Reader comments
Gas over $3.83 as early holiday travelers hit road

The hard truth is that our lifestyle is built around artificially cheap gasoline and oil.
It has an adverse effect on almost every facet of life; the way we design our cities and homes, the way we spend our time and money, the enviroment.
We have repeatedly demonstrated that we are not willing to proactively make changes to improve the situation; the only way we will is if higher oil cost force us.
We could have done it the smart way but instead we have choosen the hard way.
Buckle up, it's going to be a painful ride.

The reality is that we are artificially constraining the supply of our natural resources because of the legislation that we are passing in this country and around the world. We can't drill for oil in Alaska, we can't drill for oil off our coast lines, we can't extract oil shale, we can't build nuclear power plants, and we can't build new oil refineries. WHY????

Because some environmentalist groups say that all of the above will hurt our delicate planet, and we must save the planet at all costs. Well, the "COSTS" are starting to increase in price, for the citizens of the world including higher gas prices, inflation, food shortages, etc. It will only get worse if we don't wake up to our self imposed lunacy and start developing our natural resources which are given to us by God to improve the lives of all mankind.

Think about this---huge oil subsidy we pay $8 Billion per month for the Iraq War to keep the Middle East Oil flowing to the World Market. Our Nation is not the recipient of most of this oil, but if it were not on the Market we would be paying much more than the $130 per barrel.

Now lets look at what $8 Billion per month or $96 Billion per year could purchase here at home. We could build clean renewable alternative energy power plants, enough to generate 50,000 Megawatts, which would power 17.5 Million Homes. Yes, free electricity for 17,500,000 homes.

Take this and do it for 4 years and we can generate 200,000 Megawatts, enough to power 70 Million Homes, or 61% of all the 115.9 Million Homes in the USA, according to the 2000 Census.

Everyone in the USA could cut their home electric bill by 61%, if we spent the OIL SUBSIDY building these plants in our own Country, think of the jobs and economic.

NOW YOU CAN HELP MAKE THIS HAPPEN, by asking anyone seeking your vote ---

�Do You Support The Oil Based Economy?�

If their answer is yes, don�t vote for that person.

by cutting 60% of the vehicle usage and 50% of the diesel fuel usage by mandating 60% of autos be electric and building a MagLev train system to transport goods and materials, we would lower the daily consumption by 7.556 Million Barrels Per Day (.60 x 9.16 MBD + .5 x 4.12 MBD), approximately 1/3 of the daily total usage of petroleum.
Additionally, 7.556 MBD is 5.4 times as much as the estimated daily output from ANWAR of only 1.4 MBD. By the way the 10.4 Billion Barrels of oil in ANWAR would only cover the 13.15 Million Barrels of Imported oil for 2.17 years. Why spend all those millions on finding, drilling, building a pipeline, shipping, etc, when those millions can be spent on ending our dependence on oil.
The whole point of this matter is that our Country has run out of oil as a sustainable source of transportation fuel. WE USE MORE THAN WE HAVE AND MUST IMPORT IT FROM PLACES THAT DO NOT LIKE AND THAT OPPOSE OUR COUNTRY.
Therefore, the PRUDENT and AMERICAN thing to do is develop a new source or sources of ENERGY and become self sufficient in our needs.

I was going to say that $4 a gallon is still below the average I've seen in other countries. But that was a while ago, does anyone know what the current average gas price is outside the US?

"Think about this---huge oil subsidy we pay $8 Billion per month for the Iraq War to keep the Middle East Oil flowing to the World Market"


The Iraq War has nothing to do with the flow of oil out of the Middle East.

We have to give up but why not the top dog of Exxon who's collecting 1 million a month in pay cheque sorry no man is worth that much a month, especially at the expense of the little man trying to keep a roof over his head and a means of transportationt get to work

Of course Iraq has to do with the flow of oil out of the Middle East, same with Iran.

We have to police the area to keep the flow

Think about this

Google and do some research. There are electric vehicles, either new or gas converted to electric, with 100 to 200 mile ranges, available today from $18K (conversion) to $106K (Tesla Motors).

Only 8% of workers travel more than 35 miles one way to work.

Therefore, today�s technology is sufficient to get the job done; however, due to the Automobile Manufactures and Big Oil lobbies, the elected officials will not pass legislation mandating 60% of autos sold be electric.

Try to open your mind to new and exciting possibilities and don�t be someone who says �CAN�T� --- there is no such thing.

"There are electric vehicles, either new or gas converted to electric, with 100 to 200 mile ranges, available today from $18K (conversion) to $106K (Tesla Motors)."

How much does it cost to replace the batteries? And how often?

It's no mystery that there is a limited supply of fossil fuels, and additional research is taking place and needs to continue to develop alternative energy sources. The reality is we are utterly and totally dependant on these fossil fuels today. We MUST allow private enterprise to drill for oil in this country, and develop new energy infrastructure for a growing economy to continue.

NEWS to Mr. "Think Outside the Box". It doesn't cost our government any money to allow for private industries to drill in ANWAR. It doesn't cost the government any money for private enterprise to build new refineries. If our legislators will quit restricting the free market and allow for us to develop our natural resources, the supply will increase and prices will drop, that�s just simple economics.

Whether a gallon of gas costs a buck or four, you still don't have to pay for the gallon you don't use.
Time spent walking isn't wasted, it's time likely put to much better use than whatever else you were going to do with it. I have coworkers who drive to work, drive home, and then drive to the gym to pay forty bucks a month to walk on a treadmill. They're the ones who think i'm nuts for walking 7 miles to work and back each day.

Was Jebb Bush an environmental extremist when he talking his brother in to closing the waters off Florida to oil drilling? Notice Rush Limbaugh, I Florida resident, haven't objected to this agreement.

When have you heard Doctor Laura or Nancy Reagan trying build momentum to drill off their favorite coasts?

It seems to be that ruining your own environment for short term gains is a view unique to Utahans.

To Fossil Fuels

You miss the whole point, even if we allow the BIG OIL companies to drill and suck ANWR dry, that will not help the Citizenry or the Nation, only BIG OIL.

As oil price are set on a World market, not on our National market. If we quit spending $8 Billion a month (Iraq War) to keep OPEC oil flowing, then the output (oil) from ANWR will just go to the highest bidder, most likely Japan.

AFFORDABLE SUSTAINABLE OIL is a thing of the past, and we need to start now on alternatives, because it will take many years to wean ourselves from OIL.

So yes, please Think Outside The Box!

To Fossil Fuels

So it does cost something to allow Big Oil to continue to run the show --- $8Billion per month $96 Billion per year.

In 4 years we could all have almost free electricity.

"You miss the whole point, even if we allow the BIG OIL companies to drill and suck ANWR dry, that will not help the Citizenry or the Nation, only BIG OIL.

As oil price are set on a World market, not on our National market. If we quit spending $8 Billion a month (Iraq War) to keep OPEC oil flowing, then the output (oil) from ANWR will just go to the highest bidder, most likely Japan."


And displace Japan's demand away from the Middle East.

Oil, at least the sweet, light crudes, is a fungible commodity. It doesn't matter where it comes from or who buys it, some demand is satiated and price decreases for the rest of us.

At this point, we need to get every drop we can.

"
So it does cost something to allow Big Oil to continue to run the show --- $8Billion per month $96 Billion per year.

In 4 years we could all have almost free electricity."

Oil companies make about a 10% profit margin. So does my power company. That's fairly typical for other Fortune 500 companies. Where's the big deal? These big profits everyone talks about are driven by huge sales volumes and average margins.

By the way, there is no such thing as "free electricity" or anything else.

To: Think Outside The Box

You are stuck on the whole Oil = Bad argument. Until we have viable economic alternatives, then Oil is our best option. Also, I don't think Oil is "BAD" like you obviously do. You say that affordable sustainable oil is a thing of the past, and you are right if our government won't allow us to tap into the known oil reserves that we have, let alone discovering new ones and learning how to process oil shale etc. Remember Econ 101, supply and demand. Increasing the supply will lower prices for all, and that will benefit our "Citizenry and Nation". Don't be a "BIG OIL" fear monger. Hey, I have an Idea, why don't we in Utah start developing oil shale and have some of the revenue come back to the citizens of Utah, Alaska residents make money each year from the revenues of oil, and we could do the same.

Also, your arguments about the money from Iraq $96B per year for 4 years would get the majority of our country almost free electricity. Where do you get these numbers, this is a crazy utopian dream, free energy for all.

There isn't there a government agencies who can regulate the gas prices like they do the power company and the natural gas company. Those companies have to submit a plan as to why they need to increase our rates and then the regulatory commission has a say as if they get to do it or not? This helps protect us a little bit as the consumers who uses this product. So why can't the government step in and say enough already. We put gas/diesel in 3 vehicles and it isn't cheap, but we have to get to work and school so we pay it, it isn't an option, unfortunately. I just don't get why the government who's supposed to help us helped us yet, HMM just a thought?

"So why can't the government step in and say enough already. We put gas/diesel in 3 vehicles and it isn't cheap, but we have to get to work and school so we pay it, it isn't an option, unfortunately"


Price controls inevitably lead to shortage. Right now the public is best served by increased exploration, preferably in more stable corners of the world, ideally in the U.S. Punishing American oil companies with price controls, "windfall" profits taxes, and the like will only make the U.S. even more dependent on foreign oil providers. The fact that Congress wants to do this only shows how incompetent our current political leadership is. We, of course, and not the oil companies will pay these taxes, because demand for gasoline is inelastic.

As I've said before, the profit margin on major oil companies is only about 10%. So it is obvious that oil company pricing strategies are *not* a primary factor in the rising cost of gasoline. Primary causes are the weak dollar, demand overseas, and to some extent speculation on commodities markets.

We need to teach economics in schools again.