Can you feel our pain?

[deuces wild]

Soaring gasoline prices are getting a rise out of many U.S. motorists, but by and large they're not getting in the way of summer vacations, commuting habits or SUV sales.

What if gasoline prices, which have risen to $2.55 a gallon, keep climbing?

Diana Amaro, of Denver, said that if gas reached $3 a gallon, she'd consider taking the bus. Ray Sykora, of Yuba City, Calif., said pump prices would have to exceed $4 a gallon before he hopped on public transportation.

On an inflation-adjusted basis, oil futures would need to exceed $90 a barrel, and retail gasoline prices about $3 a gallon, in order to match the all-time highs set about 25 years ago. And in the past 30 years, the economy has become about twice as efficient energy-wise due to conservation efforts, improvements in technology and the shrinking of the manufacturing sector, among other factors.

http://tinyurl.com/bgk2y

You folks overseas must be laughing at our whining about gas prices. :P

[Scarecrow Man]

Well, I saw $1.7CDN/Litre and there is 3.7 litres in 1 gallon.

According to Google, 1 US gallon = 3.7854118 litre. and 1 US Dollar = 1.19950 Canadian Dollar according to FXConverter

Now if I am good at math, it works out to:

$5.364/gallon Please correct me if I am wrong, as I sure hope I am. :(

[-pops-]

Motor fuel in the UK is hovering around £0.90 - £0.95 per litre. You think you have problems?

(conversion rate at the time of writing 1 GBP = 1.80 USD).

This makes 1 US gallon of fuel cost $6.00 - roughly.

[andsome]

Motor fuel in the UK is hovering around £0.90 - £0.95 per litre. You think you have problems?

(conversion rate at the time of writing 1 GBP = 1.80 USD).

This makes 1 US gallon of fuel cost $6.00 - roughly.

The whole point of all this is, that we pay probably the highest tax and fuel duty on petrol in the world. It certainly does not appear to be the oil company's as much as Gordon Brown who is putting the UK price where it is.

[Thos]

Motor fuel in the UK is hovering around £0.90 - £0.95 per litre. You think you have problems?

(conversion rate at the time of writing 1 GBP = 1.80 USD).

This makes 1 US gallon of fuel cost $6.00 - roughly.

The whole point of all this is, that we pay probably the highest tax and fuel duty on petrol in the world. It certainly does not appear to be the oil company's as much as Gordon Brown who is putting the UK price where it is.

That's right. But haven't we got to slow down our use of the stuff and pricing it highly is one way of doing so. If I remember rightly Bill Clinton recognised that and tried to persuade the American people to accept the principle of higher gas prices but they wouldn't wear it and he couldn't see any votes in pursuing it so he dropped the idea.

In fact, I believe petrol, in real terms, is cheaper than it has been for some years (if some analysts are to be believed-I haven't done the maths and am not going to)

Thos.

[expertec]

That's right. But haven't we got to slow down our use of the stuff and pricing it highly is one way of doing so.

Why?

Pricing it highly in no way slows down use, people just pay the higher prices and grumble.

I'd have thought it was obvious that doesn't work, if it did then this would surely be smoke free country by now. Edits: due to the continually rising price/taxes on cigarettes.

[andsome]

How on earth can you ease up on the use of your car when you live in an area where public transport is almost non existent?

[Thos]

That's right. But haven't we got to slow down our use of the stuff and pricing it highly is one way of doing so.

Why?

Pricing it highly in no way slows down use, people just pay the higher prices and grumble.

I'd have thought it was obvious that doesn't work, if it did then this would surely be smoke free country by now. Edits: due to the continually rising price/taxes on cigarettes.

I don't agree. Smoking has subsided, though probably not solely due to higher prices and, as I said earlier, petrol is cheaper now anyway in real terms. Even so more people are using public transport, I know I am.

Thos.

[Thos]

How on earth can you ease up on the use of your car when you live in an area where public transport is almost non existent?

You can't. Not everybody falls into a neat category. Even so, some think twice about using their car given the high cost, though others, I accept, have no option.

Thos.

[catgate]

How on earth can you ease up on the use of your car when you live in an area where public transport is almost non existent?

This is the crux of the whole business. The petroleum industry know they have a captive market, that needs their product, because of the shambolic mess that was left by the infamous Dr Beeching and his political masters. The government, although not 'partaking' of the mess themseves, through insulation from it, know that it exists. However that is not going to stop them crying "wolf", on the alleged pollution levels and the alleged global warming alleged to be atributable to it, nor taking as much money off the populace as possible, under whatever pretext they can push under this particular umbrella.

It is akin to "congestion charging", and "parking problems". It is all correctable at a certain expense level to the tax payer, but to do that would mean sacrificing too many perks, quangos, political holy cows, foreign travel, and the baggage of age old erroneous dogma, and realising that we are a small island over full with "dependants" of all creeds and classes.

What is needed is government funded research into sensible alternative energy sources, but, with the vast sums generated by the current system, a dishonest government, of any hue, would not go down that avenue. Any research on the part of the oil companies would most certainy lead to the continued 'enslavement' of the public.

It is possible to run an engine from indigeous materials harvested every year. I have done so, briefly, some few years ago. No not bio diesel.

[Thos]

Yup.

I agree with te first part of the last paragraph of catgate's post, anyway. The rest needs some long consideration with a gin & tonic in one hand and a good book in the other!

Thos.

[Scarecrow Man]

Motor fuel in the UK is hovering around £0.90 - £0.95 per litre. You think you have problems?

(conversion rate at the time of writing 1 GBP = 1.80 USD).

This makes 1 US gallon of fuel cost $6.00 - roughly.

That's disgusting.

I remember when I started driving, (started at 16, I am 21 now) gas was 50.0 - 60.0 / litre. That's a 50 cent jump over 5 years.

Minimum wage has jumped from 6.50 to 7.25.

I realize that minimum wage has gone up, but so has everything else. Cigarettes have jumped from 4.25 to 9.75 that's over $5!

It seems anything the government can put a large tax on, and people will still pay, gets taxed even more.

I am fed up with this, and whenever I can, I do not drive. Unfortunatley I cannot take public transit as I live in the country. I cannot even go to the nearest town without a 10 minute drive.

[dadyassa]

I was looking for another pic but could not find it but I think these tell the story....

[CurlyWhirly]

You folks overseas must be laughing at our whining about gas prices.  :P

Your not wrong there as here in the UK a litre of unleaded petrol is around 92p a litre (and before long it will probably be more than £1) :angry:

[-pops-]

Too near the truth, dadyassa.

[dadyassa]

You folks overseas must be laughing at our whining about gas prices.  :P

Your not wrong there as here in the UK a litre of unleaded petrol is around 92p a litre (and before long it will probably be more than £1) :angry:

Hovering just under the € in Spain.

[dadyassa]

Too near the truth, dadyassa.

;) ;)

[expertec]

Hovering just under the € in Spain.

Perhaps we should all drive over to Spain and buy our petrol there? :rolleyes:

[dadyassa]

Well, I saw $1.7CDN/Litre and there is 3.7 litres in 1 gallon.

According to Google, 1 US gallon = 3.7854118 litre. and 1 US Dollar =  1.19950 Canadian Dollar according to FXConverter

Now if I am good at math, it works out to:

$5.364/gallon Please correct me if I am wrong, as I sure hope I am. :(

When I was in Vancouver in 73, I filled my Pontiac Parisian up for 3 dollars :blink:

[Tankus]

we've raped and squandered our north sea ......Its funding our massive government and services ..now 1 in 4 in employment is paid in some way from our government and raised taxes ......

North sea production has peaked early 90's ...our birth rate is dropping ....our av life expectancy is increasing .......and there is the 60's 70's baby-boom only 20 years from retirement ...and there is nothing in the pot ......

If your retired now ...this is the golden age ...make the most of it

If your my age'ish (mid forties ) save like hell..'cos we are heading for an unprotected third world

[Scarecrow Man]

Well, I saw $1.7CDN/Litre and there is 3.7 litres in 1 gallon.

According to Google, 1 US gallon = 3.7854118 litre. and 1 US Dollar =  1.19950 Canadian Dollar according to FXConverter

Now if I am good at math, it works out to:

$5.364/gallon Please correct me if I am wrong, as I sure hope I am. :(

When I was in Vancouver in 73, I filled my Pontiac Parisian up for 3 dollars :blink:

I'd believe that! I used to fill my sunbird with $25 (only 5 years ago) and now it can take $45...

[scuzzman]

That's right. But haven't we got to slow down our use of the stuff and pricing it highly is one way of doing so.

Why?

You mean "Why should we slow down"?

Global warming maybe?

[scuzzman]

How on earth can you ease up on the use of your car when you live in an area where public transport is almost non existent?

Carpooling?

[andsome]

How on earth can you ease up on the use of your car when you live in an area where public transport is almost non existent?

Carpooling?

I don't work now, I am talking about getting out and about doing the normal things in life. To travel to a nearby town to play indoor bowls in the winter would involve several changes of bus, and a journey of a least a couple of hours, I can travel by car in twenty minutes. I travel five miles to a supermarket to fetch the main shopping each week, how would I carry this load home having taken close on an hour to get there, and the same back? When playing outdoor bowls in the summer, away matches can be to various places up to twenty miles away. For these I always travel with a friend in one car. Some of the journeys would be impossible by non existent public transport. For those in our area who work, there is not much employment, and many have to travel quite long distances to get to work. Car pooling is OK when you work with or close to a neighbour, but this is not always the case.

When my daughter used to live in Oxford, she could walk a couple of hundred yards from the house in either direction and catch a bus into Oxford city running every few minutes all day long. Within the same distance from her house she could catch a bus to London every twenty minutes during the day, and every thirty minutes during the night. It is far from being like this in many areas.

[Thos]

How on earth can you ease up on the use of your car when you live in an area where public transport is almost non existent?

Andsome. You are right, of course, about the need to use your car when public transport is inconvenient or even non-existant. But there are other ways to save. For example, I traded down my engine size when I changed my car, making sure it was fuel efficient, and, though I couldn't afford a "hybrid", I would have liked one. I would like to bet that, given the cost of fuel, mpg was a prime factor in choosing your Civic.

Thos.