Is it time for more government sponsored price gouging at the pump?

Question

Summer is coming fast, and with all the problems in the middle east I believe big oil will be gouging us up to
$4.00 or more a gallon so when it drops back to $3.00 we will think it is ok because it's not $4.00 a gallon anymore. Glad we have a government that says price gouging and record profits are a good thing when consumers are struggling to make their house payments because these big companies are taking more of their money than they should be. When a society is dependent upon oil and the government lets "Capitalism" be the deciding factor for allowing these companies to commit market fraud to keep prices up and fear in the average consumer, there is something very very wrong.

Answer 1

Well, with Dubya and his henchmen still in office and the super rich and powerful still controlling his strings... what else can you REALLY expect? When was the last time you came across any elected official with enough testicular fortitude to demand accountability?

Look, remember Katrina...? Remember how the prices went up because of the supposed "shortage" due to supposed damages...? Tell, me, HOW can there be LESS OIL yet the oil companies REPORTED RECORD HIGH PROFITS and NOT ONE ELECTED OFFICIAL QUESTIONED THIS? Every time there's a shortage or some EXCUSE, the profits have gone UP on LESS OIL...? Tell me, does that make sense?

OK, they use the "patriotic" ploy, don't buy Hugo Chavez' oil... Why? Because Chavez has enough testicular fortitude to tell foreign companies that they are not going to rape their land and people and pollute the environment, contaminate the lands and waters as they have done elsewhere and disappeared once they depleted the land of oil... but to buy American... because they don't like Chavez because he called our chimp in the White House names...? But it's OK for OUR rodeo clown to call others all the foul names he can...? And to lie and cheat and let his cronies profiteer at the expense of our dying military personnel....? Meanwhile neither Dubya nor DICK Cheney has yet to attend one solitary funeral for the 3,300+ Americans killed in action. Yeah, right, it's OK for White House cronies to overprice Americans without anyone questioning the fairness of the ridiculously overly inflated high prices?

Hey, I am not against anyone's right to make a profit and I am NOT against competitive pricing (which does not exist with the "Gentle men's Agreements" in place) but... HOW MUCH IS ENOUGH?

WHAT are our elected officials doing to protect US, dammit, WE elected them and now they're looking out for the best interests of the super rich and powerful... like whores!

But, why is it that the government has not taken a more serious stand on alternative fuel and energy? Yes, they'll placate you and me and agree... "We MUST do something..." and say "I'm for alternative fuel and..." but WHAT are they doing other than giving lip service...? Oh, yeah, they TELL you that alternative fuel will COST more... and I say that it is total and absolute b-s... it does NOT cost more... they are setting themselves up to CHARGE more! Make sure you know the difference between something COSTING more and they CHARGING you and me and everyone else MORE! They talk a good b-s and do nothing! Because we do not hold them to their word and they rely on you and me forgetting this when it comes time to reelect them again! Consider that.

You will hear of all the supposed "reasons" but if they've lied to you in the past, WHY do you continue to believe them? Who do you blame, the whip that strikes you or the person striking you with the whip?

Answer 2

It's not the government doing the "gouging" it's the oil companies. The government sets the taxes on the gas which is high but when it comes to the gouging it's all the oil companies.

Answer 3

Gas prices have gone up these past few years because spare supply capacity(worldwide) has shrunk to less than 1 million barrels per day. The government actually makes more money in taxes per gallon of gas than the oil companies. You could blame OPEC, but if it was *your* oil I'm guessing you would want to sell it for the best price, right? Is it the fault of the ME or Venezuela that each American has designed their life around burning 25-30 gallons of fuel per week?

Answer 4

Hate to say this, but if anyone is price gouging at the pump it's the government. You'd be amazed at how many more times the government profits from gasoline than oil companies.

Answer 5

"Glad we have a government that says price gouging and record profits are a good thing when consumers are struggling to make their house payments because these big companies are taking more of their money than they should be"

Me, too. I would rather the consumers(millions of them) make their decisions with their wallets than have some guy in DC decide what prices should be on anything.

BTW, perhaps those who are having trouble with their house payments due to the cost of gasoline should have bought less house.

Answer 6

If you consider that the taxes are higher per gallon than the profits of the producers, I would say they are already at the top of the gouging chain, and in fact are the only ones gouging Americans at the pump.

Answer 7

You don't understand capitalism. If you created a product that everyone came to depend on, would you then not be entitled to charge what you like. If the prices get too high the people will drive less, take vacations closer to home, and not take as many pleasure drives in the country. You could help us all if you stopped using oil to create less demand. I would appreciate it. Besides, I live in Ohio and the taxes are 46 cents per gallon.

Answer 8

You declare that gasoline is something all of us require. honest adequate, yet how approximately something we actually require, specifically nutrition? Why isn't there extra federal regulation of the fees our grocery shops value? in line with possibility that's because of fact because of shortcoming of regulation and consequent opposition between themselves shops do genuinely each little thing they are in a position to to furnish their products on the backside value available. that's against the regulation for a gasoline station to sell under a undeniable element above wholesale. And the government certainly makes extra in line with gallon than the shop or corporation. So in line with possibility the ideal element to do is open up the "huge Oil" markets to much less regulation and extra opposition. If it works for something as needed as our nutrition furnish can it injury to attempt it with our oil? Oh, and the drug marketplace is likewise so heavily regulated that they have little determination yet to value the fees they do. It expenses over $one million billion to hold a drug to marketplace, and maximum individuals of that value is complying with FDA rules. with the help of the time they're allowed to sell their drugs they only have a handful of years left on the patent to recoup their billion dollar investment. Edit- Little determination in us of a for an American business company. in case you do no longer provide a rip approximately IP (psychological belongings) then with the help of all ability flow nuts. If, besides the fact that, you sense that all of the time and money spent coming up something supplies an exact to that something....properly, you're attempting to cajole those that all of the time and money spent prospecting, transporting, and refining does no longer mean a element. So in no way innovations.

Answer 9

There is still time for the Democratic legislature to cap gas prices, should they decide to.

If they don't, ask yourself why the Dems aren't in favor of doing so. Perhaps they want the oil companies to make record profits again, so they can "take" them for the own purposes (Hey, it's Hillary Clinton's idea, not mine).

The price of milk is fixed, the price of gas can be done so too. It won't make up for past prices, but it'll take care of future possible gouging.

Answer 10

I heard someone say the other day that we should add $1 per gallon tax to the gas and then use that tax money to give incentives to people who will buy hybrid or high gas mileage cars. Their idea was that you tax the thing you don't want--gas usage--and use it to encourage the thing you do want--higher mileage cars. Interesting.

The other thing he said was that if all our cars in America got the average mileage they get in Europe, which is 44 miles per gallon, we would not have to import any foreign oil.