U.S. Gas Prices (Temperature) Map

[danny_galaga]

Just thought I'd mention I have a '74 ford F-100 (which I restored) that gets less then 10mph on the highway, but luckily it has two 25 gallon gas tanks

well in a year or two when 10mpg doesnt cut it anymore, you can do this:

http://www.austinev.org/evalbum/699.html

granted, it doesnt have a 500 mile range but still...

[DrewKaree]

http://www.taxfoundation.org/publications/show/1139.html

State and Federal Treasuries "Profit" More from Gasoline Sales than U.S. Oil Industry:

High gas prices and strong oil company earnings have generated a rash of new tax proposals in recent months. Some lawmakers have called for new

[jbox]

Not that any particular part seemed untrue, but my BS meter did start to tingle over a couple of parts of this article:

However, often ignored in this debate is the fact that oil industry profits are highly cyclical, making them just as prone to

[danny_galaga]

you can show all the graphs you want. the simple proof of the pudding is the fact that people still bother to mine oil. as soon as something becomes unprofitable, companies stop doing it. tobacco is highly taxed too, but tobacco companies are still making enough to bother. when they stop making profit on tobacco, theyll grow soy or linseed or do something else completely different. bottom line is profit- theres no room for sentiment in successful business...

[DrewKaree]

tobacco is highly taxed too, but tobacco companies are still making enough to bother.

That's so weird you mention highly taxing tobacco.  Seems that there's folks still choosing to smoke, right?  What's one of the biggest complaints (other than ridiculous charades disguised as "laws") and reason given for someone quitting?  Cost.

Evidently, it seems that government's idea to tax the piss out of something seems to get passed on to the consumer. ALWAYS.  (Minimum wage, anyone?)  For all the posturing politicians are doing and attempting to drum up support for themselves by appearing tough, the easiest way to drop the price would be to remove some of the penalty they impose in the form of taxes.  No politician will ever do this, nor will they ever point it out because they've got a private business to kick in the canards.

Here in America, we gripe about prices, yet nobody can figure out that if our state runs out of their particular blend of gasoline, they can't just snag one of the 42 other different blends across the country to fill back up.  Having to get your gas from two or more states away might ALSO be another thing that makes gas unnecessarily expensive.  These "laws" that are supposed to help end up hurting the consumer, but yet again, it's an oil company's fault for having to make money to pay its bills, shareholders, invest in better safety measures, buy new equipment to adapt to whatever new joke of a law is passed by some grandstanding politician, etc. 

Just a side note - can anyone point to their comments about the exorbitant profits being made by the orange juice companies after the hurricanes this past year?  Anyone complaining about Dole shooting their prices on lettuce through the roof last year?  How about your local monopoly power company jacking up prices this past winter? 

Worst of all, I'm cringing at the pending riots over the price of Girl Scout cookies in America.  After all, (the myth of) price gouging is a horrible thing that we should stop, right?

If you don't like the prices of gasoline, of milk, or ribeye steak, you have the freedom not to buy them, after all, "Only an unreasonable person would pay unreasonable prices."  Be intellectually honest and put forth some effort to stop lining the pockets of the "evil oil companies" if you think what they're doing is so damn criminal. 

[sodapopinski]

I live in Alberta, being one of North Americas largest oil providers and gas is about US$4/gallon. Dosent seem right to me.