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Americans Angry with Obama over High Gas Prices

http://news.yahoo.com/poll-most-americans-disapprove-obama-gas-pric...

In other news . . . gas prices are up.

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Permalink Reply by Mike Zumwalt on March 28, 2012 at 1:01pm
I ride a bike.
Permalink Reply by Michelle Loomis on March 28, 2012 at 2:39pm

Ugh. I work in Indiana. I wouldn't mind riding the 19 mile commute if I weren't so concerned about being taken out by a semi. Until then I will just bend over and take it from the gas pump....

Permalink Reply by Kevin C Dormant on March 28, 2012 at 3:07pm

At least you get to buy gas in Indiana...

Michelle Loomis said:

Ugh. I work in Indiana. I wouldn't mind riding the 19 mile commute if I weren't so concerned about being taken out by a semi. Until then I will just bend over and take it from the gas pump....

Permalink Reply by Duppie on March 28, 2012 at 4:13pm

What is this "Europe" you speak of? Last time I checked there were 30+ autonomous countries, each with their own gas tax policy and therefore, varying prices.

Chris C said:

Europe hit the equivalent of $10/gal last Monday.  I have no doubt that Obama will get blamed for that also.

 

I patiently await the extra-spicy wingnuts that will blame it on homosexuality.

 

Permalink Reply by Duppie on March 28, 2012 at 6:57pm

Interesting link, but somehow I don't think their numbers are right.

Here is a list of gas prices in Europe and all over the world. Note that it is in Euro/liter, and that $10/gallon equates to 1.99 Euro/liter. Only 2 out of 50 countries list (not all of them are European) top 1.99 Euro/liter.

http://www.brandstofprijzen.info/brandstofprijzen-europa.php?sort=3

You can see that there is quite a variance among gas prices in Europe



Chris C said:

You are correct sir.  I apologize for using out-dated geopolitcal terminology in this modern era. 

 

The price quoted was an average among 27 EU countries. I guess it's the author's way of comparing apples to apples i.e. the EU average to the US national average.

 

The article gives a breakout by country. Clicky

  

Duppie said:

What is this "Europe" you speak of? Last time I checked there were 30+ autonomous countries, each with their own gas tax policy and therefore, varying prices.

Chris C said:

Europe hit the equivalent of $10/gal last Monday.  I have no doubt that Obama will get blamed for that also.

 

I patiently await the extra-spicy wingnuts that will blame it on homosexuality.

 

Permalink Reply by Zoetrope on March 28, 2012 at 9:22pm

You're not gonna believe this, but I just took a screen cap of the news from my tv and now I'm posting it here.  It looks like Obama has finally beaten gas prices into submission, and they're now at the lowest point since the movie Die Hard in 1988.  

...

Permalink Reply by NickMosca on March 28, 2012 at 11:46pm

What it comes down to is an increasing demand for oil, an increasing frustration/hatred of America by oil producing countries and a decrease in supply (whether or not you believe we will run out soon, the thought is in everybody's mind and that alone will drive the prices up). Until the rest of the world (some countries got the memo already ie. northern Europe) realizes that a dependence on oil will destroy our global economy, gas prices will only increase and no president has any realistic control over it.

 

Permalink Reply by Mike Zumwalt on March 29, 2012 at 12:55am
!!!
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Permalink Reply by Craig S. on March 29, 2012 at 8:47am

Allow me a slight correction, Gabe.  Humans = Shockingly F3cking Stupid.

I've been through this argument with my crazy rightwing friends and family in Nebraska.  For any president to get involved with regulating a commodity traded on the world market is completely antithetical to their ignorant desires of "free and open markets (insert that bat sh8t crazy, Michelle Bachman's voice here)" and this just does compute in their little FOX News addled brains.

For anyone to blame the current president for high gas prices would mean they would have needed to blame that treasonous coot Reagan and Bushie's 41 and 43 for high gas prices when those spiked during their administrations.  This does not compute for them. Yep, I do openly blaspheme every chance I get.

Also, as a commodity traded on the futures market, those that will say any presidential administration has the ability to manipulate it are ignoring the fact that brokerage firms through futures speculation have a larger affect on prices than presidents do.  It's estimated that Goldman Sachs is involved in 80% of the oil futures market.  Has a firm like Goldman ever held the interests of the public at large in high regard?

There's a trading practice known as "contango" which also drives prices.  Organizations like Koch Industries are known to purchase oil and have it sit off shore in an effort to drive futures prices up.  It usually works.

As a commodity, prices are also subject to the emotional irrationalities of people.  People who listen to the constant war mongering of FOX and John Bolten for example, for war with Iran, are going to speculate on higher oil futures prices.  It's amazing how this happens.

Let's also not forget that threat by John Gerard, the president of the American Petroleum Institute, that President Obama would face "serious political consequences" for the shelving of the Keystone XL pipeline, which, would benefit the Canadian corporation that owns it and really no one else.  With all that petroleum industry money, much of which comes from you and I in the form of petroluem industry tax breaks and rebates,  and the limp-mindedness of the American folk, that's a threat that fairly easy to carry through with.

Even with all this, right now, the largest export of the United States is gasoline.  There is a lot more domestic oil production, something that is quite disingenuous of the current admin when they crow about how much production is going on and they don't give credit to the previous admins.

I'm old enough to remember the Arab oil embargo of 1973/1974 and I'm continually amazed at the f3cking ignorance of the American people who want to remain on the teat of petroleum.  Energy independence for this nation should be of the highest of national security concerns and that cannot be reached by petroleum alone.  People are f3cktardedly stupid.


Gabe said:

Humans = Stupid. Human News = REALLY Stupid. ;-) A friend posted a pic of a gas station on Monday that was almost at 5 bux a gallon for something or other. I replied "Buy a bike." Very next reply was "Blame Obama! Oh and All you idiots that voted for him..." It went on. Humanity is failing. WEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE :-)

Permalink Reply by Vilda on March 29, 2012 at 9:01am

Brilliant :-)

Permalink Reply by Lanterne Rouge on March 29, 2012 at 12:52pm

Ah, love the snarky little remark at the end, regarding the equivalent of $10/gallon in some Eurozone countries.

 

It's been said a thousand times before - it's different when most of those ENTIRE counties are the size of one of our states. Like how Italy is about the same size as WI and IL combined.  Anyways, I digress.

carfreecommuter said:

BBC's view on American Oil Prices

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-17541163

Permalink Reply by Lanterne Rouge on March 29, 2012 at 2:13pm

That's exactly what I'm trying to get at, Jeff. Travel within the country is a lot quicker and closer within the EU. The equivalent of driving from Chicago to Los Angeles would be Portugal to Russia. That's crazy.

 

I agree that the infrastructure here is vastly different. What a difference half a century (in some cases) makes.

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