Gas In The Chicago Area Now Hitting $4.00/Gal - Where's The Outrage?.......

[global1]

How come we just bend over and take this hike in price? Where's the outrage? We just succumb to these ever increasing prices and don't even bother to open our mouths anymore. What happened to us? I asked a friend today and she says - who am I going to complain to. Nobody listens. Nobody cares.

Well with that attitude - the prices are just going to keep on going up. And don't tell me it's because of the unrest in the MidEast. I don't believe that for a second. Last fall - oil analysts where already predicting that by this summer - gas prices would be nearing $5.00/Gal. Now that was before anything in the MidEast - Tunisia, Egypt, Syria, Libya, Jordan, etc.

I don't know how we're ever going to climb out of this economic hole this country is in. It's harder now than ever with the rising gas prices and rising food prices. And everything else is going up except wages which are going the other way.

[Liberal_in_LA]

1. Blew past $4 bucks weeks ago in Los Angeles

[Spider Jerusalem]

2. What do you propose to do about it then?

The price of oil is set on world markets. The US imports over 50% of its oil. There's increasing demand competition for limited supply thanks to the growth of the economies of China and India. Prices will keep going up no matter what; you can complain all you want, it won't change anything. There's a limited amount of oil. Demand levels are very close to global output levels in terms of millions of barrels a day, and the margins for overhead are razor thin; this is a situation that means pricing is entirely demand-driven. (And as a point of comparison one US gallon of unleaded will set you back about $8 at current exchange rates here in the UK; $4 a gallon is cheap.)

[global1]

5. Well I Guess Because Gas Is $8/Gal In The UK - We're Getting Off Cheap Here ......

so we'll just continue to bend over and let it rise to $8/Gal here too.

I'm not totally sure what to do - but I do know that in the past when prices started to spike and people started to bitch about it to their elected officials - the prices came back down again. I guess we're beyond that now though.

[Spider Jerusalem]

9. You do recall there was an economic collapse?

That had much more to do with the fall in prices than any action by elected officials. The financial and economic crisis of 2008 led to a sharp decline in demand for oil pretty much everywhere (except China). Lower demand = more supply = lower prices, it's basic economics.

[coalition_unwilling]

64. Cause-effect relationship is highly tenuous. Few people remember

that there was a sharp spike upward in gas and oil prices in the 3-4 months before the economic collapse. So one can plausibly argue the contrary, i.e., that the sharp spike upward in oil prices 'caused' the economic collapse which, in cascading fashion, then caused a collapse in oil prices. I saw that initial jacking up of prices as the 'catalyst' for the collapse, the singularity that set the whole house of cards a tumbling down.

True case of chicken-egg syndrome, imho.

Edited for typos and clarity.

[iris27]

73. I think it was the catalyst, too.

And round and round we go. Last time gas was around $4, there was a bus line just 10 minutes walk from my house that went right by my place of work. Now? Municipal service cuts have made that line disappear, even AFTER a sales tax increase that was passed to help restore some lines. :mad: So now, I can leave the house two hours earlier and change buses twice (once in a very high-crime area) to get to work on time...or I can drive. At least I have a hybrid now, but even though we bought the cheapest hybrid on the market (Honda Insight), I know many don't have that option.

[Shagbark Hickory]

45. Cars in the UK get 2-3 times the fuel economy and average commute distance is about half.

Not to mention there are alternative means of getting around in the UK such as reliable high speed rail and buses.
So even though they are paying more per fluid ounce, they don't need to use as much.

[RebelOne]

84. When I was in London many years ago,

I was on the Tube (or train) and was speaking with a young couple, who told me that they had a car in their driveway but could not afford to drive because of the price of gas. And they had to pay some kind of yearly tax of about 200 pounds, just to own the car. And this was about 20 years ago. But the UK has excellent transportation. There are train stations within walking distance if you live in the large towns and cities.

[reggie the dog]

75. I will be taking the bus and the el to downtown and back

2.00 for the bus then .25 cents transfer to the el to get downtown, 2.25 for the el and .25 for the bus, round trip 4.75 x 2 for my daughter and myself equals a whopping 9.50, considering that the 55 mile round trip would have used 2 gallons of gas and that parking is expensive i will not only save stress (i can play with my daughter in the bus and train and cannot in the car), will do good for the environment, but i will SAVE money by taking public transport.

[truth2power]

80. It's about speculation, not supply and demand. And we import 100% of our oil...

in a manner of speaking...

As Rachel Maddow said in her segment, "oil is oil is oil", all the oil that's pumped is sold on the world market, by multi national corporations, to the highest bidder.

[global1]

3. Gas Prices Keep Rising Due To Lack Of Interest On The Part Of The American Public.....

after 10 minutes of posting only 35 views and 2 replies and no records and one of these replies is this one - I replied to my original post.

I guess we just don't care anymore.

More people replied to the Charlie Sheen thread. I guess that tells us where are heads are.

[Spider Jerusalem]

4. Lack of interest in using less oil

supply, demand, market pricing, reliance on imports. Use less oil, drive more efficient cars.

[global1]

8. If They'd Make More Efficient Cars Maybe More People Would Drive Them......

Most cars are rated with the same mileage specs today as they were back in 2005. Six years have gone by and the car manufacturers aren't making enough headway on the mpg's.

[proud2BlibKansan]

42. I bought a hybrid 6 months ago

Can't recommend it highly enough.

[Initech]

62. I'm ordering my Fusion Hybrid next week.

I'm averaging about 23 MPG with my Nissan Altima, I'd be getting nearly 43 average with the Fusion.

[Warren DeMontague]

10. Tree Hugging Hippie!

The answer is to wail and moan, whine and bleat... and if that don't work, plan B:

send chain emails about how we're ALL NOT GOING TO BUY GAS-- ON THE SAME DAY!!! :woohoo:



:eyes:

[Sherman A1]

23. You may have been up and posting on this board but others of us

may have been doing something else. There is more to life than DU, perhaps that is some of the answer to you "low" response rate.

I too. am not pleased at the increase in gas prices, but I did something about in in 2008....I bought a Toyota Yaris and get 37 - 40 mpg for my commute of 46 miles round trip. I plan my and minimize my outings for errandsI. I do keep my other driving to a minimum and stay home for a good deal of my other time. I didn't buy gasoline on the recent "no buy day 3/31". I do have to go to work each day and must buy gasoline to do so, hence I don't know what more I can personally do, but if you have any ideas I am listening.

[elocs]

40. I know. I get upset when not enough people respond to my important threads.

But then I just learned to deal with it.

But maybe it might be that new threads posted at 1:46 a.m. just don't get a lot of views or responses.

[Warren DeMontague]

6. Because addicts are always going to pay whatever the dealer decides to charge.

Sorry to be the bearer of unpleasant but immutable truths.

Don't like it, buy a bike.

[TransitJohn]

7. Prices need to be higher if we're ever going to kick the habit. eom

n/t

[SoCalDem]

13. spoken like someone who does not need to drive very far to work

high prices like Europe have other things built into the price..things like:

a decent basic infrastructure of union wages, national health care, great public transportation, and much more..

high prices here just make more money for the oil company ceos & the wall street gamblers who drive the prices up.

high prices do not build rail systems, other energy sources or efficient cars..high prices just gouge middle & lower classes more than they can afford to pay, and run upcosts of everything that must be trucked around..

[Spider Jerusalem]

14. Except...the US still has lower fuel prices than any other developed country.

Even at $4/US gallon.

[TransitJohn]

17. No, I drive on average two thousand miles a month to work.

Just got to work 4 days ago, 521 miles here. I get to go home in around a week, 521 miles back. What's your point?

[Statistical]

19. No they don't.

Price of crude oil in Europe is same as in US, same as in China, same as in Japan.

Gas prices are more like $8 per gallon in Europe. The difference is taxation you speak of. We could increase fuel tax by $4 per gallon too.

The reality is the US has very cheap prices (likely too cheap as F-150 is still the highest selling vehicle in the US) gasoline prices. Oil is valuable, oil is increasingly rare. In 10 years gasoline will be $6+ in the US and like >$10 in Europe. $4 will be the "good ole days".

[SoCalDem]

20. if it meant universal health care and good public transportation, and the

other "goodies" that civilized nations have, I'm in... BUT remember, our country couldn't resist stealing spending all that PREPAID social security money boomers have been paying for since the Reagan administration..

[Evolve_Already]

30. Spot on!

The response to this below continues to deny that we have the items listed in your post. The minor exception being our infrastructure, yet as we speak it IS crumbling.

[SoCalDem]

11. how come?

"we" do not control the price of gas.. wall street gamblers do.

Most people who drive, do most of their driving to get to and from work..

they have two options:

pay the price
quit their jobs & stay home until they get thrown out of their house for non-payment

[davidthegnome]

12. I'm outraged

but there's nothing I can do about it, especially living in a State ruled by Republican nitwits. Our prices haven't quite hit 4 bucks a gallon here yet, but they will. Where I live, there is such economic depression that it's really hitting people hard.

Still... it is encouraging people to carpool more often, to drive less when they don't have to. Among those who can afford them - it is inspiring the purchase of more fuel efficient vehicles. One step a time... we'll get out of this mess eventually, but it's going to get harder before it gets easier.

I care, there's just nothing I can do about it.

[demwing]

15. Never fear, Obama is near!

[LooseWilly]

79. Hehe... glug glug glug... thanks Obama.... can you get the windows too?

Ahh, the absurdities... do people not remember 2006 when prices climbed above $4?... :shrug:

Did everyone think it would never happen again?...

[Historic NY]

16. Gas prices get Obama's attention.........

In a speech at Georgetown University, President Barack Obama said rising gas and grocery prices means setting new goals that are achievable and reasonable - finding and producing more oil at home, and reducing our dependence on oil with cleaner alternatives and more efficiency. When Obama took office, America imported 11 million barrels of oil a day.<snip>

Gas prices always head upward in the springtime, as refineries change from winter to summer driving blends, said AAA Oregon spokeswoman Marie Dodds. But the oil market continues to be fueled by speculative dollars following volatile international situations.

Unrest in Northern Africa and the Middle East, and the devastating earthquake, tsunami and nuclear crisis in Japan contributed to the 30-month high in crude oil prices last week, at $106 a barrel. This was the fourth consecutive week crude oil trading ended at over $100, Dodds said. Japan’s nuclear crisis also means other countries may reassess their own nuclear power sources, potentially leading to an increase in demand for crude oil.<snip>


http://www.oregonlive.com/argus/index.ssf/2011/04/gas_prices_get_obamas_attentio.html

[dkf]

18. Aren't there proposals to RAISE the gas tax?

If you want people to use less or transition to something else, gas prices need to go up another dollar or two.

[taterguy]

39. Most discretionary driving in this country isn't influenced by price

By discretionary I mean trips currently done in cars that could be done on foot or on bike, which is the only viable alternative for most of this mass-transit deprived country.

You can't go that far walking or biking so you don't save much money. If I bike to work instead of drive I save about a quarter. If money was my only motivation I'd need a much bigger bribe.

The easiest way to reduce consumption in this county is to change our mind-set. Cars are handy for certain things but they shouldn't be the default mode of transportation for all trips. I got into biking when I was in college and parking was a pain in the ass. Now I live in a city with abundant parking but otherwise similar to the college town, so I just kept biking.

The only thing 'accomplished' by raising the price of gas a buck or two is that people have less money to spend on other stuff, which leads to unemployment.

[Shagbark Hickory]

46. Um no.

There are no alternatives and the oil companies will see to it that it remains that way. Taxing the gas even more is just going to hurt americans. Many of us bought our vehicles 10 years ago when gas was around one dollar per gallon.

[Vinnie From Indy]

21. silly rabbitts!

AThe price of oil is rising because of the same lying, cheating Banksters that brought us the financial collapse. These guys know a good thing when they see it and speculating the price of oil in an opaque market works really well.

[Jack_DeLeon]

22. Hopefully...

It will help reduce the amount of gas that is used, reduce pollution, reduce our dependence on foreign oil, and make my drives easier when there is less traffic on the roads.

[B Calm]

24. You can call 1-800-BING411 and say cheap gas. The computer voice

will say what city and state. Then it will tell you the cheapest stations in that area. Pretty handy telephone number to have in your contact list when you are on the road.

[Shagbark Hickory]

47. Good tip! I didn't know there was a bing-411. I use the gasbuddy app on my phone of course but will

try this sometime

[B Calm]

60. You can also get the weather, stock quotes, horoscope, sport scores,

etc etc. . . at the toll free 1-800-BING411. . .

[Name removed]

25. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[McCamy Taylor]

27. This is unfair. Obama is bombing Libya and releasing from the strategic oil reserve because he wants

oil prices down.

Everything Bush did was designed to prop up the price for his oil buddies back in Texas.

[indimuse]

28. please..Libya did not attack the US.

tell THAT to someone who believes that...this is BUSH on steroids!



It was to get a foothold in the middle east so they can take absolute control of power and wealth!


Scahill: US wages covert war in Yemen -BLACKWATER! RT (VIDEO)
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=439x800676

[Codeine]

56. LOL! The poster never made that claim.

Keep on punchin' that strawman.

[Ikonoklast]

32. So, President Obama controls oil futures speculators now?

I, too, drive for a living, and spend close to TEN THOUSAND DOLLArs a month on fuel, but I am not stupid enough to blame the president for the price of a commodity that is driven by market forces.

Do you blame Mr. Obama for the increased price of soybeans? Gold? Why not blame him for the price of rising pork belly futures while you're at it.

Petroleum will become increasingly expensive over your lifetime, you better learn how to deal with it, as that is the reality of the situation no matter where you are on Earth.

[Codeine]

34. The president sets fuel prices now?

Busy dude.

[McCamy Taylor]

26. It's flying into Libya on the backs of a bunch of million dollar cruise missiles.

[Warren Stupidity]

29. 1) it should be much higher; 2) commodity speculation is legal

1. The state and federal governments should have much higher taxes on gasoline, as they do in Europe, to discourage use, encourage develop and subsidize the use of public transit, and pay for the externalities of gasoline usage that are currently unaccounted for.

2. In the 90's we dropped regulation of commodity speculation after a 60 year ban. Now we have global and rampant commodity speculation fueled instability in commodity prices. Once again, the corrupt plutocratic duopoly has demonstrated that it exists for the benefit of a very small elite class.

[Dont_Bogart_the_Pretzel]

50. Sure, why not raise it to $25.00 GAL and be done with it!

and let's not forget about those RECORD PROFIT'S big oil makes today!!!!!!!!!





Can you think ahead and wonder how much they will make then?

[Warren Stupidity]

54. 25 would be too high.

But a stable price at around 5/gal would be a good idea. It would have to be accompanied by a re-introduction of commodity speculation regulation.

[Dont_Bogart_the_Pretzel]

55. but do you really think they will stop at 5/gal?

[Warren Stupidity]

58. Who is they?

In my theoretical proposal, commodity speculation is re-regulated and retail gas prices are set, through federal and state taxes, at around $5/gal. I am they. I will stop right there. Without the insanity of having Goldman Sachs et al creating artificial price pressures, retail price increases would reflect actual shortages or surpluses, rather than imaginary ones.

So who is this 'they' you are talking about that is going to raise the tax to a 25/gal level?

[JoeyT]

76. Yep, 5$ a gallon would be just about right.

Then we could finally starve off all those rural poor that are such a pain in the ass.

Ooh, we could even take credit for saving social security and slashing the budget once we didn't have to pay for social programs for them anymore too! It's a win win win! Well, unless you're the aforementioned rural poor that are starving to death.

[intaglio]

31. errr it's $9.74 in the UK

Sorry, but I don't feel your pain.

[SoCalDem]

35. apples & oranges..

Many of us would gladly trade places with you..high gas prices & all..YOU come here & cough up $1k a month for medical insurance premiums & beg for 10 days off for vacation (and hope your boss does not decide that you are expendable while you are gone)..and lose "redundancy benefits" , and forfeit all/most of a pension you paid for your whole working life by accepting lower wages...and pay through the nose for college, graduating with $40K of debt and not much of a job market.. or work at dead end jobs for low pay and have NO pension when you are cut loose at 50 yrs of age..


Let's Make a Deal!

[slackmaster]

33. Quit your whining. It's been over $4.00 for weeks wehre I live

And far higher in a lot of other countries.

:nuke:

[Siouxmealso]

36. Here's something the government could do

Start pushing telecommuting as a means of fighting our dependence on foreign oil. It will also help the economy and the environment to eliminate half the cars on the road during rush hours.

Obama should give an Oval office speech talking about how high gas prices are going to ruin our chances of economic recovery unless we take drastic steps. He should encourage ALL employers, public and private, with tax incentives, to allow office workers who don't need to be in the office to do their jobs, to work from home, connected to work with VPN and phone conferencing instead of in-person meetings.

Have you ever had to work on a national holiday? Think about how many fewer cars there are on the freeways on those days. That's the kind of impact this could have. It could save billions of dollars for the people, the companies, and the government, reduce air pollution, and reduce gasoline usage and increase inventories enough that it would reduce the price of oil.

[Dont_Bogart_the_Pretzel]

52. "dependence on foreign oil...." HA That's a good joke!

All oil is foreign oil. There is no "made in the USA Oil" any more.

[iris27]

74. And how long do you think it will take before they decide that all those telecommuters

can be replaced by someone overseas for a fraction of the cost? If you can work from home, someone can work from Mumbai just as easily.

[Historic NY]

37. Obama to tap strategic reserves if necessary..

President Barack Obama said he’s prepared to tap the nation’s strategic oil reserve if necessary to deal with any disruptions in the energy supply and said the Justice Department will be on the watch for any evidence of price gouging.

“In an economy that relies on oil, gas prices affect everybody,” Obama said at a White House news conference. He said higher fuel prices are “an added burden” for American families “already facing tough times.”

Obama refused to say what level prices would have to hit in order to prompt the government to open the Strategic Petroleum Reserve stored in caverns along the U.S. Gulf coast. He said the government could begin pumping from the reserve within a few days if necessary.

“One of the messages that I want to send today is that we are confident about our ability to fill any potential gaps in supply,” Obama said


http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-03-11/obama-says-u-s-prepared-to-tap-strategic-petroleum-reserve-if-necessary.html

[elocs]

38. What exactly does outrage do other than raise the blood pressure?

I've heard people outrage about the price of gas for over 30 years now. Kind of like complaining about the weather.

[proud2BlibKansan]

41. I was in Chicago 2 weeks ago and was shocked by how high the gas was

Once you get out of the city limits, it goes down considerably.

[ThatsMyBarack]

43. Not surprised.

I just use the lowest octane, and am grateful I don't drive a guzzler.

[Shagbark Hickory]

44. Im outraged. If the automakers are wondering why I haven't bought a new car yet and if the tourism

boards have wondered why I haven't visited their area, it's because of the gas prices.

I looked at some airfares yesterday. Double to three times more expensive than what they should be.

[mochajava666]

48. High gas prices that hurt the poor the most is all part of the plan

Multi-dimensional chess, you know. Just keep the faith. A Democratic President is never wrong (by definition). Since we have a Democratic President now, everything is justified.

I guess multi-dimensional chess requires situational ethics.

[Marrah_G]

49. I got no rage left in me

I've gone into survival of my family mode. Getting more and more self sufficient every week. I've come to the conclusion that there is little I can do to change the political and governmental scene until such time as there is a massive catalyst to force those changes.

[Lindsey]

51. Living in L.A. I actually had to pay $4.19 on Friday. WTF???? n/t

[Pisces]

53. It should be $5.00. Maybe there will be outrage to find alternative fuels when we are paying the

accurate cost.

[JoeyT]

77. Yes, $5.00 would be excellent.

Perhaps we could use all those rural poor you're willing to starve to death to fuel our cars?

Edited to add: Actually, higher gas prices = higher food prices. So we'd starve all the poor everywhere.

[Recovered Repug]

57. Not an election year.

If it was '12, there would be no shortage of "outraged" politicians.

[david13]

59. The only outrage I have is that the price is not high enough; to

discourage these people from buying and driving these monstrous gas guzzling vehicles that so many drive.
dc

[coalition_unwilling]

65. My wife and I have gone round and round about this issue. She's a

devout environmentalist and I'm a devout Democratic Socialist so most often our interests and agendas overlap and coincide.

There's a small part of me that takes infinite pleasure in watching the yuppies and hipsters take it up the ass to fill up their land yachts. In the Los Angeles area now, it is not uncommon for the filling up of your typical SuckV to cost $100 or more. But then I bumped into my wife's hairdresser last week. She drives a late-model Ford F150. She said she had recently had to spend $86 to fill up her truck and I could tell the price increases had seriously gotten to her and would be affecting her consumption decisions for the foreseeable future.

So I feel badly for members of the working class who have been victimized by auto-industry marketing of SUVs to the exclusion of more efficient vehicles. My wife says anyone stupid enough to be driving one of those monsters deserves exactly what he or she gets. She has no sympathy whatsoever for people in urban environments who drive SUVs.

[david13]

83. Well, it looks like your wife and I are pretty close on that one.

One thing I won't agree with tho', is the 'marketing' and victim of. The working class, the poor, should know better than anybody to buy economy, and fuel efficiency.
And to ignore the marketing.
My own personal feeling about marketing or advertising is that I hate it, and pay no attention to it.
I make my own decisions.
The yuppies and hipsters who decide on the luxury vehicle can pay. And I won't listen to their complaint, particularly when they won't at all complain about how the price of their house has skyrocketed.
Plus, all the other countries of the world have paid far more for many years, 20 or more.
And, the price of gas, relative to the price increases in just about all other items since world war II, is that the price of gas is just plain low.
Also, if they don't like the price of gas ... don't buy it. What happens then? The price goes down.
It's all quite easy, really.
dc

[belpejic]

61. This news actually pleases me

I'm a dedicated environmentalist who believes in climate change, and anything that drives down demand for fossil fuels is great in my book. I agree with the posters who have said that this is purely a function of supply and demand. It is. So maybe huge price increases will force the mouth-breathing, knuckle-dragging, low-IQ Republican freaks in government to finally take seriously steps that promote carbon abatement.

I know it sucks for those who rely on personal vehicles, but what, finally, is going to force us to make necessary changes?

[kelly1mm]

63. What changes should the rural poor make? Should they all move

to the cities? Leave the rural areas for the elite? Who will grow the food/work in AG if all the rural poor are rounded up into the cities?

[belpejic]

66. Options for the rural poor

That's a very good point, and it's a real issue. I would argue that a combination of good policy and technological advances could make life easier for the rural poor who must travel extensively for work. Just think about reducing the total cost of ownership of automobiles, even as gas prices rise. Cars should be made more fuel efficient--the technology is there--and more affordable, perhaps through tax or other incentives. US businesses could receive incentives to move back into urban areas,and incentives could be made for employees to follow. Think of how this could make an impact in places like Detroit. We already offer home heating subsidies, so why not fuel subsidies for qualified rural working individuals?

I understand completely where you're coming from, but I'm trying to think of progressive ways to solve the problem. That doesn't help anyone who is getting screwed today by high gas prices, sadly.

[kelly1mm]

68. Thanks for your thoughts. Reasonable sugestions. All too often these

types of threads fail to address rural issues and basically say "F***k the hillbillies". I like your sugestions!
1

[JoeyT]

78. Yep, not a lot of concern for the poor, rural or otherwise in these kinds of threads.

The only way I could think of would be to set up a tax on gas based on the efficiency of your vehicle, with an exemption or reduction in tax for vehicles that are used to transport produce/cattle. Kind of like we do with off road diesel right now, actually.

That way the dude that drives his giant gas guzzler around for the hell of it can pay for it, and the family that has to have a truck to haul produce to market won't be completely destroyed.

The cries of "Fuck the hillbillies!" will rapidly become "Why the fuck are the hillbillies charging ten bucks a head for lettuce!? WHY?!"

Of course that will mostly make the poor that aren't rural suffer too. :/

[roamer65]

67. High gas prices are a direct result of runaway money creation.

You cannot quantitatively ease indefinitely and not expect price inflation.

[riderinthestorm]

69. Everyone's too tired. Two jobs already and no energy to protest.

This just feels like a new normal to many of us. I'm rural and there's no hope for those of us who must pay more to get to an urban/suburban area to sell produce. We're just too damned tired already dealing with our own shit (literally, heh) to get crazy. So your organic lettuce just went from $3.50/lb to $4.00. You have to wonder if the nouveau riche will just yawn and pay. So you gamble that your extra transportation costs can be absorbed by the rich at the green market.

[Lugnut]

70. My outrage meter flamed out a long time ago.

I always drive my car only when I need to and plan my errands to keep it in the garage as much as possible. And who would I scream at anyway? The asswipes who represent me in Congress don't listen to me. What do you suggest I do?

[iris27]

71. I think it was the last huge surge in gas prices that caused this economic hole, to be honest.

Just a few months before all this "housing crisis" stuff started is when prices first went up around the $4 mark. It has always been my theory that most people were just skating by, then fuel prices took off, and people couldn't pay all their bills anymore. Thus, foreclosures, thus, banks holding tons of CDS's were suddenly in need of bailouts, thus, we gave them billions of tax dollars, and it went on and on.

[darkstar3]

72. Outrage fatigue.

The outrage is nowhere to be found over this blatant example of price gouging because people are already outraged about everything else they can find under the sun. It's a media tactic. We have so many things to be outraged about that it spins us in circles, and those in power get away with whatever they wish.

[The2ndWheel]

81. This is why the human economy will always be in conflict with the environment

[Pisces]

82. The only thing that modifies people's behavior is cost. We will eat less and drive less when

gas costs more. Eating less for Americans would be a positive thing and driving less or using more transit systems would all be more positive. It is clear that the only time we change our behavior is when it is forced upon us by natural disaster or cost.

So I say bring on the high gas prices.