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May 12, 2008

Average gas prices--May 12, 2008

Gas prices rise higher again this week.

National retail fuel price averages

Price Change from last week
Regular gasoline/gallon $3.72 .11
Diesel fuel/gallon $4.33 .18

Regional regular gasoline prices

Price Change from last week
East Coast $3.71 .10
  -New England $3.75 .12
  -Central Atlantic $3.73  .09
  -Lower Atlantic $3.69  .11
Midwest $3.74  .16
Gulf Coast $3.62  .11
Rocky Mountain $3.61 .12
West Coast $3.83 .03
  -California $3.92 .02

Source: Energy Information Administration, 5/12/08

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Comments

The oil companies are rapeing us, and we are letting them.

Would everyone just stop buying gas already! For the love of god you all act like we NEED gas in order to survive. Stop buying it. Its not food, water, or shelter so forget it.

Oil companies do not set the price of oil. OPEC does.

OPEC may set the base price but they are not responsible for the oil companies continuing to reach for record profits while the rest of the country suffers.

I think a simple application of math could solve the problem of the huge profit gas companies make.

Gas companies say they are making the same profit margin as always.
They say demand has gone up? I do not believe we are using more gas in the past year than we were using in our gas guzzling SUV days.

Why not look back 10 years and see if the consumption in the USA is actually going up in ratio to the Oil companies profit gains?

I also, think the USA should keep track of and reprort daily oil use to monitor any fraud in Oil companies rise in profit and also Price gauging.

If we can keep track of the amount of electricity used, lets get smart and start "really" keeping track of oil use.

How about this for a solution.

The oil companies are right about their companies not making a higher percentage or margin in their profits. They are still making the same margin as they were years ago. But since they now have all these record profits, in the trillions, why are they not icreasing their funding or PERCENTAGE of the funding that is going into alternative fuels. Electric cars work, Hydrogen cars work, for god sakes bio-disiel or even the grease from Mcdonalds runs a car. I mean come on, we have different options but yet the government wont actually take action. If anything at least do something about the speculators. They aren't causing all the problems but they can cetaintly be forced to refuce the demage. Now how can demand from China and India be responsable if we only started seeing the hike in prices at the beginning of May? China and India didnt suddenely Industrialize over night this has been years in the making. Gas prices dont shoot up to 11 cent increases per week overnight. We as Americans can't expect of Government to solve the solution because as long as the senators and everyone is making there annual salary of $150,000 a increase of gas even to $8 or $10 is not going to hit them as hard as it will for the middle and poor class. I am proud to say I am a member of the middle class. And yes I am directly smake dab in the middle neither poor nor rich. The middle class is the working class whether blue or white collar we are the foundation. We support the poor and rich. We work are butts off to keep the federal programs for the poor paid for and buy the consumer items from the rich. So when the news talks about Americans hurtin at the pumps let them know who is really hurting, The MIDDLE CLASS AMERICANS.

The gas price increase is a diverse problem that will only be solved by many steps that will eventually lead to energy independence. These are the following steps

- Stop the price fixing of oil speculators on wall street, how I dont know but do it.

- Open up all oil reserves in the United States as long as it is done safely and responsibly. This is the simpliest one and can be done the easiest.

- Force the Oil companies to put a larger percentage of their earnings into alternative energy. With all the record earnings the CEO'S of the companies are making I'm sure that would be a good place to look. Oh ya since they are so patriotic and care about Americans I'm sure giving up 3 or 4 million from a 12 million salary wouldn't hurt. 8 million is enough to live off of right?

- Build more refineries

- Increase our public transportation system

- reduce the taxes on oil

- Give the auto dealers a deadline for real changes to the amount of gas running cars produced to all hybrids, electric, ethanol, or hydrogen.

- Finally I know this will be difficult but in the next 30 to 40 years we as a nation need to totally rid ourselves of oil. All of those alternative energies I mentioned earlier work and if we implement it on a hole it will work. O ya by the way I we develop hydrogen fuel won't countries eventually have to buy it from us. So we will have not only the technology and expertise but we will also have the future fuel,hmmmmm..... sounds like energy independence to me.

Everybody knows that oil isn't renewable and yes it will run out some day. Now OPEC hasn't risen the increase in production, now I am no expert but to me that sounds like maaaybe there running out of the stuff. So it will change in the future hopefully sooner, I pray to god that day will come sooner rather than later.

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