$8 a gallon for gas, damn.

[audtatious]

Since people "took it there" it's now in the politics forum.

Want to lower oil prices in the near future? Fat chance. Want to lower it in the future? Tell Congress to stop blocking us from getting our own oil.

Some of you kill me. You have no knowledge about the issue other than to follow rhetoric talking points and blame Bush for everything. Way to go

[Thamm]

Veggie car ftw.

[brizanden]

Since people "took it there" it's now in the politics forum.

Want to lower oil prices in the near future? Fat chance. Want to lower it in the future? Tell Congress to stop blocking us from getting our own oil.

Some of you kill me. You have no knowledge about the issue other than to follow rhetoric talking points and blame Bush for everything. Way to go

what do u mean.... bush is the root of all evil... comedy central tells me so

[Thamm]

You watch too much Mind of Mencia.

[komete]

lol its so easy to blame the president for gas prices, he has nothing to do with rising gas prices and the next president can't put a freeze on the price either. I doubt it will be $8/gal by next year there will be riots in the streets if that happens

The president is an oil man, has been an oil man his whole life. Oil is a Bush family tradition. d!ck Cheney an oil man. So if anyone knows about Oil and its prices it's these guys.

A bigger question is since gas is taxed at 47% on average where is all the extra money that has been generated from taxes alone going to since Bush jr. has been in office? We are talking about gas going from $1.25 a gallon to $4.00. That's 57c a gallon in taxes taxes to $1.88 a gallon in taxes in 7 years. That is more than a three fold jump. Megga babillions if not in the trillions.

Ever since I heard about the stimulus package I've been asking what is this going to cost us. Last time we had that tax refund electricity prices skyrocketed and this time it looks to be gas.

Every oil producing country will tell you one thing, we can sell the US more oil for less but the US doesn't have the refineries/refuses to build more to handle more oil.

All this India and China crap is all smoke and mirrors. Can't blame it on terrorism so blame it on the communist and the curry eaters.

Only thing that ticks me off more is our president sending our troops to die in the senseless war. At least send them to Darfor (sp) where they could die for a worthy cause.

[audtatious]

what do u mean.... bush is the root of all evil... comedy central tells me so

You got me there

[shift_SRDETuser]

Since people "took it there" it's now in the politics forum.

Want to lower oil prices in the near future? Fat chance. Want to lower it in the future? Tell Congress to stop blocking us from getting our own oil.

Some of you kill me. You have no knowledge about the issue other than to follow rhetoric talking points and blame Bush for everything. Way to go

I have a right to complain since this is not a dictatorship nor a third world country yet and I voted in the last two elections. Lets look and this in a non political way ok? First George Bush bankrupted every company that he was ever in charge of. Do you think that gas prices are all of it? China owns a substantial amount of our t-bill debt, we are in a war that costs us billions of dollars each year, the dollar is at its lowest point that it has ever been (why do you think japan continues to build auto plants here), GDP is down, consumer confidence is down, the interest rates are at the lowest possible points they can be and people are still not buying homes and automobiles.Only smart people should be president of the United States not company puppets whose main administrative policies are to make their friends and relatives among the wealthiest and most influential people in the world.

[brizanden]

Only thing that ticks me off more is our president sending our troops to die in the senseless war. At least send them to Darfor (sp) where they could die for a worthy cause.

to bad we only fight for ourselves huh? im fine with it. I mean ideals are great, but africa is so straight ****ed whats the point it will be worse the second we leave if we did do anything, but thats a different topic.

[audtatious]

The president is an oil man, has been an oil man his whole life. Oil is a Bush family tradition. d!ck Cheney an oil man. So if anyone knows about Oil and its prices it's these guys.

So, show me where they are making millions on oil today? Oh, he's doing it for his buddies? Who and where? Oh, Exxon made 40 billion dollars? Gee, they made 9-10% profit margin where others made as low as 6% profit. Want to talk margin? What about the 112+ billion in taxes that Exxon itself paid to the Gov't? What about the 50-60 cents on each gallon that the Gov it tacking on to each gallon you purchase? Is that Bush or is that the greedy Gov't in general? Why have the Democrats (who are in charge of the house and senate) not done a damn thing to fix the problem since they run things now?

A bigger question is since gas is taxed at 47% on average where is all the extra money that has been generated from taxes alone going to since Bush jr. has been in office? We are talking about gas going from $1.25 a gallon to $4.00. That's 57c a gallon in taxes taxes to $1.88 a gallon in taxes in 7 years. That is more than a three fold jump. Megga babillions if not in the trillions.

Ask Congress. They spend the money.

Ever since I heard about the stimulus package I've been asking what is this going to cost us. Last time we had that tax refund electricity prices skyrocketed and this time it looks to be gas.

The welfare stimulus plan was absolute BS and was put in place to combat the mortgage issue, not high gas prices. Realize the US dollar is worth less because of these stupid banks and the idiots who signed to buy a house they could not afford, thus that is also impacting what we see in the price of oil.

Every oil producing country will tell you one thing, we can sell the US more oil for less but the US doesn't have the refineries/refuses to build more to handle more oil.

We have limited refinery capabilities. Blame the environmentals for that one. Further, refineries are running at a loss during the summer due to the idiotic 90+ individual blends of gas they have to make up to support state-limited eco-laws. What, want to force then to run at a loss? Sure, watch them shut down and the price go WAY up. Sure, refineries do not deserve to make any profits.

All this India and China crap is all smoke and mirrors. Can't blame it on terrorism so blame it on the communist and the curry eaters.

Supply and demand works for everything except the oil industry? China, India and others have not majorly ramped up consumption?

Only thing that ticks me off more is our president sending our troops to die in the senseless war. At least send them to Darfor (sp) where they could die for a worthy cause.

Because you approve of Darfur and not of Iraq makes you right and others wrong? Why send them anywhere? Let's disband the military and allow the UN to monitor and police us. We will all be safe.

[brizanden]

^lmao at un. almost as funny as our country's current economic mega failure.

[audtatious]

I have a right to complain since this is not a dictatorship nor a third world country yet and I voted in the last two elections. Lets look and this in a non political way ok? First George Bush bankrupted every company that he was ever in charge of. Do you think that gas prices are all of it? China owns a substantial amount of our t-bill debt, we are in a war that costs us billions of dollars each year, the dollar is at its lowest point that it has ever been (why do you think japan continues to build auto plants here), GDP is down, consumer confidence is down, the interest rates are at the lowest possible points they can be and people are still not buying homes and automobiles.Only smart people should be president of the United States not company puppets whose main administrative policies are to make their friends and relatives among the wealthiest and most influential people in the world.

If you want to focus on Gov't as a whole for being absolute failures then I would tend to agree with you. Simply focusing on the President is short sighted.

Also, these calls for windfall taxes and punishing "big oil"? Who IS big oil? Since their stocks are publicly traded, let's see

1.5% is Corporate Insiders5% are misc institutional inverstors14% are IRA's23% are individual investors27% are pension funds29.5% are mutual funds and others

So, want to punish big oil? You punish the middle class the most as you are totally devaluating IRA's, pensions and other personal funds. Sounds like a great idea.

[shift_SRDETuser]

If you want to focus on Gov't as a whole for being absolute failures then I would tend to agree with you. Simply focusing on the President is short sighted.

Why people focused on our last presidents extra martial affairs and this lead to a complete and utter about face in polices and the direction that this country was going. Bill Clinton may have only delayed the enviable but those 8 years were some of the best this country has ever seen. So, now we are stuck again with another crappy democrat nominee who will put up a good showing but will fall short and then we will have another GOP who's big budget big spending keeps us on the same path. Nothing ever changes nothing ever will and that is why only about 10 percent of our population votes and that ten percent elects our president. So, tell me again what is different about this country than any other third world nation?

Gas hits 8 dollars or 10 dollars a gallon then a complete and utter break down of our society could occur. Anybody have an answer for that?

[audtatious]

I blame the Dems AND Reps in office. Dems are in control of all except the oval office and I sure as hell have seen nothing good come out of it. They are simply positioning things for a democrat president to take over. Thus, I blame them all. Republicans are not being monetarily conservative and Democrats are simply plowing forward with their usual socialistic agendas.

What is your answer that will solve the problem?

[shift_SRDETuser]

If you want to focus on Gov't as a whole for being absolute failures then I would tend to agree with you. Simply focusing on the President is short sighted.

Also, these calls for windfall taxes and punishing "big oil"? Who IS big oil? Since their stocks are publicly traded, let's see

1.5% is Corporate Insiders5% are misc institutional inverstors14% are IRA's23% are individual investors27% are pension funds29.5% are mutual funds and others

So, want to punish big oil? You punish the middle class the most as you are totally devaluating IRA's, pensions and other personal funds. Sounds like a great idea.

my mutual fund and 401k is company paid for performance match -- sure some speculation occurs based on mutual fund performance and I guess additional there may be some energy companies lumped into some funds but the majority of the people getting RICH off of this are the corporate executives who have had to bare the brunt of taxation in the past and who are now making wind fall profit off the administrations change in policy. Oh and do not think I am some weak minded hack who makes this stuff up. My family benefits the most from this current administrations policies. I feel for the middle class of which so much of our economy depends for without them out spending money the economy suffers and people suffer.

[brizanden]

Gas hits 8 dollars or 10 dollars a gallon then a complete and utter break down of our society could occur. Anybody have an answer for that?

yes... start hording guns, ammo, and gas to filll up my 240 lol.

[themadscientist]

Yeah, quit bitching about it you whiney spoiled Americans and start living your lives in a manner that reflects the reality of a market economy trading in dwindling resouses. God dam Americans are annoying. I have been paying $4.50-$6.00 a gallon for gas for a ****ing decade with no complaints. I still drive vehicles that suck large amounts of gas but I have made the decision that I can sacrifice funds for other things to support my desire to drive such vehicle in a market where gas has always cost more.Gas is going to continue to be expensive so you are left with two predominant choices.

1. buy a bicycle and quit driving a ****ing Escalade or

2. adjust your outflows of cash to allow you to continue to drive said behemoth in the new normal. (for you at least)

Whine whine ***** *****, cheap gas by world standards, 31 flavors of ice cream, starbucks on every corner etc etc and Americans are still the most down in the mouth sorry sacks of lazy self pitying children I have ever seen.

[audtatious]

my mutual fund and 401k is company paid for performance match -- sure some speculation occurs based on mutual fund performance and I guess additional there may be some energy companies lumped into some funds but the majority of the people getting RICH off of this are the corporate executives who have had to bare the brunt of taxation in the past and who are now making wind fall profit off the administrations change in policy. Oh and do not think I am some weak minded hack who makes this stuff up. My family benefits the most from this current administrations policies. I feel for the middle class of which so much of our economy depends for without them out spending money the economy suffers and people suffer.

Ah. Rich people are evil and if you make lots of money you don't deserve it. Companies are only around to provide jobs for people and the amount of money they make off the backs of their employees is criminal. These rich people simply gather up their money and hold it without investing in other avenues to make more dirty money off the backs of the employees whom they have provided jobs to by their investing.

Hope that's not what you are saying.

[audtatious]

Gee, you'd think that owning and driving a car was a right covered by the Constitution or something....

Take a bus

[themadscientist]

Gee, you'd think that owning and driving a car was a right covered by the Constitution or something....

Take a bus

But if we can't be artificially insulated from gas prices then we can't drive our Hummers and Vipers and motor homes and then the terrorists win!

[audtatious]

Or hoopties with 100lb 26" rims.

[shift_SRDETuser]

Ah. Rich people are evil and if you make lots of money you don't deserve it. Companies are only around to provide jobs for people and the amount of money they make off the backs of their employees is criminal. These rich people simply gather up their money and hold it without investing in other avenues to make more dirty money off the backs of the employees whom they have provided jobs to by their investing.

Hope that's not what you are saying.

What kind of jobs are you talking about? You would work at wally world or mcdonalds for min all your life? The waltons who own wal-mart are billionaires while they pay their average employee min wage. Oh but wait they provide them with a profit sharing plan which can make them millionaires if they started working for them in 1972 for 2 dollars an hour. The average fortune 500 ceo makes something like 300 percent more than their average employee and you call that fair. I probably am bitching for people who I shouldn't and you can call me a bleeding heart liberal. People deserve and have the right to make a livable wage. When that is taken away from people then bad things can start to happen. Why do you think the waltons have a fortified fortress underground like 30 - 60 feet with enough supplies to support them for 30 years? Oh I am sure George W has an escape plan as well probably on an island somewhere.

[audtatious]

So what? Are people forced to work at Wally World? Why do you hate people who had a novel idea, executed it relatively perfectly and made billions of dollars while providing jobs for others? Where do new companies come from, the company fairy or investors? Who gets to have jobs at these new companies that someone comes up with to make money?

[themadscientist]

If someone is flipping burgers it is a direct result of their own actions. Corperations are greedy but the workforce is aslo stunningly lazy.

[shift_SRDETuser]

So what? Are people forced to work at Wally World? Why do you hate people who had a novel idea, executed it relatively perfectly and made billions of dollars while providing jobs for others? Where do new companies come from, the company fairy or investors? Who gets to have jobs at these new companies that someone comes up with to make money?

first off I never said that I hated anyone. Wal-Mart has a business model of going into an area and running all the small business owners out of business. These business owners supply jobs to people and I assure you that most of them provide better working environments than wal-mart.....

read about wal-mart yourself

http://feettofaith.blogspot.co....html

I live in Arkansas and besides what most people think -- I shop at the local family owned stores and avoid them at all costs. I would rather pay 100 dollars a week more in groceries than to give wal-mart 1 dollar of my money.

Listen America is still strong financially -- Many of the international companies here provide better jobs than the companies that were started here. Granted things change and the world is not a perfect place by any means. All I was saying is that I can see why and how things could totally go bad and riots/ breakdowns could occur. that is all I was saying..

[audtatious]

If someone is flipping burgers it is a direct result of their own actions. Corperations are greedy but the workforce is aslo stunningly lazy.

The thought is that these people may do non-technical work but they should be paid as much as someone who is in a technical position. I've heard it time and time again.

Let's pay everyone the same so we have no initiative to future generations to make anything of themselves. Hell, the gov't will save us all if we give them the power to do so

[shift_SRDETuser]

If someone is flipping burgers it is a direct result of their own actions. Corperations are greedy but the workforce is aslo stunningly lazy.

agreed on the lazy comment.

[audtatious]

first off I never said that I hated anyone. Wal-Mart has a business model of going into an area and running all the small business owners out of business. These business owners supply jobs to people and I assure you that most of them provide better working environments than wal-mart.....

read about wal-mart yourself

http://feettofaith.blogspot.co....html

I live in Arkansas and besides what most people think -- I shop at the local family owned stores and avoid them at all costs. I would rather pay 100 dollars a week more in groceries than to give wal-mart 1 dollar of my money.

Listen America is still strong financially -- Many of the international companies here provide better jobs than the companies that were started here. Granted things change and the world is not a perfect place by any means. All I was saying is that I can see why and how things could totally go bad and riots/ breakdowns could occur. that is all I was saying..

I know what WalMart is doing and I never said I agree with it. I feel for the small business owner. Personally, I tend to make a point to go to other shops (no, I don't shop at WalMart) but WalMart is just a part of the issue with SBO's closing shop as the internet and online ordering is a pretty large issue as well. There are smaller shops here and they are doing OK by pushing volume through online sales to help offset other business costs.

Simply blaming everything on Oil and Bush is NOT correct. Does Bush have some blame? Absolutely. But as I have tried to make clear, Gov't as a whole is to blame and even IF a democrat takes office there will be no changes other than more finger pointing. We will never be fully fuel-independent in the US but we could take a big chunk out of it by telling the enviro-whacko's to take a step back and let us drill. Hell, Katrina took out or damaged 100+ oil rigs and no oil was spilled. The Alaska pipeline, which they claimed would kill off caribou has actually done the opposite. And I'm sure you remember the "save the tree" push which caused stores to turn to plastic bags? Let's start getting some of our own oil and put in nuke plants for power. THAT is the first steps needed for our energy needs.

[OriginalWheelman]

Yeah, quit bitching about it you whiney spoiled Americans and start living your lives in a manner that reflects the reality of a market economy trading in dwindling resouses. God dam Americans are annoying. I have been paying $4.50-$6.00 a gallon for gas for a ****ing decade with no complaints. I still drive vehicles that suck large amounts of gas but I have made the decision that I can sacrifice funds for other things to support my desire to drive such vehicle in a market where gas has always cost more.Gas is going to continue to be expensive so you are left with two predominant choices.

1. buy a bicycle and quit driving a ****ing Escalade or

2. adjust your outflows of cash to allow you to continue to drive said behemoth in the new normal. (for you at least)

Whine whine ***** *****, cheap gas by world standards, 31 flavors of ice cream, starbucks on every corner etc etc and Americans are still the most down in the mouth sorry sacks of lazy self pitying children I have ever seen.

Americans are ridiculous. They're like upper class children. They think everything should magically be fixed by Daddy ( the government) without any work or responsibility on their part.

"Dear Government,

Please keep us safe without spending money on the Military. Also, please implement new social reform and community projects. Please feed the homeless, increase police protection, build new roads, inspect new cars to make sure they are safe, inspect the food supply, and regulate the economy, but do not tax us for the money. Also, please make sure that every American except me has to abide by every letter of the law.

Sincerely,The People"

[shift_SRDETuser]

Americans are ridiculous. They're like upper class children. They think everything should magically be fixed by Daddy ( the government) without any work or responsibility on their part.

"Dear Government,

Please keep us safe without spending money on the Military. Also, please implement new social reform and community projects. Please feed the homeless, increase police protection, build new roads, inspect new cars to make sure they are safe, inspect the food supply, and regulate the economy, but do not tax us for the money. Also, please make sure that every American except me has to abide by every letter of the law.

Sincerely,The People"

Hey it worked for Canada....

[audtatious]

So true...

When the going gets tougher than usual the common person wants someone to blame and looks to the Gov't to fix their problems. Regardless of gas prices or economic woes I feel I'm privlidged to be living here in the US instead of elsewhere.

Did anyone else hear that new home sales rose last month?