What? NY Gas Prices / Price Gouging

[beer]

I think it's $1.80 in Austin for the cheap stuff. I still haven't seen a $2.xx anywhere, even for premium (although I did see $1.999)

 

[Vic]

Originally posted by: Hector13
And as for the "little guy" taking the bus... i have survived without a car and with public transportation my whole life.

Ahh... now I understand. You don't drive a car. So you're suggesting jacking other people's taxes, and not your own. The hallmark of democratic thinking, if I may say so.
God forbid that you forget to notice that when the government is making $4 bucks in taxes off every gallon, it's going to become very involved in making sure that gasoline sales continue... and NOT in developing alternative fuels.

 

[Hector13]

Originally posted by: Vic
When Europe has been that high for more than a decade now, and there has been no change?
Your logic is lacking.

what makes you think it hasn't? when was the last time in europe?
the last time I read anything about this (and I freely admit that I don't really keep up to date on this issue), americans used about twice as much oil (per person) vs. europeans.

 

[Hector13]

Originally posted by: Vic

Originally posted by: Hector13
And as for the "little guy" taking the bus... i have survived without a car and with public transportation my whole life.

Ahh... now I understand. You don't drive a car. So you're suggesting jacking other people's taxes, and not your own. The hallmark of democratic thinking, if I may say so.
God forbid that you forget to notice that when the government is making $4 bucks in taxes off every gallon, it's going to become very involved in making sure that gasoline sales continue... and NOT in developing alternative fuels.

so if i own a car, you accuse me of not caring about the "little guy"... if i am the "little guy" and don't own a car, my opinion doesn't matter cause I don't own a car. Doesn't leave me much room, does it?

 

[Vic]

Originally posted by: Hector13

Originally posted by: Vic
When Europe has been that high for more than a decade now, and there has been no change?
Your logic is lacking.

what makes you think it hasn't? when was the last time in europe?
the last time I read anything about this (and I freely admit that I don't really keep up to date on this issue), americans used about twice as much oil (per person) vs. europeans.

And adults living with young children use three times as much peanut butter as those without young children. What is your point, except to show statistics can be slanted to prove anything? America is larger and more spread out than Europe, with longer commutes and travel distances.

 

[BatmanNate]

I paid $2.16 for 87 in Puyallup, WA yesterday. I'm willing to bet it's another quarter closer to Seattle.

 

[Vic]

Originally posted by: Hector13

Originally posted by: Vic

Originally posted by: Hector13
And as for the "little guy" taking the bus... i have survived without a car and with public transportation my whole life.

Ahh... now I understand. You don't drive a car. So you're suggesting jacking other people's taxes, and not your own. The hallmark of democratic thinking, if I may say so.
God forbid that you forget to notice that when the government is making $4 bucks in taxes off every gallon, it's going to become very involved in making sure that gasoline sales continue... and NOT in developing alternative fuels.

so if i own a car, you accuse me of not caring about the "little guy"... if i am the "little guy" and don't own a car, my opinion doesn't matter cause I don't own a car. Doesn't leave me much room, does it?

No, it doesn't.
If you own a car and advocate such outrageous and unnecessary taxes, then that implies that you are financial capable of paying them. Of course, millions of people would not be so capable (which you recognized when you said you wanted less cars on the road), and for the majority of those, dealing with the higher taxes would cause them great financial hardship. So yeah, I'd say your attitude there would reflect not caring about "the little guy".

On the other hand, if you don't own a car and advocate such outrageous and unnecessary taxes, then your opinion shouldn't matter because it doesn't affect you. Why do you think you should have a say in drastically raising a tax that you will never pay? Sigh... OPM, it's a powerful drug...

 

[cHeeZeFacTory]

$2.27 in Anaheim, CA

I need a bicycle

 

[Mill]

Originally posted by: Hector13

Originally posted by: Vic
I have an idea. I think there is too much stock trading, creating too much volatility in the markets. Therefore, I think we should have a $50 per share per trade tax implemented.
Of course, I don't really think that... but it's the same reasoning.

And as for the "little guy" taking the bus... i have survived without a car and with public transportation my whole life.

Physically impossible in many cities. Take for instance where I live. No public transit anywhere near my house, and basically nothing but a couple of buses(literally) that pick up people in the ghetto to go to work. I've begged and begged for our city to get mass transit(and the feds are sitting there with MILLIONS in matching funds, but our city refuses to put up any money). They are more concerned with building some fvcking dome stadium and other BS.

 

[Hector13]

Originally posted by: Vic
If you own a car and advocate such outrageous and unnecessary taxes, then that implies that you are financial capable of paying them. Of course, millions of people would not be so capable (which you recognized when you said you wanted less cars on the road), and for the majority of those, dealing with the higher taxes would cause them great financial hardship. So yeah, I'd say your attitude there would reflect not caring about "the little guy".

On the other hand, if you don't own a car and advocate such outrageous and unnecessary taxes, then your opinion shouldn't matter because it doesn't affect you. Why do you think you should have a say in drastically raising a tax that you will never pay? Sigh... OPM, it's a powerful drug...

don't b*tch to me about taxes... I paid enough in taxes last year to buy me a nice new BMW... but I realize it is something we "need" to do.

anyway, higher gas prices would affect everyone. Public transportation would cost more, airline flights would cost more, shipping costs for everything would increase, etc. But I thnk people need to realize that gas "costs" us (society) a lot more than what we pay at the pump. You may not like it, but it I think we are fooling ourselves if we think that things can just continue they way they are right now forever. Obviously, they can't, cause at some point we will run out of fossil fuels -- would you rather people actually developled feasible alternatives then or now?

 

[rh71]

True it's pricey but this is all getting blown out of proportion.

Do you realize the difference between $1.99 and $2.15 is not even $2.50 extra for every 15 gallons you fill up ? I have a 21.9 gallon tank but I don't need to fill up much more than 15 gallons each time.

I spend more than $2.50 EXTRA on lunch most days... I think you guys are just complaining cause you can see these prices everywhere you drive by. I'd love for it to come back down to $1.50 or so... but I'm not crying over it.

I'm sure you guys buy $$$ PC parts without a second thought but balk at $3 extra for something that is a necessity.

 

[Mill]

Originally posted by: rh71
True it's pricey but this is all getting blown out of proportion.

Do you realize the difference between $1.99 and $2.15 is not even $2.50 extra for every 15 gallons you fill up ? I have a 21.9 gallon tank but I don't need to fill up much more than 15 gallons each time.

I spend more than $2.50 EXTRA on lunch most days... I think you guys are just complaining cause you can see these prices everywhere you drive by. I'd love for it to come back down to $1.50 or so... but I'm not crying over it.

I'm sure you guys buy $$$ PC parts without a second thought but balk at $3 extra for something that is a necessity.

Hmm... I used to pay 1.20 for premium, so paying 2.02 to me is a huge difference. Not everyone lives in Cali or NY. Zero mass transit here.

 

[SarcasticDwarf]

Heh, those of us from Phoenix know all about price gouging.

 

[Achtung]

Originally posted by: Vic

Yep. Europe gets their gas as cheap as we do. In their case, their governments actually go gouge like hell on the taxes, making 4 to 5 times more per gallon than the oil companies do. Outrageous. I don't know why the people put up with it. IMO proof that Europeans are slaves to their governments.

Well their genius city planners didn't build the towns so that people would all be reliant on their cars. People there can walk around to get to most places. I don't have statistics at hand, but I'm almost sure the average Western European resident drives far less than the average American. They've also not given in to the ridiculous SUV boom.

As for being slaves to their government, maybe they enjoy universal health care, plenty of vacation time, and an inexpensive university system. Their governments aren't exactly dictatorships, so if they didn't like it I'm sure they'd vote in such a way as to reflect that.

 

[Vic]

Originally posted by: Hector13
don't b*tch to me about taxes... I paid enough in taxes last year to buy me a nice new BMW... but I realize it is something we "need" to do.

anyway, higher gas prices would affect everyone. Public transportation would cost more, airline flights would cost more, shipping costs for everything would increase, etc. But I thnk people need to realize that gas "costs" us (society) a lot more than what we pay at the pump. You may not like it, but it I think we are fooling ourselves if we think that things can just continue they way they are right now forever. Obviously, they can't, cause at some point we will run out of fossil fuels -- would you rather people actually developled feasible alternatives then or now?

"Need" is an awfully strong word, and you're not selling me on it. Like I said, viable alternative, renewable, and relatively inexpensive fuels (vegetable oils if you haven't figured it out) have existed for more than a century and we don't use those. Why don't you quit avoiding my argument and tell me how getting our government dependent on gas taxes is going to convince them to switch to something else?

Originally posted by: Achtung
As for being slaves to their government, maybe they enjoy universal health care, plenty of vacation time, and an inexpensive university system. Their governments aren't exactly dictatorships, so if they didn't like it I'm sure they'd vote in such a way as to reflect that.

You talk like government is capable of providing things for free. It's not. I frequently find this confusion in the young who don't pay taxes. Once you start paying, get back to me. In the meantime, my health care costs me only $600/yr. tax free, I get plenty of vacation time, and I make ~$$$k/yr. without a college degree. Convince me why I should pay more in taxes for things I already get so cheaply.

 

[Hector13]

Originally posted by: Achtung

Originally posted by: Vic

Yep. Europe gets their gas as cheap as we do. In their case, their governments actually go gouge like hell on the taxes, making 4 to 5 times more per gallon than the oil companies do. Outrageous. I don't know why the people put up with it. IMO proof that Europeans are slaves to their governments.

Well their genius city planners didn't build the towns so that people would all be reliant on their cars. People there can walk around to get to most places. I don't have statistics at hand, but I'm almost sure the average Western European resident drives far less than the average American. They've also not given in to the ridiculous SUV boom.

As for being slaves to their government, maybe they enjoy universal health care, plenty of vacation time, and an inexpensive university system. Their governments aren't exactly dictatorships, so if they didn't like it I'm sure they'd vote in such a way as to reflect that.

well, we do have the most cars per peron: http://www.nationmaster.com/graph-T/tra_mot_veh
Careful, though, I don't think you are allowed to use "statistics" to make your case...

Check this out too: http://www.nationmaster.com/graph-T/ene_gas_pri
it shows the most expensive gas prices by country. The US isn't even in the top 100. Guess all those other countries are wrong too?

 

[conjur]

Finally hit $1.99 here.

 

[Hector13]

Originally posted by: Vic

Originally posted by: Hector13
don't b*tch to me about taxes... I paid enough in taxes last year to buy me a nice new BMW... but I realize it is something we "need" to do.

anyway, higher gas prices would affect everyone. Public transportation would cost more, airline flights would cost more, shipping costs for everything would increase, etc. But I thnk people need to realize that gas "costs" us (society) a lot more than what we pay at the pump. You may not like it, but it I think we are fooling ourselves if we think that things can just continue they way they are right now forever. Obviously, they can't, cause at some point we will run out of fossil fuels -- would you rather people actually developled feasible alternatives then or now?

"Need" is an awfully strong word, and you're not selling me on it. Like I said, viable alternative, renewable, and relatively inexpensive fuels (vegetable oils if you haven't figured it out) have existed for more than a century and we don't use those. Why don't you quit avoiding my argument and tell me how getting our government dependent on gas taxes is going to convince them to switch to something else?

why don't you try improving your read comprehension first? where did I ever say the government would/should provide an alternative? I said the exact opposite. High gas prices would provide an economic incentive for other technologies to be developed. Obvioulsy the government isn't going to develop them... the private sector will (as they are the ones how care about making as much profit as possible).

 

[Vic]

Originally posted by: Hector13
why don't you try improving your read comprehension first? where did I ever say the government would/should provide an alternative? I said the exact opposite. High gas prices would provide an economic incentive for other technologies to be developed. Obvioulsy the government isn't going to develop them... the private sector will (as they are the ones how care about making as much profit as possible).

Government spending is some 35% of GDP. AND government has the force of law. Once government attaches itself to making 4 times as much from gasoline sales as the oil companies do, they will resist any change from oil even more so than the oil companies do now. In other words, they will stifle any private sector alternative to develop an alternative in order to protect their revenue.
How can this be hard to understand?

Look, you said you pay enough taxes each to buy a new BMW. Well, so do I. And I don't appreciate efforts to raise my taxes unnecesarily on crack-potted schemes that are not founded in reality, thank you oh so very much.
And I would most certainly like to see us switch to alternative fuels. Biodiesel IMO would be an awesome choice. The strength of America has historically rested in its agricultural resources, and switching to agriculturally-based fuels would make America even more of a powerhouse than it already is. But the solution is to lobby the private sector to get involved in it, and encourage them to make the change on their own (recognizing that no change will occur over night). Not give the government a larger stake in the status quo.

 

[dmcowen674]

Originally posted by: conjur
Finally hit $1.99 here.

Finally and only $1.99???

Need it to hit $3, $4 and $5 to get all the monster SUV's off the road.

 

[Achtung]

Originally posted by: Vic

Originally posted by: Achtung
As for being slaves to their government, maybe they enjoy universal health care, plenty of vacation time, and an inexpensive university system. Their governments aren't exactly dictatorships, so if they didn't like it I'm sure they'd vote in such a way as to reflect that.

You talk like government is capable of providing things for free. It's not. I frequently find this confusion in the young who don't pay taxes. Once you start paying, get back to me. In the meantime, my health care costs me only $600/yr. tax free, I get plenty of vacation time, and I make ~$120k/yr. without a college degree. Convince me why I should pay more in taxes for things I already get so cheaply.

Nice assumption that I'm some dumb kid who has no idea how taxes work. I don't need to announce to the AT world how much I make, but suffice it to say that its more than enough to pay a good amount of taxes, so don't treat me as being ignorant of the system. And its great that you have all those perks to go with your job--I also get health care and a good amount of vacation time from my employer. Unfortunately, there are a lot of people who don't, and in Europe people are willing to be taxed at a higher rate in order to provide for others who are not as lucky. It's a more social system than ours. I'm pretty well aware that the government can't provide these things for free--hence the higher taxes. People pay more taxes over there because its better for society as a whole. That is something they care about, not simply covering their own asses.

When I run into people like you, I sometimes wonder if I should have stayed over there.

 

[Achtung]

Originally posted by: Vic
Government spending is some 35% of GDP. AND government has the force of law. Once government attaches itself to making 4 times as much from gasoline sales as the oil companies do, they will resist any change from oil even more so than the oil companies do now. In other words, they will stifle any private sector alternative to develop an alternative in order to protect their revenue.
How can this be hard to understand?\

Some conspiracy theory there. The big bad government will stop innovation in order to protect their sources of revenue? Right, because we all know that they haven't given any sorts of tax breaks to companies which pursue new technologies. They may write the laws, but if the companies and their employees don't support their legislation, we all know it won't pass to begin with.

 

[compudog]

It was .79 per gallon for premium when I started driving. And I thought that was alot. It's now $1.89 now for 87 Octane here in NE PA. :thumbsdown:

 

[StageLeft]

Call me an ass (I know someone will), but what pain I feel when I have to pay $32 to fill up either of my cars is tempered and more than made up for by the little smile I get thinking about how much it's costing somebody in their SUV to fill up 😀

 

[Achtung]

Really, I think we all tend to notice gas prices more because they are posted on the side of the road. A lot of other things have gotten more expensive over the past 10 years as well. We had been relatively inflation-free over the past 6-7 years, and now it looks like it is coming back.