse and taking care of this nations addiction to cars. It just seems like the most practical solution in my opinion.

Yes, it's corporate welfare. Just because you think it's a fine thing to support corporate Japan, it's still corporate welfare. And thus evil, like all aspects of socialism.

 

[teacher]

These is no reason people should own a Hummer. It is wasteful, inefficient, and is bad for the enviroment. hybrids on the other hand, have become sturdier and will continue to become more reliable.

Then you need to go move to a country where choice is not a freedom you friggin Nazi. You make me want to buy a Hummer.

 

[akyron]

they are getting rich off of war and its outcome. .

They get rich anyway regardless of war.
Its the nature of selling lots of stuff regardless of what you sell.

War creates instability which is bad for just about everyone except munitions manufacturers and the people who get the contracts to rebuild.

The investor model for oil has been in place since about 1861. They have not had a really bad year in decades. To say the oil companies depend on war for anything is quite untrue. We supply them quite enough profit by going to grandmas house on the weekends.

 

[Willoughby]

Its probably a mice mix of all three. I don't have a particular problem with that though. Hopefully over time high petrol prices will translate to a change in consumer behaviour. Whack some more tax on those gas prices aswell and then channel the revenue into providing cleaner public transport and alternative solutions.....

 

[LeftyHenry]

Then you need to go move to a country where choice is not a freedom you friggin Nazi. You make me want to buy a Hummer.

Why? Why the hell does anybody seriously need a hummer? To show people how rich he/she is and how poor people in New Orleans, Darfur, and ***** are? To waste gas and piss on the enviroment? Makes a shitload of sense.