Gas Prices - How High Is Too High

Gas Prices - How High Is Too High (Full Version)

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[Poll]

$3.00

46% (15)

$4.00

9% (3)

$5.00

15% (5)

$6.00

3% (1)

$7.00

3% (1)

$8.00

0% (0)

$9.00

3% (1)

$10.00 or more

18% (6)

Total Votes : 32

(last vote on : 6/6/2008 12:19:29 AM)
(Poll will run till: -- )

Message

inthysite -> Gas Prices - How High Is Too High (5/8/2008 1:51:02 PM)
Yes, another thread about gas prices. However this is not intended to debate how bad the economy, the cause for the high prices, how high it will go, or what can be done to lower them. No, this is more about the gas prices in regards to the free market and what each individual can afford. Some people are saying that prices could go as high as $200 a barrel causing the price at the pump to go up to $10 a gallon. Some say this will happen in 10 years others are saying as soon as 2 years. My question is at what point does gasoline get too expensive for you personally? A bonus question (essay please) is what will this do to businesses such as airlines, mail (USPS, UPS, FexEx, etc.), local businesses whose employees cannot make it to work because they can't afford it?

inthysite -> RE: Gas Prices - How High Is Too High (5/8/2008 2:10:02 PM)
For me personally, $7.00 is to expensive. I drive an '93 Jeep that gets about 12-13mpg. I cannot afford a new hybird, I didn't even buy this Jeep, it was given to me. It has a 25 gallon tank so $7.00 a gallon would cost me $175.00 to fill up and I just cannot afford this. I run a home based business so I don't have to drive to work and I really don't go anywhere so conservation is at a max for me as I only drive where I have to, but I also don't make a lot of money either, just enough to pay the bills actually. Also I live in a rural area so mass transit is not available and riding a bike is also not an option at least not a good one, I can't bring groceries home on a bike.

blessedinnyc -> RE: Gas Prices - How High Is Too High (5/8/2008 2:31:52 PM)
quote: ORIGINAL: inthysite My question is at what point does gasoline get too expensive for you personally? For me, it would probably happen at about $20/gallon. I take mass transit to work every morning, which runs on some combination of uranium, coal, natural gas, and renewables. I take the motorcycle out about once a week and ride maybe 50 miles. This sips about 1-2 gallons of gas. Much of the food that I eat and supplies I get come from the Port of Newark, so shipping stuff to me isn't very energy intensive. quote: A bonus question (essay please) is what will this do to businesses such as airlines, mail (USPS, UPS, FexEx, etc.), local businesses whose employees cannot make it to work because they can't afford it? In general, this is going to raise costs for everyone and fuel inflation. The good news, though, is that the US economy is about three times as energy efficient compared to GDP as the developing world, so it could ultimately mean more jobs and production coming over here. I think that if the economy continues to be bad and oil prices remain high, people will get more patient. UPS and FedEx will suffer as folks switch to using Priority Mail or standard USPS delivery for packages and mail. Naturally, FedEx's overnight document service is one of those things that people will stop using only after they can't afford prescription medicine, but for the most part, we don't have to worry about that. Was anyone here an adult back in the '70s? How did the economy respond to the oil shocks back then?

stellaluna -> RE: Gas Prices - How High Is Too High (5/8/2008 2:48:15 PM)
I'm not sure what to pick. My car has an eight-gallon tank and gets 35-45 miles a gallon. I fill up or top off on the first day of the month. I never use an entire tank in a month. I haven't even bothered to go to a gas station yet this month because I had more than a quarter of a tank left and I've only driven the car once in the last week. I walk or bike to work. I also bike for some errands, or my husband and I run errands together. He has a long commute, but only twice a week and he gets about 35 mpg as well. Later this year we'll be moving to a city that will allow us to get rid of the cars all together and use public transportation.

davemiller7 -> RE: Gas Prices - How High Is Too High (5/8/2008 2:49:40 PM)
Prices of everything went up, just like today. We heard talk of price controls. Then there was the "misery index," thank you Jimmy Carter!!!! I don't remember exactly how it was calculated, but it took into account all the high prices, inflation, etc. The 70s were horrible. Conservatives in government were in a tiny minority, thanks to the Watergate scandal. Being Republican or Conservative was "out." Liberalism reigned supreme and its leader was the pious Jimmy Carter. -Dave [/quote] Was anyone here an adult back in the '70s? How did the economy respond to the oil shocks back then? [/quote]

stamper_ben -> RE: Gas Prices - How High Is Too High (5/8/2008 3:13:03 PM)
quote: ORIGINAL: blessedinnyc quote: ORIGINAL: inthysite My question is at what point does gasoline get too expensive for you personally? For me, it would probably happen at about $20/gallon. I take mass transit to work every morning, which runs on some combination of uranium, coal, natural gas, and renewables. I take the motorcycle out about once a week and ride maybe 50 miles. This sips about 1-2 gallons of gas. Much of the food that I eat and supplies I get come from the Port of Newark, so shipping stuff to me isn't very energy intensive. Ahhh, that we could all be so blessed as those in NYC....

garsyt -> RE: Gas Prices - How High Is Too High (5/8/2008 3:18:31 PM)
None of you have children do you? On a fixed income? I'm sorry it is already to much for many people. I have 4 kids so I have to have a bigger car just so we can go places as a family. We live in a rural area so we practically HAVE to drive. My van gets roughly about 23-24 miles per gallon which is actually pretty good for a mini van, but when one school is nine miles away and the other 4 more miles down the road. IF wages remain what they are - AND prices continue to rise - Schools are going to start charging transportation fees, and elminating field trips - INCLUDING for sports, choir, and band competitions. I can't talk about this now. I put $20 and just barely got more then quarter of a tank. $5 or $6 in this current economy would totally devastate many working familiies. And with unemployment being what it is - well how are people supposed to look for work when they can't afford to get in the car to go to an interview. Blessings, Garsy

uncabeeil -> RE: Gas Prices - How High Is Too High (5/8/2008 3:24:21 PM)
Don't get too jealous, Ben. I live as close to Newark as blessedinnyc and it ain't no different here than anywhere else, i.e. too darned expensive!

blessedinnyc -> RE: Gas Prices - How High Is Too High (5/8/2008 3:40:31 PM)
quote: ORIGINAL: uncabeeil Don't get too jealous, Ben. I live as close to Newark as blessedinnyc and it ain't no different here than anywhere else, i.e. too darned expensive! True, but the nice thing about Newark/NYC is that jobs out here pay more, so everyone has more money to spend. Also, we have less exposure to oil prices. New York and New Jersey get a lot of their energy from nuclear, and the utilties are regulated monopolies, so the electric bill isn't ridiculous.

stamper_ben -> RE: Gas Prices - How High Is Too High (5/8/2008 4:20:57 PM)
See Bill? You're blessed and just didn't know it.[8\|]

inthysite -> RE: Gas Prices - How High Is Too High (5/8/2008 6:55:55 PM)
quote: I fill up or top off on the first day of the month. I never use an entire tank in a month. I haven't even bothered to go to a gas station yet this month because I had more than a quarter of a tank left and I've only driven the car once in the last week. I try to fill up when I reach a half of a tank, which is usually about every week to a week and a half. I figure with the rate at which prices are rising it makes sense to try and get it at the lower price. If I wait two to three weeks I end up paying about 6 - 10 cents more a gallon. What I don't understand is why different stations are so much different in price. I just stopped at the station closest to my house and paid $3.63 but if you drive about 2 miles further down the road they are charging $3.75. That's 11 cents a gallon more! What's worse is they are both Conoco stations and are owned by the same guy. The only difference is the more expensive station is located on a busy intersection.[:@]

garsyt -> RE: Gas Prices - How High Is Too High (5/8/2008 7:36:15 PM)
quote: The only difference is the more expensive station is located on a busy intersection. That's exactly why the price is higher. More excessible, more conveinant, busier location - more traffic. The exact same reason three Lassus stations within 12 miles of each other fall in price, anywhere between 3 and 9 cents a gallon the farther away from the freeway you get. Thankfully, the cheapest station is the one closest to my home. Garsy

stellaluna -> RE: Gas Prices - How High Is Too High (5/8/2008 8:26:06 PM)
quote: ORIGINAL: inthysite quote: I fill up or top off on the first day of the month. I never use an entire tank in a month. I haven't even bothered to go to a gas station yet this month because I had more than a quarter of a tank left and I've only driven the car once in the last week. I try to fill up when I reach a half of a tank, which is usually about every week to a week and a half. I figure with the rate at which prices are rising it makes sense to try and get it at the lower price. If I wait two to three weeks I end up paying about 6 - 10 cents more a gallon. What I don't understand is why different stations are so much different in price. I just stopped at the station closest to my house and paid $3.63 but if you drive about 2 miles further down the road they are charging $3.75. That's 11 cents a gallon more! What's worse is they are both Conoco stations and are owned by the same guy. The only difference is the more expensive station is located on a busy intersection.[:@] We are fortunate to be able to buy gas at Sam's Club. Membership paid for itself in the first couple of months my husband filled up there. It's usually about 15 cents cheaper than even the Wal-Mart.

blessedinnyc -> RE: Gas Prices - How High Is Too High (5/8/2008 10:08:09 PM)
quote: ORIGINAL: davemiller7 Prices of everything went up, just like today. We heard talk of price controls. Then there was the "misery index," thank you Jimmy Carter!!!! I don't remember exactly how it was calculated, but it took into account all the high prices, inflation, etc. The 70s were horrible. Conservatives in government were in a tiny minority, thanks to the Watergate scandal. Being Republican or Conservative was "out." Liberalism reigned supreme and its leader was the pious Jimmy Carter. -Dave Were there also other factors? Were we paying off the Vietnam war then? How did Bretton Woods impact things?

Leslie_JnJs_mom -> RE: Gas Prices - How High Is Too High (5/8/2008 11:04:20 PM)
It is already too high. At one time we never had a balance on our credit cards but now we do because we cannot afford the essentials. We are stuck in contracts so we cannot just cut the cell phone, Internet or satellite. We are in a rural area as well and cannot just not drive. Both of our cars are paid for so buying something else does not make sense either.

cybrjewls -> RE: Gas Prices - How High Is Too High (5/9/2008 12:28:55 AM)
Crude oil Graph..... Retail Gasoline graph..... Production has been reduced.....

srepard -> RE: Gas Prices - How High Is Too High (5/9/2008 8:08:23 PM)
Filling the pockets of those who have gas stock; charging unreasonably high gas prices just because we're too stupid to slow down is totally unreasonable. Gas prices are high because users refuse to adjust their driving habits so that stockholders don't get to make all the money. We are still driving on the highways like gas is free. Apparently, as far as the public goes, it doesn't matter what gas costs. We don't have the luxury of complaining about gas prices while driving as if the price doesn't matter. Each of us has the power of "no!" in our heads if we will just use it. Slow down. Drive only when you really need to. Sounds like a boring life, eh? It might be but that is the only thing that is going to change gas prices driving them down. No doubt that gas will be $5 a gallon by the time summer officially gets here simply because Americans are willing to pay it. And that's the only reason it is high. We cannot just complain; we must stop using so much gas as a form of protest against these prices.

blessedinnyc -> RE: Gas Prices - How High Is Too High (5/9/2008 8:49:15 PM)
quote: ORIGINAL: srepard Filling the pockets of those who have gas stock; charging unreasonably high gas prices just because we're too stupid to slow down is totally unreasonable. Gas prices are high because users refuse to adjust their driving habits so that stockholders don't get to make all the money. We are still driving on the highways like gas is free. Apparently, as far as the public goes, it doesn't matter what gas costs. We don't have the luxury of complaining about gas prices while driving as if the price doesn't matter. Each of us has the power of "no!" in our heads if we will just use it. Slow down. Drive only when you really need to. Sounds like a boring life, eh? It might be but that is the only thing that is going to change gas prices driving them down. No doubt that gas will be $5 a gallon by the time summer officially gets here simply because Americans are willing to pay it. And that's the only reason it is high. We cannot just complain; we must stop using so much gas as a form of protest against these prices. What would people think of reducing the speed limit on all roads to 55? It would save lives and reduce our consumption at the same time.

SonInMe1 -> RE: Gas Prices - How High Is Too High (5/9/2008 9:06:50 PM)
Fear will lead our government to make some really bad decisions. Noxon did the price control thing and it led to the worst recession in my lifetime, the 70's. Double digit inflation...that means prices outgrew wages by a lot. Gas went up tremendously. Try filling your tank when the price of gas was $1.50 a gallon when you were making $3.00 an hour. Mass transit could be an answer in those areas where it can be supported but the price for a bus ride will go up too...esspecially if more people use it.

inthysite -> RE: Gas Prices - How High Is Too High (5/9/2008 9:49:46 PM)
quote: ORIGINAL: srepard Gas prices are high because users refuse to adjust their driving habits ... No doubt that gas will be $5 a gallon by the time summer officially gets here simply because Americans are willing to pay it. And that's the only reason it is high. We cannot just complain; we must stop using so much gas as a form of protest against these prices. This is exactly the reasoning behind this poll. I'm curious to see what others think is the "breaking point" for them. At what price will gas become too expensive to either force them to change their driving habits or actually keep them from driving at all. As mentioned in the topic some experts are saying that gas will reach $10 a gallon in just 2 years. I personally feel that the free market will not support this. I think that once it gets to $5 or maybe a little higher people will decide that this is ridiculous and it's time for a change. Just look around you when you drive. How many cars are currently on the road. I used to live near Atlanta and rush hour traffic was/is horrendous. And about 95% of the cars on the road only contained 1 passenger. I would further guess that about 50% of those were SUV's. They built HOV lanes to try and help along with Park-N-Ride lots so people could share rides but too few took advantage of this. Something needs to change and something has got to give!

Leslie_JnJs_mom -> RE: Gas Prices - How High Is Too High (5/9/2008 10:29:26 PM)
If gas goes that high we are in trouble in a lot more ways then just driving. Truck drivers are already quitting due to the cost of fuel. If gas goes that high nothing will get delivered. Trains run on diesel as well. I think our country would come to a screeching halt if gas went that high

garsyt -> RE: Gas Prices - How High Is Too High (5/9/2008 10:32:35 PM)
Many many fixed or low income folks are already doing ALL we can to change our driving habits - to the point where when I'm in town I'm taking care of AT LEAST 5 or 6 errands at a time! I have cut my volunteer/aiding hours at my kid's school drastically and no longer volunteer at my eldest child's school simple because of the distance. We are cutting out many summer activities and even just cancelled a trip that had been a full year in the planning because my hubby just lost his job due to a layoff (which really stinks btw). Our savings are now going into our general fund simply to keep us from losing our home and utilities. and so we can keep our van which is a nessicity with 4 kids - one of which is still required to sit in a carseat. You just can't safely cram a family of 6 into a compact car anymore - legally anyway. I've not only changed our driving habits but our energy consumption as well, but one can only do so much. The breaking point has already come for many people! What really stinks is that we were just starting to get ahead, to actually have a savings, and to be able to pay our bills on time, and to finally afford for my hubby to get some major dental work done. Now we will soon be back to square one. Big time oil exec's? Highly doubt a tank of gas to many of them is a hardship causing them to debate over what is more important, a gallon of gas or a gallon of milk for their over-privlaged children. Can you tell I'm slightly bitter right now! Blessings, Garsy

Leslie_JnJs_mom -> RE: Gas Prices - How High Is Too High (5/9/2008 10:37:44 PM)
I can understand your bitterness. My husband still has his job but we too were just getting ahead and now this!

inthysite -> RE: Gas Prices - How High Is Too High (5/9/2008 11:06:38 PM)
quote: ORIGINAL: garsyt Many many fixed or low income folks are already doing ALL we can to change our driving habits - ... The breaking point has already come for many people! The sad part is nothing will change until the prices affect big business. Once transportation (airlines, buses, trains, etc.) start having to increase their prices beyond reason then the only people utilizing their services will be businesses. People will not be able to afford any leisure activities, which will hurt a lot of small business and the trend continues. Like you said, we are already seeing it in the trucking industry. This is why I don't believe a free market will support such outrageous prices. But you are correct in the low income families are already hurting. We are the ones who cannot afford to buy new cars so we drive older, lower mpg cars. Unfortunately you don't hear much about low income families in the election debates, mostly they talk about middle class. So nothing will change until middle class or maybe even upper middle class start feeling the pinch and start changing their habits as well.

davemiller7 -> RE: Gas Prices - How High Is Too High (5/13/2008 11:22:38 AM)
My memory is foggy on the other factors. I'm sure we were paying off the Viet Nam war debt. According to what I've read, the Bretton Woods system collapsed in 1971, so I don't think that was much of a factor. Problems began during the Nixon administration, but were somewhat under control until Carter took office. With his inability to cope with the situation, inflation, etc. escalated greatly. -Dave quote: ORIGINAL: blessedinnyc quote: ORIGINAL: davemiller7 Prices of everything went up, just like today. We heard talk of price controls. Then there was the "misery index," thank you Jimmy Carter!!!! I don't remember exactly how it was calculated, but it took into account all the high prices, inflation, etc. The 70s were horrible. Conservatives in government were in a tiny minority, thanks to the Watergate scandal. Being Republican or Conservative was "out." Liberalism reigned supreme and its leader was the pious Jimmy Carter. -Dave Were there also other factors? Were we paying off the Vietnam war then? How did Bretton Woods impact things?

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