Wanna bitch about GAS PRICES?

[CitaDeL]

I believe if you want to hammer oil companies for high gas prices, your assigning blame in the wrong place. I have two reasons for this belief.

1) The laws of supply and demand determine gas prices more than any other single factor. Between little weenie environmentalists that lobby congressmen and those who listen to these Earth-muffin morons, our government has restricted supply by not drilling for resources in any location percieved to be 'animal-humping' grounds or endangered wildlife areas. These same environmentalists have made it more difficult to build refining facilities, further bottlenecking our supply into vulnerable coastal areas like hurricane magents Louisiana Mississippi, and coastal Texas.

2) The government is taking more than their fair share. California State taxes cost us about $.32 a gallon, while Federal taxes tack on another $.184 per gallon. That's $.504 a gallon. Some sources have put this total closer to $58.6 a gallon in taxes. Worse yet, is there is some pin-head proposing to make gas taxes $1.00 a gallon.

Now think about this- if the State and Federal gas taxes are suppose to go to our highways, WHY then is California floating tens of billions of dollars in bonds in order to pay for highway improvement and expansion?

Every time I fill up, I am taxed $17.64- I usually fill up about once a week, sometimes more. Annually this adds up to more than $900.00

I cannot protest this taxation, as I cannot create my own fuel or find a location to fuel up that is not regulated by some taxing authority.

And in order to pay less taxes, I have to drive less, drive a smaller more fuel efficient vehicle, or not drive at all.

Since it isnt reasonable to stop driving- Im faced with the choice of being robbed... or robbed less. At the same time, Im getting dinged to pay for road improvements (that will likely occur in metropolitan areas I will never drive.) that should have been paid for with gas taxes.

I dont however, blame the oil companies.

[AyatollahGondola]

Gas tax is where the government makes it life. People are always speaking about how Americans are addicted to oil; American government is addicted to oil taxes. Most of it goes inot a slush fund called a trust fund, appropriately named, because that's as close to your involvement in its' administration as you'll ever get. Any politician or group of them that demands an audit would probably be offered a seat in a convertible on a sunny day in Dallas, Texas.
California government has been making out like a bandit lately, because sales tax is based on a percentage and fuel prices have gone through the ceiling. The state's cut is 7 + percent of too much. In contrast, other taxes on fuel are fixed price and don't increase as the cost per gallon rises. The feds still get the same thing whether the gallon is 5 cents or five dollars. With this in mind, the state of California has every reason to artificially hold prices up.
Now you mentioned not blaming the oil companies? the one thing I can tell you is they are enjoying record profits again. Why would they want to spend that on building another expensive refinery that might increase supply and reduce profits per gallon?
That biodiesel sure looked good. Grow your own soybeans; press your own oil, and refine your own fuel from the safety and comfort of your own property. Smells better than store bought stuff from arco too. Interestingly, the new dodge I'm driving comes with an owners manual stating not to use it. Works in all the old trucks, but the new ones just don't seem to have a stomach your home cookin'. Who would have guessed?

[CitaDeL]

That biodiesel sure looked good. Grow your own soybeans; press your own oil, and refine your own fuel from the safety and comfort of your own property. Smells better than store bought stuff from arco too. Interestingly, the new dodge I'm driving comes with an owners manual stating not to use it. Works in all the old trucks, but the new ones just don't seem to have a stomach your home cookin'. Who would have guessed?

Did I mention that the truck is a GAS engine?

Shall I grow my own dinosaurs? Kill them and wait for the extreme pressure and time to make them into fossil fuel?

(I kid. I know with reasonable certainty that oil isnt actually 'fossil' fuel. Im just being dramatic.)

I suspect that if I WAS able to skirt the system and develop my own truck fuel that the government would meddle with that TOO. TAX HIM! Tariff his truck fuel goo! (Say that 100 times fast without cursing.)

[AyatollahGondola]

I see this issue is close to your heart these days

The point i was making about the biodiesel not being useable in the new engine speaks to the meddling issue you mentioned.
Can't run on diesel you say? Well, there's always chicken droppings

[CitaDeL]

Fed up station owner shuts off gas pumps

http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/05/25/gasprice.protest.ap/

MEQUON, Wisconsin (AP) -- Motorists pulled in to Harvey Pollack's gas station, honked and gave him a thumbs-up -- because he wasn't selling any fuel.
The owner of Towne Market Mobil in this suburb north of Milwaukee shut down his pumps for 24 hours, hoping to start a movement aimed at convincing oil companies to lower their prices.
"Somebody out there is making money at these prices, but not me," said Pollack, 57. "So I just thought: What can I do to help the consumer?" (Watch the finger pointing over soaring gas prices )
Yellow caution tape surrounded Pollack's six idle pumps for his protest, which drew dozens of drivers. One in a green minivan rolled down her window and shouted "Thank you!"
Maria McClory, 38, drove 10 miles out of her way to buy a diet soda from Pollack's station after seeing local television coverage of the protest.
"I just wanted to support them and thank them for making a statement," said McClory, who drives about 100 miles a day for work in her sport utility vehicle.
Other drivers were more skeptical.
Jeff Bensman, 52, pulled in expecting to gas up his Honda sedan. He said he appreciated the protest but did not think it would make much difference.
"Most other places are going to be open in the area," he said.
Jack Sobczak, general sales manager for Lakeside Oil Co., a contracted Mobil distributor that supplies Pollack's station, said Bensman was probably right: "The demand will just move down the street to the next Mobil station."
Pollack and station general manager John Schwartz agreed to experiment with a pump shutdown after an Internet-based push for a one-day gas boycott went largely unheeded last week.
"Somebody's got to be the first to try this," Schwartz said.
The Mequon station sells about 3,500 gallons of gas a day, Pollack said. He estimated the station would lose only $1,500 on the protest because some losses in gas would be made up by people buying convenience store items or more gas on Friday.
Pollack, who also owns a Milwaukee title insurance agency, said he bought the gas station in 2003 as an investment but he has not turned a profit in 30 months because gas margins are razor thin and he cannot sell enough volume to compensate.
Pollack said he has virtually no control over the price he charges for gas. The company usually makes 8 to 12 cents per gallon after suppliers' prices and credit card fees. On Wednesday -- the day before the protest -- that added up to $3.49 for a gallon of unleaded gas. (Watch what you can do to save at the pump)
Schwartz called that "outrageous" and said even he can't fill up his SUV at that price.
"If it keeps going like this, my kids will never be able to afford to drive," said Schwartz, who has an 18-year-old son and 15-year-old daughter.
The protest came as several Wisconsin service stations announced they would no longer sell gas because they make little or no profit on it after they pay wholesalers, credit card fees and taxes. They said they would focus on auto repairs instead.