As I Was Saying....

Among other news sources, NPR is reporting this morning that higher gas prices drove down traffic fatalities. The reason is that fewer people were on the roads. And that was part of the news as analysts reported that gasoline prices are down a good deal since their high in July. St. Louis, they say, has the lowest average: $3.77. The price is down not, they report (oh what a surprise!), because oil prices are down - those have fluctuated and are back up where they were two weeks ago, while gas prices are down from that two-week mark. Why? Because, just like the reason for lower traffic fatalities - people are driving less - because of high gas prices. Just as we have always said, all the squawking aside about higher oil prices and international relations driving the price of gasoline, the price of gasoline is driven by what the traffic will allow, so to speak. Oil prices are a factor, of course, but only over the long haul. Gasoline producers and sellers are going to charge you whatever you are willing to pay. They learned that in Economics 101. The lowest prices we had here in Galveston were $3.44 (.9 of course), and they're already on their way back up again.*

....but hey, do what you want....you will anyway.

*Strike that. Looks like we're down to $3.41.

Price of Gas

There's a lot of chatter on CNN this morning here in my hotel room about the price of gasoline and where it's going. The ticker heading says: Cheaaper gas in 30 days? A couple of weeks ago, I caught the wild chatter on NPR about a $10 or so jump in the cost of a barrel of oil. They were squealing about how totally unprecedented such a high jump in one day was and warning that within 10 days gasoline prices would jump 50 cents a gallon.

All you need to know about the price of gas can be boiled down to this simple economic point: Producers use current events to let per gallon cost run up to the price where people begin to seriously cut back on use. Bingo. The magic number is reached.

All the talk about regulations and increased or decreased production is just talk.

Check me to see if I'm wrong.

Future? What Future?

The president says the solution to high gas prices is drilling for more oil and building more refineries.

  Yahoo video

Because the rapture is near and, while “marching to Zion” sounds inspiring, driving there in a pickup truck would set him apart from the common pilgrims.

....but hey, do what you want....you will anyway.

Going Up

At the pump, U.S. retail gas prices surged 2.1 cents overnight to a record national average of $3.267 a gallon, according to AAA and the Oil Price Information Service. Gas prices are likely to rise much higher this spring; estimates range from about $3.50 a gallon in the Energy Department's latest forecast to $3.75 or even $4 a gallon according to some analysts.

  Yahoo

Here are my two predictions for a Democratic win in November: 1) the price of gas is above $3.50 a gallon, and 2) no new major attacks on U.S. soil. No, make that, U.S. mainland.

That Was the Week That Was

Well, sadly, things are pretty much the same as they were a week ago when I last sat down to the internet news world.

Musharraf is still in power in Pakistan. But he did release an opposition attorney whom he'd placed under house arrest.

I managed to get back to Galveston on gas prices similar to the ones on the way up to Ft. Sill, although I heard a hotel lobby TV snippet of some analysts calling for $4.00/gallon by summer. (Apparently George is blissfully unaware - and unconcerned. Gasoline prices will never sideline his automobiles.)

It seems Iran's Ahmadinejad has just received the flowers and laurels in Iraq that we were led to believe would be ours.

The Democratic race for the presidency hasn't taken any turn; just nudged further in its already pathetic direction. Hillary Clinton has apparently crossed completely over to the "conservative" campaign playbook by running a fear-mongering ad insinuating that we'll be attacked at any moment, and she's the candidate who can protect us.

Here's the best thing about the upcoming election. Whatever happens (assuming, of course, that we actually make it to November and then to the following January with that much of our Constitution still in tact), we won't have to look at this face again. (Bill Maher's "New Rule" was that whoever is elected must have lips so we can see where the lies are coming from.)

Seen at WIIIAI

Any God who can permit a person to make a face like that and not strike the person making it with lightning should have His title revoked.

....but hey, do what you want....you will anyway.

Up in Smoke

A fire at a pipeline from Canada that feeds oil to the United States killed two people and sent oil prices soaring before burning out Thursday morning, officials said.

Two workers fixing the underground pipeline were killed when fumes apparently escaped and ignited the blaze in Clearbrook, about 215 miles northwest of Minneapolis.

  Yahoo

Don't Like the Price of Gas?

President Bush is likely to veto legislation that would create hefty fines and criminal penalties for gasoline price-gouging, the White House said Wednesday.

[...]

The White House, in a formal statement of administration policy, said the legislation amounted to price controls that would hinder oil companies and retailers from responding to market signals, potentially worsening fuel shortages.

  Raw Story

And wouldn't that be sad?

I heard an NPR report this morning about busting up the cozy deal oil companies have with each other to fix gasoline prices. It seemed that nobody in the current administration thinks that's a good idea. How many of them have some connection to the big oil companies do you think?

One analyst said that would be a terrible idea because of the theory of economy of size - the larger conglomerate can do things more cheaply and efficiently than smaller entities. He said that if you want to go back to bicycles, then go ahead and pass a law busting up the big companies.

I had to wonder about the individual size of each of the large oil companies - they aren't big enough on their own? And just what is it they're doing together that becomes more economical because of their cohesion - other than setting gasoline prices, I mean.

You can have your war, just give me my cheap gas

More than 600 truckers gathered in their big rigs Wednesday to protest the rising gas prices in South Florida, NBC 6's Hank Tester reported.

[...]

Traffic in the area was at a standstill as the trucks started a caravan headed toward Miami City Hall.

The trucks traveled 20 miles to present a petition requesting a fuel surcharge break for independently owned trucks.

[...]

  NBC6 article

I wonder how much that cost. Maybe they should have pooled.

...but hey, do what you want...you will anyway