Get ready for $4.00 a gallon gas prices in the US.

[atlantabiolab]

My father made a pretty good point several years ago suggesting OPEC cuts production when the US and its allies endorse or enforce policy detrimental to Muslim Arabs and Palestinians. They're just getting us back.

We invade Iraq so they crank up oil prices.

Of course there’s a lot more to it. But the principle idea is that OPEC's production quotas are often arrived at using more than just "official" demand/supply forecast analysis. They're paying us back for the unwanted influence the US is projecting, and planning to project in the region.


The real question is, why isn't Bush doing something about it? Bush should be leaning on key member OPEC states to crank up production. Not only would this give a big push to the faltering economic recovery, but boost his reelection chances in the process. IMO, Bushs inaction represents more of a perpetual gratuity care of John Q. Public to his backers in big oil, than a earnest inability to do anything about it.

Bush could do inact certain measures that would assist with this problem, such as reduce or eliminate certain Federal taxes which constitute a significant percent of the cost of gas. State officials are also complicit with regulations which ensure higher than needed prices:

http://www.cato.org/pubs/regulation/regv23n3/brannon.pdf

 

[hanselthecaretaker]

As I watch those Monster SUV's fly down the road at maybe 10 MPG, I see that we
have brought this on ourselves partly..

I see used SUV's becoming a buyers market in the next couple years..

You know that all the compact cars in the world are using more gas than all the suvs in the world, because there are more of them? And no, the excuse that "if there were as many suvs as compact cars there would be even more pollution", isn't viable. There would be a better chance of it raining every day of the year before that would happen. I don't understand why everyone blames suvs. What about big trucks, sports cars, delivery trucks, etc? They use even more gas. My jeep gets close to 20 mpg highway.

 

[Razorguns]

I don't understand why we just don't all send a check to Saudi Arabia every month, and bypass the middle man? Kinda like a monthly Arab tax for US Citizens?

 

[buddy28]

Bush could do inact certain measures that would assist with this problem, such as reduce or eliminate certain Federal taxes which constitute a significant percent of the cost of gas. State officials are also complicit with regulations which ensure higher than needed prices:

http://www.cato.org/pubs/regulation/regv23n3/brannon.pdf

Good point. Could it be also a case of Government unwillingness to relinquish a coveted revenue source? Of course.

 

[bluepeter]

dude that is pretty good I have to give you props for that...quite environmentally conscious... you could really lose the high and mighty attitude tho, it might make people more receptive to your arguments...


trying to stay on specific target to you topic....

If the technology that exists was so much better than we have- I find it hard to believe that it could not surface SOMEWHERE..... especially now when people are freaking out... they could make a gold mine...

If you come up with some kind of incentive program, people will take advantage of it to buy cheap cars, not to use them... Arizona tried to give incentives for people who bought alternative fuel cars - it turned into one of the biggest fiascos ever and almost bankrupted the state (not that AZ is run by anyone with any intellegence) funny cause it was almost all businesses that used it, not consumers....

and where should the money for this financing come from?

Bro, I"m going back and reading our various posts and I don't even think we necessarily disagree! In a nutshell, all I'm saying is that I would like to see more government funding towards a cleaner solution (fuel cell technology or whatever), I'm not saying that all these huge SUV's should be legislated out or anything, just that they aren't necessary and I don't see why people drive them. I don't think you would disagree with that.

Bioboy, I am not 'imposing' my ideals on anyone. I am offering my opinion on the matter and responded to a comment by someone else that made the misguided statement that I should put my money where my mouth is. I am not an environmentalist zealot who thinks that everyone must do what I do, go ahead and live your life how you want. I am doing my 'part' as an individual and using what little means I have to prod my government into adopting some cleaner, more efficient technologies for the collective whole. This offends you how?

 

[XBiker]

I wouldnt suggest limiting your freedom to spend your money as you choose. However I'm exercising my right to raise hell about them.

I constantly find myself in traffic and I'm the only person who's actually...GASP!....in a car. Boxed in on all sides by giant four door trucks and SUVs. I might have to look 2-3 vechicles ahead of myself to find the next nearest car. Oh and for those who've never lived in Atl, you should know that all the new people who've moved here over the past 10 years or so think the speed limits are 80mph and above. Combine this with the locomotives they ALL insist on driving now and it scares the shit out of me to share the roads with them.

Massive tires means a lot of rubber. Rubber burns off tires in powder like form and gets deposited on the sides of our roads in hundred of tons worth polluting our soil. Big engines means more emissions. Smog in Atl has become a huge problem and is actually accelerating despite tightening emission controls. Too many single occupant vehicles combined with the proliferation of huge SUVS and trucks getting an average of 16-18 fricking miles to the gallon.

I gotta huge black jack oak in my front yard.

It needs a hug, bad.

Come right on over.

 

[FreeballinDC]

Lord I hope not. I usually pass gas around 4:30 Am most of the time.

Don't we all.

 

[MattTheSkywalker]

I don't understand why we just don't all send a check to Saudi Arabia every month, and bypass the middle man? Kinda like a monthly Arab tax for US Citizens?

That is the best post you have made EVER.

Much of our oil comes from other sources however.

 

[atlantabiolab]

Bioboy, I am not 'imposing' my ideals on anyone.

But you are when you do the following:

I am doing my 'part' as an individual and using what little means I have to prod my government into adopting some cleaner, more efficient technologies for the collective whole.

This offends you how?

It offends me in that you "think" you are not imposing your ideals on others, when in actuality your "prodding" of government to create new environmental legislation does this very thing. Government legislation IMPOSES standards on human action and this can have good and bad effects. In your drive to get Kyoto enacted, you failed to think of the consequences of this treaty on the daily cost of living; instead you focused only on the idea of a "clean environment".

 

[MattTheSkywalker]

government into adopting some cleaner, more efficient technologies for the collective whole. This offends you how?

As soon as you say 'for the collective whole' you are imposing!

The collective whole has no rights, individuals have rights and the collective whole is merely individuals who all have rights.

Acting 'for the whole' means you are superseding individual rights BY DEFINITION.

Take your socialism and love for the whole elsewhere.