Gasoline Prices are literally scaring me

[BVS]

Arlington has none. 350,000 people and no public transportation.

You mean they link Dallas to downtown Fort Worth and there still aren't any stops in Arlington? Damn.

 

[BVS]

It would have raised our sales tax rate, so they pretty much had to let us vote.

3 times this city voted no.

3 TIMES.

AARGH.

I think that's because Arlington still has a very independent small town stuck between 2 cities mentality. I think they fear being lumped in with Dallas or Fort Worth. At least that's kinda the mentality I remember from when I lived there.

 

[nbcrusader]

Frankly, I don't buy it. Gas prices consistenly go higher over highly irrational events, like over the death of King Fahd, whose successor was the one who was actually ruling over Saudi Arabia over the last ten years!

That tends to show evidence of speculation over actual supply and demand. The oil industry is currently raking in record profits.

Melon

Part of this is a failure of the media. Little, irrational events may affect futures prices (which are reported), but not the actual price of crude (which is not reported).

Our corner gas stations will raise prices on such a perception (and they are always slower to lower the prices).


On a related note, I am almost finished with a book that questions Saudia Arabia's future oil supply. If you want to see a real price shock, wait until we get the news that the supply may only be 5-10 years, instead of the 70+years we always hear.

 

[80sU2isBest]

You mean they link Dallas to downtown Fort Worth and there still aren't any stops in Arlington? Damn.

Fort Worth has the Trinity Railway Express, a train that connects Dallas and Forth Worth, which has one stop in Arlington. But it won't take you around Arlington.

 

[BVS]

Fort Worth has the Trinity Railway Express, a train that connects Dallas and Forth Worth, which has one stop in Arlington. But it won't take you around Arlington.

Gotcha...

 

[80sU2isBest]

I think that's because Arlington still has a very independent small town stuck between 2 cities mentality. I think they fear being lumped in with Dallas or Fort Worth. At least that's kinda the mentality I remember from when I lived there.

It's not that way anymore. Our Mayor tries to bring every single major event he can to Arlington. He was behind the push to get the Cowboys stadium built here. He even persuaded the city council to put in a bid for the 2012 olympics.

I really don't like Arlington any more. When I first moved here (1972), it was a small town. I started to really dislike it in the mio 90s - too much traffic.

When did you move away?

 

[BVS]

It's not that way anymore. Our Mayor tries to bring every single major event he can to Arlington. He was behind the push to get the Cowboys stadium built here. He even persuaded the city council to put in a bid for the 2012 olympics.

I really don't like Arlington any more. When I first moved here (1972), it was a small town. I started to really dislike it in the mio 90s - too much traffic.

When did you move away?

Well moved to Dallas in 01 and then Chicago in 04. I lived right by Six Flags so it was easy for me to get on 30 and commute to work which was in FW and my girlfriend and friends in Dallas.

 

[Popmartijn]

I still don't have time to reformat these figures properly (click on the link for the actual table if you want to see a more readable version), but this is an interesting stat regarding gasoline prices:

Here's an interesting figure (from http://www.trouw.nl/rubriek/1123070046158.html all the rest is in Dutch, but the figure is in English):
Price in EUR per liter

Country City aug-05

Turkey Istanbul € 1,598
Netherlands Amsterdam € 1,409
Norway Oslo € 1,350
United Kingdom London € 1,314
France Paris € 1,250
Belgium Brussels € 1,242
Germany Frankfurt € 1,189
Denmark Copenhagen € 1,186
Portugal Lisbon € 1,184
Lebanon Beirut € 1,177
Japan Tokyo € 1,108
Spain Madrid € 1,045
Finland Helsinki € 1,029
Ireland Dublin € 1,029
Czech Republic Prague € 1,001
Romania Bucharest € 1,001
Switzerland Geneva € 0,965
Bulgaria Sofia € 0,855
Greece Athens € 0,829
Serbia Belgrade € 0,793
Cuba Havana € 0,788
Brazil Brasilia € 0,772
Canada Toronto € 0,645
Taiwan Taipei € 0,644
United States Los Angeles, CA € 0,622
Nicaragua Managua € 0,589
South Africa Johannesburg € 0,522
Russia Moscow € 0,505
Panama Panama City € 0,493
Puerto Rico San Juan € 0,422
China Beijing € 0,401
Syria Damascus € 0,378
Nigeria Lagos € 0,297
Kuwait Kuwait City € 0,185
Egypt Cairo € 0,179
Venezuela Caracas € 0,037

 

[financeguy]

Comparing them on price by litre basis is the best way to do it as confusingly the US gallon is a different standard of measurement to the Imperial gallon that we use in the UK/Ireland.

 

[ImOuttaControl]

I think the whole "well, Europe pays a whole lot more than we do" is pretty pointless. Many, many parts of the U.S. are so vast and open(which Europe isn't too much anymore) that we have to drive a LOT. I mean, there is no public transportation in rural U.S.; only in larger metropolitan areas. I live on the border of Minnesota and Wisconsin and know many people that have to drive 60-80 miles per day. My first teaching job last yearI was driving 110 miles per day because there was simply nowhere around that little town to live. So I don't feel like I'm being selfish a bit when I complain about high gas prices.

 

[Popmartijn]

Don't think we don't have to drive those distances to go to work here.

 

[joyfulgirl]

So I don't feel like I'm being selfish a bit when I complain about high gas prices.

My point in comparing U.S. gas prices to European gas prices is that Europeans got smart about their choice of vehicles a long time ago due to their high cost of gas while Americans are still buying gas guzzling monsters and complaining about the increase in the price of gas.

 

[indra]

My point in comparing U.S. gas prices to European gas prices is that Europeans got smart about their choice of vehicles a long time ago due to their high cost of gas while Americans are still buying gas guzzling monsters and complaining about the increase in the price of gas.

I agree.

What will we (in the US) do about rising gasoline prices? We'll bitch and moan for a while, and then we'll get used to it. Just as everyone else has.

 

[fah]

It cost me $71.07 to fill my mini van on Monday. Since then the price has gone up 3 cents a litre : ouch:

 

[nbcrusader]

I just paid $51 for my old Explorer

and that was at Costco!

(costco is always $0.05 - $0.10 cheaper)

 

[joyfulgirl]

I feel bad for people like my sister who has a husband and four kids. They have the choice of a mini van or taking 2 vehicles everywhere they go as a family. They did the 2-vehicle thing for years and finally were able to afford the mini-van just as gas prices skyrocketed. They also didn't plan to have 4 kids; they wanted a third and ended up with twins.

 

[Liesje]

I feel bad for people like my sister who has a husband and four kids. They have the choice of a mini van or taking 2 vehicles everywhere they go as a family. They did the 2-vehicle thing for years and finally were able to afford the mini-van just as gas prices skyrocketed. They also didn't plan to have 4 kids; they wanted a third and ended up with twins.

We used to have this problem when me and my sibs were all too young to walk or ride bikes or pay our friends. My parents owned one vehicle (a used minivan) and then my dad would lease another. Our minivan actually exploded all over the highway so my parents had to get a new used car, but thankfully my dad's new job provides him w/ a car since he travels so much for his job.

Do minivans get better gas milage than SUVs?

 

[joyfulgirl]

Do minivans get better gas milage than SUVs?

Actually I was making a false assumption, that minivans got poor gas mileage. I just did quick search on the Honda Odyssey and it actually gets 18/25 (city/highway). Not bad at all and better than a lot of SUVs. Forget my previous post!

 

[BVS]

Thank God for company cars

 

[Liesje]

Actually I was making a false assumption, that minivans got poor gas mileage. I just did quick search on the Honda Odyssey and it actually gets 18/25 (city/highway). Not bad at all and better than a lot of SUVs. Forget my previous post!

oh, no, I didn't mean to question your post, I was just curious b/c I honestly don't know. Sorry!

 

[-macphisto-]

HAs anybody else heard that somebody found a way to have cars run on water, or I think it was some other liquid, I cant rememebr. But that it was really accesible, free and clean for the enviroment, but the government wouldnt accept it, because the government makes so much $ by taxing the gas. Anybody else heard this?

 

[BVS]

There are cars that can run on vegtable oil.

 

[Kieran McConville]

I think we're all kidding ourselves to some extent... ie. the idea that "I don't drive a car so it doesn't affect me" and that sort of thing. Hell, I drive very little myself, but if oil stays high in price (which it will), it will affect everything that relies on oil:

production of food
transportation of food
plastics and any products that involve plastics

and so on. So yeah, it's unnerving.

 

[80sU2isBest]

HAs anybody else heard that somebody found a way to have cars run on water, or I think it was some other liquid, I cant rememebr. But that it was really accesible, free and clean for the enviroment, but the government wouldnt accept it, because the government makes so much $ by taxing the gas. Anybody else heard this?

It was water, and I think that one of the major oil companies bought the patent, so that it would never see the light of day.

 

[Se7en]

It was water, and I think that one of the major oil companies bought the patent, so that it would never see the light of day.

if that's true it's seriously one of the most fucked up things i've ever heard of.

 

[Ft. Worth Frog]

Jumping in on 80s and BVS conversation- I did not think the TRE actually went to Arlington. Doesn't it go north near DFW and then swing down into downtown Dallas?

Regarding public transpprtation in Arlington-Do you remember what the final vote was 80s? NOt exact numbers but the percentage of yes/no votes? I guess it goes to show you that football (unfortunately) is still king what with Jerry's stadium and all.

 

[80sU2isBest]

Jumping in on 80s and BVS conversation- I did not think the TRE actually went to Arlington. Doesn't it go north near DFW and then swing down into downtown Dallas?

Regarding public transpprtation in Arlington-Do you remember what the final vote was 80s? NOt exact numbers but the percentage of yes/no votes? I guess it goes to show you that football (unfortunately) is still king what with Jerry's stadium and all.

I think it actually does stop in Arlington, out on 360, close to 183 (Trinity Dr?). The airport is the next stop on the route. I know there's a little section along there, that although surrounded by Arlington on both sides, is Ft. Worth. That may be in that area.

I don't remember any of the final votes, but I know it lost 3 times.

Speaking of Fort Worth, that area near the Radio Shack HQ is gonna look nice when they're all done. I wish we'd spent some money revitalizing our downtown instead of funding Jerry's playhouse.

 

[MissVelvetDress_75]

Atlanta's mass transit is a joke. It benefits those who only live near the MARTA train line. The county I live in has a bus system but in order to get to one, I have to drive to it. There is no point. I would love it if the rail line extended north west to the county I live in, but there are many people who do not want it because they are fearful that it will bring lower income people into the area. So we just have to deal with the ignorance and deal with the unhealthy air and smog alerts and 45 min to an 1hr commute each way to get to work.

 

[Teta040]

NBCrusader, would that book be "Saudi Arabia Exposed" by John Bradely?

A great read if you want the real skinny on that benighted country. He was the only Western journalist of the past 10 yrs who was allowed unrestricted access all over thecountry to go anywhere he wanted and talk to anybody he liked, without a "minder"--you knowm the offical tagalong Gov't wachdog a lot of dicatorial regimes have for journos or tourists. He mingled with everyone. Dang, there are not one but two "royal families", and they hate each other...

 

[For Honor]

Although high for us in the U.S., they're still significantly lower than in many other places, such as Europe where prices are nearly double what they are here. So the selfish side of me wants to complain but the bigger picture is that I wouldn't actually mind if prices went even higher if it meant Americans would buy smaller fuel efficient cars--and I say that as someone who drives a lot of long distances and noted the increase quite a bit when I drove to LA recently. But fuel efficiency is about much more than American wallets (gasp!).

Well said, joyfulgirl