Gas/Oil prices - can something be done?

[OHFunds]

Simple question - can something be done legally against the oil/gas companies that are price gouging us all.

Oil is abundent - this is a fact. Profits are in the BILLIONS each quarter! Oil hit a record high today a little over $71 a barrell. This simply is outrageous. I know its all about supply and demand, and that a company has the right to raise prices for anything they want, but geezus! Someone making $5.15(minimum wage) and lives 20-45 mins away, is basically working to pay for gas to KEEP their job. Even someone making $10-$30 per hour is hurting for money(like me) and find myself wondering what will happen to me over the summer and winter months ahead. Doesn't the government realize this is BAD for the economy. All of out money is going to GAS and OIL, while our money isnt going towards goods, things we want to buy, hell FOOD is going way up due to gas prices.

Please tell me something will be done soon!

 

[GTaudiophile]

I hear the CEO of Exon/Mobil is getting a $400 Million retirement package.

 

[Glavinsolo]

Eh, Won't pick on you since you are new. But FYI (Has been discussed until everyone's eyes have bled) Drive less, don't go on road trips, the economy will adapt, cities will be built more around mass transit and more dense, shipping will be done more on trains, blah blah blah. Buy a plane ticket don't do the road trip thing, sell your RV, get a netflix account, move to where you can shop by not going 10mi's, Glavinsolo for president

 

[GeneValgene]

Originally posted by: OHFunds
Simple question - can something be done legally against the oil/gas companies that are price gouging us all.

Oil is abundent - this is a fact. Profits are in the BILLIONS each quarter! Oil hit a record high today a little over $71 a barrell. This simply is outrageous. I know its all about supply and demand, and that a company has the right to raise prices for anything they want, but geezus! Someone making $5.15(minimum wage) and lives 20-45 mins away, is basically working to pay for gas to KEEP their job. Even someone making $10-$30 per hour is hurting for money(like me) and find myself wondering what will happen to me over the summer and winter months ahead. Doesn't the government realize this is BAD for the economy. All of out money is going to GAS and OIL, while our money isnt going towards goods, things we want to buy, hell FOOD is going way up due to gas prices.

Please tell me something will be done soon!

move to europe...then you'll appreciate how cheap gas prices are in the US

 

[Queasy]

Originally posted by: GTaudiophile
I hear the CEO of Exon/Mobil is getting a $400 Million retirement package.

I hear Oprah makes more than that every year.

Your point?

 

[Ronstang]

If you educated yourself on the oil industry you would realize they are not gouging you. There are many many forces at play here. Oil is a commodity that is traded on an open market which sets the price for a barrel of oil. This price affects the cost EVERYWHERE in the world. If you want the price to fall then quit using so much. If we are truly reaching Peak Oil like some claim it makes no business/economic sense for oil companies to build anymore refineries....in fact it would be quite stupid for them to do so from a business perspective and last time I checked they are a business and not a charity like you would prefer. The problems we are facing are due to a myriad of forces that have been in play for decades and decades. You can blame gluttonous use of oil and envirowhackos for starters. There are many reasons. You don't want to hear, nor will you accept or believe, that the oil companies didn't really make much of a profit for a very long time because the Saudis depressed the price of a barrel of oil by oversuppling the markets. Most oil companies have been sitting on oil fields for years because the price of oil per barrel was lower than their COSTS to get it out of the ground. Now that the price is high and they are actually making a profit you want to punish them.

 

[Feldenak]

The horse has been dead for quite some time. Please show some respect for the dead and stop flogging it.

 

[K1052]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commodity_markets

 

[Queasy]

Originally posted by: Feldenak
The horse has been dead for quite some time. Please show some respect for the dead and stop flogging it.

Nah, I think there are still some parts of the horse's corpse that has flesh on it...

 

[Schadenfroh]

Originally posted by: GeneValgene

Originally posted by: OHFunds
Simple question - can something be done legally against the oil/gas companies that are price gouging us all.

Oil is abundent - this is a fact. Profits are in the BILLIONS each quarter! Oil hit a record high today a little over $71 a barrell. This simply is outrageous. I know its all about supply and demand, and that a company has the right to raise prices for anything they want, but geezus! Someone making $5.15(minimum wage) and lives 20-45 mins away, is basically working to pay for gas to KEEP their job. Even someone making $10-$30 per hour is hurting for money(like me) and find myself wondering what will happen to me over the summer and winter months ahead. Doesn't the government realize this is BAD for the economy. All of out money is going to GAS and OIL, while our money isnt going towards goods, things we want to buy, hell FOOD is going way up due to gas prices.

Please tell me something will be done soon!

move to europe...then you'll appreciate how cheap gas prices are in the US

They probably have some strange mass transit things over there as well.

 

[Feldenak]

Originally posted by: Queasy

Originally posted by: Feldenak
The horse has been dead for quite some time. Please show some respect for the dead and stop flogging it.

Nah, I think there are still some parts of the horse's corpse that has flesh on it...

Nah, I think dmcowen674 chewed the flesh off those bones awhile ago.

 

[funboy6942]

Want it to go away then we need to organize and global strike. Everyone wont leave thier houses or drive anywhere untill the prices come down to affordable levels. No going to work, no going to the stores, no going anywhere. Stock up on all your needs for a few months and everyone just stays home. Plain and simple. By not going anywhere even to work it will show the fat asses we're fed up with the gouging. Hell just a few days of no one going anywhere is going to hurt the pockets and I would be anything the price would go down super fast.

But I think this is all we can do to protest this. Other then that we're just showing them we are quiet little mice who like to get it shoved straight up our asses and ask for them to put the lube away and burry it deeper.

 

[miri]

Originally posted by: GeneValgene

Originally posted by: OHFunds
Simple question - can something be done legally against the oil/gas companies that are price gouging us all.

Oil is abundent - this is a fact. Profits are in the BILLIONS each quarter! Oil hit a record high today a little over $71 a barrell. This simply is outrageous. I know its all about supply and demand, and that a company has the right to raise prices for anything they want, but geezus! Someone making $5.15(minimum wage) and lives 20-45 mins away, is basically working to pay for gas to KEEP their job. Even someone making $10-$30 per hour is hurting for money(like me) and find myself wondering what will happen to me over the summer and winter months ahead. Doesn't the government realize this is BAD for the economy. All of out money is going to GAS and OIL, while our money isnt going towards goods, things we want to buy, hell FOOD is going way up due to gas prices.

Please tell me something will be done soon!

move to europe...then you'll appreciate how cheap gas prices are in the US

At the same time you will appreciate how good their public transportation system is and how densely their cities are built. Cars are a luxury there and for good reason, you dont need one there.

 

[Ronstang]

Originally posted by: funboy42
Want it to go away then we need to organize and global strike. Everyone wont leave thier houses or drive anywhere untill the prices come down to affordable levels. No going to work, no going to the stores, no going anywhere. Stock up on all your needs for a few months and everyone just stays home. Plain and simple. By not going anywhere even to work it will show the fat asses we're fed up with the gouging. Hell just a few days of no one going anywhere is going to hurt the pockets and I would be anything the price would go down super fast.

But I think this is all we can do to protest this. Other then that we're just showing them we are quiet little mice who like to get it shoved straight up our asses and ask for them to put the lube away and burry it deeper.

What good does this do? You want to bring the economies of the world to a standstill? So you want to create even bigger problems than there already are? How could you get everyone to do it? You won't. If you are even successful in bringing prices down the minute people start consuming again they will simply drive the price up with demand. You poeple need to face the reality of taking a SCARCE commodity for granted.

 

[JS80]

Beg futures traders for mercy. They are the real culprits making billions of dollars trading electronic paper.

 

[techs]

Vote out of office the oil company stooges like Bush and the Republicans.

 

[KoopaTroopa]

Originally posted by: JS80
Beg futures traders for mercy. They are the real culprits making billions of dollars trading electronic paper.

exactly...blame the stupid people behind the desks on the trading floor...darn futures!

 

[funboy6942]

Originally posted by: Ronstang

Originally posted by: funboy42
Want it to go away then we need to organize and global strike. Everyone wont leave thier houses or drive anywhere untill the prices come down to affordable levels. No going to work, no going to the stores, no going anywhere. Stock up on all your needs for a few months and everyone just stays home. Plain and simple. By not going anywhere even to work it will show the fat asses we're fed up with the gouging. Hell just a few days of no one going anywhere is going to hurt the pockets and I would be anything the price would go down super fast.

But I think this is all we can do to protest this. Other then that we're just showing them we are quiet little mice who like to get it shoved straight up our asses and ask for them to put the lube away and burry it deeper.

What good does this do? You want to bring the economies of the world to a standstill? So you want to create even bigger problems than there already are? How could you get everyone to do it? You won't. If you are even successful in bringing prices down the minute people start consuming again they will simply drive the price up with demand. You poeple need to face the reality of taking a SCARCE commodity for granted.

Well that is what you are to do when you strike. You are showing that you are sick of the unjust and can do something about it which is bringing the world to a stand still BUT to get everyone to do this throughout the world would be a very hard task to do indeed. Maybe like a time when all people stop smoking fo ra day we can have a 2 day no going anywhere strike and if the prices dont go down do it again but for a longer period of time.

 

[Ronstang]

Originally posted by: funboy42
Well that is what you are to do when you strike. You are showing that you are sick of the unjust and can do something about it which is bringing the world to a stand still BUT to get everyone to do this throughout the world would be a very hard task to do indeed. Maybe like a time when all people stop smoking fo ra day we can have a 2 day no going anywhere strike and if the prices dont go down do it again but for a longer period of time.

You don't understand much do you? This is simple. You only have so much oil and you have billons of poeple competing to use it. Your strike idea is foolishly stupid. Strikes don't work in reality because anyone who caves in to a strike simply puts off facing the real problem TODAY. Ask GM about this. It would be much better if everyone simply cut down on their usage and conserved as much as possible. You had better get used to it because that is what you are going to HAVE to do as prices go up even further.

 

[desy]

Yep commodity prices, a b1tch eh?
Use less, develop viable alternatives for liquid fuels.

We should be able to replace electricity generation but portable fuel is going to be an issue. Nothing works like oil for cost/benefit. . . .

Anything else is a waste of time, IF you are a net energy exporter you are a winner if you are a net energy importer, a loser. Living where we export more even though gas prices go up we get tax breaks and concessions on other essential services cause so much revenue is brought in from oil production the gov't doesn't need my money anymore.

 

[ManyBeers]

Interesting videos: Oil, Oil#2

 

[sohcrates]

isn't it true that if we cut down our usage places like china who are still coming online will just use up more and more of our leftovers...therefore keeping prices still high?

 

[GeneValgene]

Originally posted by: sohcrates
isn't it true that if we cut down our usage places like china who are still coming online will just use up more and more of our leftovers...therefore keeping prices still high?

yea...china is going crazy. their energy consumption is increasing exponentially

 

[Ronstang]

Originally posted by: sohcrates
isn't it true that if we cut down our usage places like china who are still coming online will just use up more and more of our leftovers...therefore keeping prices still high?

Pretty much. Stop buying as much from China then. We are responsible for a large part of the growth in their economy because we buy their cheap crappy goods. Cut down on those and spend more on higher quality items that last longer just like you grandparents used to do. The "throw away" mentality of today's consumers is just as responsible for the issues with energy prices as anything. Why buy a cheap good that you rebuy every 6 months or a year after it breaks when you could buy a more durable one that although costs more lasts for a decade? People always want new these days is the problem. Things are too cheap so when the new one comes out they throw the old one away and replace it whether it needs to be or not. Mindless consumers are as much to blame for the current problems.....much more so than the oil companies. Start blaimng yourselves.

 

[BatmanNate]

Ride your bicycle more.