Folks are going to have to come to grips that gas prices aren't going to go down. There is way too much unknown when it comes to oil:
-Is there really another Saudia Arabia of oil in the China Sea?
-Is there really a peak oil issue with all the possible finds yet to be located?
-Is oil and other commodities going up in price because: Devaluation of the USD, a weak Euro, demand, costly exploration for new supplies,...whatever else?
-Will this country shift radically left in terms of oil, where the people demand nationalization of oil/gas due to the $500,000,000.00 retirement packages one oil company gave away?
I've seen the writing on the wall and have changed my lifestyle accordingly. I would love to have a truck but there is no way I could justify the cost of a truck as a daily driver. There is no way to even justify the cost of a cheap used beater either. It would be cheaper for me to rent a trunk the few times I may need one, or actually just pay $40-$60 to have things like furniture, appliances, wood, etc.. I know so many people who drive full size SUVs and heavy duty trucks and use them daily drivers. They don't haul anything, they don't need the 4x4 for months of snow or mountain driving. Others may own boats or SUVs, but again I would have to wonder if over all, it would be cheaper to rent a truck to tow your boat/jet skis/fifth wheel? Guess it would depend on how many weekends you haul/tow stuff.
So I'll likely never have a truck. I just can't justify spending that much each week at the pump. It would be much cheaper to pay for delivery and order firewood for winter heating. So I'm driving my 4-cyl. 2004 Chevy sedan into the ground. It is paid off, gets good, but not great (for a 4-cyl.) gas mileage. It should last for hopefully another three years. Wife has a 4-cyl. Nissan, excellent gas mileage.
Better protection in car accidents. If you have not been exposed to the medcal system, you are in for a real treat
Energy Secretary Steven Chu famously told The Wall Street Journal in 2008, 'Somehow we have to figure out how to boost the price of gasoline to the levels in Europe.'
It does suck, but it's not the end of the world. Let's say the average person drives 1,000 miles per month, and gets 25 mpg. If gas jumps from $3.29 per gallon to $3.99, we're only talking an extra $28 per month. Sure, I could buy a couple boxes of ammo with that, but it's not like I'm going to sell my truck over it. Smoke one less pack of cigarettes a week, eat lunch at McDonald's one less time per week, get one less starbucks coffee once or twice a week, etc. There are lots of ways to save a few bucks a week rather than losing your mind and buying a horse and buggy.
You do realize that the government makes more in taxes on a gallon of gas than the oil companies make in profit. Typical profit margin for the oil companies is 10%. 10% profit is not greedy or exorbitant. If the cost of raw materials go up, and the profit margin remains the same, more total dollars are made, but the percentage is the same.
SO, this is not gouging? And where is the Attorney General as this all comes to pass?