Gasoline Prices - Writers Forum

JosephB · 04-29-2008, 08:18 AM

Should the government intervene with price freezes or a tax holiday? What do you think the real reasons are for high oil prices? What do our petrol using friends think?

Not a very sexy thread, but what the heck.

smilinghelps · 04-29-2008, 08:28 AM

I don't know what they should do, however I heard on the radio that West Virginia is considering making a 4 day work week--10 hours per day and requiring three days off to combat the gas crunch.

I'm voting for a 3 day work week--13.3 hours per day and a 4 day weekend.

Non Serviam · 04-29-2008, 08:34 AM

Your petrol-using friends think when you're paying a third of the price per gallon that we are, you don't have much to complain about.

JosephB · 04-29-2008, 08:54 AM

I certainly agree with that. My sister lives in Italy and she says the same thing. I would say that most Americans have to drive a lot more. Poor public transportation is often the reason, but we only have ourselves to blame for that.

I'll add that my wife often takes the train, and after years of riding on empty cars, she's having to stand more often.

Erdhexe · 04-29-2008, 09:01 AM

And Italy is even cheaper than in many other European countries.

There are countries who put, additionally to the gasoline price, so much tax on it, that it's not even funny anymore. Some of it because of the environment.

Claudia

JosephB · 04-29-2008, 09:07 AM

We pay around 20% tax. Theoretically, much of this is supposed go toward infrastructure.

I don't think there should be any additional taxes on gasoline above normal sales tax. There are plenty of ways we could cut spending and apply the money to infrastructure. Of course, that will never happen.

seigfried007 · 04-29-2008, 09:54 AM

One of the other major reasons for the hike is ethanol, which drives up food prices as well (beef, chicken, eggs, all corn products and now many products that use sugar cane and other grains). Ethanol is mandated to be in gas by the gov't even though cars get less per gallon on it.

I think it's silly to mandate that cars get a higher gas mileage rating on fuel that is getting progressively worse... but this is the gov't we're talking about.

omginternetlord · 04-29-2008, 10:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Non Serviam

Your petrol-using friends think when you're paying a third of the price per gallon that we are, you don't have much to complain about.

I don't really like being "that guy" who lets all the US dudes know how little they pay in comparison, but this is really the only thing I can think of when I see this thread.

JosephB · 04-29-2008, 10:35 AM

That's fine. If folks in the UK or elsewhere don't have anything to add -- whatever. It is an issue here and it effects our economy. In many areas of the country, we probably have to drive 3 times as much as you all do. It's also an issue in the upcoming election.

I just wanted some varying opinions. Also, I thought it just might be the case that your prices are rising commensurately.

Non Serviam · 04-29-2008, 10:54 AM

You certainly drive three times the distance.

Britain has a population (and GDP) about twice that of California, in an area smaller than New Zealand, using a road network that grew up to transport horses and carts in the dark ages. It's worst right here, near London, which is a city with a population larger than Scotland--the population of London is about the same as that of Berlin, Paris and Rome all put together. Most people here drive to work in traffic jams literally bumper to bumper for ten or twenty miles, and a twenty-mile commute can quite often take over an hour.

Of every pound we spend on petrol, more than fifty pence is tax, which is one of the reasons why Britain emits less than half the carbon per head of the population than the US.

Since I'm in favour of the US cutting its carbon emissions, I feel Bush should increase the fuel duties until US citizens pay half the price we do at the pump.

seigfried007 · 04-29-2008, 11:13 AM

As Joe mentioned, public transport is definitely an issue here. It's not available everywhere and sometimes, it's downright not safe to use. Depending on where you need to go, it's also expensive and impractical--especially when compared to carpooling.

Another big factor here may be where else the paycheck goes. How much of what you make goes to gas, groceries, fun, taxes, electricity, mortgage, phone, interenet, other assorted bills, auto/life/dental insurance? How much can you buy with your take-home pay?

When I was living in Moneterey CA, we made about $600/month. Rent and health insurance were taken out of his check already. $300/ bi-monthly. $120 of each pacheck went to pay off the car. $120 went to gas. We got to feed a family of three off of what was left in the most expensive city in America. Unfortunately, that meant a lot of driving to less expensive places like Salinas (which has the smallest, dirtiest, most-cramped Wal-Mart in the history of Wal-Marts--however, it also has the only Wal-Mart within a radius of greater than fifty miles). Public transportation wasn't an option because it was A) expensive and B) my husband's place of employment had very odd hours an the buses stopped running often before he could get out and didn't run early enough to get him to work.

seigfried007 · 04-29-2008, 11:22 AM

Umm, bumper-to-bumper exists here too, Non. Hate to break it to you, but 8AM and 5:30PM will guarantee bumper-to-bumper for even longer distances here in the states. Try Friday nights in any vaguely metropolitan area.

I kid you not, in Monterey, it would take me two hours to travel seven-minute stretch of freeway on Highway 1. Monterey isn't nearly as big as London either.

It took me about three hours on a Friday night to travel less than twenty miles through Indianapolis--bumper to bumper that whole stinking time--never more than 20mph for a second before the people in front of me would inevitably have to flash the brake lights and we'd be stuck for another five-minute stretch singing along with the radio and watching that Porche drive on the shoulder--all the way from Lawrence to Greenwood. Happened every weekend.

JosephB · 04-29-2008, 11:35 AM

Distance isn't the only issue by any means. We do have a few large urban areas: New York, Boston, Atlanta, Philadelphia , LA...

Quote:

Most people here drive to work in traffic jams literally bumper to bumper for ten or twenty miles, and a twenty-mile commute can quite often take over an hour.

I can can say the exact same thing about Atlanta. Just add some distance to that. I do get your point however.

Quote:

Bush should increase the fuel duties until US citizens pay half the price we do at the pump.

Bush can't do anything.

As you might guess, anything that increases gasoline prices isn't going to happen. It's easier to pander and blame the oil companies for high prices and score points with voters, which is exactly what the Democrats are doing. They appeal to the people who don't know the difference between profit and profit margin. No, I'm not a Republican.

I'm not arguing with you anyway. I have a pretty good idea what's happening here, and no idea what the issues are in GB.

Non Serviam · 04-29-2008, 11:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by seigfried007

Umm, bumper-to-bumper exists here too, Non. Hate to break it to you, but 8AM and 5:30PM will guarantee bumper-to-bumper for even longer distances here in the states. Try Friday nights in any vaguely metropolitan area.

I'm not surprised, given how cheap your fuel is. I'll bet you have traffic jams with one person per two litre automatic gas-guzzler.

If you were paying ten dollars a gallon like we do, you wouldn't experience anything like that, because the US has so much lower population density.

PageOfCups · 04-29-2008, 11:44 AM

Usually I'd say I'm so glad I don't drive (it scares the crap out of me), but an increase in fuel prices put petty much everything else up in price as well because of the transportation issues. Though that wouldn't be any where near as bad if things weren't transported needlessly long distances from one warehouse to another miles away only to be brought to a shop less than ten miles from where it was originally grown/produced any way. Ineffiecency has probably increased the fuel bills of companies more than rising prices.