Anger at the Pump.

[Johnboy60]

San Diego has some of the highest gas prices in the nation. Some residents have had enough.

Aug. 19, 2005 - Standing beside his 2002 Nissan Pathfinder at a San Diego gas station, Tom Shess, 60, shakes his head in disgust as he fills the SUV’s 20-gallon tank with medium grade gasoline at $2.79 per gallon. Then he chuckles at the irony that he’s forced to listen to a news report on a mini-television set at the pump telling him gas prices will soon fall. “This gas station should spend less on TV sets and pass the savings to the consumer,” says Shess. “I realize now that the only way we’re going to get prices rolled back is to hit the big oil companies where it hurts.”

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/9013736/site/newsweek/

 

[PACKY]

can you say hybrid!!!

 

[ClaireZ]

Even Hybrids get lousy mileage really. I am sure that a car could be made that got over 100 gals or more easily, or that used an alternative fuel, if there wasn't so much money being made in oil.

 

[Caprice]

I am sure that a car could be made that got over 100 gals or more easily,

Most people I have discussed this with claim that to make cars perform better than 60 MPG they would have to be incredibly small and unsafe. I don't necesarily believe this is true, but I also think we have way too much electronic garbage, sound deadening material, etc. on our cars today. If the average economy car could shed 500 pounds I think we'd see an improvement. Beyond that, smaller engines and higher-geared transmissions are our best bed until a realistic alternative fuel is availible.

 

[BeamMeUpScotty]

Last time I bought gas, it was the equivalent of about $5/gallon. Stop complaining Americans. It's good to see the prices are starting to have positive effects like people buying hybrids and taking public transport. Tax it a dollar more per gallon and start building some public transport everywhere.

 

[hugnluvable]

ooooh, in England... at the moment it's 90 pence PER LITRE! (so around $1.67 in US money) and they say it's going to go up and stay at around a pound a litre!

I am so jealous, I only just passed my driving test and bought a car.... driving is so expensive. As soon as electric cars are produced I am certainly thinking about getting one

 

[Caprice]

Last time I bought gas, it was the equivalent of about $5/gallon. Stop complaining Americans.

Thank you! I've been trying to stress this to people all over the place, I wish more people from other countries would tell us about how good we've had it!

It's good to see the prices are starting to have positive effects like people buying hybrids and taking public transport. Tax it a dollar more per gallon and start building some public transport everywhere.

Public transport in certain places would be outrageously silly. A town of 14,000 people like what I live in would never be able to raise enough money in taxes to pay for a public transport system. Plus, a lot of Americans will walk or buy a motorcycle or something before ever stepping foot on a buss or subway. Many of us, like myself, are perfectly willing and able to pay for the ability to say "I want to go [insert place] right now" and not have to get into schedule with the public transport.

I am glad that public transport exists in the bigger cities, but for places like where I live (low population, main employers are 25-35 miles out of town in different towns, no centurally located grocery/supply stores, etc) it just really isn't practical.

 

[ClaireZ]

Most Americans who are at all informed, are sure to understand that what we pay for gas is extemely low comparatively speaking, but none the less, our lifestyles often take into consideration the low cost of fuel here.

For instance, I live in a rural community. I still don't have a paved road, sewers, waterlines, or dsl. It is highly unlikely that public transportation would exist here before say 3060 ad.

My husband drives an hour and 1/2 to work each way! He has been in this same job for 31 years come September. He is a mechanic in a Steel mill and his company owns the closest steel mills to us. It is extremely unlikely that he could find a job paying even half as much within a radius of 40 miles or so from us. The only other thing he could get that would pay close to what he makes would be truck driving. Which depends on fuel. Catch 22 you might say.

All shopping and amusements (what there are of these) are 7 miles each way to town. To even get to a Wal-mart or a shopping mall, we have to drive between 40 minutes and an hour 15 minutes each way.

Well we could sell our home, I suppose and move in closer to where he works, but the same sort of home would sell for more than twice what we paid and about 35% more than what we could realize on the sale of our home. And taxes would triple.

I believe we and many others are just stuck in this situation no matter how high gas goes.

 

[Norseman]

can you say hybrid!!!

Can you say $$$?

 

[Norseman]

Even Hybrids get lousy mileage really. I am sure that a car could be made that got over 100 gals or more easily, or that used an alternative fuel, if there wasn't so much money being made in oil.

What alternative fuel? Coal?

 

[ClaireZ]

What alternative fuel? Coal?

I really am not an expert or qualified to speak about what the possibilities are. When it comes to science and engineering my education is extemely limited.

I have read some interesting things about the use of hydrogen, but I will leave this topic to those better qualified to discuss it.

 

[ScottishJohn]

What alternative fuel? Coal?

You can make Bio Diesel from Vegetable oil - many farmers in the UK now produce their own diesel on license. The good thing about this would be is that it is CO2 neutral - the co2 released in burning the oil is the same as is absorbed while the rape seed plant is growing.
While it is not practical to turn the whole world over to producing vegetable oil, there is no reason why dirty oil which has been used in cooking cannot be filtered and while no longer suitable for cooking be of high enough standard to use in cars. In fact I believe there was a court case in Glasgow where customs and excise caught some taxi drivers doing exactly this.

Diesel engines can be made to run on lots of things, I've seen engines fueled with a product derived from coconut husks.

 

[Tenka]

San Diego has some of the highest gas prices in the nation. Some residents have had enough.

BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

What a RIOT!

 

[KenH]

In the oil business we net about $0.03-0.04/gallon on gasoline. So even if we made no profit at all on selling gasoline it would only the price by 3-4 pennies per gallon.

But I guess making mindless threats against oil companies as someone did in the linked article beats actually advocating a sound energy policy that will lower our use of oil, make oil supplies last even longer, and increase our national security. For those interested in doing something constructive, I urge them to read the following and then urge their congressman and senators to get behind this proposal:

www.setamericafree.org/blueprint.pdf

 

[lucid42day]

You can make Bio Diesel from Vegetable oil - many farmers in the UK now produce their own diesel on license. The good thing about this would be is that it is CO2 neutral - the co2 released in burning the oil is the same as is absorbed while the rape seed plant is growing.

The latest issue of Make Magazine had instructions on how to produce your own biodiesel. Could be helpful for people considering this.

 

[ScottishJohn]

The latest issue of Make Magazine had instructions on how to produce your own biodiesel. Could be helpful for people considering this.

Except it is against the law to use it on public roads in the UK - customs and excise! Diesel cost about $6.35 a gallon in the UK just now, so you can see why it is the interest of the government to prevent folks from making their own and avoiding paying tax!

 

[Caprice]

Except it is against the law to use it on public roads in the UK - customs and excise! Diesel cost about $6.35 a gallon in the UK just now, so you can see why it is the interest of the government to prevent folks from making their own and avoiding paying tax!

Geeze, thats rediculous.

 

[billwald]

Motorcycles when it isn't snowing.

 

[theeyesoftammyfaye]

Motorcycles when it isn't snowing.

or raining.
or 100+ degrees.
or when carrying groceries.
or when carrying children.
or when elderly.
or when going on vacation.
or....

 

[Jipsah]

“I realize now that the only way we’re going to get prices rolled back is to hit the big oil companies where it hurts.”

Well, good luck to homey on hitting the big oil companies as long as he's driving that gas-sucking barge that he's wheeling around in right now. Unless, of course, he's gonna convert it to run on coal or something