# Gas prices and what to do about it. **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [March 1, 2000, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gas-prices-and-what-to-do-about-it/17735 "2000-03-01T00:52:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![J\_Blues](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c89c15/32.png) [@J\_Blues](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/J_Blues)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2000, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gas-prices-and-what-to-do-about-it/17735/1 "2000-03-01T00:52:00Z")
Anyone else notice this gas price thing? (anyone else step outside during the last year or so? duh) Well, I live in Kitchener Onatario and I don’t know about anywhere else in the world, but is there anything to be done about it? I don’t know exactly how things work in oil and gas land, I mean can the gas stations set the price to whatever they want? Is Petro-Canada responsible for the price hike? Are they being charged more per litre now? Can the gov’t do anything? If so, why don’t they? If not, why not? I guess thats enough questions for the millions to ponder, could use some help with this one though, .73 a litre is a little much for me. * * * “If you can’t answer a man’s argument, all is not lost; you can still call him vile names.” - Elbert Hubbard. ---
**Author:** ![J\_Blues](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c89c15/32.png) [@J\_Blues](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/J_Blues)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2000, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gas-prices-and-what-to-do-about-it/17735/2 "2000-03-01T00:58:00Z")
Well, much like a kid with a new toy on christmas, I jumped right in and didn’t think about what I was doing. Needless to say I doubt this will spark the next great debate, so by all means the powers that be can just boot my little question to where it belongs. Sorry y’all, have a little patience with a newbie and I promise to look before i cross next time, thanks. * * * “If you can’t answer a man’s argument, all is not lost; you can still call him vile names.” - Elbert Hubbard. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2000, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gas-prices-and-what-to-do-about-it/17735/3 "2000-03-01T01:00:00Z")
The _increase_ in gas prices over the past year or so is mostly due to a combination of increased demand, and OPEC taking advantage of that to cut back production, forcing prices up. A good chunk of the increased demand is from your good neighbors south of the border, here in the USA. SUVs are popular, and they drink gas like it was lemonade on a hot summer day. And houses are getting huge lately, which means more energy necessary to heat and air-condition them. If Canadians wanted to sing, “Blame America”, I couldn’t really blame you guys. * * * “Living in this complex world of the future is not unlike having bees live inside your head.” - F. Scott Firesign ---
**Author:** ![andros](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e480ec/32.png) [@andros](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/andros)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2000, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gas-prices-and-what-to-do-about-it/17735/4 "2000-03-01T01:02:00Z")
Yeah, **RTF** , like Canadians don’t drive Explorers. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![J\_Blues](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c89c15/32.png) [@J\_Blues](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/J_Blues)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2000, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gas-prices-and-what-to-do-about-it/17735/5 "2000-03-01T01:31:00Z")
Immidiately after posting this i surfed on over to [Witcity.com](http://Witcity.com) and noticed a lying game (just check it out, don’t ask me to explain) question similar to mine, if you want a laugh, check it out. And yeah, Canucks drive them SUV’s too. Still seems a little fishy to blame $0.73/l gas on bigger vehicles. Prices have been climbing the last year or so, but it’s been about a month since it was .63/l. How often did you drive that SUV last month? * * * “If you can’t answer a man’s argument, all is not lost; you can still call him vile names.” - Elbert Hubbard. ---
**Author:** ![DoctorJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doctorj/32/2904_2.png) [@DoctorJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DoctorJ)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2000, 1:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gas-prices-and-what-to-do-about-it/17735/6 "2000-03-01T01:39:00Z")
Well, you could spend all of your time holed up in your house, studying gargantuan tomes about the human body and impossibly high stacks of lecture handouts, occasionally taking a break to engage in witty repartee on the Internet, going outside only to walk to school so professors can spend a few hours reading the aforementioned handouts word-for-word, or to trudge down the street to Kroger for more Diet Pepsi and romaine lettuce. Works for me. 🙂 Dr. J (who gasses up the Beretta about once a month) * * * “Seriously, baby, I can prescribe anything I want!” -Dr. Nick Riviera ---
**Author:** ![DrFidelius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drfidelius/32/3447_2.png) [@DrFidelius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrFidelius)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2000, 1:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gas-prices-and-what-to-do-about-it/17735/7 "2000-03-01T01:52:00Z")
When you’re through with all that, Dr. J, you can get an invisible job deep in the bowels of a pharmaceuticals company that’s close enough to drive your ten year old Honda to every day. Then, when the clinical trials for the two big drugs of the next five years go belly-up youcan watch the President of the North American division be replaced by a tame robot from the Motherland. And you can be reassured that despite everything, the company is not run by Nazis, they were not Nazis during the '40s, the company didn’t really exist in the '40s despite the continuity of leadership for the past century, and besides everyone who wanted to do business in Germany during that time were Nazis. ## Damn. I really must be feeling overworked this month… Dr. Fidelius, Charlatan Associate Curator Anomalous Paleontology, Miskatonic University “You cannot reason a man out of a position he did not reach through reason.” ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2000, 1:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gas-prices-and-what-to-do-about-it/17735/8 "2000-03-01T01:54:00Z")
Last year (?) people in So. Cal. who had internet access were spammed with a plea to boycott gas on a certain day. I don’t know if it worked. The theory may be sound though, if people are willing to sacrifice. If demand goes down, prices should follow. I doubt a one-day boycott will do anything; but if a large number of people were to reduce their usage, say 10%, that might entice the oil companies to lower the price in an effort to get people to buy more. And reducing fuel usage will also be better for the environment. I’m thinking of reducing the use of the Jeep (19 mpg) and using the Yamaha more often (53+ mph). ---
**Author:** ![jab1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ee7513/32.png) [@jab1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jab1)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2000, 3:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gas-prices-and-what-to-do-about-it/17735/9 "2000-03-01T03:30:00Z")
Let’s see, .73 per liter… A liter is about the same as a quart, there are four quarts to a gallon, Canadian money is about 80% of American… You’re paying the equivalent of $2.20 American per gallon. Average price here in the states is about $1.25, last I heard, though here in Sunny California, it’s about $1.37, because we use some kind of “clean” gasoline that costs more. On the news this morning, they showed a station that was charging $1.99 for Premium unleaded. Must’ve been in Beverly Hills. Or maybe Palos Verdes. They also said gas has gone up about 15 cents in just ten days. * * * \>\ \_ **L\_\_\_L** ---
**Author:** ![Persephone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ecc23a/32.png) [@Persephone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Persephone)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2000, 3:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gas-prices-and-what-to-do-about-it/17735/10 "2000-03-01T03:44:00Z")
Average here in Michigan right now is about $1.55. I read something in the paper recently, saying that the prices in MI are the highest (or among the top three, i don’t rememember) in the nation. I bought gas last Friday (my payday). Paid $1.57. Cost me $20 to fill my Chevy Corsica. Thank the deities I don’t do much driving, and I only live about 4 miles from work. I won’t need to fill it for about a month. I got some spam in the mail yesterday, about another gas-out. First weekend of April, IIRC. They’re calling for a 3-day gas-out this time. Last year it was only one day, and I don’t think it worked. * * * Changing my sig, because Wally said to, and I really like Wally, and I’ll do anything he says, anytime he says to. ---
**Author:** ![BlakJak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e79b87/32.png) [@BlakJak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlakJak)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2000, 1:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gas-prices-and-what-to-do-about-it/17735/11 "2000-03-01T13:15:00Z")
I live in Australia, so the prices and units may not make any sense to you people (hell, yours don’t to me), but petrol prices are going insane here too. There has been a ten cent rise within 8 days or so. Prices are getting nastily close to $1.00 per litre, which would be incredible expensive. The prices crossed the 80c line 3 months ago. Just today I paid a whopping 94.7 c/L. I’ve always assumed that the big oil companies get together and arbitrarily decide to hoist prices, and that simply filters down to us poor buggers - including the middle man’s mark up, of course. BJ ---
**Author:** ![Freedomx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/4af34b/32.png) [@Freedomx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freedomx)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2000, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gas-prices-and-what-to-do-about-it/17735/12 "2000-03-01T14:33:00Z")
I just got this forward. > [@](#): > > Subject: Fwd: GAS PRICES > > Last year on April 30,1999, a gas out was staged across Canada and the U.S. to bring the price of gas down, and it worked. It’s time to do something about it again. > Only this time lets make it for three days instead of just one. > > The so-called oil cartel decided to slow production to drive up =gasoline prices. > Lets see how many Canadian\American people we can get to ban together for a three day period in April, NOT TO BUY ANY GASOLINE, > during those three days. > > LETS HAVE A GAS OUT. Do not buy any gasoline from APRIL 7, 2000, > THROUGH APRIL 9, 2000. Buy what you need before the dates listed or > after, but try not to buy any during the GAS OUT. If you want to help, just send > this to everyone you know and ask them to do the same. We brought the prices down once before, and we can do it again. > Come on North America lets stand together. > > WE CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE!!! > > Even if you receive this 100 times keep passing it around, this way you know everyone is being informed and no one will forget!!! For what it’s worth, I would rather see the prices changed through some method like this rather than through government intervention. ---
**Author:** ![BlakJak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e79b87/32.png) [@BlakJak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlakJak)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2000, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gas-prices-and-what-to-do-about-it/17735/13 "2000-03-01T14:42:00Z")
With any luck, an efficient ‘non-fossil fuel’ way of getting about will be developed fully within the next half century, and we won’t have to worry about it anymore. In any case, at the rate oil is being sucked out of the earth, the reserves will be gone pretty damn soon. I personally would like to see those big petroleum companies crumble into the dust when their drills come up dry. BJ ---
**Author:** ![Vinny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Vinny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Vinny)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2000, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gas-prices-and-what-to-do-about-it/17735/14 "2000-03-01T16:27:00Z")
> [@](#): > > Anyone else notice this gas price thing? My last four fill-ups :(“Medium” fuel) $1.399/gal $1.499/gal $1.549/gal $1.659/gal Definitely a trend and with summer approaching you can count on the usual increase during the “peak travel months”. So what do we do? If you watch the trends gas prices are raised on Thursdays. Plan ahead, buy gas only on Monday thru Wednesday. We could also conserve gas by carpooling or using public transportion, but face it most people value their freedom to much do that (maybe at $2.25/gal ?). Another possibility that is available for the U.S. is to open the federal oil reserves (Increase supply decrease price). I don’t now if this would help Canada or if they have similar option, but what the hell give Bill a call in Washington D.C. Tell him how you feel. :mad: ---
**Author:** ![robbaba](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/a4c791/32.png) [@robbaba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robbaba)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2000, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gas-prices-and-what-to-do-about-it/17735/15 "2000-03-01T16:33:00Z")
> [@](#): > > Originally posted by BlakJak: > \*\*With any luck, an efficient ‘non-fossil fuel’ way of getting about will be developed fully within the next half century, and we won’t have to worry about it anymore. In any case, at the rate oil is being sucked out of the earth, the reserves will be gone pretty damn soon. I personally would like to see those big petroleum companies crumble into the dust when their drills come up dry. > > BJ\*\* BlakJak, Not exactly true. There are plenty of oil reserves throughout the World, it is just that some are cheaper to drill than others. However, I do agree that we should keep developing alternative fuel sources so that we arn’t so dependant on foreign fuel sources. It is basically an economic problem. When gas prices gets high enough, wells that are expensive to pump start being used because they can turn a profit. We are basically at the wim of a cartel. If gas prices stay high enough long enough, companies will invest in R&D on more fuel efficient vehicles (and alternative fuel sources). When this starts to happen the cartels will often flood the market to bring down the price of oil, and eliminate the economic incentive for this type of research. This is what happened in the 70’s (remember that is when all those little fuel efficient cars became popular). Since gas has been so cheap, big gas guzzling vehicles (SUV’s, larger engine cars) are back in vogue. If gas continues to climb you will see a lot more efficient cars being sold again. * * * “It’s like banging your head against a wall because it feels so good when you stop.” ---
**Author:** ![Jo3sh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a587f6/32.png) [@Jo3sh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jo3sh)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2000, 7:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gas-prices-and-what-to-do-about-it/17735/16 "2000-03-02T07:06:00Z")
What to do about it? Sit back and laugh at SUV drivers, in mycase. God, I hate 'em (SUV’s that is, not necessarily those driving them). I actually hope gas prices keep rising, to bring the public back around to little, FUN cars. ---
**Author:** ![SanibelMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e4f/32.png) [@SanibelMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SanibelMan)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2000, 7:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gas-prices-and-what-to-do-about-it/17735/17 "2000-03-02T07:17:00Z")
[Here’s](http://www.snopes.com/ephemera/gasout.htm) what Snopes had to say about the last gas out message. * * * _SanibelMan_ - [My Homepage](http://members.macconnect.com/~jonkleinow/) “All right. Have it your own way. Road to hell paved with unbought stuffed dogs. Not my fault.” ---
**Author:** ![SanibelMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e4f/32.png) [@SanibelMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SanibelMan)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2000, 7:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gas-prices-and-what-to-do-about-it/17735/18 "2000-03-02T07:20:00Z")
And [here’s](http://www.snopes.com/inboxer/outrage/gasout.htm) what they have to say about the latest message. ---
**Author:** ![NightGirl44](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/e68b1a/32.png) [@NightGirl44](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NightGirl44)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2000, 1:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gas-prices-and-what-to-do-about-it/17735/19 "2000-03-02T13:34:00Z")
Well, OPEC is going to keep screwing with fuel prices in an effort to destabilize the economies of those they perceive to be infidels – which is about 2/3 of the free world. They have a lot of trouble with the power they have and seem to think that they can do as they please, which is liable to get them into a war. We Americans don’t learn very well in some areas because when gas first jumped up years ago, Detroit started churning out economy cars, investigating alcohol based fuels and so on. Once we got things under control, a couple of things happened. First, all of the major banks started investing in oil prices – not a good decision, which means that the higher the barrel price, the better for them. Then, OPEC dropped the prices. Well, that screwed up some banks, made the economy spin and Detroit started churning out cars and trucks that get about 8 mpg. OPEC raised the prices again. Out come the smaller cars but the alcohol based fuels curiously seem to fall into the back ground. OPEC dropped the prices some and the economy flourished, more SUVs hit the streets and, this time, with engines MUCH less fuel efficient. Americans bought them up! MORE POWER = greater fuel usage and us Americans hate to use a system of gears to create power like the French and Brits do, so we plunk in massive engines. OPEC snickered over that. Our banks again invested in the price of oil, and the costs went up a bit. Many of the American cities, naturally, decided to add a couple of cents of tax on the per gallon price for their own coffers. The costs went up. Houses did not just get bigger, but people got tired of the small, energy conserving windows and started shoving in glass everything to let in the light. With light comes heat. More a/c is needed to cool the house. The house gets heavily insulated, but petrochemicals are often used to make the insulation to save gas used for power. OPEC jerks the gas prices up and the economy staggers again. Only this time, knowing that there will be a drop, the gas guzzlers still come out of Detroit. By now, most of the people (a couple of million of them) who, for economy reasons due to rising operation costs triggered by high gas prices of the 70s, had been fired, have managed to find new jobs. BUT, there is a BIG rift between the American haves and the have nots, which starts to cause friction. OPEC drops the prices a little and the economy booms. People buy up everything. Construction increases and assorted businesses churn out all forms of gas using personal fun craft. Nuclear power gets a bad name and instead of trying to make it safer, plant construction stops. OPEC jerks the prices up, businesses start laying off people and millions are stuck with gas guzzling things. The banks, which have no brains anyhow, chuckle over the increase but mourn over the sudden rash of loans going into fault. Higher fuel prices = higher food, shelter, medical and transportation costs and some people have discovered that they cannot pay their loans. Homes, businesses, cars, boats and toys are repossessed, creating a glut on the market and a loss (HA!) for banks. New businesses falter, lay off or fail. OPEC drops the prices again. The cycle starts all over, only this time, many businesses keep their prices high, to store up operating capitol for the next increase. The rift between the haves and have nots increases and more tension happens. People start buying more toys. OPEC raises the prices. Get the pattern here? The way I look at it, they’ll keep it up, screw up the lives of a couple of billion people until eventually some nation has had enough and goes in shooting. (Yeah. I know it sounds like that other post in the SDMB, but it certainly looks like what’s going to happen.) * * * ‘I like me but I sure as shit aint so positive about you.’ ---
**Author:** ![WillGolfForFood](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/82dd89/32.png) [@WillGolfForFood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WillGolfForFood)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2000, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gas-prices-and-what-to-do-about-it/17735/20 "2000-03-02T20:10:00Z")
> [@](#): > > Originally posted by Vinny: > My last four fill-ups… > $1.399/gal > $1.499/gal > $1.549/gal > $1.659/gal So **you’re** the cause. Will you **please** stop filling up your car? You’re killing us here 🙂 [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gas-prices-and-what-to-do-about-it/17735.md?page=2)