Wonder why gas prices are so high?

[jonriv]

How about selling grain at the same $ amount per bushell as a barrel of oil to all the OPEC countries

How about just not at all

Brilliant Dugout- punish the farmers who sell the grain for some illogical political adgenda

Where Does Our Imported Oil Come From?

About Half of U.S. Petroleum Imports Come from the Western Hemisphere
Some may be surprised to learn that almost 50% of U.S. crude oil and petroleum products imports came from the Western Hemisphere (North, South, and Central America and the Caribbean including U.S. territories) during 2006. We imported only 16% of our crude oil and petroleum products from the Persian Gulf countries of Bahrain, Iraq, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and United Arab Emirates. During 2007, our five biggest suppliers of crude oil and petroleum products were:
Canada (18.2%)
Mexico (11.4%)
Saudi Arabia (11.0%)
Venezuela (10.1%)
Nigeria (8.4%)
It is usually impossible to tell whether the petroleum products you use came from domestic or imported sources of oil once they are refined.

Only two real solutions:

Increase Supply and/or decrease demand- Economics 101

[NumeroUno]

You want lower gas prices, stop being so cavalier with your driving habits. Plan trips with conjunctive errands and intentions.

Plan your trips to include purchasing of gas at the cheapest location. Gas is gas, and Exxon's or Mobil's, though 10-20 cents a gallon higher, is no more effective or efficient than that in the next tank.

The only way to get the prices to go down is to reduce the demand.

I remember Jimmy Carter saying exactly this. Turns out there was an easier solution, throw Carter out and elect Reagan. Follow up with a the great Bill Clinton and you are looking at 16 years of prosperity.

Leadership works

Jarack Obummer..Jimmy Obama. Jimmy Carbombma

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z-tZq4CWLi0

[Iluvblue]

What can the president do? He is limited, but he can show leadership in the following ways:

1) reverse some(if not all) of the anti-drilling and pipeline moratoriums
2) Strongly urge our "friends"(Saudi Arabia et all) to increase their production to offset any Iranian oil off the market
3) Work with our Canadian neighbors to increase their production
4) Work with the Federal Reserve on possibly end their "easing" of the currency
5) develop a uniform nationwide blend of gas- NY-NJ & CT all use different blends of gasoline- to make it easier for refineries to meet demand

States also should review their gas tax policies- currently State & Federal governments earn more on the selling of gallon of gas than do the oil companies or the gas station


i wont need to go to Europe... it will be here soon. And everything you listed above is a temporary fix. We will still be in the exact same situation in 15 years that we are in today the things you want done above. These are all of the same things that have been happening in this country for the last 40 years(more actually) and we will still be at the mercy of the global oil market. We have a fundamental difference of opinion. You think drilling for more oil will solve our problems. i think getting our asses off of petroleum will solve our problems.

So for me (which is apparently the Obama administrations view) Americans paying those huge prices per gallon will force us to change. GW said we need to solve our addiction to oil... I agree with him, so do you think getting more oil will solve that problem?

[Dugout Dad]

How about selling grain at the same $ amount per bushell as a barrel of oil to all the OPEC countries

How about just not at all

Brilliant Dugout- punish the farmers who sell the grain for some illogical political adgenda

Oh, farmers are doing just fine producing Ethanol, a special interest product. Food prices continue to rise so this crappy fuel can be produced. Nice DC lobby.
http://www.kcchronicle.com/2012/02/29/ethanol-a-big-factor-in-run-up-of-price-of-farmland/a6vkqpv/

[SoftballSoccerDad]

You want lower gas prices, stop being so cavalier with your driving habits. Plan trips with conjunctive errands and intentions.

Plan your trips to include purchasing of gas at the cheapest location. Gas is gas, and Exxon's or Mobil's, though 10-20 cents a gallon higher, is no more effective or efficient than that in the next tank.

The only way to get the prices to go down is to reduce the demand.

You do realize that gasoline demand in the U.S. is the lowest that it has been in a decade, right? Yet, prices are the highest we've seen.

Are the millions of people spending a few thousand a year on petrol going to suddenly all live within walking distance to work? Are people going to stop using the goods and services that we access daily because they are delivered to where we can shop for them?

The overall demand for gasoline in the U.S. is a lot less dependent on wasteful auto trips than your post would have readers to believe.

I don't know who you consider to be reliable news sources, but here's a link from Reuters:

http://af.reuters.com/article/energyOil ... Z720120223

[jonriv]

What can the president do? He is limited, but he can show leadership in the following ways:

1) reverse some(if not all) of the anti-drilling and pipeline moratoriums
2) Strongly urge our "friends"(Saudi Arabia et all) to increase their production to offset any Iranian oil off the market
3) Work with our Canadian neighbors to increase their production
4) Work with the Federal Reserve on possibly end their "easing" of the currency
5) develop a uniform nationwide blend of gas- NY-NJ & CT all use different blends of gasoline- to make it easier for refineries to meet demand

States also should review their gas tax policies- currently State & Federal governments earn more on the selling of gallon of gas than do the oil companies or the gas station


i wont need to go to Europe... it will be here soon. And everything you listed above is a temporary fix. We will still be in the exact same situation in 15 years that we are in today the things you want done above. These are all of the same things that have been happening in this country for the last 40 years(more actually) and we will still be at the mercy of the global oil market. We have a fundamental difference of opinion. You think drilling for more oil will solve our problems. i think getting our asses off of petroleum will solve our problems.

So for me (which is apparently the Obama administrations view) Americans paying those huge prices per gallon will force us to change. GW said we need to solve our addiction to oil... I agree with him, so do you think getting more oil will solve that problem?

You seem to feel we need to lower our demand on petroleum fuels(I agree with that) Nuclear, Solar, wind, natural gas etc can all help towards that. I think we need more public transportation options and we should look at electrifying our railroads- All great ideas, but all will take years(if not decades to make any impact) For better or for worse Petroleum will be part of the equation for some time to come. The things I mentioned are very tactical responses that will help in the short-term, but it will take some courage to enact any meaningful long-term solution. Higher prices might force us to change, but the changes will take a long time and the pain of those changes might be too much...

[Iluvblue]

but it will take some courage to enact any meaningful long-term solution. Higher prices might force us to change, but the changes will take a long time and the pain of those changes might be too much...


BINGO. It will take some courage to enact those changes. Will it take time? Sure, but we can either start to make some real changes today, so our kids have a better future, or we can just continue to do what we are doing, and then when this country MUST make changes, those changes are REALLY going to be painful.

We must have vehicles that can operate on something other than petroleum. In order to make that happen, we need to be willing to spend some real money, and pass legislation that will hammer those internal combustion engines in the future.

California did that several years ago... then that legislation was repealed due to automakers and their insistence that they cant make needed changes. Of course they wont make those changes... unless they are FORCED to.But again, that takes courage and a willingness to piss of the masses that want to just continue on our merry way thinking things can last like this.

[fasterpitch92701]

Late to this party but a thought: the U.S. is currently having record levels of gas exports based on excess U.S. refining capacity. All time high. Does that seem.... odd to anyone? It does beg the question: is there a crude shortage? Apparently not. Are there means of manipulating oil and refinery output (gas, diesel and fuel oil) via financial marketplaces? Oh yea. Add to that declining overall sales volume in U.S. encouraging refiners to sell outside the U.S... and one wonders who the guy behind the curtain is, Toto... Just a thought.

[MTR]

You want lower gas prices, stop being so cavalier with your driving habits. Plan trips with conjunctive errands and intentions.

Plan your trips to include purchasing of gas at the cheapest location. Gas is gas, and Exxon's or Mobil's, though 10-20 cents a gallon higher, is no more effective or efficient than that in the next tank.

The only way to get the prices to go down is to reduce the demand.

I remember Jimmy Carter saying exactly this. Turns out there was an easier solution, throw Carter out and elect Reagan. Follow up with a the great Bill Clinton and you are looking at 16 years of prosperity.

Leadership works

Way behind the times. I was saying this in the early '70s, long before Jimmy Carter climbed up on that fence. You can blame the embargo of 73 if you like, but while suffering gas rationing I watched the tankers sitting low in the water off the refinery piers every day for months.

The only way to save fuel then was to carefully monitor your driving habits. There was no "topping off", but there were even and odd days with minimum purchases. There were even instances where gas was poured on the ground before someone would pay for something they didn't receive. In some areas, it got very ugly. It wasn't a matter of price, but whether there was any gas in the tanks in the ground. Luckily, I was in the military and had quarters on base and didn't have to drive anywhere.

[MTR]

California did that several years ago... then that legislation was repealed due to automakers and their insistence that they cant make needed changes. Of course they wont make those changes... unless they are FORCED to.But again, that takes courage and a willingness to piss of the masses that want to just continue on our merry way thinking things can last like this.

Operators are standing by and waiting for your phone call.

Order now! As seen on TV, promoted by the legendary inventor, Ron Popeil, the new Mr. Fusion from the laboratory of the Honorable Dr. Emmitt Brown!

Get yours now and move back into the future where you can go where they don't need roads!