Why not? As far as I’m concerned, it would help to even out the real cost of the US dependence on the automobile – which extends far beyond paying at the pump. Our love affair with the car has caused inumerable problems with land use, property taxes, environmental problems, etc. etc.
Bring it on, I say! $5.00 or so might begin to be reasonable.
A NYT article says that most people are just shrugging off the price:
“… the more common response, expressed in dozens of interviews around the nation this week, owed much more to Rodney Dangerfield - an eye-rolling shrug of what-can-you-do resignation.”
When you speak of $3 gasoline you speak of the nominal price. A better perspective may be gained by looking at the price in real terms:
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/08/13/national/13gas.html?pagewanted=all
The $2.41/gal price as of Friday is only in the middle of the historical range. The recent 15 years of very low prices are an aberration and prices are returning to the historical average.
In answer to the question, some of us are hardly affected at all. I don’t own a car, use the subway (train) or bus instead, or on the rare occasions when I must, I rent. Obviously, I know I’m affected indirectly, however.
I would also add that higher gas prices are
…That wouldn’t sound very reasonable to the many folks that depend on the auto for transportation to and from work just to survive without even counting any reacreation for the family.
Quite so, but the OP asks only for comment about our personal opinions and situations.
…eastside…Just a bit of misunderstanding…I was responding to the post before yours.
Recreational? I dont have too much. Occasionally a hobby shop or two a month and sunday morning services. Everything else is here at the house (Satellite, Internet and Library DVD movie list that does not cost anything to rent)
That is why I share the attitude of “BRING IT ON” to gas prices. We will simply deal with it.
I haven’t read all the posts so maybe this has already been mentioned. My own opinion is that gas prices are high now so that if/when it comes down to $2.25 or so it will seem like a bargain.
I travel about 150-160 miles to work and I fill up daily. Last year at this time gas was $1.75. And within the last 4 or 5 years I can recall it being .99 cents. The other day when I left for work, gas was $2.35. By the time I came home it was $2.45.
As of today, I’ve seen it for $2.49 - $2.51 in my town. I don’t expect to see prices hit $3.00 around these parts (western PA), at least not in the foreseeable future. The price hasn’t kept most people from driving so who knows for sure what will happen. Hopefully I’m not proven wrong.
Brian
…Everyone is entitled to their opinon…Personally, I won’t be challanging the oil Co’s to bring it on because without even encouraging that, they are…And I don’t need to spend the money to drive to work being retired…but plenty do have to. I have lived through the mini prices too…Family had an Esso Station for 45 years and originally saw advertising for "6 gal. for $1.00…!
…Brian, I paid 2.49 at that gas station there at the Somerset Turnpike interchance this past Tuesday morning as we entered to head west…And today here in Muncie I’ve seen it at 2.559. If nothing changes {from the way it’s going now}, I don’t see it too much of a stretch to reach 3.00…
Current price in San Francisco
I’m getting a new chain for my bicycle
I suspec that there will start to be signs of searches for options. Increased ridership on public transportation, greater sales share for more fuel efficient vehicles, car pooling or not driving as far from home or just staying home.
Those options aren’t possible for everybody, but unless one has money to burn, I’ll bet everybody is taking a look, or soon will when the bill from the gas credit card arrives. It is probably one thing when the price sneaks up ten percent over a little time. At best most will think that a little reduction in driving will handle that and the budget hit goes almost unnoticed. Pop a 50% increase on anything and you will get some attention.
Jay
Today’s just went up to an all time high of ,E10…$2.49. Regular…$2.59. Diesel…Same. Allan.
Ouch. Here it’s $2.459, $2.559, and $2.659. That’s Regular, Plus, and Premium. Oh, and it’s 3 cents cheaper for Regular, 5 for Plus, and 7 for Premium at the place that adds up to 10% ethanol to their gasoline. One place is selling it much cheaper than that, but they have a tendency to have crappy gas and they seem to never update their price board.
uspscsx
It is simplistic to blame greedy companies. It is the markets that are driving up the price, and only then due to speculative buying.
It is true that in Canada the price of gas is largely due to taxes. How else can a government in power promise all things to all people? But our prices are rising, too, and since the rate of taxation is fixed, the revenue to the government is rising proportionally, and who in government would not want to have that revenue to offer inducements to re-elect them come the time?
Your prices are a reflection of demand/production, Economics 101. If you , as a nation, decide that it is getting too expensive, you have a history of doing what needs to be done…this time, it might be a whole rationalization of your energy use and infrastructure. What better time to get off the foreign oil tit, and become self-reliant?
…No I don’t buy the alledged fact our rising pricing is JUST a reflection of demand / production…Gas prices have risen and fallen here at times fast enough to make one’s head spin…and in so doing 10 miles from us it was as much as 20 cents different in price…What I do agree with your suggestion is: It’s time to put the massive program on to decide once and for all we can do it a different way and eventually let the Arab nations do what they care to with what they pump out of the ground…And hopefully we would be able to say…Chuck it, we don’t need it.
I would love to say “Chunk the oil… we dont need it…” but the truth is rooted deep into our lifestyle based on one american with one or more cars.
I recall a study done long time ago to place rails into the interstate roadbed and have heavy trucks float above them drawing power for traction motors similar to slot cars. I suppose for a variety of reasons this did not work too well. This study was done to see about reducing the load on a desiel going up a mountain grade.
I have a feeling there are alot of very smart people working very hard and we may yet be able to wrench this nation out of the tar pit and reduce our need for oil someday.
…I just did a run over to the east in the past week and there aren’t too many trucks having trouble on mountain grades on interstates anymore…In fact it’s almost an unbelievable site to have a truck climbing a 5% grade alongside of your auto doing 70 mph…But I know that take horsepower to accompli***hat, hence a bunch of fuel oil…I don’t know what our brilliant minds might be able to come up with for an alternative sourse but I sure hope we get to seriously working on the problem. As we can easy see we’re pretty much at the mercy of all kinds of forces now…And for even our national security, that’s really not acceptable.
Today up here in BC I paid $ 4.60 a gallon CND $$$
Works out to $ 3.83 usd.
Cost me $ 140 to fill up ( yes big SUV )
We make the stuff up here and you can buy it cheaper than us.
…But aren’t our tax structures as different as apples and oranges…affecting pricing somewhat.
I forget what our rate is (both federal and provincial), but it is something like 70 cents on the dollar. So, if the true cost of the gas rises by 10 cents a liter, the government stands to clear 7 cents! Whoa! Why intervene?