GOP: Do Something About Gas Prices NOW!

[eeyore1954]

I believe so. When this was covered by the Daily Show, they included a recent clip of him ranting about Obama not doing enough to lower gas prices. It was part of a montage of several of the Fox talking heads making similar points. The piece concluded with one of the talking heads (Ducey, I think) making a direct reference to the memo received from the RNC.

I thought O'Reilly then and now said the president should do something about speculators which could influence prices.

 

[Puppycow]

Is the election still "ALL ABOUT GAS PRICES"?

For some reason the GOPers don't seem to be all that interested in talking about gas prices anymore. I wonder why?

Gas prices expected to fall further heading into summer

By Brady Dennis, Tuesday, May 29, 9:07 AM The Washington Post

Millions of travelers breathed a sigh of relief when gas prices fell in the weeks leading up to the heavily traveled Memorial Day weekend.

Now, a touch of good news for those already daydreaming about summer road trips: Gas prices could fall even more in the weeks ahead, and even if they do rise in July and August, they are likely to remain well below the $4 or $5 per gallon that some observers had feared.

“Gas prices are still historically high, but it’s starting to feel cheap by comparison to where we were just months ago,” said Jason Toews, co-founder of Gasbuddy.com, which tracks prices throughout the country.

Toews noted that the national average price for a gallon of unleaded gas peaked in early April at $3.91. On Monday, the average had fallen to $3.64, a drop of nearly 7 percent in a matter of weeks, according to AAA. In Washington, where the peak reached nearly $4.20 per gallon, the average on Monday stood at $3.75; metro area prices averaged $3.61.

ETA: And unless I missed the news, Obama didn't even tap the SPR.

 

[uke2se]

I'm going to suggest this for the coming administration, whatever party it may come from: Tax gas to bring the price up to European standards. You're only half-way there.

 

[Rebel Yellow]

I'm going to suggest this for the coming administration, whatever party it may come from: Tax gas to bring the price up to European standards. You're only half-way there.

If they were really serious about finding an alternative and getting away from foreign oil, they would do this but it is almost impossible in American politics.

I never got how people can want us to be less dependent on foreign oil but at the same time want us to subsidize oil prices. If something is cheap, would you use more or less of it?

 

[mortimer]

Is the election still "ALL ABOUT GAS PRICES"?

For some reason the GOPers don't seem to be all that interested in talking about gas prices anymore. I wonder why?

Gas prices expected to fall further heading into summer



ETA: And unless I missed the news, Obama didn't even tap the SPR.

Gas prices are still historically high, but it’s starting to feel cheap by comparison to where we were just months ago.

Not exactly a ringing endorsement of Obama's ability to keep gas prices in check. Not that he really has any ability to do so...

 

[BenBurch]

Not exactly a ringing endorsement of Obama's ability to keep gas prices in check. Not that he really has any ability to do so...

Now, long term, political leadership can do EVERYTHING about gas prices. That is, if we funded the necessary nuclear power program, we could be synthesizing as much gas as we could use and the feedstock could be as carbon neutral as CO2 from the air and water.

 

[Travis]

If they were really serious about finding an alternative and getting away from foreign oil, they would do this but it is almost impossible in American politics.

I never got how people can want us to be less dependent on foreign oil but at the same time want us to subsidize oil prices. If something is cheap, would you use more or less of it?

People, in general, are stupid. Sure they sort of understand that being dependent on foreign oil is bad but they also want gas as cheap as possible because they bought a McMansion 50 miles from their job and their only car is a freaking 12mpg SUV.

Try getting signatures for a petition to restore public bus service sometime. See how many times someone accuses you of being a traitor Communist.

 

[Puppycow]

I'm going to suggest this for the coming administration, whatever party it may come from: Tax gas to bring the price up to European standards. You're only half-way there.

If they were really serious about finding an alternative and getting away from foreign oil, they would do this but it is almost impossible in American politics.

I never got how people can want us to be less dependent on foreign oil but at the same time want us to subsidize oil prices. If something is cheap, would you use more or less of it?

As bad as American policy is on this, it's not the worst in the world.

There is a tax on gasoline, so it isn't subsidized.

Bloomberg had an interesting feature on this recently:

Highest & Cheapest Gas Prices by Country

E.g.,

Nigeria
Price per gallon of premium gasoline: $2.33

Africa's biggest oil producer spent all the revenue it received from the oil industry last year -- $8 billion -- on subsidizing the price of gasoline, according to Central Bank of Nigeria Governor Lamido Sanusi. The subsidies have drained government coffers and contributed to government corruption. A parliamentary probe last month found as much as $7 billion had been paid illegally since 2009 to companies importing gasoline.

Labor unions in Nigeria began a nationwide strike on Jan. 9, shutting banks, businesses and ports, after the government scrapped subsidies and gasoline prices doubled. Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan agreed on Jan. 16 to limit gasoline-price increases to about 367 naira ($2.34).

United Arab Emirates
Price per gallon of premium gasoline: $1.89

The country subsidized about 68 percent of the cost of gasoline, as of 2010, and the share of a day's wages needed to buy a gallon of gas is 1 percent.

But the absolute worst:

Venezuela
Price per gallon of premium gasoline: $0.09

After decades of inexpensive gas, many Venezuelans consider it part of the social contract. The last time the country tried to cut subsidies, in 1989, the country was torn by riots that killed hundreds of people.

 

[Beerina]

"WE" are drilling? Who are drilling? Doesn't matter, does anybody seriously imagine that either of these will happen:

1) Owners of new oil finds will sell at prices lower than the world market prize?

2) So much new oil deposits can found within the US sphere of influence that it will seriously affect the world market prize? (Hint: If some huge deposit IS found, the OPEC will lower their production accordingly.)

The stupidity in certain places is frightening.

Hans

Re: Point 1 -- It's called supply and demand, and is why you're typing on a cheap computer that's one million times more powerful than what NASA sent to the moon.


Re: Point 2 -- Guess what? Government getting in the way is the problem.



If you don't wanna do something for environmental reasons, say so. Or quit playing games and get the hell out of the way.


It's already a grotesque corruption of the concept of freedom that people have to go on bended knee to the king and ask for permission to begin business. That way is full of fail, slicing open the gut of what made America great -- freedom in the economic realm -- like Jack the Ripper on a Saturday night.

 

[Unabogie]

It's already a grotesque corruption of the concept of freedom that people have to go on bended knee to the king and ask for permission to begin business. That way is full of fail, slicing open the gut of what made America great -- freedom in the economic realm -- like Jack the Ripper on a Saturday night.

You think people should be able to start a corporation but not register it with the state? People get all kinds of benefits from having a corporation. We can't be sued for our personal assets, we get all kinds of tax breaks. We can sue and protect our assets and our intellectual property in courts provided free by the state. Why is it somehow a grotesque corruption of freedom to make people register their business names before getting all this protection from that same state?

You can do business right now, with no license, as yourself. Lots of programmers do (IIRC that's what you do?). But if you mess it up, I can sue you and take everything you have.

Or is this concern for freedom only limited to oil conglomerates?

 

[DavidJames]

It's already a grotesque corruption of the concept of freedom that people have to go on bended knee to the king and ask for permission to begin business. That way is full of fail, slicing open the gut of what made America great -- freedom in the economic realm -- like Jack the Ripper on a Saturday night.

This is why libertarian types don't get taken seriously. What's grotesque is your hyperbole and distortion of reality.

Rational people read your quote and laugh, or shake their head in pity.

 

[mortimer]

Now, long term, political leadership can do EVERYTHING about gas prices. That is, if we funded the necessary nuclear power program, we could be synthesizing as much gas as we could use and the feedstock could be as carbon neutral as CO2 from the air and water.

Completely agree.

 

[lomiller]

Re: Point 1 -- It's called supply and demand

Supply and Demand is why oil prices are going up. No amount of drilling will extract oil that isn’t there. Over the next 20 years the US will need to burn 200 billion barrels of oil to keep going the way it is. This is FAR larger (10X) than US reserves.

is why you're typing on a cheap computer that's one million times more

Physics determines what can be done and supply/demand adjusts prices to these limitations not the other way round. Computers get faster and cheaper because it’s comparatively easy to do. (within certain limitations)

the problem.

OMG that site is hilarious. “let’s just assume a physical resource is infinite if only trust in God the markets to create matter from nothing”

 

[AlBell]

I'm going to suggest this for the coming administration, whatever party it may come from: Tax gas to bring the price up to European standards. You're only half-way there.

I'm going to suggest this would be a boneheaded move that would destroy the US economy. Why do you want a real US Depression that would very very likely have worldwide effects?

 

[Juniversal]

Is the election still "ALL ABOUT GAS PRICES"?

For some reason the GOPers don't seem to be all that interested in talking about gas prices anymore. I wonder why?

Gas prices expected to fall further heading into summer



ETA: And unless I missed the news, Obama didn't even tap the SPR.

The GOP trolls go back under their bridge. High prices = Obama's fault!! Falling gas prices = .....

 

[BenBurch]

I'm going to suggest this would be a boneheaded move that would destroy the US economy. Why do you want a real US Depression that would very very likely have worldwide effects?

I agree!

Much better to keep gas prices low and replace them with nuclear syngas.

 

[Corsair 115]

If they were really serious about finding an alternative and getting away from foreign oil, they would do this but it is almost impossible in American politics.

It may also depend on how tightly one wishes to define "foreign". In 2011, 24.7% of U.S. crude oil imports came from Canada—which was 1.86 times more than the next nearest supplier (Saudi Arabia), and was a greater percentage than the U.S. imported from the Persian Gulf nations combined (20.7%). Strictly speaking, crude oil from Canada is foreign—though as a long-time friendly ally, it perhaps is not the same kind of foreign as, say, Venezuela or Nigeria.

 

[davefoc]

"WE" are drilling? Who are drilling? Doesn't matter, does anybody seriously imagine that either of these will happen:

1) Owners of new oil finds will sell at prices lower than the world market prize?

2) So much new oil deposits can found within the US sphere of influence that it will seriously affect the world market prize? (Hint: If some huge deposit IS found, the OPEC will lower their production accordingly.)

The stupidity in certain places is frightening.

Hans

I mostly agree with this but I am not sure it is entirely correct. I think oil recovered in the US should be sold at world market rates but is it? Certainly in a lot of producer nations domestic prices are held artificially low which leads to waste, unfair subsidies to car owners and unnecessary pollution as people opt for big cars when oil prices are artificially constrained.

Do oil drillers in the US do something like this as a means of providing a political benefit to the politicians that provide them with sweet heart oil lease deals, subsidized truck and SUV sales and tax benefits?

I truly am just asking the question. I don't know.

 

[RandFan]

Re: Point 1 -- It's called supply and demand, and is why you're typing on a cheap computer that's one million times more powerful than what NASA sent to the moon.

Yes, and America can't statistically affect supply.

Re: Point 2 -- Guess what? Government getting in the way is the problem.

No. If America exploited every resource it had it could not make a dent.

If you don't wanna do something for environmental reasons, say so. Or quit playing games and get the hell out of the way.

Okay, let's go through this little exercise one more time. What is the world daily supply of oil? How much could America possible increase that supply (hint it's less than a rounding error)? Given that oil is fungible and that transportation is a fraction of cost and given that American oil producers are capitalists oil could only be sold at market prices.

I'm sorry but there is little if anything America could do to change world prices. The world market is just too big.

It's already a grotesque corruption of the concept of freedom that people have to go on bended knee to the king and ask for permission to begin business. That way is full of fail, slicing open the gut of what made America great -- freedom in the economic realm -- like Jack the Ripper on a Saturday night.

This is just rhetoric, propaganda.

 

[RandFan]

I think oil recovered in the US should be sold at world market rates but is it?

Yes. It's simple supply and demand. Oil is fungible. It's not a commodity that can spoil. Transportation is a fraction of the overall cost. American producers are capitalists. They would be irresponsible to sell it at less than market cost.