Talkback: Cost of gas

Raising gas prices doesn’t just cost us more to travel, it also raises prices on many of the products we buy because it costs more to transport them. There are SO many people out there who could surely walk to work, but choose to sit on their lazy, fat asses and DRIVE because it’s easier. People will jump in their cars and drive 2 blocks to eat McDonalds when they could simply walk…saving money & gaining health & a better appearance, among other things. I just don’t get why people focus on GAS prices so much…when they go up, so do the prices of everything else.

When will Pres Obama see the connection of the price of Oil/ gasoline has the biggest impact on our economy. The big oil companys only care about their profits. I think a windfall profit tax could suddenly make the oil companys understand they’re duty in our economic recovery.

Steve (below) makes a good and valid point about oil changes. Most new vehicles calculate oil life for you. The car will even tell you when it’s time for a change. The 3000 mile oil change must die! 5000 to 6000 miles is not uncommon. Let the computer, that takes into account your driving habits, tell you when to change! I understand that it’s a different grade of oil from that used for gasoline. I’m just looking for a way to stick it to oil like they stick it to us!

When you have a monopoly on THE major energy source, you can charge whatever you think you can get away with. People need fuel to get to work, and just can’t stop buying it. The demand for gas has steadly declined in the US since August 2007 and continues down today. The oil companies don’t care that demand has declined, they need huge profits for their greedy stock holders, so prices go up!! I think they are aware that people have had it with gasoline powered vehicles, and can’t wait for the day when electric and hybrid electrics rule the road. Their days are numbered and they are getting it while they still can. Oh!!and their record profits from 2007 and 2008 went to buying their stock back not increasing production. Why ?? because there’s more than enough oil available for the lower demand today..

A few things are clear. The topic of gas prices has near the record number of Talk Back comments.
The cause of high gas prices in the commenters’ opinions,center around GREED, speculation, and gouging. Several comments now define gouging as “pricing at what the market will bear.” (I thought that was how all markets have always and will always price?)
The commenters solutions are chiefly: conserve and regulate and even tax.
I see absolutely zero comments regarding increasing supply of oil and refining capacity by less regulation and other types of government restrictions. I hope the greedy, fat cat, corporate pillagers are busy finding ways to produce more energy.

Gas Prices always remain in the back of my mind. I own three vehciles all fuel efficent with one being a Motor Cycle. I don’t trust any of the Oil&Gas companies they will raise prices without regard for any of us.Have you seen their ads lately, how theri working hard to be a greener company? You think they care about our environment? Heck no, they see the writing on the wall, with cars being built to higher MPG standards those 100% electric they see the writing on the wall people and its about time. If you look at what started our econimic disaster just look to Exxon Mobile and the other big boys of oil,never forget last years gas prices, it cost all of us at the pump and every where we spent money because everything moves on trucks you think they gave a damn about our economy? I plan on purchasing a new vehicle in about three years. without out a doubt it will either be a hybrid or full electric. The auto manufacturers can’t move fast enough to get vehicles into the market that don’t require gasoline. There are so many little things we can do to put the screws back at big oil and they don’t require big life altering events.Heres one, don’t change your car oil at 3000 miles, it is not required, 5000 miles is more than acceptable. Think how much less oil would be purchased if every American changed their oil at 5000 miles instead of 3000 miles. Have you noticed theres a Jiffy lube on just about every street corner boy aren’t we a bunch of suckers written right across our forwards. I have always said we the people have the power to screw the oil as bad as they screwed us, we just choose not to. Gas prices are climbing and will continue to climb as they lay and wait for another reason or excuse to jack em back again. When you get ready to buy your next car make it a hybrid so at least when your sitting at a red light you won’t be burning gas and lord knows our traffic engineers love to add traffic lights.
Lets not help Saudi Arabia build another Desert Winter Ski Resort or pave their streets with gold. OK?.

I agree with Harper. The underlying problem with the economy is energy costs not the housing market, yet our representivies choose to give financial add to those who create the problems. Get the lobbist out of Washington, and get oil off the stock market (out of the hands of speculators). Stop the refiners from controlling and creating supply shortages. I am not so sure all energy should not be nationalized since it is a commodity that affects national security. Has anyone ever wondered how much foriegn aid goes to OPEC countries?

Here is the way I handle the whole gas dilema. My wife and I had a Kia Sephia and a Hyundai Sonata, a 4 cylinder and v6 respectively. Now we have a Daewoo Lanos hatchback and a Dodge Caliber, both cars are 4 cylinders and get about an average of 30mpg. We do not take unnecessary trips unless is on our commute to or from work. I will give thanks for the day that we will no longer depend on those greedy corporations on OPEC.

Wow. Can someone who wants the government to ’step in’ or ‘cap profits’ or define ‘fair profit’ please point to one country that has done as you desire AND is a better place to live than the US? Is that just a coincidence? Every government that has interceded on behalf of their people (imagine that) has managed to decrease production AND raise prices. Is that what you really want? Think before you ask the government to ‘help’ us. That ‘help’ is not free. Let the market do its thing. Look around. It’s obvious that that is a better approach.

MY DRIVING HABITS HAVE CHANGED AND I WATCH THE PRICE OF GAS TO SEE IF TRAVEL IS NECESSARY, I REALLY DON’T WANT TO SEE EVEN 3.50 A GALLON JUST BECAUSE SOME INVESTORS WANT TO MAKE SOME MONEY.

There is no justification for the increase in prices whatsoever. Here in St. Louis, a gallon of 87 octane increased in price by thirty cents in less than one week. This, with 1995 gasoline demand and 1990 oil inventory levels. Where are the 1995 gasoline prices?

The commodities markets should be re-regulated (or at least the upfront cost of purchasing a contract should be increased significantly). The only thing causing the run-up is speculators betting on a recovery of which, thus far, there has been no sign.

I’m encouraged by some of what I’m reading here, though. I hope people continue to purchase vehicles capable of 30+ MPG. I, for one, am hanging onto my Accord that routinely gets 32MPG and can touch 38-39MPG on highway trips. I plan to buy a smaller, even more efficient car when the Accord needs to be replaced.

If there was ever a case for electric cars, the commodities speculators are making it for us. Electricity generation is so diverse that there would be little possibility of any one generation method cornering the market. Viable electric cars can’t come soon enough in my opinion.

I have reduced my driving since last summer’s gas prices. My “nice” vehicle is a pickup truck; and luckily I had purchased a ‘beater car a year prior to the gas spikes last summer. I tend to drive that car 90% of the time because it gets twice the mileage of the truck. I have been researching electric vehicles because I only drive approximately 25 miles a day.

Correction: they can turn a blind eye each time they pay for the gas they purchase…….they get in their limosines while the government paid drivers “fill their tanks” that our tax dollars also pay for. The government steps in every where else….why they do not step in make a strong stand for American consumers and against these greedy thieves is beyond me.

One of the items that greatly effected the economic conditons in the USA was Gas prices. Well the Economy is still very bad and prices are rising for no good reason. Plus Our Government hasnt
done anything to help this along. Oil Companies still cant drill any more new wells in fact the Obama Govt has blocked new exploration. We will never return to the kind of economy of the past. As for my families driving habits
we do drive less and our second car wil be replaced with a 30mpg car.

price of gas goes up, my driving goes down.More corporate greed.

Current prices would not but I do not want to get back into bad habits for, as certainly as the sun rises in the east, gas prices will go back up. The only question is whether this will happen before the 2010 elections or our Prez can kick the can far enough down the road so the chickens will come home to roost after his party gets re-elected. It is all smoke and mirrors about politics, but then what is to be expected?

I only drive when I HAVE to. I also look for shortcuts to work and clip coupons so I no longer have to travel to different grocery stores for sales. I will say this…If the gas prices continue to rise, I will only shop for the bare necessities (food) and nothing else. It’s a shame that we’re going to have to resort to “not spending in the retail sector” again. This is how we got into this mess in the first place. It’s clear …the big oil guys only care about their billion dollar profits…these guys could care less about America or American’s. Matthew 19:24.

This is price gouging at it’s best….the warmer months and holiday driving is a prime opportunity for these gas/oil companies to jack up the prices on consumers who are beaten down and struggling already. OUR GOVERNMENT NEEDS TO STEP IN, BUT THEY SEEM TO BE BLIND…..I GUESS THEY MAKE ENOUGH MONEY (OUR TAX DOLLARS) THAT THEY CAN TURN A BLIND EACH TIME THEY PAY THE GAS THEY PURCHASE. TRUTH BE KNOWN, WE AS TAXPAYERS PAY FOR THEIR GAS PURCHASES ANYWAY…….

When fuel topped $4.00/gallon I decided to take the plunge and buy the motorcycle I’d been dreaming of for 20 years. Even at $2.50/gallon by riding my motorcycle I save enough to more than offset the monthly payments for the bike and insurance. Since then the mileage I put on my truck is about half of what I put on before last year. Better for the environment, better for my wallet, and sends a message to the oil companies that they cannot hold us hostage. Yay free enterprise

Nobody is going to forget how we were pillaged at the pumps for $4 plus/gal last year. Trust me the American people are through with being “taken for a ride”, so that the arrogant, greedy, self serving, whatever the market will bear morons (a.k.a. the rich) can make a profit. There will be hell to pay on the day of judgement for these acts of cruelty, so there will be no need for oil to keep you thieves warm, because the fires of hell will do that for you. You can smile at this statement, however; one day each and everyone of us WILL DIE and whether you say you believe in GOD or not, you will be on center stage giving an account for your life actions. BANK ON IT !!!!

gas prices affecting me? sure, last year on July 1st started biking to work and loving it – sticking to it regardless of gas price.
I don’t know how much regulation is right – I’d recommend moving to the communist country to those lovers of regulations – I’m one of those who left “regulations” for the free market and loving it – definitely, it is far from perfect but people must yet come up with something better!

the energy companies want $4.00 a gallon gasoline again this year for the summer driving season.they will do what they have to do to get it.

I have little choice but to drive 100 miles round trip, daily, in metro Atlanta. My hours are such that there is no car pool option due to the distance and hours worked. Plus Georgia’s “mass transit” system, MARTA, is a joke! It’s fine if you live or travel along the major arteries but aside from that, good luck!

Kudo’s to you William Harper! You hit the bullseye with your post. I concur 100% . Fundamentals of supply and demand should dictate the direction of oil & gas prices and they are not. I have been paying close attention to NYMEX prices and the EIA reports that come out each week. Our on-hand oil supply is the highest since 1990. The economy is still a train wreck and no matter what you read or hear, the notion that our ecomomy is “recovering” is nothing more than trying-to-make-you-feel-good news. But all the markets need to hear are words like “recovery” and “rebound” and that’s good enough for them to start bidding up oil again.

To be sure, Wall St is very smart and they know that the average American doesn’t understand how Wall St works..and that’s exactly how they want it to stay.

To put this all in perspective try this on for size: The CEO of one of the largest hedge-funds (and hedge-funds invest heavily into commodities such as oil and gas)made an estimated $2.8 billion last year..yes I said 2.8 billion and yes that was for ONE year and that was for himself. Of course he made money for his investors but come on now..

Let’s look at this another way. $2 billion (assuming that the CEO kept only $800 million) would be enough money to employ 25,000 people (at $40,000 per year) for TWO years…

It’s nothing more than greed and it’s coming at the expense of the average American.

The oil companies got away with big price increases last year and the government did nothing! Now they are doing it again. There is no way in the world that that price of gas should jump 20 cents a gallon in a week with the price of oil fluctuating. It is the same old as the oil companies stick it to us again, then complain when their billion dollar prodits dip.

I have mixed feelings about the price of gas going up. I have done everything I can to be more efficient including purchasing a mid sized car that gets 30mpg average. The price going up hurts the wallet, but I think that is the only way some people will start to conserve. It was kind of frustrating to see a few of my own friends buy big SUVs when the price dropped back down to around $2.

On the other hand, you know that this price spike is pure market manipulation and speculation. Last I heard oil stocks were at a 20 year high and tankers were actually sitting full off the coast of Texas because there wasn’t enough storage space for them to unload. Does that sound like the market warrants a 50% increase in oil prices? No.

No matter what stance you take, or where you fall in your philosophy about energy solutions in the long run, instability like this is not good and works against the economy in the long run.

Talkback??? What ever happened to investigative journalism ?? All the media seems to be able to do anymore is parrot the excuses given for prices going up, when there’s no market justification for the increase. Last spring it was they were worried about terrorists, or rebels in Nigeria. This spring it’s the recession may be easing. The fact is demand has dropped world wide every month since August of 2007. I thinks it’s time someone started reporting the facts, not the excuses…….

You should watch Peter Schiff videos on Youtube. You would then know that what Obama and Bernanke are doing to the economy is the worst thing for it.

They are using the printing presses to reflate the economy, weakening the dollar. You haven’t seen anything yet. In the future, we’ll have $8.00 a gallon gas, and 75% of it will be printing press inflation due to existing policy.

The price of gasoline is definately affecting my travel plans this summer. Instead of taking a family vacation to the mountains or the beach we are only planning a short trip to camp out. I don’t understand the spike in gas prices recently. Everything I read indicates supplies are very strong. According to an article on CNN today, U.S. crude supplies have risen to their highest levels since 1990. And analysts surveyed by research firm Platts expect the government’s weekly inventory report to show another 1.4 million barrel gain when it’s released Wednesday. I thought price was determined by supply and demand. Sounds like there is some gouging underway.

As the gas prices go up the less my husband and I are going to spend on other things and we will also drive less again. For vacation we will stay at home again this year. Do the stupid idiots of this country not realize that the higher the gas prices are the less we are going to drive and buy things. I mean come on now the high gas prices is another reason why we are in the situation we are in now. Gas companies should be regulated on how much extra they can charge on the barrel. They dont need to make a 13 billion dollar profit each year think of the little people too.

I’ve reduced driving considerably. I already drive a compact Hybrid, and only fill up every second month or so.
People are going to have to get used to the idea that the price of gasoline is never going to be cheap again – it will fluctuate, maybe, but will, from now on, follow a rising trajectory.
Why ? Because we already used up all the cheap, easy to get oil, and now we are on to the expensive oil – heavy sulphur crude, deep water drilling, enhanced recovery, oil shale, tar sands.
Get real and wake up, people ! The days of cheap, easy energy are long gone.
Get busy conserving !

More fabricated demand based on supply cuts and speculation.

On WPTA.com (local Ft. Wayne TV station) there is a story of a 400hp, 110 mpg engine that has been developed in Decatur, IN. It runs on E85. Don’t let the oil companies make this disappear. Look it up and tell your friends.

We cut way back last year and I am looking for ways for us to cut back even more this year. We cut our miles driven by more than half from the 2007 to 2008 and I see the possibility of further cuts this year. We want to continue this process until we have reached the limit our finances and technology will allow.

I’m still driving as little as I was last summer even with the lower gas prices. Why? When gas prices fell, so did my salary. With a shrinking paycheck, grocery prices still increasing, and my local utility companies raising rates – the only thing I can control these days is how much I spend on gas. Funny. No matter how much gas is – the industry seems to always make a profit while American families struggle to put food on the table. And with the summer driving season approaching, why is it acceptable to all of us that prices “just rise” come Memorial Day – hurricane or no hurricane? Why isn’t this considered price gouging?

Note to whiners:

Here is the solution to high gas prices,

Drive less. The price of gas hit 4$ a gallon, the US took nearly a million barrels a day out of use and the price of oil crashed.

If you think gas is too expensive, change your life and use less. Good for the bottle, good for the can. Good for the environment, good for your wallet, good for the nation.

Oh yes it is. Wouldn’t it be nice to actually make our economy workable on the fuel we produce here? Stop sending piles of money to people who hate us?

I resist every mile in my car I can. I will continue to do so.

Quit blaming everyone else because you want “more” for “less” and you can’t have it. We lived way over the life style we could afford for decades.

Curse those lucky souls who lived before the age of the automobile. What ever can we do!

Here is a thought about gas….How is it that with everything else, the more you buy the cheaper it gets for buying in bulk. But with oil you pay whatever the price is that dayand no less. You would think that if OPEC wants to keep demand up then it would give a discount to its biggest buyer of its product to keep sales high and to keep customers happy.

I think most people handle their lives like many people invest…looking for the quick fix. Circumstances forced me into a 25mpg vehicle back in 1988. Once it was paid off, I kept it and bought a full size customized van for long distance travel and mission work. Once I paid it off, I kept sticking the money in the bank and I later picked up a 50mpg motorcycle for cash. Then I moved out to the country and discovered I needed a truck, I put off buying it until the gas crunch hit. Large trucks were a dime on the dollar then so I went out and bought one with the full knowledge that it would just be used for heavy work around the homestead. Today I have four vehicles, all paid for, that suit any purpose. At $2 a gallon, a trip in each vehicle to my work is $1,$2,$3,or $4 depending on the vehicle I use. Needless to say the motorcycle is the beast of burden when the cost is high. The point is a long term approach to this issue, like any other, is best. Pay off your vehicle, don’t buy a new one every four years, and pay for the repairs to older vehicles (about $1,000 a year per vehicle would be reasonable). I have calculated the expected costs of repairs (using the measure above), insurance, and gas costs of all of my vehicles and it comes to $574 per month. The last new truck I wanted had a monthly cost of almost $800 a month for everything, even after putting down 5 grand. Not to mention that if it broke down, I was stuck. Now I just hop in a another vehicle when one breaks down. Pay down your debt, hold on to the old vehicle, stick the money in the bank, and pay cash for your new one. Long term, baby.

We have definitely cut back on driving anywhere that is not neccessary just on general principal.I am a former refinery worker and I can tell you that virtually none of the vehicles in the refinery run on gasoline most run on alternative fuels and this goes back to 1983. I had hoped that the government would be more forceful with the oil comapnies regarding regulating their maintenance schedules. In the Delaware and Philadelphia area all of the refineries go down for “Maintenance” within two weeks of each other creating an artifical cut in supply. I also wonder why with the money given to Detroit the governement doesn’t just ban the selling of gasoline only engines and make detroit sell only hybrid’s and electric engines to lessen the dependancy on oil. While there may be some vehicles like Tractor Trailers that this technology may not be able to replace a fossil fuel only engine. We need to lower the amount of oil we use and this seems to be an easy place to start. Finally,
the government should look into the refineries not making gasoline but making diesel fuel to sell to europe last year and how much that spiked the price of gasoline since the margin on the diesel fuel in europe was higher than the gasoline prices here.

My driving habits have not changed. Frankly they would be the same if gas went up to $10/gal. As a matter of fact, I would like to see gas go up to $10/gal. Car companies would be able to make and sell fuel efficient vehicles and people will finally start to think about how they really live.

It seems like, every time we have a holiday, they slow dawn on fuel production in our refineries. Also, when oil was at $60 to $70 dollars a barrel fuel was a lot cheaper than it is now, when oil is $48 to $50 dollars a barrel.Why

Why is it, that the government sits by and watches the oil companies raise gas prices, every summer, year after year, under the pretext of “increased demand”, when in fact most Americans do not even drive on vacation anymore in the first place. Air travel overtook car vacations, long ago.

This amounts to nothing but price gouging on the part of oil companies, and it should be stopped, by government authority. in this economy, people don’t need to be making oil companies richer.

The taxpayer saves Wall St. Wall St takes the money we gave them and makes us suffer by pushing oil prices higher.

Sadly, our government is a joke. They could have ended all this speculation last year when gas was over $4. But they didn’t. As soon as gas started falling, they let the issue slide and had no follow thru. Now, we have people losing their jobs everyday and as they drive home, they see gas prices increasing almost everyday now.

The price of oil always goes up around this time of year as the oil companies know traveling increases. Ergo Gas prices spike. Once Gas hit 2.35/G here I cut back my driving alot. I have a decent fuel efficient vehicle but still I am curbing my travel.
What this means is simple: I make 1-2 less trips now which means I am also spending less. I was never a fan of Walmart but now in order to cut back on travel I do the one stop shopping there. I can do this on my way home from work which saves me from having to go back out.
Our lovely Government is more concerned with giving hand-outs to the poor, illegals and the Bankers and CEO’s than the real working class. Wake up Obama…The real support of your election are beginning to feel the hurt and you are doing NOTHING !!! Not that I am surprised.. No not at all.

It is amazing to me how clueless people are about the reasons why gasoline does not necessarily flucuate in tune with oil prices. Oil companies provide the crude which is then refined into gasoline. There are just so many refineries in the United States. In fact a new refinery has not been built here since the 1950’s due to prohibitive environmental laws that would make it unprofitable. Therefore we have only a limited cpacity to refine while the demand keeps rising. What we need to do is put a $2.00 a gallon tax on gasoline to get people to use less of it. This is turn would allow Chrylser and Government Motors to produce the small unprofitable cars the govenment will dictate them to produce and maybe actually make a profit at it because of the spur in demand for these vehicles. Don’t blame the oil companies, blame our government for having policies that do not promote conservation that could eventually wean us off of gasoline entirely. We pay some of the cheapest prices per gallon for gas in the world!! If you want government to regulate the price of gas or oil then be prepared to have a lot less of it available.

It hasn’t changed my driving habits at all. I changed my habits last year as gas approached and exceeded $4 per gallon. I have continued my habits.

I see all of these people telling their mpg stories, but nobody has commented on this yet. Look at the ratio to cost per barrel of oil and cost per gallon at the pump. When a barrel of oil was $149.00 price at the pump was on average over $4.00, but now that a barrel of oil is only $60.00 why is the price at the pump over $2.00? Even when the price per barrel went as low as $30 some dollars, the price at the pump was higher then it should have been. It all boils down to us as consumers being screwed and big oil pockets getting fatter.

It is stupid that the government is just standing by and letting Wall Street and the Oil Companys undermined everything that they are doing to help us get out of this recession. Aren’t these people smart enough to see that high oil prices were part of what got us to the point where we are now. The Government needs to step in and remove oil and all its componemnts from the stock market and cap them. The more money we have to pay for gas the less money we have to buy other things. How many more businesses have to shut down and people loose their jobs before something is done about this? The greedy should be happy with a reasonable profit margin, not one they wish they had. These gas prices will definitely not help the car companys sell cars.

Explain to me why in the past when a barrel of oil was between $58 and $60 we were paying about $2.00/gal. for gas and today we are paying 2.40/gal. This needs to be stopped and be regulated. I’m tired of the oil companies controlling the cost of a gal. of gas by reducing their refinery output. They should be running 90% capacity at all times or price a gallon of gas to match this capacity and then you’ll see the price drop like a rock. We shouldn’t have to pay extra for gas because their is an extreme over abundance in oil supply.

The last price jump around here was $0.40 per gallon! It’s nice to see the gas/oil companies back to their old tricks! I refuse to buy a new car that gets less than 45 MPG thats how I will handle the gas price problem.

I have two cars, a family van and a sedan. I’ve been riding the bus for several years. The bus line runs directly in front of my house. I started monitoring my use of my automobile, the sedan, in March of 2008. At the time I started my vehicle had 48,093 miles. Today, 14 months later, the odometer reads just under 49,900 miles. I’ve driven that car less than 2000 miles in over a year. At one point last year I went 77 days without filling my gas tank. I’ve filled the tank 3 times so far this year and to be honest, a couple of times the tank was still half full when I filled up (the low gas prices were just too good to pass up).

I barely notice the inconvenience of riding the bus, because it’s not an inconvenience. I can read a book, take a nap, listen to music, all while sitting in traffic. My company also subsidizes the purchase of a bus tickets and passes. I figure the cost of monthly rides with the subsidy is about $40, which depending on gas prices can be the cost of a full tank of gas or two. Don’t even mention that I save money on parking because I work downtown where the minimum cost of parking is $3 a day (and that’s an out of the way lot where you have to walk 15 minutes to work). It’s a win-win situation to ride the bus -less pollution, less stress, and more money in my pocket.

My husband still has a relatively long commute (20 miles one way), but his income doubled when he took that job. I work close to home and only buy about one tank of gas a month.

We’ve always combined errands and minimized driving – living on two graduate student stipends when we were first married will do that.

A year ago, I drove a 23MPG V6-powered car. Today I still have the V-6, but I also have invested $2000 in a 75MPG scooter. Overall, I’m using less than 1/2 of the gas that I did a year ago. Sure, the extra insurance and registration costs me about $200/year. But overall the economics is good, and the $200/year stays in America.

This flexibility (car & scooter) really helps the supply and demand equation.

I have cut back significantly since gas his $4/gallon last summer but, to be honest, I was cutting back already. I only drive where I need to go. I was never a fan of GPS units, but a friend gave me one for Christmas. I’ve cut 20 miles off my round trip commute by finding alternate ways to work. I get almost 40 miles/gallon of gas so I really keep to a $15/week fuel budget as well as work from home one or two days a week. In the future I plan to move closer to work to avoid driving to work altogether. Driving less means I’m saving money as well as keeping pollution out of the environment.

No changes on this front, but we had not gone back to our old pre-$4.5/gal habits : we did not sell the small, gas-efficient, car to buy back our old gas-guzler, nor did we stop walking for short trips (like to the grocery store accross the street).

If you have to budget gasoline and drive a vehicle that was purchased after the first run-up (the first time it went over $2 a gallon) you should probably reevaluate your life.

I am definitely curtailing some unnecessary trips. And I have been exercising some heavy restraint on making long distance drives unless I am 100 percent sure they are critical to me or my family.

I do not appreciate the fluctuation in the prices, simply because people are trying to jack up the price of oil again.

With the way everything is at this time, higher gas prices are just one of the straws on the backs of every family.

I’m watching gasoline prices closely. There is no shortage, but prices are going up !!! It looks like the suppliers (like OPEC) and the speculators (like Goldman) are back in cahoots to drive prices up again.

Until we break up this unholy alliance, I will watch my driving habits from now to kingdom come to minimize gasoline consumption.

Government Health care will work as well as the Post Office or any state DMV. Everyone can shop for the best value as long as we have a free markat system.