Gas Prices

[Guest]

Commissioner calls for gasoline tax cuts

An Oklahoma Corporation Commission member called Wednesday for temporary
gasoline tax cuts at the state and federal level to aid consumers during a time
of high prices. Denise Bode says she wants to start the discussion on a possible
temporary tax cut, while admitting it would be a difficult process. She says a
cut of 5 cents a gallon would make a huge difference to consumers. Bode said
Oklahoma consumers pay a combined 36 cents a gallon on gasoline, including 18.4
cents in federal taxes and 17 cents in state taxes.

 

[Guest]

I received this e-mail and thought it made sense check it out and forward it.


Last year on April 30,1999, a gas out was
> staged across Canada and the U.S. to bring the price of gas down, and
> it worked. It's time to do something about it again. Only this time
> lets make it for three days instead of just one. The so-called oil cartel
> decided to slow production to drive up gasoline prices. Lets see how
> many Canadian\American people we can get to ban together for a three
> day period in April, NOT TO BUY ANY GASOLINE, during those three days.
>
> LETS HAVE A GAS OUT.
> DO NOT buy any gasoline from APRIL 7, 2000, THROUGH APRIL 9, 2000.
> Buy what you need before the dates listed
> above, or after, but try not to buy any during the GAS OUT.
>
> If you want to help, just send this to everyone you know and ask them
> to do the same. We brought the prices down once before, and we can do it
> again.
>
> Come on North America lets stand together. WE CAN MAKE A
> DIFFERENCE!!!!!!!!

 

[OB_jr7501]

Bottom line guys, is they got us by the balls so we'll have to pay up. Looks like we'll need to drive the Busa instead of the car. Gee, is that a bad thing????

 

[OB_Cisco San Jose]

Oh ya,filled up my tank yesterday 3/7/00 it was $1.99 at the old Union 76 for top grade gas in the Santa Clara/San Jose area.I keep telling my wife we should keep her Harley instead of selling it cause when the gas prices go above $2 a gallon the only thing on the road would be motorcycles,electric cars.Most people in the Santa Clara area have to drive long distance to work since the average price of a fixer upper house in the valley is $350,000.That is a house that is over 50 yrs old 1100 square feet in size and in need of repair.Most people buy out side the area like Holister,Tracy,Stockton which is about an average of 50 plus miles one way to work.The average price out there is around $190,000 to $225,000 for a brand new house which is around 2,200-2500 sq.ft. and now with the price of gas going up the people that thought buying houses out there would save them money are now faced with the cost of driving to work,which does not include tires and routine maintance.
We are faced with other issues besides the things that were brought up on this post,yes the price of oil is determined by Wall Street,but we are also being reminded that the earth is getting warmer and the cities are being more polluted due to the increase of motor driven machines in the world the reduction in forest in the world.Our government trys it best to please the world and also the big companies that have helped some of these representatives in Congress who were put there by these big companies.Our representatives in Congress may say that they are for the School system being upgraded, Heath programs being upgraded, gun control, and all that other cr*p,but they only say that when they want to get in office but after they are elected they become bed buddies with the big companies and the only time you here about your representatives is when a gun violence happens where kids who kill kids come on the news than that is when your representatives face shows up on the TV or newspaper saying how bad guns are for this nation.The bottom line is write you representatives of your state and the ones in Congress on how you feel about the current issues in America.Let me tell you they do read those letters and some of them respond back also.I know cause when I was fighting the Helmet Law repeal in California and I wrote letters to some of my representatives they responded back.Bottom line in America it says FOR and BY the PEOPLE,which is us and we can make a difference.Ride Safe oh ya when is the GAS OUT Day going to be Held?

 

[Guest]

April 7-9.

Let's just ride our Busa's and nothing else during those days. Mine gets close to 40 mpg if I'm not on it too much.

 

[OB_vortech347]

All you guys trying to figure out the cost per gallon overseas are forgetting about the exchange rate. Like the post above said, everyone just ride their Bus as much as possible and that will keep your gas bill low.

 

[Guest]

A reply to Todd and Jcchen:

Todd. Thanx for your perspective. If I have learned anything on .ORG it's that there is always another side to any issue.

I have a good friend who is a gas retailer. He is being thoroughly burned by the high prices. His margins are down to where he barely breaks even. I agree extremely low prices hurts your segment of the business.
The fact that we quit drilling tells me where a part of the problem lies. The guys that kept drilling are the ones selling to us today. True enough we are not as economical as we need to be. But all the rich guys do when volume is down is to raise the prices to keep their revenues up.

JCChen .. The idea is not to buy a whole lot of gas the day before. It's to DO EVERYTHING AS ECONOMICALLY AS WE CAN for the three days and afterwards too. Are you just going to bend over and take it or are you a fighter like me ?

 

[OB_jcchen]

Lyle - Then why just three days? How about we all vow to minimize gas use from now on - why wait til April? I love commuting on my motorcycle. With the warmer weather, I'll do it more and more. I'll alternate the motorcycle with my bicycle. There are other ways to make a permanent "gas-out." Take public transportation, carpool, move closer to work (I live 6 miles from my office), consolidate errands (less driving - less gas), use the phone/fax/computer whenever possible. Like you Lyle, I AM a fighter. I just don't think fighting means doing so for a random three days and then stopping (not that I'm implying you do - you obviously stated that you were going to continue gas minimization). We should all strive to minimize gas use - riding motorcycles is most certainly one way to do that!

With regards to NickB's post about how last year's gas out "worked." Check your facts out. Gas prices, on average, went UP after the allegedly successful gas out - not down. One day won't make a difference. Every day will.

 

[201mph]

well..for my 2 cents, the main problem is still with all of the taxes placed on fuel. Its 1.38 or so ( the highest in years) in Oklahoma, and if that is less than in some places it is because we have about 13 cents a gallon fuel tax and that is half of what some states charge. Furthermore, our European friends are paying what THEY are because of the same thing multiplied to the nth degree by socialism and their version of free health care, and the governments need to control everything in their lives. Germany even dictates how many weeks vacation- 6 right?- that a company PAYS an employee per year! I can live with the free market prices, that is the nature of capitalism, BUT, the price that all of us see is far more impacted by taxes than it ever is by the price of the goods. Remember too that the recent "below production cost" prices we have enjoyed, allowed many states to raise their fuel taxes virtually unnoticed, at least until now! And if you think that Europe has a good system ask them about the unbelievable taxes they pay for terrible (and slow) health care, and the fact that now those countries (France first,now!) are reaching the point that they can't afford to pay for those systems AND they can't afford to keep raising taxes. Because their best and brightest leave,(and go to America oftentimes), and their cost of doing business is so high (giving everyone a window in every room in an office building sounds like a great idea until it costs you twice as much to build a bldg.(Germany again))that they are at a competitive disadvantage to other countries. WE ALL NEED LESS GOVERNMENT NOT MORE. The fat cats you all worry about will never make you leave your country because you can't make a decent living there, but huge governments do it every day!And millions of those people leave the so called advanced nations like those in Europe. Going a day without fuel will change nothing.Reducing the taxes on gas would decrease how much you pay per gallon for every gallon you buy FOREVER; regardless of what the market price price may be. You hear me knockin'?

[This message has been edited by 201mph (edited 08 March 2000).]

 

[DaveO]

Lyle,

I'm with ya!! Whats it goin to hurt by NOT buying gas for three days?? Don't know if I can get 3 days out of a tank on my Busa though...

Dave

 

[Guest]

You guys don't have cause to complain. Here in South Africa we pay R3.00 per litre. Calculating that back to dollars/gallon:-
R3 X 6.5(rand to dollar) X 4.5(litre to gallon) = $87.75 per gallon.

 

[OB_Bob Lynch]

Colin, I thought we had it bad, but $87.00 dollars a gallon in South Africa, who can afford to ride. Sorry to hear that!

 

[sherm]

While we're talking conservation how about letting everyone know what your performance mods have done to your gas mileage. If you checked gas mileage before and after you added pipes, PCII, 16 tooth front etc, etc. tell us what the difference was.

 

[OB_Bob Lynch]

After resetting the trip meter what was your fuel mileage? I've seen 43 on mine. Anybody getting more than that.

 

[Guest]

Gas TAXES HAVE NOT GONE UP 40 CENTS IN THE LAST WEEK. Jesus Christ, get your heads out of your a*s.

OK I am calm now. My first flame just burned out for lack of gas.

Who do you think is putting that extra 40 cents a gallon in their pockets. It's not our oil company employee Todd. That's for sure.

JCCHEN has the right idea. Let's start a boycott NOW. Ride only hi mileage motorcycles, walk, bicycle or don't go.

LET'S SHOW THEM WE'RE NOT PUTTING UP WITH IT. QUIT TALKING AND DO IT.

 

[Guest]

Pete.. I don't buy you're calculation that gas is less of a percent of total income. I can't tell you mathematically or logically where you're wrong but somehow you are. Yeah I know that sounds dumb. Don't bother to tell me so.

Twenty years ago the cost of gas wasn't threatening my ability to earn a living, NOW IT IS.

LET'S DO SOMETHING.

Pete or whoever.. If you have a better idea. I'm all ears. Maybe start the boycott today ?? Maybe beat on clinton and congress to support oil drilling. Whatever. LETS USE OUR GROUP POWER TO DO SOMETHING.


[This message has been edited by Lyle (edited 09 March 2000).]

 

[OB_Dirty Pete]

Look at gas prices this way and you'll realize how low they really are in 2000.

In 1967, a 15 gallon tank of regular car gas cost $7 or 9% of a transport truck driver's gross weekly pay.

Today (in Canada) that same 15 gallon tank costs $50, or 6.25% of a transport truck driver's Y2K gross weekly pay.

The price of gas has not kept pace with inflation and, unlike most other products, is now a relative bargain.

In addition, tha average new car is about twice as fuel efficient as the average new car was in 1967, so we are buying about half the volume of gas per capita that we did back then.

When you combine both the relative price of fuel and the fuel efficiency advantage of today's cars, we are paying LESS THAN ONE THIRD THE PRICE FOR FUEL, measured as a percentage of our incomes, of what we were paying in 1967.

If you are now earning more than the average transport truck driver, you are paying even less.

 

[OB_CaveDweller]

The villians in the gas price conspiracy have deep pockets and you'll never touch them. I admire your idealism and enthusiasm but there is no way you are going to change the price of gas. They know we will pay whatever they charge.

Ride your bike, smile, and be grateful you live in a time and place where you can hop on a 190 mph bike and ride wherever and whenever you want.

[This message has been edited by CaveDweller (edited 09 March 2000).]

 

[Guest]

WANNA WAKE UP CALL? READ THIS ARTICLE/http://sightings.com/politics6/tax.htm

 

[201mph]

Thank you Todd; Oklahoma pays .17 in gas taxes, not .13.The Clinton administration keeps turning down all offshore drilling in Alaska while still selling Alaskan pipeline oil to the Japanese and other asian countries for far less than we pay for domestic oil. Any Democrats want to tell me why? AND as far as OPEC goes isn't it fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me? They DID do this before right? And now we have ignored our domestic oil industry until they are down to the 1920's number of active rigs, and made ourselves more dependent than ever on them. Riding a Busa is the most "green" thing we can do!

[This message has been edited by 201mph (edited 09 March 2000).]