Call For Action

[bountyhunter]

Our gas prices are almost to $3 out here in kali. How about we do something about it? Consider this: if we cut consumption be even 10%, the oil companies would poop their collective pants and the Saudis would have to start eating their oil. 10% ain't much. I'm not saying lock up the car, just use your head. Consolidate trips if you can, car pool if possible, drive the small car instead of the bomber, slow down from 80 to 70 on the freeway (I'm guilty there too). If you are buying a new car, buy one that doesn't suck so much gas.

And this summer, think of places to go nearby. The oil companies depend on the warm weather vacation trips to line their pockets, which is why EVERY YEAR gas prices do a steady march upward through summer and peak at labor day. Let's tell them to shove that annual rape fest of our wallets.

I'm putting my money where my mouth is. I'm back on the old 1979 Kawasaki that gets 42mpg for commuting. Think how great it would be if the oil companies (and saudi Arabia) would have to eat overproduction instead of us lining up to be gouged the rape prices because we let them screw us again.

 

[PATH]

Sir, I concur!!! What gets me crazy are those big SUV's with the save the whales bumper stickers!

 

[hansolo]

Gas Co. Criminals

I also live in California: when I cross the Arizona border to visit in-laws, the price of gas drops dramatically: ***?

The average price for Regular gas here(near Palm Springs)is about $2.15/gal. -- it was $0.75 cheaper a month ago.

To keep this on-topic.....It is a 30 mile roundtrip to my local gunclub:
I drive a "mature" F-150 with a thirsty 4.9 Liter straight-six....I have
cut-down my trips to the range, drive below 70 mph, and, generally
do all the tricks to limit consumption.

I am not impoverished, but this recent price run-up is bogus: these
corporate criminals need to join Martha Stewart for some cooling-off time,
incarcerated.

The wolf is in the chicken house and us chickens are getting (expletive deleted).

 

[murrie]

the problems not necessarily with overproduction its with under refinement and simple economics, No new refinement plants have been build since 1978, and in fact there are about 1/2 the plants now as there were in 1978...

oil companies wont 'eat the oil' they will just dump it in a tank until someone buys it, yes they may notice, but very little will change.
The Supply will still be less than the Demand driving prices up, even if everyone cut 10% of their gas needs...

And your completely off base regarding the summer gas prices, they go up for many reasons the simplest of them being simple supply and demand, to more complex reasons such as the low refinery output - did you know that gas in CA is a very special blend of gas? that special blend is more expensive to make, and is only made for CA.
If say Arizona had a bunch of extra gas laying around they could NOT send it your way.

CA has some funked up laws that cause their gas prices to be much higher than the national average...


Additionally if you got back and check the gas prices of the past (and factor in inflation) you'll find out that your not paying that much more for gas than you would have in say 1980 when the average price per gallon (in 2004 dollars) was 2.40$

Its a great Idea to drive a car that costs you less, that should be a goal in itself, trying to do it just to spite the oil companies is a bit misguided IMHO - If you really want to fix the high prices start with your state representatives, they are the ones that can instantly lower your gas prices but as much as a dollar, simply by changing the special blend requirements...

 

[bountyhunter]

And your completely off base regarding the summer gas prices, they go up for many reasons the simplest of them being simple supply and demand, to more complex reasons such as the low refinery output - did you know that gas in CA is a very special blend of gas?

I am so old I was old back when the gas companies invented the first artificail energy crisis back in the 70's. Here is what I know:

1) When the price of crude goes up, they raise gas prices because of it.

2) When crude prices drop, they raise gas prices and blame refinery output.

3) Prices always mysteriously rise in unison across all brands even though the refinery capability in region by brand varies widely.

4) When people get really angry, a few congressman mumble about an investigation and the oil companies pour money oever them until they quit mumbling about an investigation.

Look: oil companies engage in blatant collusion is setting prices, blatant price fixing by reducing output, and blatant gouging by "zip code pricing" where SF pays about 40 cents more than a city 30 miles away.. and they do it (say it with me now):

BECAUSE THEY CAN!

And, you are dead wrong in your belief that even a 10% drop in fuel consuption would not make them pee their pants.... I guarantee it would. And FYI, they can't simply "bank" all the oil because they don't have the capacity and refineries have a fixed operating cost so reducing consumption will cut into their profits and hit them right where they will feel it. period.

 

[tc300mag1]

Gas prices wont go down no matter if we all drove 100mpg cars it just aint gonna happen they have to fatten there pockets .. if we all deove the mythical 100 mpg car then they would jack prices as haveing to build stoarge to keep it etc etc they would always figure out a way to gouge us

 

[bountyhunter]

Additionally if you got back and check the gas prices of the past (and factor in inflation) you'll find out that your not paying that much more for gas than you would have in say 1980 when the average price per gallon (in 2004 dollars) was 2.40$

And we were getting gouged back in the 80's. When I started driving in the late 60's, the no-name stations here in Kali sold regular for 19 cents a gallon. The oil companies invented the artificail energy shortge to accomplish this agenda:

1) Get the govt to foot the bill for the Alaska pipeline

2) Drive independents out of business so they could better fix prices by destroying competition.

Not a lot of people realize it, but during the "shortages" oil companies selectively shorted the stations that discounted gas and drove them out of business... by the thousands. The vast majority of stations now are franchises, not independents. Bottom line, the price of gas ramped up from about 25 cents to about a dollar in a few short years and never looked back. We were screwed and the screw is still going in.

 

[Sam Adams]

Most of the price of gas has to do with taxation, direct and indirect.

Direct taxes have gone up to absurd levels. I don't have data, but I know that if the price of crude dropped to $0.00, you'd still be paying a lot for gasoline.

Indirect taxes are the regulations involved. There are, as mentioned before, no post-'78 refineries. Further, each state can have several different blends of gasoline, depending upon pollution concerns.

You want lower gas prices? Get all over your Congresscritters hindquarters and DEMAND that there be a law passed requiring only 1 type of gasoline nationwide in each of the 3 grades. DEMAND that a law be passed that eases up on the regulations regarding building refineries. DEMAND that Congress cut gasoline taxes, and then do the same to your state thieves, uhhh, legislators.
__________
Another couple of suggestions for better gas mileage:

Make sure that your tires are at the maximum cold pressure listed on the tire itself.

Make sure that your auto's wheels are aligned.

Take any excess weight out of your vehicle, whether it is the smallest car or the largest truck - it takes gas to move that unneeded weight.

Make sure that your air filter isn't too dirty.

Change your oil regularly, preferably every 3,000 miles.

 

[Greg L]

So essentially what you are saying is that we need to buy a bunch of stock in the oil companies and use the dividends from them to make up the difference between what we are paying & what you think we should be paying .

 

[Preacherman]

Sorry, folks, but this has no relationship to guns, the 2A or RKBA.