Rip Off Gasoline Prices---Something Stinks

[RJay]

This thread is about high fuel prices that hit RV'ers hard. Let's try to keep it on topic and stay away from politics.

Thanks for your cooperation.

[wa8yxm]

Originally Posted by RustyJC

That's interesting. So it's OK to speculate on the ingredients for the food on the dinner table, but don't mess with our gasoline/diesel fuel. Priorities are funny things, I guess.

Rusty

I hate to tell you this but a major portion of the cost of what's on the dinner table is the fuel to plant, cultivate, harvest and transport.

Even if it's BEEF for dinner the grain that fed the steer has to be planted, cultivated and harvested. I should know.. I grew up on a dairy farm.

[RustyJC]

Originally Posted by wa8yxm

I hate to tell you this but a major portion of the cost of what's on the dinner table is the fuel to plant, cultivate, harvest and transport.

Sorry, but we're not discussing COST - we're discussing PRICE and the fact that the prices of those foodstuff commodities are set on commodity exchanges such as the Chicago Board of Trade. So, how is that different than petroleum products traded on commodity exchanges such as NYMEX?

Rusty

[wa8yxm]

Originally Posted by pkunk1

The disparity of prices IS rediculus. In NM, our local prices are around $3.85g. I'm 13 miles from the CO border. CO has a higher gas tax but their gas is $3.55. Tell me where I will buy my gas & why. I save over $.40 a gal. on diesel also. It's still over a $1 a gal more than it was in Oct.

There are several things that affect the price of gas state to state.

one is Taxes, Some states tax fuel more than others. What can I say. I now pay more in tax on a gallon of gas then I used to pay for said gallon of gas.

Another is boutique gas There is a web page that describes this, delete teh space, add www. and .com and you have the url.

What this is is special formulations to meat state emission laws/targets, For example in Much of Michigan, in the summer, they put in additives that increase the vapor point (The temperature at which it evaprates) to cut down on unburned hydro carbons in the air.

This is why if you gas up your portable generator in August, and need to use in in January, it's not going to happen.

And of course there is "What the market will bear" meaning if you buy gas in the part of town where million dollar homes are the norm... You gonna pay for it.

[dvmweb]

I'm a moderate (?) cynic. They do it because they can. As the price goes up we use les and the price comes down a little bit. But, the overall trend is up, more than inflation. They rationalize, supply not really increasing, more demand from China and India, etc. So, we can spend all sorts of $$$ on increasing fuel economy, alt fuels/energy, increasing supply. Energy will cost more and more, as time goes on.

[StStg1]

I hope this is considered on topic. Prices are high just about everywhere and I think some retailers are taking advantage of the situation. Since prices varries much between stations, I beleve there is some gouging going on. How do we slow down the rise in prices. Simple, slow down the demand. When you by fuel, only buy what you need. Park longer keep purchases to minimum. There whould be some adjustment in price when stations can't sell what they have on hand, Like the old story goes about the high cost of eggs, If you would only buy one dozen at a time, the grocers would end up with eggs they couldn't sell. Just my 2 cents.

[Billieg]

Everyone bitches about the high cost of fuel but no one will pull together to fix it. I received an email saying if we don't buy fuel from Mobile and Exon the 2 largest companies they would have to lower the cost and then every other company would too. It sounds like a good plan to me but it will never happen. They now have us thinking $3.00 a gal fuel is cheap. One year ago we thought it was expensive. If we don't do something now next year we will think $4.00 a gal fuel is cheap.....

[Midniteoyl]

If we dont buy from them , we will buy from someone else.. Just how will that make the price of oil cheaper?

[WOODYDEL]

There is only one reason for the distorted prices for fuel and it is speculation. Speculation by maniacs. Speculation further facilitated by the introduction of ICE. Speculators are gamblers and they feed upon themselves. It's a game of manipulation between them. It has no reason. It subverts the natural supply and demand controls.. The easiest way to explain the ruinous nature of the maniac gamblers is to read the link. End ICE , the first step.

As this article states, we have prices which have deviated from intrinsic values.

Seems we humans never learn from our mistakes.

Tulip mania - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[RickO]

Originally Posted by WOODYDEL

There is only one reason for the distorted prices for fuel and it is speculation.

How is it possible that our weakened dollar has no effect on the cost/price of imported oil?

Rick

[Superslif]

It's all part of the game. "The rich get richer & poorer get poorer". The only problem is were are all forced to play..

[WOODYDEL]

Originally Posted by RickO

How is it possible that our weakened dollar has no effect on the cost/price of imported oil?

Rick

Just what other currency are they going to use. The Euro? Our dollar and other currency are also victims of speculation/gambling. Currency changing fictious value micro second to another?

The news reports they are going to investigate supposed speculation. Sounds more like they think the gas station owners are rigging prices. End ICE first step. Second step. Make evasion of the CFTC rules the same type of crime as tax evasion and make arrests. Third step. Make an highly publicized example of any major speculators. Like closing down Goldman or at least taking the upper echelon away in chains. Do all of the above by executive order because that gets rid of the TALKING and not doing anything antics.

The full effect of these rapid increases will not be felt until 6 months hence. The major economists know this. 2008's mess started with oil prices ramping up crazily. Before the economic collapse. I was emailing my representatives before the economic collapse about the danger of high oil prices. Of course, they ignored me. I'm nobody.

I read some Canadian members stating their gasoline prices are rising. Does this make any sense in a country which EXPORTS the greatest amount of oil to the United States of any other country worldwide? Canada's currency went UP against the dollar.

Anyone thinking our dollar is weak because of our debt, know this. Out of all of our debt only $4.5 trillion is owed to ALL foreign entities. ALL the rest is owed to ourselves. The only really big problem is that of that $10 trillion dollars 47% is owed to a PRIVATE CORPORATION called the Federal Reserve. This is NOT a political statement. It's about a big business. If I'm allowed to do so I can talk about that in a different post. I'm only making a statement because I don't believe the value of the dollar is the cause of the rapid increases. It doesn't add up.

I forgot to ask this. Doesn't ANYONE owe us for ANYTHING?

[wa8yxm]

Originally Posted by RustyJC

Sorry, but we're not discussing COST - we're discussing PRICE and the fact that the prices of those foodstuff commodities are set on commodity exchanges such as the Chicago Board of Trade. So, how is that different than petroleum products traded on commodity exchanges such as NYMEX?

Rusty

Well Rusty.. the price is set at NYMEX. but is that the price at the slaughter house, the warehouse, or is it the price in the meat cooler at the butcher shop?

And how do you the meat got from the slaughter house, to the warehouse, to the butcher shop.. YES. A truck hauled it.

And what's more.. In many cases the cost of fuel is added to the cost of the product shipped (Added to the shipping charges) That simple.


Now, an additional item of interest:

News today, Obama has appointed a commission to study the high cost of fuel... And study it,,, And study it,,, , And study it, And study it, ,,,, And study it,,,,, And study it,, Well you get the idea.


Years ago in Battle Creek Mi there was some yammering at a city council meeting about yet another study to show why Kellogg field should be declared the reginal airport insted of the Kalamazoo port. NOTE, there really is a reason Kellogg is better but that's another story.

One commissioner stood up and made a statement I remember today.. Just about the best thign I've ever heard on the topic in fact.

"If they took all the money we have put into studies, and put it in concrete, we'd have a runway all the way from Kalamazoo to Battle Creek"

He was right too. And that's what I think of studies.

[Dogpatch]

Where we live in BC, it is basically a resort area. Everyone has summer homes here around the lakes. For no reason at all, no wars, no shortage of oil, no natural disaster, gas prices jump up about an additional $0.30 per litre or $1.14 per gallon US every summer. It really @#%es me off. It's just taking advantage of the known traveller influx. So much for doing things to attract tourism.