If you're not angry...

[Azure Kite]

If you were selling something, wouldn't you want to get as much as you could for your product? What would a fair price be? I say, the market itself determines the fair price of any object or commodity.

Yes, it will represent a significant change in my way of life if I can no longer afford gas. I’ll have to find another way to work, or a job closer to home, or a home closer to work where I could walk or ride a bike, or maybe a job working from home. Maybe we will see a rise in the all electric car? Maybe these changes won’t even be for the worse?

No. As long we are buying they are not charging too much.

You'd think that, wouldn't you? Its like your saying the oil companies are doing the right thing by raising the gas prices. No this isn't a matter of higher demand/lower demand changing the prices. I have a hunch if that was always the case with gas, the prices would be really different today. No, this is about the presidents and executives of the oil companies feeling the need to buy a bigger yacht, THATS what its about.

 

[bullados]

The problem is that the demand for gasoline at this point is infinite. Gasoline is quite simply the entire basis for our economy. Again, I challenge anybody here to find one single industry, product, or service that does NOT, in any way, shape, or form, rely upon gasoline or oil in order to function. It's not possible. Not today, at least.

This gasoline crisis is very similar to energy, transportation, and telephones over the last half century. For over 25 years, the United States economy relied on some combination of these three products or services. Thus, controls had to be put into place. None of these industries ever had the kind of control over the economy that oil has right now. Thus, whatever controls were put into place for those industries need to be done MANY times over for the oil industry. There is no way that Exxon-Mobil can report $40 billion profits if this were just a simple Supply and Demand problem. It isn't. Oil is the basis for our economy, and these prices are absolutely DESTROYING the economy. Therefore, the best way to control the economy is to control the Oil industry. I can't even believe that I'm stating a price cap at $3.00, given that not three years ago the price of a gallon of gas was $2.50, but that's what it's going to take for the big wigs in Washington to actually LISTEN to the pleas of the masses.

 

[DarthPika]

The problem is that the demand for gasoline at this point is infinite. Gasoline is quite simply the entire basis for our economy. Again, I challenge anybody here to find one single industry, product, or service that does NOT, in any way, shape, or form, rely upon gasoline or oil in order to function. It's not possible. Not today, at least.

This gasoline crisis is very similar to energy, transportation, and telephones over the last half century. For over 25 years, the United States economy relied on some combination of these three products or services. Thus, controls had to be put into place. None of these industries ever had the kind of control over the economy that oil has right now. Thus, whatever controls were put into place for those industries need to be done MANY times over for the oil industry. There is no way that Exxon-Mobil can report $40 billion profits if this were just a simple Supply and Demand problem. It isn't. Oil is the basis for our economy, and these prices are absolutely DESTROYING the economy. Therefore, the best way to control the economy is to control the Oil industry. I can't even believe that I'm stating a price cap at $3.00, given that not three years ago the price of a gallon of gas was $2.50, but that's what it's going to take for the big wigs in Washington to actually LISTEN to the pleas of the masses.

I agree 100%.

 

[V_For_Vendetta]

The problem is that the demand for gasoline at this point is infinite. Gasoline is quite simply the entire basis for our economy. Again, I challenge anybody here to find one single industry, product, or service that does NOT, in any way, shape, or form, rely upon gasoline or oil in order to function. It's not possible. Not today, at least.

Basketweavers on Bicycles do not require any form of Gasoline.

On a more serious note, you are right.

 

[Azure Kite]

I agree too, that was kind of what some of us have been pretty muchly saying in a nutshell. Well said.

 

[Articjedi]

Well, not like I'm going to read five pages of posts on this but, as long as I see lines at the gas stations I think to myself that they're obviously not charging too much for gas. When they start charging too much people will stop buying and the price will come down.

My own prediction is that the US economy will not stand for $5 a gallon. Once they break this price people will buy less and it will come back down to settle at around $4.50.

Am I angry about this? No. I'm not happy at having to give up other things for gas, but I'm not angry. This is a free market economy. Now, if the Government steps in and tries to "fix" things, then I'd be angry.

I said the same thing here http://www.socyberty.com/Economics/Pain-at-the-Pump-Why-are-Gas-Prices-So-High.113814 last month.

When we had the oil crisis about 30 years ago, people took much higher prices proportional to their income. The prices will stay high as long as people are paying, and a lot of people pay.

 

[drmario]

When we had the oil crisis about 30 years ago, people took much higher prices proportional to their income. The prices will stay high as long as people are paying, and a lot of people pay.

Can't you see that won't happen? It's already been said in this thread. Name something that doesn't require any gas at any time. Can't think of anything? You eat food. Guess how the food gets to the store? Guess how they harvest the food? Everything is oil driven right now. That's the way it is and it's going to take a long time to change it.

 

[Azure Kite]

Can't you see that won't happen? It's already been said in this thread. Name something that doesn't require any gas at any time. Can't think of anything? You eat food. Guess how the food gets to the store? Guess how they harvest the food? Everything is oil driven right now. That's the way it is and it's going to take a long time to change it.

Not necessarily a long time, if people suddenly one day decide to make a change. But thats so farfetched, as I've said before, its going to take something big.

 

[Articjedi]

What won't happen? That people had it worse 30 years ago? I'm pretty sure you replied to the wrong post, dude.

Well, there's one thing we can do, and it might lower prices. People, when they go out to buy new cars, probably aren't going to get another gas sucking SUV, they just might buy another honda or something. Since those cars don't use as much gas, the price would sink a bit. That's like a band-aid on an artery wound though.

 

[drmario]

What won't happen? That people had it worse 30 years ago? I'm pretty sure you replied to the wrong post, dude.

Well, there's one thing we can do, and it might lower prices. People, when they go out to buy new cars, probably aren't going to get another gas sucking SUV, they just might buy another honda or something. Since those cars don't use as much gas, the price would sink a bit. That's like a band-aid on an artery wound though.

No it was the right post. You said prices will stay high as long as people pay. I said people have to keep paying.

SUV sales have plummeted btw.

 

[Azure Kite]

Yeah, I quoted the right post.

 

[Articjedi]

Still don't see what's wrong with my post that makes you so negative dr mario.

 

[bullados]

Basketweavers on Bicycles do not require any form of Gasoline.

On a more serious note, you are right.

How do they get the straw for the baskets? Unless they're a local Amish chapter, it STILL requires some form of oil or gasoline for either the materials, processing, or distribution.

 

[drmario]

Still don't see what's wrong with my post that makes you so negative dr mario.

What was negative about it? It was realistic. We need oil. Everything uses it. It's going to take a long time for that too change.

 

[Azure Kite]

Not that negative is bad, in this day and age. Things are very negative. The war in Iraq? Starving children in Africa? Oh wait American Idol is going to save us with their "Idol Gives Back" program....Need I say it? The rising gas prices?

 

[drmario]

Not that negative is bad, in this day and age. Things are very negative. The war in Iraq? Starving children in Africa? Oh wait American Idol is going to save us with their "Idol Gives Back" program....Need I say it? The rising gas prices?

Well there have always been starving children. How about living in the 30's and 40's? Worldwide depression followed by the biggest war in history. What do you think that was like for people?

 

[Azure Kite]

You just helped my point more. Things have been negative for a LONG time.

 

[drmario]

You just helped my point more. Things have been negative for a LONG time.

Well things were positive in the 50's. Then of course we had Vietnam, Korea and the Cold War. I would say the 90's were positive but Bill Clinton was president....

 

[Azure Kite]

Thats not the point. Things have always in some way been negative, ever since the fall of man. If you believe that, that is. As you said, there has always been starving children.

 

[drmario]

Thats not the point. Things have always in some way been negative, ever since the fall of man. If you believe that, that is. As you said, there has always been starving children.

So why do we always have to look at the negative? Things in many ways are better now then they ever have been. Medicine is very advanced. We have far more than any other generation before us has had. When people say "the good old days" they really don't think about what their saying. Do you know how many people died during childbirth in the colonial period that today a simple C section would have kept them alive? I'm getting so tired of hearing how we are living in such a terrible world. The world is only as good as you want it to be. If everyone wants to focus on the negative then please do, but we would all be much happier if we actually focused on the positive things for once. I'm not saying we should ignore the problems we have, but why do we constantly have to complain about them? If you don't like the world, do something to make it better.