Gas prices

I believe that it was around $1.17 a litre when we in Vancouver in mid
April. I may be wrong there, but I remember that it was quite a bit more
than here in Ontario at that time. I think that it was about .93 here then.

"Dave C" > wrote in message
news:OK70i.169125$6m4.76034@pd7urf1no...
> Fred, out west in BC in the lower mainland we're hitting $1.26.9 per
> litre. I filled up my 2005 Vibe this morning in Mission at $1.21.9 per
> litre and my car took $50.00 CDN to fill up. I'm getting about 40 mpg in
> the car. It's now costing me almost the same to fill as my 88 Suburban
> did a few years ago.
>
> Dave C
>
> "Frank ess" > wrote in message
> ...
>> vintage wrote:
>>> I am not an expert on this subject, but I did see this chart of
>>> historic American gas prices adjusted for inflation.
>>> With a few exceptions, Canadian gas prices are also historically
>>> higher than American, basically because of our higher taxes at the
>>> pump. It was $1.05.5 / litre this morning and the Canadian dollar is
>>> pegged
>>> at .9048 American.
>>> The price/litre would then convert to 95.5¢ / litre American
>>> One American gallon = 3.7854 ltres
>>> Price in Canada of an American gallon in American dollars = .955 x
>>> 3.7854 = $3.61.5
>>
>> This numbers stuff makes my eyes do the Scrooge McDuck, irises spiralling
>> out of control.
>>
>> The figures on that chart are adjusted for inflation from where to the
>> displayed numbers?
>>
>> From http://www.westegg.com/inflation/infl.cgi
>>
>> "
>> What cost $.25 in 1955 would cost $1.75 in 2005.
>> Also, if you were to buy exactly the same products in 2005 and 1955,
>> they would cost you $.25 and $0.04 respectively.
>>
>> Do you want to do another calculation?
>>
>> "
>> Yes, I do.
>>
>> "What cost $1.00 in 1980 would cost $2.68 in 2006.
>> Also, if you were to buy exactly the same products in 2006 and 1980,
>> they would cost you $1.00 and $0.37 respectively.
>>
>> "
>>
>> Thank you.
>>
>>
>> When I was a young driver in Los Angeles and environs, 1953-56, we'd
>> consistently get four gallons for a buck, at an ordinary "service
>> station"; the self-serve and "nickle-off" places were 19.9 cents a
>> gallon.
>>
>> I also remember quaking when over the period of just a year or two it
>> went from a quarter to seventy-five cents, and being very depressed when
>> it went over a dollar. Seventies and early 80s, if I recall correctly.
>>
>> An early memory in L.A. was a "gas war" when it was 12 gallons for a
>> dollar. Down from the usual price of eight for a dollar. Mostly it was
>> twenty cents a gallon just post-WWII.
>>
>> That's what I remember. The only thing that makes my eyes go McDuck more
>> than numbers is research.
>>
>> --
>> Frank ess
>
>

Today, Mark E. Bye made these interesting comments ...

> '02 Jaguar X-Type. The manufacturer recommends premium grade
> fuel.

Not an inexpensive car, so I guess as the saying goes, if you have
to ask the price, you can't afford it. <grin> Incidentaly, I
noticed that in just ONE day from yesterday to today, regular gas
dropped from $3.15 to $3.08.

--
HP, aka Jerry

Today, tranch made these interesting comments ...

> In 1971 I can remember buying Sunoco's Premium 260 on Friday
> and Saturday night, race nights, to put into my 70 Charger R/T
> and it was an "exorbitant " price of .$50 a gallon. According
> to the inflation calculator it would be $2.51 in 2006. So how
> do we get to somewhere between $4.00 and $5.00? Corporate
> greed. yes it is the job of a corporation, or any business to
> make money. Their exorbitant profits, phony "shortages,"
> refinery problems, etc., etc., etc. are what people are fed up
> with. Why is it EVERY year, just about time the summer
> vacation season begins, there are gasoline shortages? Why is
> it EVERY year, at the beginning of the home heating season,
> there are fuel oil shortages? Why is it EVERY year we hear
> about not enough refineries, and NONE are being built?
>
> I, and I'm sure most everyone else, wouldn't mind paying a
> "fair" price for their gasoline, but when they see BILLIONS in
> profits, per quarter they do tend to get the feeling the oil
> companies ARE lying to us, ARE creating these "shortages" to
> drive up prices and ARE NOT building new refineries because it
> would cut into their profits. They KNOW they have a captive
> market. They KNOW we can not do with out our cars, trucks,
> trains, planes and any other mode of transportation that uses
> petroleum. I believe it's the "backward" country of Brazil
> that has automobiles powered solely by alcohol? Yet we can't
> build those here in the U.S.? Corporate greed filling the
> "election coffers" of our politicians keeps us from paying a
> fair price for our gasoline! Her in the U.S. it's "A
> Government of BIG business, FOR Big Business, BY BIG
> business."
> (Stepping down from the soap box)
>
There's more to this than just some believed big business
consiracy, hardly a proven thing. e.g. from when I started at
Chrysler as an entry level engineer to today (for those lucky
enough to get a job), salary went from $9700 in 1969 to $70-80K
today. And, with the normal progression through the standard
engineer grades for those who do well in their appraisals, they
can get to the top engineer grade in as little as 5 years with
most getting there in 7-8. Salary? Above $100K. Now, do the math,
that is a 10X increase in salary for someone with a B.S. degree
in engineering, in line with the approximate increase in price
for new cars, so why shouldn't gas that cost 35-50 cents in 1969
not cost $3.50-5.00 today? Instead, it is barely over $3 while
real mpg of the cars that burn it have more than tripped.

Again I say, if WE want lower gas prices, buy smaller vehicles
and drive the damand down. And, PLEASE do not politicize this NG
with claims that the government or big business are in cahoots
with each other to screw the American people.

--
HP, aka Jerry

Hi Pat,
Thanks for pointing out to the greenies, they have made our fuel more
expensive, plus their seventy cents tax a gallon doubly makes our fuel more
expensive than other states. Four buck will be a fair price this summer.
If the refineries don't perform their scheduled maintenance, then the
bells will go off and it's explode! Like driving your Daimler, the oil
change could happen to you before and during the summer months. I bet you'll
perform an extra maintenance to make sure your Krout car makes it.
God Bless America, Bill O|||||||O
http://www.billhughes.com/


"Padraig" > wrote in message
...
> Today it was announced that gasoline buyers in California should get used
to
> the idea that prices are headed toward the $4.00 + per gallon range
soon ---
> in fact in some places it's already here. I saw a shot of a price menu at
a
> gas station on the news this afternoon that showed premium at $4.149.
>
> I'll be taking a 2,200 mile road trip in the next few weeks so this is
lousy
> news but I know prices in other states are apt to be lower than in my home
> state of California for a couple of reasons. One is that California's
clean
> air regs require a different gas formulation than other states and it is
> supposedly more expensive for the refiner/retailer to comply here than it
is
> in other states.
>
> Factoid number two is that California places a higher than normal tax
burden
> on each gallon than other states, ostensibly to pay for other important
> transportation-related improvements or maintenance to state highway
systems
> and to pay for alternative transportation measures to relieve traffic and
> reduce emmisions but --- let's not kid ourselves --- most of the
additional
> revenue goes into California's General Fund and winds up getting spent on
> other "important" non-automotive, non transportation related budget items
by
> the scum politicians in the state.
>
> At any rate I expect a price drop in gas once I get outside California but
> in the long run we'd all better get used to the idea that we'll be paying
> European type prices soon.
>
> An ironic fact: There are 14 refineries in California, several of which
have
> been offline due to unexpected repair or maintenance issues recently, so
> supposedly there is a "shortage" of gasoline available at retailers which
of
> course fuels higher prices at the pump because demand exceeds supply. But
> weirdly enough --- a TV news reporter dug up the fact that gasoline sales
so
> far this year are 3% higher than the same time last year. So much for the
> "shortage". There's plenty of gas to go around in spite of the suspicious
> shortage the refiners hold up as an excuse for their higher prices.
Another
> issue is that if there truly IS a shortage (which apparently there in fact
> isn't) then the oil industry can be faulted for failing to foresee and
plan
> for maintenance of their refinery assets on a timely basis and avoid all
the
> "unexpected" or "emergency" repairs that supposedly impede an adequate
flow
> of product to the pump. So in effect the oil industry is ironically being
> rewarded with higher prices and profits because they failed miserably to
> maintain their assets and "misread" demand. Any other business making
those
> kind of mistakes would be punished by either a loss of profitability or
> being chased out of business. But the oil industry? They are encouraged
to
> do everything wrong because it increases their protitability.
>
> There is just something fundamentally wrong and fishy about all this. I
> even suspect that when unfortunate "accidents" such as refinery fires
occur,
> they may actually be staged events so that somebody can manipulate the
> friggin' "shortage" a little more.
>
> Anyway it's getting harder and harder to love automobiles anymore.
>
> Sorry for the rant.
> --
> Paddy's Pig
>
>



--
Posted via a free Usenet account from http://www.teranews.com

Just like the worth of your home, it's supply and demand.
God Bless America, Bill O|||||||O
http://www.billhughes.com/


"HEMI-Powered" > wrote in message
...
>
> Not an inexpensive car, so I guess as the saying goes, if you have
> to ask the price, you can't afford it. <grin> Incidentaly, I
> noticed that in just ONE day from yesterday to today, regular gas
> dropped from $3.15 to $3.08.
>
> --
> HP, aka Jerry



--
Posted via a free Usenet account from http://www.teranews.com

I heard stories that truck drivers not actually delivering to Colorado but
driving thru it to get somewhere else, will sometimes scoot up to Wyoming
and drive across I-80 to avoid paying Colorado's fuel taxes. that and the
more lax DOT inspections for that state.



"Padraig" > wrote in message
...
> Today it was announced that gasoline buyers in California should get used
> to the idea that prices are headed toward the $4.00 + per gallon range
> soon --- in fact in some places it's already here. I saw a shot of a
> price menu at a gas station on the news this afternoon that showed premium
> at $4.149.
>
> I'll be taking a 2,200 mile road trip in the next few weeks so this is
> lousy news but I know prices in other states are apt to be lower than in
> my home state of California for a couple of reasons. One is that
> California's clean air regs require a different gas formulation than other
> states and it is supposedly more expensive for the refiner/retailer to
> comply here than it is in other states.
>
> Factoid number two is that California places a higher than normal tax
> burden on each gallon than other states, ostensibly to pay for other
> important transportation-related improvements or maintenance to state
> highway systems and to pay for alternative transportation measures to
> relieve traffic and reduce emmisions but --- let's not kid ourselves ---
> most of the additional revenue goes into California's General Fund and
> winds up getting spent on other "important" non-automotive, non
> transportation related budget items by the scum politicians in the state.
>
> At any rate I expect a price drop in gas once I get outside California but
> in the long run we'd all better get used to the idea that we'll be paying
> European type prices soon.
>
> An ironic fact: There are 14 refineries in California, several of which
> have been offline due to unexpected repair or maintenance issues recently,
> so supposedly there is a "shortage" of gasoline available at retailers
> which of course fuels higher prices at the pump because demand exceeds
> supply. But weirdly enough --- a TV news reporter dug up the fact that
> gasoline sales so far this year are 3% higher than the same time last
> year. So much for the "shortage". There's plenty of gas to go around in
> spite of the suspicious shortage the refiners hold up as an excuse for
> their higher prices. Another issue is that if there truly IS a shortage
> (which apparently there in fact isn't) then the oil industry can be
> faulted for failing to foresee and plan for maintenance of their refinery
> assets on a timely basis and avoid all the "unexpected" or "emergency"
> repairs that supposedly impede an adequate flow of product to the pump.
> So in effect the oil industry is ironically being rewarded with higher
> prices and profits because they failed miserably to maintain their assets
> and "misread" demand. Any other business making those kind of mistakes
> would be punished by either a loss of profitability or being chased out of
> business. But the oil industry? They are encouraged to do everything
> wrong because it increases their protitability.
>
> There is just something fundamentally wrong and fishy about all this. I
> even suspect that when unfortunate "accidents" such as refinery fires
> occur, they may actually be staged events so that somebody can manipulate
> the friggin' "shortage" a little more.
>
> Anyway it's getting harder and harder to love automobiles anymore.
>
> Sorry for the rant.
> --
> Paddy's Pig
>

Same with Arizona, and very little in deliveries or pickups, a total
waste.
God Bless America, Bill O|||||||O
http://www.billhughes.com/


"rob" > wrote in message
...
> I heard stories that truck drivers not actually delivering to Colorado
but
> driving thru it to get somewhere else, will sometimes scoot up to Wyoming
> and drive across I-80 to avoid paying Colorado's fuel taxes. that and the
> more lax DOT inspections for that state.



--
Posted via a free Usenet account from http://www.teranews.com

An interesting statement from one who constantly criticizes the politics of
other countries.


"HEMI-Powered" > wrote in message
...
> Again I say, if WE want lower gas prices, buy smaller vehicles
> and drive the damand down. And, PLEASE do not politicize this NG
> with claims that the government or big business are in cahoots
> with each other to screw the American people.
>
> --
> HP, aka Jerry

"HEMI-Powered" > wrote in message
...
> Today, Blue Oval/Dan Edwards made these interesting comments ...
>
> >
> > "Padraig" > wrote in message
> > ...
> >> Today it was announced that gasoline buyers in California
> >> should get used to the idea that prices are headed toward the
> >> $4.00 + per gallon range soon --- in fact in some places
> >> it's already here. I saw a shot of a price menu at a gas
> >> station on the news this afternoon that showed premium at
> >> $4.149.
> >>
> >> I'll be taking a 2,200 mile road trip in the next few weeks
> >> so this is lousy news but I know prices in other states are
> >> apt to be lower than in my home state of California for a
> >> couple of reasons. One is that California's clean air regs
> >> require a different gas formulation than other states and it
> >> is supposedly more expensive for the refiner/retailer to
> >> comply here than it is in other states.
> >>
> >> Factoid number two is that California places a higher than
> >> normal tax burden on each gallon than other states,
> >> ostensibly to pay for other important transportation-related
> >> improvements or maintenance to state highway systems and to
> >> pay for alternative transportation measures to relieve
> >> traffic and reduce emmisions but --- let's not kid ourselves
> >> --- most of the additional revenue goes into California's
> >> General Fund and winds up getting spent on other "important"
> >> non-automotive, non transportation related budget items by
> >> the scum politicians in the state.
> >>
> >> At any rate I expect a price drop in gas once I get outside
> >> California but in the long run we'd all better get used to
> >> the idea that we'll be paying European type prices soon.
> >>
> >> An ironic fact: There are 14 refineries in California,
> >> several of which have been offline due to unexpected repair
> >> or maintenance issues recently, so supposedly there is a
> >> "shortage" of gasoline available at retailers which of course
> >> fuels higher prices at the pump because demand exceeds
> >> supply. But weirdly enough --- a TV news reporter dug up the
> >> fact that gasoline sales so far this year are 3% higher than
> >> the same time last year. So much for the "shortage".
> >> There's plenty of gas to go around in spite of the suspicious
> >> shortage the refiners hold up as an excuse for their higher
> >> prices. Another issue is that if there truly IS a shortage
> >> (which apparently there in fact isn't) then the oil industry
> >> can be faulted for failing to foresee and plan for
> >> maintenance of their refinery assets on a timely basis and
> >> avoid all the "unexpected" or "emergency" repairs that
> >> supposedly impede an adequate flow of product to the pump.
> >> So in effect the oil industry is ironically being rewarded
> >> with higher prices and profits because they failed miserably
> >> to maintain their assets and "misread" demand. Any other
> >> business making those kind of mistakes would be punished by
> >> either a loss of profitability or being chased out of
> >> business. But the oil industry? They are encouraged to do
> >> everything wrong because it increases their protitability.
> >>
> >> There is just something fundamentally wrong and fishy about
> >> all this. I even suspect that when unfortunate "accidents"
> >> such as refinery fires occur, they may actually be staged
> >> events so that somebody can manipulate the friggin'
> >> "shortage" a little more.
> >>
> >> Anyway it's getting harder and harder to love automobiles
> >> anymore.
> >>
> >> Sorry for the rant.
> >> --
> >> Paddy's Pig
> >
> > Exactly my sentiments on the subject.
> >
> If you simply followed the inflation line from the 1960s to now,
> gas should be in the range of $4.75-5.50. And, if you look at the
> progress in fuel efficiency of vehicles sold from when CAFE was
> enacted in 1975 to today, you would see that its goal was
> achieved, getting the fleet from about 11-13 mpg to 27.5 mpg. Of
> course, there was a loophole for trucks. Now, consider that in
> every year since 1975 except 2, total miles driven has steadily
> increased and the size/weight of vehicles has increased as people
> moved from smaller cars to trucks, SUVs, now bigger CUVs and
> performance cars like my Charger. But, more importantly, they
> moved farther out from the cities and close-in suburbs and thus
> farther from work and shoppping. So, say what you like about
> conspiracies of the oil companies or we went to war in Iraq for
> oil or whathave you. Just remember the primary tenet of
> microeconomics 101 - supply and demand.

Jerry, I understand the law of supply and demand. My question is, who is
controlling the supply and is it true what the oil companies are alledging?
I try with everything I've got to be positive but I am an untrusting soul
when it comes to major corporations and big money. Hell, I don't even trust
our government! (That's as political as I'm going to get!) <grin>
Aren't the oil refineries owned by each individual oil company ie. Shell,
Sun Oil Co., B.P., etc.? If so, how is it that all of them are having
refinery problems and shut downs simultaneously? My opinion is a
collaboration among all the oil companies to raise the prices. Yes, a
conspiracy theory. And yes, perhaps I'm being paranoid. Isn't it interesting
how all this came about, shutting down refineries as Simmer draws nearer and
families are going to want to go on vacation? Coincidence? Highly doubtfull.
Everyone is entitled to their opinion. What I have written above is mine.


You wants it, you pays
> for it. Everytime gas spikes 25 cents, there are new cries to
> force the car companies to build more fuel efficient cars and
> trucks, and more people suddently get religion and buy that
> hybrid they've been admiring. Then, when prices settle back,
> people forget all about being green and saving money, But,
> beware, once the big bear in Washlincoln D.C. enacts a
> replacement for CAFE it will become yet another of hundreds of
> laws impossible to ever repeal and will result in tens of
> thousands more lost American manufacturing jobs in all segments,
> not just the car industry. I'll leave you with this thought: My
> 1970 Dodge Challenger R/T 383 Magnum was about a MSRP $5,000 car.
> It had the usual toys for the day but not power windows or seats.
> Gas was going up and down as stations had what were called gas
> wars in those days but it was generally in the 25-45 cent range.

I was 16 in 1970 and I remember paying an average of 30 cents per gallon for
regular in Cincinnati, OH. A buck and a half got me 5 gallons of gas! I can
also remember gas wars and buying gas at 22 cents per gallon! The 45 cent
range didn't appear for me until 1975 when I was stationed at Davis-Monthan
AFB in Tucson, AZ. By the time I was separated from the Air Force in July
1976 did it reach into the 55 cents per gallon range.


> My 2007 Charger, granted with many more toys, stickered at just
> under $36K - a 7X increase! - yet gas right now is $3.05 here,

Gas (87 octane) here in Dayton, OH was $3.19 per gallon for a few days and I
paid $2.87 yesterday (Tuesday) at a Marathon station.


an
> increase of about 6X. If I go to the high side and say that gas
> is 50 cents, a 7X increase would be $3.50 but if I look at the
> CPI for those years, I would see that the price should be in the
> high $4 range. Need more be said?
>
> As to not loving cars anymore, there's little evidence of that.
> Remember when you first started driving? How many options did you
> car have?

Ah yes! My first car was a 1965 Ford Fairlane with a 170 cu. in. inline 6,
Cruise-O-Matic trans, power steering and brakes, AM radio, heater. That's
all. My Ranger has A/C, single CD player with AM/FM radio. No tilt, no
cruise, no power locks, windows or seats. I even have to stir up my own
gears! But, in between the Fairlane and the Ranger, I have had cars with all
the usual ammenities you mentioned.

Now, if you don't have PS, PB 4-wheel discs, auto
> trans, A/C, tinted glass, 6 disc MP3 CD player, power windows,
> power seats, leather, air bags all around, steel belted radial
> tires, electronics galore including compass & temp, running MPG,
> etc., perhaps a big engine, you don't even want the car. And, I'm
> not talking about an upscale car, I'm talking about a Honda Civic
> or Accord, a Saturn Aura, a Ford Fusion, a Chevy Malibu. Cars are
> far, far cleaner than when you started driving, and you now
> demand options only the upper crust bought on their Caddy,
> Lincoln, or Imp in those days. Somebody has to pay for this. One
> more thing to keep in mind: car companies whether domestic or
> foreign do NOT pay the freight on mandated safety, emissions, or
> CAFE upgrades, the BUYER pays. Little things add up, like low
> tire pressure sensors now mandatory and a new law pending in
> Congress to require power window switches so dumb mothers who
> leave kids in the car cars with the key on and the kid strangles
> in a window. Or, a new law being proposed to mandatorily show
> running mpg so the driver can evaluate their driving habits.
>
> Bottom line: if we want prices to go down - and remember folks,
> our prices even at today's levels are only 2/3 what Europeans pay

I know that we pay less for a gallon of gasoline than virtually anywhere
else in the world but, we are in America. To me, that's part of what being
an American is all about, part of what separates us from the rest of the
world.
Jerry, I'm not trying to "sell" you on my opinions because they're just
that. Opinions. Nor am I arguing with you on the subject. I only wish to
raise some questions and perhaps get you and others to "see" another point
of view. Not necessarily agree with it, just see it. I understand that you
were in upper levels of management during your tenure at Chrysler and may
have a "big business" frame of mind. Perhaps you will not allow yourself to
see another point of view and if so, that's cool. It doesn't change my
friendship with you or my admiration for you as to who you are and where
you've been.

-Dan-


> - then WE must alter our driving habits. WE must stop buying
> 7,000 vehicles and drive alone shopping, WE must stop buying
> unnecessarily large, powerful cars - and that include me - when a
> smaller, more fuel efficient vehicle will do, and WE must stop
> the rush to live in BFE doubling or tripling the distance
> traveled to work or shop. There is NO conspiracy in any of this
> save the collective stupidity of all of us buyers who want more
> and more and more yet balk at the price it costs. Last item: I
> was next to a Caddy Escalade SUV, the extended one like a Chevy
> Suburban, at the gas station and asked the owner how he like it.
> He said "it's a great vehicle, I just don't like paying $90 to
> fill it up!" Well, Duh! You buy this huge vehicle that probably
> cost $60K+, drive around town in it alone and you have the gall
> to complain about the gas price? Dummy, didn't you know that
> BEFORE you bought the truck?
>
> --
> HP, aka Jerry

Today, Blue Oval/Dan Edwards made these interesting comments ...

> Jerry, I understand the law of supply and demand. My question
> is, who is controlling the supply and is it true what the oil
> companies are alledging? I try with everything I've got to be
> positive but I am an untrusting soul when it comes to major
> corporations and big money. Hell, I don't even trust our
> government! (That's as political as I'm going to get!) <grin>
> Aren't the oil refineries owned by each individual oil company
> ie. Shell, Sun Oil Co., B.P., etc.? If so, how is it that all
> of them are having refinery problems and shut downs
> simultaneously? My opinion is a collaboration among all the
> oil companies to raise the prices. Yes, a conspiracy theory.
> And yes, perhaps I'm being paranoid. Isn't it interesting how
> all this came about, shutting down refineries as Simmer draws
> nearer and families are going to want to go on vacation?
> Coincidence? Highly doubtfull. Everyone is entitled to their
> opinion. What I have written above is mine.

We've had this discussion before, Dan. You are, of course,
entitled to your opinion as am I. I would ask that if you believe
in conspiracies that you cite some facts to support your beliefs.
Except for what people like to call "obscene profits", the goal
of all publicly owned companies, I have yet to see ANY proof of
wrong-doing at the big oil companies or within the government.
The Middle Eastern bloc is a big factor but I also see no
evidence of a conspiracy there to screw you. If you prefer to
live a life of distrust for authority, that too is your right.
But, if you want to put forth your theories here, please provide
more than your feelings. e.g. show even a shred of proof that
there is collaboration among the oil companies.
>
> I was 16 in 1970 and I remember paying an average of 30 cents
> per gallon for regular in Cincinnati, OH. A buck and a half
> got me 5 gallons of gas! I can also remember gas wars and
> buying gas at 22 cents per gallon! The 45 cent range didn't
> appear for me until 1975 when I was stationed at Davis-Monthan
> AFB in Tucson, AZ. By the time I was separated from the Air
> Force in July 1976 did it reach into the 55 cents per gallon
> range.
>
> Gas (87 octane) here in Dayton, OH was $3.19 per gallon for a
> few days and I paid $2.87 yesterday (Tuesday) at a Marathon
> station.
>
> Ah yes! My first car was a 1965 Ford Fairlane with a 170 cu.
> in. inline 6, Cruise-O-Matic trans, power steering and brakes,
> AM radio, heater. That's all. My Ranger has A/C, single CD
> player with AM/FM radio. No tilt, no cruise, no power locks,
> windows or seats. I even have to stir up my own gears! But, in
> between the Fairlane and the Ranger, I have had cars with all
> the usual ammenities you mentioned.
>
> I know that we pay less for a gallon of gasoline than
> virtually anywhere else in the world but, we are in America.
> To me, that's part of what being an American is all about,
> part of what separates us from the rest of the world.
> Jerry, I'm not trying to "sell" you on my opinions because
> they're just that. Opinions. Nor am I arguing with you on the
> subject. I only wish to raise some questions and perhaps get
> you and others to "see" another point of view. Not necessarily
> agree with it, just see it. I understand that you were in
> upper levels of management during your tenure at Chrysler and
> may have a "big business" frame of mind. Perhaps you will not
> allow yourself to see another point of view and if so, that's
> cool. It doesn't change my friendship with you or my
> admiration for you as to who you are and where you've been.
>
The reason our gas is cheaper is that the other countries tax the
hell outta theirs in order to use the stick method of getting
people to drive more fuel efficient cars. Fine. My position at
Chrysler has nothing at all to do with my opinion about gas
prices. Again, I will politely ask you or anyone in this thread
to prove their assertions that Big Brother is in some way
conspiring to screw them. And, wrt inflation, I gave several
examples yesterday that show that gas today is cheap, not
expensive. I cited the CPI and the steady rise of the price of
equivalently equipped new cars and the starting salaries of
engineers. All are in the 7X-10X range since I started working in
1969. That points to gas being in the $4-5 range. Now, had we
done more to clean up after Katrina the refineries would've come
back on line faster. And, if we left things alone in the Middle
East, the supplies would keep being disrupted.

One more time: gas prices are trending upward in 2007 the same as
they did in 2006, 2005, ... 1990 ... 1980 ... 1970 ... 1960
because average miles driven per year have been steadily trending
up, nearly linearly with the price of gas in the U.S. Couple that
with changes mandated for air pollution control and you have a
recipe for demand-driven price increases. Finally, as I have
pointed out, people are buying ever larger vehicles and moving
ever farther from work and using up the extra efficiency
engineered in modern vehicles. So, if ya wants to buy a big truck
or a powerful sports sedan, and ya wants to drive 50 miles to
work from your house in BFE, fine. Just don't complain about the
gas. And, please keep in mind that gas right this minute is about
the same as it was 18 months ago, the last time we had scare.
>
Dan, I really would suggest that you form your opinions based
more on facts that you've researched as to how and why crude oil
prices on the futures markets fluctuate, how much more crude oil
is imported each year, the specific trend to larger, more
powerful vehicles being driven more miles, and THEN tell me about
your distrust of big oil and your conspiracy theories that
they're out to get you. I deal in facts, not trust vs distrust,
so please back up you claims. I have tried to do that with my
asssertions.

--
HP, aka Jerry