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Greencastle, Indiana ~ Saturday, October 11, 2008
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Ripped off at the pump
Posted Thursday, April 24, 2008, at 12:22 AM<< Previous | Read comments | Respond | Email link | Next >>
OK folks. What are we going to do about the skyrocketing gasoline prices? I am so sick of being ripped off every time I go to fill up my car.
You know what else I'm sick of? No one at the Statehouse or Washington, D.C. seems to be doing anything about it. This is an election year: Why isn't this an issue for our three candidates for president? When the national average jumps by five cents every week and oil prices climb by dollars a day, IT'S TIME FOR OUR WONDERFUL LEADERS TO DO SOMETHING! Or is the problem just so huge that they don't know where to begin? I've got an idea: launch a REAL investigation and start prosecuting these guys for gouging us at the pump. I don't care what the gas station owners tell us. I don't think they need to sell soda pop and crackers inside the gas station to make money. They're making plenty of it by charging us $3.65 for a single gallon of gas. If it's true that they're paying more for the gas from the gas companies, then how much extra are they tacking on the per gallon price to ensure they turn over a profit? Don't tell me they're taking it on the chin to help us out. I seriously don't know how a majority of the nation's working population is going to make it if prices at the gas station, grocery store and everywhere else continue to rise. But what can we do? We've got to go to work and you're taking your life in your hands if you ride your bike anywhere. When Hurricane Katrina hit and gas rose to $3.50 a gallon, remember how we all thought it was the end of the world? Who would have thought three years later, we'd be above and beyond that? When are the prices going to stop rising?
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It is an election year and the thing to do in an election year is get involved.
Choose an issue that concerns you , be it gas price , health care, the economy, the war, etc...Find out where the candidates stand and then choose.
This is no time for apathy, your voice and your vote count.
Don't just complain about the problem, become part of the solution.
I agree. Maybe now we won't have to worry about running out of oil because none of us will be able to afford it anyway!
Well the recent jump in the price of a barrel of oil has nothing to do with the supply versus demand. It won't matter if oil production is increased. The driving influence in the market is the devaluation of the dollar against other world currencies. Oil producing countries have to charge more for their product if they continue to accept American dollars for payment. Their alternative would be to switch over to the euro or some other currency as their medium of payment. If this would happen it would be disastrous to the USA. The only thing that gives our money any value is the faith the world has in America as a nation. The currency is no longer and hasn't been backed by a gold standard for quite some time. America is the largest debtor nation in the whle world and our fiat money system is to blame. We must get our house of debt under control as well as getting the federal reserve (a private banking enterprise that has nothing to do with the government) out of power and under control.
Well done, Duck Soup...... you couldn't have said it better if you were his own mother..... you aren't, are you?
You forgot to mention that Obama has said he will repeal the Bush tax cuts. Now there is a true stroke of genius in this time when gas may hit $5.00 a gallon in the next couple of months and food prices are going to go through the roof. In other words, if you are making $30,000. a year you pay $4,500. under Bush. If the cuts are repealed and you make $30,000. you will be paying $8,400. Funny how we never hear about that, isn't it.
Let's not forget about the socialized medicine & health care.... great idea except guess who ends up picking up the tab, that's right, we do with more taxes..... Maybe you and Obama can tell me why, when Canadians get seriously ill, they come to the U.S. for treatment?
As far as his principles, you need to listen to his Pastor & friend of 20 years again.... that about says it all to me........
I think we are beginning to understand how the colonists felt when England was imposing unfair taxes and "intolerable acts" upon them. Does anyone remember what that led to?
The gas prices are bad, I agree, but what gets me is what this is doing to our community, its turning them into common theives- stealing gas is a crime, and the folks who work at a gas stations are the ones suffering. They are getting fired due to this. They have to pay bills and buy gas too. So everytime someone loses there job, due to drive-offs, just think could have it been you who caused this person to not being able to pay their bills this week?
Ther just is no quick fix to teh gas problem. Alot of it stems from overregulation quite frankly. If you want to know who's ripping us off at the gas tank you ahve to look at the Tax codes. Not only are we getting teaxed directly at the pump but Oil companies get gouged to heck and back with additional fees and unreasonable standards. Noone is going to go into business to lose money so they will raise the price to the point that they can make a profit.
You have to remember that the Oil companies themselves also need Gas to run. They have to fuel thrucks and freighters that deliver the fuel. they have to fuel their own cars to get to work. Supplies of al types must be brought to them via Truck, Train, or Boat.
All Three Canidates have touched on the issue but there isn't much you can say. Congres itself is responsible for the budget. We have three canidates from that Congres telling us that they can do better in the white house because they can sign off on the same failed bills they've been writing.
As for Obmama-man. At First I realy liked him. He has a natural charm about him that makes him easily likable. I really wa looking forward to the debates between him and McCain. More recently, however, all I hear from him when he actualyl talks policy is a bunch of really bad ideas. Clinton isn't any better though. Thy are basically tearing at each other while preaching the same thing. of the two Obama is more likable I guess.
Thomas Paine - Amen!
Duck Soup - Just what exactly are the policies that Obama's campaign has been running on?
Politics are personal opinion and we are all entitled to our views. Politicians tell the people what they want to hear, but following up on what they promised is another story.
I don't believe Obama has the needed experience to be President. I believe Hillary is a liar but she has experience. Who was actually running things when Bill was in office? If I remember correctly he was busy with Monica, and then he was busy denying he was with Monica.
But back to the point of this article - gas prices. How many of you make $7 an hr? Do you know what it's like to try to put gas in your car so you can work and buy groceries? People whine about government aid like food stamps. Could you live on $140 worth of groceries every month? It helps but it it doesn't cover the expenses when the prices are so high. The U.S. should have been focused on alternative fuels 30 years, and more fuel-efficient vehicles. Who came up with the idea of the gas-guzzling SUVs? I have no sympathy for the money spent at the gas pump by the owners of big cars and SUVs. Perhaps if everyone drove smaller vehicles the gas consumption in the U.S. would not be as high as it is.
COME ON ADAM, HERE IS A REALITY CHECK
FOR YOU. NO MATTER WHAT THE PRICE OF
GAS IS AT THE PUMP THE AVERAGE STORE
OWNERS PROFIT PER GALLON IS BETWEEN 7
AND 9 CENTS PER GALLON. IF YOU ARE UPSET WITH HIGH GAS PRICES THEN BUY
SOME STOCK IN THE OIL COMPANIES AND
YOUR PROFIT ON THE STOCK WILL OFFSET
THE EXTRA YOU PAY AT THE PUMP !!!
When I'm ready to walk 30 miles for $3.75, then I'll complain. With Federal taxes on a gallon of gas far exceeding oil company profits, it's duplicitous of Democrats to accuse anyone of gouging.
Just what do they think they're going to do anyway? Take profits from Fina Total (French), Royal DUTCH Shell, SAUDI Aramco, ENI (Itally), Statoil (Norway), Repsol (Spain), BRITISH Petroleum, Citgo (Venezuela), or Occidental Oil (Al Gore)? Yea right.
Oh, I know, they'll punish what's left of our American Oil Companies. That's it, drive those greedy oil companies into selling out to foreign interests. That'll show em.
Better yet, they'll just take all those evil profits, and give them to environMENTALists so they can power the world with nonsense and hysteria. This will have the equally beneficial effect of wiping out what's left of our 401Ks. But that's OK, only evil greedy people have 401Ks anyway.
The rest of the world is exploring for oil, recovering oil and building refineries. While we suffer the lecture of scientific, and economic illiterates who FEEL a growing economy can conserve its way into energy independence.
Ok, when I'm ready to walk 30 miles $3.75, then I'll complain about the gas prices anyway.
Oil companies are posting PROFITS in the Billions of dollars every 3 months. Regardless of the cost of oil, with profits in the billions, certainly there is room for change. The margin of profit could certainly be cut to save money at the pump. Please understand the term "profit". This "profit" is the total of monies generated after ALL expenses, including salaries. The entire world is dependant upon oil and always will be. I have not heard or read one tidbit on why our "demand" has increased over past years to now require such outrageous prices.
How is it that of all the government officials in D.C. that nobody really seems to agressively be challenging the oil companies? They call the oil comanies "Big Oil". I think that we should now call them "Government Oil".
We as a society are heading down a road that does have a dead end, and the dead end is in sight for a lot of american families already foreclosing on their homes.
We need a plan for the future, and I am yet to hear of one.
As far as foreclosures, we need to stop and realize that a good portion of these people getting foreclosd on bought WAY more house than they can afford on ARM mortgages, and now that they have reset, they really can't afford them. Thats not the governments fault. Shady lenders, and bad decision making, yes. I can't feel bad for people making 50K a year who now can't afford their 400K+ dollar homes. Boo-hoo.
Personal responsibility.
Smaller_Gov_Now, you realize that talking about personal responsibility could get you branded as, well something that's not very nice anyway.
You certainly pegged part of the problem. However, it was congress that set the rules, made the money available, then encouraged lenders to go out and lend. When things fell apart, like they always do when government interferes in the free market, they simply blame it on a "failure of the free market." In this case, predatory lenders.
With so much money available, fly-by-night lenders literally popped up overnight. So we found ourselves in a situation where an irresponsible congress set the stage for disaster, irresponsible lenders took advantage of the rules, and irresponsible people took the bait.
In the end, even though congress created yet another problem to solve, you're last statement is indeed our first and last line of defense. Personal responsibility.
Besides, the responsible people out there have been waiting for these conditions. It's now a buyers market.
Too true. You make very valid points, and you're dead on about government interference in a free market, but ultimately people decided to sign on the dotted line. If they didn't go over the numbers realistically beforehand, wellll.....
Its definitely a buyers market. If I had the cash, I'd have rentals and summer homes right now. Of course, then I'd just be labeled as "greedy" because I had responsibly managed my money in such a way that allowed me the luxury to buy said propertys. :p
Smaller_Gov_Now, regarding personal responsibility. Have you heard that 1 person is a nut, 2 are weirdoes, 3 is a conspiracy, and 4 is a movement? I think we're on the verge of being a conspiracy.
If buying just one home to actually live in makes me greedy, then I suppose I'll have to settle for being a greedy weirdo.
The main problem is all the speculators on the stock market.
everyone is overlooking one part of the government that is also responsible for the higher cost of fuel. Take a look at the EPA, it was their new legislation to make the oil companies refine fuels more than ever to reduce particles in the emmisions. Not saying the oil companies arent losing money in the deal however they have an added cost due to these regulations when having to run fuel thru the refining process over and over.