(04-27-2011 12:43 PM)huskiealum03 Wrote:  drilling, no drilling....gas prices are on their way up regardless. you have an emerging world with a growing middle class who are starting and have started to purchase their own cars. common supply and demand knowledge tells us that Gas prices are inevitably going to rise. to me...that is a much greater function of why gas is getting more expensive. gas in the United states still remains relatively "cheap" compared to the rest of the world (notwithstanding the middle east and other oil rich nations).

Well if you don't care, then we should drill. We are sending 10s of billions of our wealth monthly to other countries including china. We do not have unlimited wealth. The U.S. as a whole is getting poorer. The U.S. has vast untapped oil reserves. We need to use them now to safeguard our way of life.

(04-27-2011 01:48 PM)klake87 Wrote:  

(04-27-2011 12:43 PM)huskiealum03 Wrote:  drilling, no drilling....gas prices are on their way up regardless. you have an emerging world with a growing middle class who are starting and have started to purchase their own cars. common supply and demand knowledge tells us that Gas prices are inevitably going to rise. to me...that is a much greater function of why gas is getting more expensive. gas in the United states still remains relatively "cheap" compared to the rest of the world (notwithstanding the middle east and other oil rich nations).

Well if you don't care, then we should drill. We are sending 10s of billions of our wealth monthly to other countries including china. We do not have unlimited wealth. The U.S. as a whole is getting poorer. The U.S. has vast untapped oil reserves. We need to use them now to safeguard our way of life.

An a ton of un-used leases...wonder why they are not being tapped?

(04-27-2011 03:06 PM)BobL Wrote:  

(04-27-2011 01:48 PM)klake87 Wrote:  

(04-27-2011 12:43 PM)huskiealum03 Wrote:  drilling, no drilling....gas prices are on their way up regardless. you have an emerging world with a growing middle class who are starting and have started to purchase their own cars. common supply and demand knowledge tells us that Gas prices are inevitably going to rise. to me...that is a much greater function of why gas is getting more expensive. gas in the United states still remains relatively "cheap" compared to the rest of the world (notwithstanding the middle east and other oil rich nations).

Well if you don't care, then we should drill. We are sending 10s of billions of our wealth monthly to other countries including china. We do not have unlimited wealth. The U.S. as a whole is getting poorer. The U.S. has vast untapped oil reserves. We need to use them now to safeguard our way of life.

An a ton of un-used leases...wonder why they are not being tapped?

do you know that oil is there? There is oil off the coast of Alaska and th EPA won't let Shell drill. Hell, there could be a lease on then oil rights under my house. Bet there is zero oil. The U.S. won't give leases to companies in places where the companies know there is huge reserves of oil.

(04-27-2011 11:54 AM)RobertN Wrote:  

(04-27-2011 08:22 AM)Huskie_Jon Wrote:  

(04-26-2011 04:01 PM)RobertN Wrote:  

(04-26-2011 10:41 AM)klake87 Wrote:  IF Obama wanted to get stuff done, he would tell the EPA to back off. The are a greenie organization that will deny anything for any reason. I am against allowing drilling and excavation when nature is affected adversely but we have the technology and ability to minimize impact on the sorrounding areas.

I blame politicians going back all the way to Jimmy Carter and before for not having a solid energy policy.

First, the Bush administration was the total opposite. THe EPA was weak and let polluters pollute. Guess if you win presidency, you can get your own people in to make the decisions that you favor. Second, I have heard(from a biased source) that about $20 of the cost of a barrel of oil is due to speculation because there is an over supply of oil in the market(makes sense since I am sure Japan has cut their usage).

Blaming the speculators fo rising gas prices is like blaming the weatherman for the rain.

Assuming RobertN's stats are correct, which is a stretch if you consider the source (:moon:), $20 out of the current cost of $112 is due to speculation. That would be 17% of the cost of crude.

http://www.illinois.gov/gasprices/docs/Primer-gas.pdf

Gasoline taxes account for 25% of the price you pay at the pump. So who is really taking advantage of the consumers?

Keep in mind also that the Governments take is a function of the final price, and not a fixed rate per gallon, so higer gasoline prices mean more money for the government. Do you really think that someone like Obama, who maxes out government spending to levels never seen before, and who always insists that the Government must take in even more money really wants gasoline prices to go down? Higher gas prices mean more money for the Government. It is a hidden tax on everyone who uses gasoline, rich and poor.

Well, according to Golldman Sachs, they believe it was about 8-10%. So the 17% is a bit higher and as I said it comes from a "biased source(liberal talk radio) so it probably would be a good bet that it is somewhere in bewtween the 2.

As for your bitching about gas taxes, sure we could get rid of them-if you want to pay tolls on every freakin road you drive on-including the one in front of your house. Btw, you are aware that with these higher prices gas consumption has DROPPED meaning LESS in tax revenue.

So you are saying that increasing taxes could actually lead to less revenue. Don't make me Laffer! (Get it?) I wonder if increasing income taxes by 66% might also actually lead to less revenue. Hmmm!

In principle, tolls let those who use the roads pay for the roads, and that is not a bad idea, although I do think it is unfair to charge those who use cash twice as much as those who use transponders. There is also too much corruption associated with the Illinois tollway system in particular, but that might be even worse if interstate money came from general revenue. Perhaps if the tolls were privatized, competition would make them more efficient and honest. I know I might not have much choice in what tollway I take to travel from Aurora to Dekalb to see the Huskies, but there are various routes I can take to go to the Allstate to see the Wolves. What if I-90 and I-94 had to compete for my business?

As for the local roads, I would just as soon pay for them with my property tax than pay a toll every time I change roads. At least the local roads are something I use, unlike the public schools.