We talked about the email that wanted everyone to boycott gas for a couple of days in April.
I just heard this site talked about on the news here in NJ.
My question is, is this reporting or advertising? Nothing has even happened yet. We all know they will probably double their hits in the next day (I just visited 
).
The whole gas price thing really piXXXs me off. Why are people yelling for the government ot do something about lowering prices, but never talk about them lowering gas taxes?
Has society just given up on reality? Does everyone with a cause think they have to claim a MILLION supporters to justify their cause?
Does anyone have any info on gas prices from before and after their effective protest? Somehow I doubt the effectiveness of this whole thing.
Maybe I should have put this in the Pit. It is more of a rant than anything else.
This is just silly. I do not know who precisely they are protesting to, god
? Why not pray? But hey, they will take up less gas and possible reduce the price so what the hell, I cannot really complain even though I certainly do not plan to join them.
You know, doing what is right is easy. The problem is knowing what is right.
–Lyndon B. Johnson
Oh, please, folks… http://www.snopes.com/inboxer/outrage/gasout.htm
Even if NOBODY in America bought gas for three days, prices wouldn’t change appreciably. Myself, I’m glad prices are up for gas. Maybe it’ll convince a few people who are currently deciding which car to buy that the 400HP, 8500-pound SUV isn’t all that good an idea.
A committee is a lifeform with six or more legs and no brain.
That’s what we need! An 8500 pound electric SUV!
Lets face it, most americans would rather have their young men die, to protect their oil supply, rather than turn the heat down to 65 degrees.(that would be worse than war!)
3 days of partial boycott is the best you’ll ever see out of this country.
If you think $1.60 a gallon is up there, try buying gas in Hong Kong, or Britain, or just about anywhere else in the world. We have the cheapest prices ‘in town’.
Don’t ask for cites…do the research yourself.
Because it’s OPEC’s fault the prices are so high. Last year at this time, oil was $12 a barrel, now it’s $32. On the news the other night, it was explained that in a $2.00 gallon of gas, taxes only took up about 55 cents.
And if we did not have gas taxes, all roadss would have to be toll roads and only wealthy people would be able to afford to drive on them. That, or we all would have to use mass transit.
When all else fails, ask Cecil.
For a $2 gallon, we are talking a 25% tax. Correct me if I’m wrong, but gas is taxed on the gallon, not on a % of the price. So last year when it was around a dollar a gallon, we were paying over 50% tax.
This assumes that the 30% tax we pay the federal gavernment, and whatever we pay the State government, and whatever we pay the county government and finally, whatever we pay the municipal government did not cover the cost for roads.
That being said, I live in NJ, where many of the main roads are toll roads anyway.
As a side note, I don’t know where you live, but check out the future of tolls…
http://www.ezpass.com/
ANYWAY…
I am not sure that all .55 goes to road work. Do you have a breakdown anywhere of what the taxes are and where they go?
Just to let y’all know, here in the Bay Area in Northern California, gasoline prices have gone up another 10 cents a gallon in the last week.
You guys have it rough.
I was POed about the prices becuase they were up around $1.70/gallon.
Then I saw a news program showing prices around the country. There were places with $2.25/gallon.
What is your actual dollar/gallon where you are?
This page gives a breakdown of all the states. Since the states use different rates, it gives the average tax rate for each state.
It says:
I live in California. The rates given on the news were for local, state AND federal. We have few toll roads and bridges here. The new toll roads in Orange County use a similar electronic toll system. The roads also aren’t being used as much as their builders anticipated. (They’re having trouble paying the debt.)
Here’s something from June, 1995. The federal government’s gas tax has been 18.4 cents per gallon since 1993.
Lastly: www.fhwa.dot.gov/ohim/hwytaxes/f106.pdf This lets you see a report entitled “Provisions Governing the Allocation of Federal Funds for Highway Purposes,” dated January 1, 1998, the most recent one available. (As the “pdf” indicates, you’ll need Adobe Acrobat to read it.)
Hope this helps. I just ran out of time here!
When all else fails, ask Cecil.
I just filled up at $1.45 or so in eastern Washington.
AFAIC, gas cannot get too expensive. I’m looking forward to 3, 4, 5 dollars a gallon.
But it still won’t do much to affect the culture of automobile worship in the US, unfortunately.
-andros-
How Did Gas Get to Be $2 a Gallon?
Good grief! What does premium cost up there?
BTW, out of that $1.97, the station gets to keep about 12 cents.
I said taxes amounted to 55 cents; that story said they amounted to 51.4 cents. Well, I was close.
Gasoline here in California is also more expensive because state law requires a cleaner-burning mixture. You may find that unfair, but, last year, Los Angeles had cleaner air than Houston. (I know, that’s not saying much. But at least our air quality is no longer the worst in the country. It’s the second-worst!)
I live in Morgan Hill, on the southernmost tip of the Bay Area in California.
My local Chevron station is currently selling premium (92 octane) unleaded for $2.09 per gallon. There are a few out-of-the-way gas stations on my way to work that sell it for even more.
I’m in NW Ohio buying BP regular unleaded (87 Octane) for $1.359 per gallon. 89 Octane is 10 cents more per gallon. We had prices up to $1.55, but they came down again.
If people wouldn’t get all edgy about gas prices, it wouldn’t be such a problem. After all, you don’t go buck nuts over the price of milk when it goes up, and I’ve yet to hear anyone scream bloody murder over the fact that soda pop prices always spike before major events like the Super Bowl. And no one was complaining about the gas prices when they went from around $1.10 to around $1.30 before the recent spike (actual prices vary from region to region; California always pays extra for its love of the auto and its use of gasoline taxes to build freeways).
So do the smart thing: shop for the best price, limit your consumption, consider buying a less consumptive auto next time, and wait it out, just as we did in the late 70s.
Personally, I LIKE the increasing gas prices, because in my opinion, the more expensive it is to use fossil fuels for cars, the higher the possibility that fuel cell & hydrogen-based cars will become the norm.
This brings up another interesting point: What exactly is the differnce between the different octane levels in gasoline?
[ducks the flying objects]
Dammit, I had the sarcasm lock pressed on my keyboard. I’m not that new.
Here in the UK you should expect to pay around £0.80 for a litre of petrol (‘gas’ to you Americans!).
4.546 litres/gallon
4.546 litres x £0.80 = £3.64/gallon
£3.64 x $1.6/£1 = $5.82/gallon
With the exception of Kent4mmy, STOP BLOODY WHINING!!!
I heard that congress decided not to drop the $0.043 gas tax because to the avreage Joe that amounts to about $25/yr and we don’t even notice it. HELL IT’S OUR MONEY -GIVE IT BACK.
when they send the request for political contribitions, I am going to send a note saying’ whats $25 to you, yu won’t even notice it’
Also while I’m on this subject, do you all know we are still paying a 3% surcharge tax on our phone bill to help pay for the Spanish-American War.