Why are gas prices so high (and why do they keep climbing)?

[SuperMatt]

No it's not. Price controls. They want to make more of a profit they're just going to have to pump more oil. Then maybe when they can prove they are capable of being a good corporate citizen (which they somehow qualify as legally) we can talk about losing that up.

Nobody with a realistic long-term outlook, including those in the oil industry, believes increasing the supply temporarily is going to completely derail green energy going forward. They know the writing is on the wall. They just want to milk the profits as long as possible as they transition.

The President cannot institute price controls. In reality, he can’t actually suspend the gas tax - Congress has to.

So, in the end, everybody needs to calm down and realize there is little Biden can do.

Which is why I am making a point about how full of snot the right-wingers are being right now. They blame Biden for it, but they also have no solutions, because it’s a worldwide problem that neither Biden nor Congress can easily fix, especially in the short term.

I guess one thing he COULD do is tell Ukraine “sorry we need cheap gas for our SUVs, so we’re gonna buy Russian oil again.” I bet lots of Trump fans would love that solution since they love Russia so much.

 

[Chew Toy McCoy]

Not sure all of the price at the pump is related to availability of oil. Some of it is a lack of refining capacity. Oil has been this high, or higher before and gasoline prices were lower than they are now.

Let a Hurricane loose in the gulf that closes some refineries and we will be looking at even higher prices.



Oil is not going away. Unless we find a way to live without plastic. And asphalt. And heating oil. And large farm and earth moving equipment. None of those are going electric anytime soon.

Plus, there is India and China and other 3rd world countries who aren't doing the green thing. Plenty of outlets for them.

Don't know how true this is, but I heard Putin's days of making massive profits from the current market and those still willing to buy from Russia are numbered because the oil in Siberia takes a special kind of processing that the Russians have no clue about. That requires US and UK expertise and we know where that relationship is right now.

I'd say that seems like a massive oversite on Putin's part but it wouldn't be the first time one of his agencies went "Yeah, we're cool boss." thinking they'll never have to prove anything.

 

[Chew Toy McCoy]

The President cannot institute price controls. In reality, he can’t actually suspend the gas tax - Congress has to.

So, in the end, everybody needs to calm down and realize there is little Biden can do.

Which is why I am making a point about how full of snot the right-wingers are being right now. They blame Biden for it, but they also have no solutions, because it’s a worldwide problem that neither Biden nor Congress can easily fix, especially in the short term.

I guess one thing he COULD do is tell Ukraine “sorry we need cheap gas for our SUVs, so we’re gonna buy Russian oil again.” I bet lots of Trump fans would love that solution since they love Russia so much.

I’m not putting the blame all on Biden. I’m putting it on our holey corrupt government, but Biden is ill-equipped or disinterested in confronting that head on.

When banks and corporations need to be bailed out there are near unlimited options and thinking outside the box. When the lower classes are getting squeezed it’s all “Not a lot we can do. Our hands are tied. Maybe we can try whining. That might help.”

Corporations get welfare. Looks like all we are going to get is guns which we’ll just use on each other.

 

[GermanSuplex]

It's all greed, pure and simple. Nothing will change as long as the so-called "free market" reigns supreme. The GOP has effectively convinced their supporters that rich people and corporations being forced to pay the same tax rate as a plumber is socialism.

I would be curious to know what percentage of prices that were raised were done to legitimately cover overhead costs vs. those jacked up just because they struck while the iron was hot. And if prices were raised on goods and services (including gas) for no reason other than to get it on the inflation action, there's not really much incentive to lower them later on.

 

[SuperMatt]

I’m not putting the blame all on Biden. I’m putting it on our holey corrupt government, but Biden is ill-equipped or disinterested in confronting that head on.

When banks and corporations need to be bailed out there are near unlimited options and thinking outside the box. When the lower classes are getting squeezed it’s all “Not a lot we can do. Our hands are tied. Maybe we can try whining. That might help.”

Corporations get welfare. Looks like all we are going to get is guns which we’ll just use on each other.

Sure, Biden can just tell Congress to do whatever he wants and they will. That’s how it works, right?

We cannot fix government corruption by yelling at Joe Biden. We can fix it by voting for progressives. And get your right-wing friends to switch too. Until then...

 

[SuperMatt]

Oil is not going away. Unless we find a way to live without plastic. And asphalt. And heating oil. And large farm and earth moving equipment. None of those are going electric anytime soon.

Plus, there is India and China and other 3rd world countries who aren't doing the green thing. Plenty of outlets for them.

Oil literally is going away. America alone burns 18 million barrels of it every day. The first line here reads like an oil company’s TV commercial. Just FYI - pretending we cannot reduce oil usage because of plastics and industrial usage is absurd. 66% of oil use is for transportation. Of the categories of oil use, burning it is almost 90%... the “other” uses like Asphalt or plastic total up to 11%. So yeah, if we stopped using it for cars, we’d cut 2/3rds of the usage right there, and if we only used it for plastic/asphalt/etc - we’d cut 90% of the usage.

And the second line? Uh, so if some idiot in your neighborhood is burning toxic trash in his front yard and you can’t get the cops to make him stop, are you just gonna do the same? What an absurd argument - that if one person is doing something bad, we ALL should do it too.

 

[GermanSuplex]

I don't get the argument that because we still need oil, you can't reduce the use of it. Makes no sense. You hear this a lot about electric cars. Goofball Boebert was whining that electric cars are still powered by electricity which is sourced from gas and oil. Ok?

I mean, just because I'm going to die at some point doesn't mean that I eat whatever I want whenever I want with no regard for my health.

 

[Apple fanboy]

I don't get the argument that because we still need oil, you can't reduce the use of it. Makes no sense. You hear this a lot about electric cars. Goofball Boebert was whining that electric cars are still powered by electricity which is sourced from gas and oil. Ok?

I mean, just because I'm going to die at some point doesn't mean that I eat whatever I want whenever I want with no regard for my health.

So true. We can’t eliminate our need for oil, so let’s not even try! Such a poorly thought out argument.
We can all do more than we are. But even if we all took a step in the right direction that would be something.
Meanwhile I’m loving my i3. Such a pleasant drive to work. Especially as you pass the petrol stations!

 

[Edd]

There is no way for Biden to win with the right. I looked at the Fox website and they’ve got about 5 stories already created that attack him IF he initiates a gas tax holiday: either it’s “unserious” or will lead to “more inflation” according to them. It doesn’t matter what he does or doesn’t do; their starting point is “Let’s Go Brandon” and nothing else matters.

Of this, we can be sure. One of life's few certainties.

 

[Chew Toy McCoy]

It's all greed, pure and simple. Nothing will change as long as the so-called "free market" reigns supreme. The GOP has effectively convinced their supporters that rich people and corporations being forced to pay the same tax rate as a plumber is socialism.

I would be curious to know what percentage of prices that were raised were done to legitimately cover overhead costs vs. those jacked up just because they struck while the iron was hot. And if prices were raised on goods and services (including gas) for no reason other than to get it on the inflation action, there's not really much incentive to lower them later on.

On top of that most things don't change price daily like gas. So let's say a company raises the price of a product partially due to increased downstream costs but also using the opportunity to increase profits. Those downstream costs will decrease which will further increase their profit but they aren't going to lower the price of their product until the market forces them to.

It's estimated that people are now spending around $400 more a month for the same goods and services they spent on a year ago.

 

[Chew Toy McCoy]

Sure, Biden can just tell Congress to do whatever he wants and they will. That’s how it works, right?

We cannot fix government corruption by yelling at Joe Biden. We can fix it by voting for progressives. And get your right-wing friends to switch too. Until then...

Voters need to see Democrats who fight, not whine. The right almost always refers to Democrats as the radical left. This should be equally met with calling the right fascist dictators (or whatever equivalent). And keep it simple. There’s a place for AOC’s eloquence and there’s a place for straight punches.

When the Uvalde school shooting happened at least one Democrat Congress member should have lost their shit with a profanity laced diatribe and possibly thrown punches at those blocking any talk of gun legislation. What are the voters going to do? Go “Gee, a bunch of kids got slaughtered. Overreact much?”?

You can’t both get nothing done and mostly resign yourself to that and then wonder why people don’t show up to vote for you.

 

[Herdfan]

And the second line? Uh, so if some idiot in your neighborhood is burning toxic trash in his front yard and you can’t get the cops to make him stop, are you just gonna do the same? What an absurd argument - that if one person is doing something bad, we ALL should do it too.

Wrong point.

 

[Herdfan]

Voters need to see Democrats who fight, not whine. The right almost always refers to Democrats as the radical left. This should be equally met with calling the right fascist dictators (or whatever equivalent). And keep it simple. There’s a place for AOC’s eloquence and there’s a place for straight punches.

I believe the current term that's in vogue is Nazi.

 

[GermanSuplex]

I believe the current term that's in vogue is Nazi.

Hard to deny when they use the same rhetoric, promote white replacement theory or, in some cases, are literal Nazis.

 

[Chew Toy McCoy]

I believe the current term that's in vogue is Nazi.

Probably fitting but the term has been so abused and misused as to lose all meaning, not the least of which is the right hurling that one at the left. In their defense, bless their heart, the word socialist is at least associated with nazi and it would be a bit much to expect them to do 2 more seconds of research to discover they are the antithesis of communism which technically is what they are really railing against. But yeah, 1/2 star for word association. Come to think of it, it does kind of fit the hyper hypocrisy of the right. It would be like if the Republicans remained themselves The Democratic Dictator Party.

 

[Chew Toy McCoy]

So it looks like us CA residents will be receiving checks

California tax relief: What's in the deal

Gov. Gavin Newsom and legislative leaders announce an agreement on California tax relief with checks of as much as $1,050.

calmatters.org

Last year (or maybe it was early this year) we received checks, I believe $600, due to the budget surplus. So while this doesn't solve a lot of the state's problems, it is nice to be taxed so high and sometimes get it back directly.

 

[SuperMatt]

He is an old school Dem, not one of the newer Progressive Dems who simply do what Schumer tells them.

He would win with any letter beside his name.



So you're good with it if it causes even higher inflation?

What do you think of Governor Kemp in Georgia and his gas tax holiday?

I’ve heard Republicans criticize Biden for the idea. But I haven’t heard a peep from them complaining about Kemp in Georgia.

Kemp extends pause on state gas tax through August — The Hill

Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp (R) extended the state’s pause on its gas tax through mid-August as the nation continues to grapple with high inflation, seeing prices for gas and other goods soar over recent months.

apple.news

 

[Chew Toy McCoy]

The GOP Is the Party of Gruesome Oil Profiteering

The Republican Party is trying to blame President Biden for spiking gas prices, even though it’s the Republicans who have blocked action.

www.thenation.com

Republicans don't support the Consumer Fuel Price Gouging Prevention Act. Have to give credit to the Democrats for naming something appropriately, long overdue. There's no way to mistranslate that one to drive divide.

 

[SuperMatt]

The GOP Is the Party of Gruesome Oil Profiteering

The Republican Party is trying to blame President Biden for spiking gas prices, even though it’s the Republicans who have blocked action.

www.thenation.com

Republicans don't support the Consumer Fuel Price Gouging Prevention Act. Have to give credit to the Democrats for naming something appropriately, long overdue. There's no way to mistranslate that one to drive divide.

Really interesting article; thanks for sharing.

I’m guessing that without oil money, the GOP probably cannot compete in the big election races.

 

[Herdfan]

Maybe some relief, but maybe not.