# $2.00 Gas Coming?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2-00-gas-coming/370795
**Category:** Great Debates
**Created:** [August 30, 2006, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2-00-gas-coming/370795 "2006-08-30T15:04:21Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 13
### Author:  [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)
#### Post date: [November 4, 2006, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2-00-gas-coming/370795/241 "2006-11-04T18:48:22Z")
Why do I not trust the Energy thieves?
Chairman of The federal Energy Regulatory Commision was brought to Bush by Ken Lay of Enron fame. His assisstant Bailey was once president of Cinergy Corp.Gas and oil interests have “given” 440 million to political parties in order to protect their interests.
Oddly the FERC issued a report stating “significant market manipulation” was a major factor in energy costs.
In 2004 Consumers Union said the 35% increase in profits and higher pricing was done by jacking up the refining costs hugely, not by the orice of crude.
The FTC said in 2001 that oil companies were using their monopolistic market control to with old supplies to keep prices high.
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### Author:  [@Onomatopoeia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Onomatopoeia)
#### Post date: [November 6, 2006, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2-00-gas-coming/370795/242 "2006-11-06T20:47:02Z")
Timestamp - Monday, November 6 - $1.95.9 locally
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### Author:  [@El\_Kabong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Kabong)
#### Post date: [November 6, 2006, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2-00-gas-coming/370795/243 "2006-11-06T21:54:13Z")
I really wish I’d have thought of this back on page 1, but what the hey…
Throughout this thread, it’s been a given amongst certain posters that people are somehow going to be influenced to vote Republican simply because of the relative state of gasoline prices on Novembere 7. I certainly have no intentions of voting solely on such a narrow issue, and I bet no one else does either. So, how 'bout it folks: is there anyone, anyone at all, reading this thread who intends to vote Republican simply because gasoline prices have dropped a dollar a gallon on the past few months?
If that’s the case, and if the 'Pubs are just going to jack them up again after the election, what difference does our voting Republican make? After all, the drop on prices occurred before the election, not after, and the general assumption seems to be that prices will shoot up again right after the election. If that’s the case, what incentive do we have to reward those who are doing the manipulating? After all, you’ve gained all you are going to gain before you ever cast your vote, so on this particular issue, it simply doesn’t matter who you vote for, does it?
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### Author:  [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)
#### Post date: [November 7, 2006, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2-00-gas-coming/370795/244 "2006-11-07T15:52:56Z")
Election day, $1.99 still.
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### Author:  [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)
#### Post date: [November 7, 2006, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2-00-gas-coming/370795/245 "2006-11-07T16:31:40Z")
One store here in TN that had $1.99 jumped to $2.07 this AM.
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### Author:  [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)
#### Post date: [November 7, 2006, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2-00-gas-coming/370795/246 "2006-11-07T16:55:47Z")
Take _that_, Bob Corker!
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### Author:  [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)
#### Post date: [November 9, 2006, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2-00-gas-coming/370795/247 "2006-11-09T17:04:28Z")
Went down to a $1.98 today. Obviously, the oil companies are trying to buy off their new Democratic overlords. 😃
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### Author:  [@ASAKMOTSD](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ASAKMOTSD)
#### Post date: [November 9, 2006, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2-00-gas-coming/370795/248 "2006-11-09T17:41:17Z")
$1.99 (Tuesday 11/7) to $2.05 (Wednesday 11/8) in Dallas
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### Author:  [@El\_Kabong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Kabong)
#### Post date: [November 9, 2006, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2-00-gas-coming/370795/249 "2006-11-09T18:12:11Z")
So, did anyone vote Republican based on the state of gasoline prices, or not?
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### Author:  [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)
#### Post date: [November 9, 2006, 10:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2-00-gas-coming/370795/250 "2006-11-09T22:32:55Z")
2.25 here .jumped up.from 2.04. The fact that the price of gas was not an issue is the point. If it were high it may well have been an issue.
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### Author:  [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)
#### Post date: [November 15, 2006, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2-00-gas-coming/370795/251 "2006-11-15T16:51:02Z")
Up another nickle across Michigan last two weeks. The up escalator is functioning.
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### Author:  [@Renob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Renob)
#### Post date: [November 15, 2006, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2-00-gas-coming/370795/252 "2006-11-15T16:55:15Z")
[QUOTE=gonzomax]
Up another nickle across Michigan last two weeks. The up escalator is functioning.
[/QUOTE]
Really? Here is it at the same level it was before the election. I guess the evil oil companies are deciding to punish Michigan and not Maryland, huh? Or maybe your theories are completely unfounded?
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### Author:  [@XT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XT)
#### Post date: [November 15, 2006, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2-00-gas-coming/370795/253 "2006-11-15T17:07:17Z")
Haven’t really gotten into the discussion, but the price of gas here in New Mexico, at least where I shop, has been pretty stable for months now…and its not noticably going up atm either. I expect it WILL go up, as its winter and the price usually rises in the winter time here.
-XT
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### Author:  [@Godfrey\_Daniels](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Godfrey_Daniels)
#### Post date: [November 15, 2006, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2-00-gas-coming/370795/254 "2006-11-15T18:34:29Z")
Gas prices in the Portland area rose an average of $.09 per gallon the day after the election.
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### Author:  [@rjung](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rjung)
#### Post date: [November 15, 2006, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2-00-gas-coming/370795/255 "2006-11-15T21:43:41Z")
Surely that’s just a coincidence, right? Right?? 😉
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### Author:  [@Duke\_of\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duke_of_Rat)
#### Post date: [November 16, 2006, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2-00-gas-coming/370795/256 "2006-11-16T17:40:30Z")
[QUOTE=rjung]
Surely that’s just a coincidence, right? Right?? 😉
[/QUOTE]
Same price here as before the election. The conspiracy thickens.
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### Author:  [@ralph124c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ralph124c)
#### Post date: [November 16, 2006, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2-00-gas-coming/370795/257 "2006-11-16T18:12:27Z")
Boston Ma ,here-we bottomed out two weeks ago @ $2.059/gallon-no $2.00. prices are heading back up-now about $2.139. I suspect when prices started dropping, people went out and bought those cheap SUVs-you could buy a Hummer with NOTHING down!
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### Author:  [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)
#### Post date: [November 16, 2006, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2-00-gas-coming/370795/258 "2006-11-16T19:59:59Z")
Up to 2.30 at the cheap station today. Cooincidence.What else could it be?
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### Author:  [@XT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XT)
#### Post date: [November 16, 2006, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2-00-gas-coming/370795/259 "2006-11-16T20:06:51Z")
[QUOTE=gonzomax]
Up to 2.30 at the cheap station today. Cooincidence.What else could it be?
[/QUOTE]
Since the sarcasm and irony obviously flew over your head, let me speak plain here…its not going up where I live. How do you explain that, since you obviously think its some big conspiricy involving the evil Pubs trying to steal the election by having their oil buddies artificially drop the price of gas at the pump?
MY explaination is that the price of gas fluxuates in the winter, especially in the northern part of the country (and lo! Thats where you put under your location! ‘Cooincidence’? 😛 ). Since things are still mild here in the great south west, at least in my neck of the woods, the price of gas hasn’t started to climb yet…despite the fact that the election is now over.
-XT
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### Author:  [@Una\_Persson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Una_Persson)
#### Post date: [November 16, 2006, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2-00-gas-coming/370795/260 "2006-11-16T21:02:43Z")
Seems like it’s going to go down (and FTR, it’s **lower** here per gallon than before the election…read sometime about regional gasoline supply).
From: [http://money.cnn.com/2006/11/16/markets/oil.reut/index.htm?cnn=yes](http://money.cnn.com/2006/11/16/markets/oil.reut/index.htm?cnn=yes)
> [@](#):
>
> U.S. crude oil futures tumbled almost over 4 percent to below $57 a barrel Thursday, hitting a low for 2006, on selling ahead of the December crude contract’s expiration Friday and pressured by weak natural gas futures that fell sharply after government data showed supply rose last week.
>
> On the New York Mercantile Exchange, December crude lost $2.41 to $56.35 per barrel. Crude hasn’t traded this low since it hit $55.72 in November 2005.
But wait…maybe it will go up. We don’t know!
> [@](#):
>
> Distillates stocks in the U.S. fell by 3.6 million barrels last week, nine times more than forecasts, while gasoline supplies dropped by an unseasonably high 3.7 million barrels, the EIA said.
>
> “The strong demand in gasoline and distillates is very surprising,” said Tetsu Emori, chief strategist at Mitsui Bussan Futures.
>
> “If the trend lasts a few weeks, prices may be taken higher. But crude oil inventories are still very high so the potential upside could be limited.”
>
> Total U.S. oil demand is up 4.8 percent from a year ago, the data showed. Demand for distillates is up 9.5 percent.
>
> U.S. crude oil stocks rose 1.3 million barrels, the third consecutive weekly rise, as refinery utilization unexpectedly slipped due to unplanned outages and maintenance.
>
> The fall in inventories could accelerate. The latest weather forecasts point toward slightly colder-than-normal conditions in the eastern United States this year, AccuWeather said in an updated outlook Wednesday.
Oh yeah, it’s all a conspiracy…let me predict how the conspiracy people can look at this:
1. Evil Republicans are driving prices down until the next Congress takes session, THEN they’ll increase.
2. Evil Republicans are hoarding gas and distillates.
3. Evil Republicans are tampering with crude oil inventories.
4. Evil Republicans are phoning refineries and telling them to have sudden maintenance outages.
5. Evil Republicans are changing the weather.
Or it could be the future’s market after all…no, that’s too hard. Better to rely on angry teenage bloggers or people with axes to grind who don’t understand how energy markets work.
And it looks like it didn’t go “shooting back up after November 8” after all. Wow.
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