Gas Price$ - have they changed your lifestyle yet?

[BigEvil]

With gas prices just about out of control... I keep hearing the same questions on the news being asked:
"Has your lifestyle been affected?" OR "at what point WILL it be?"

It seems as if the media is looking forward to the possibility of another "Gas Crisis" similar to the one in the late 70's.

Do you think it is possible for the media to "Talk-up" market prices by aiding consumer panic?

Do you think anything else can be done in the short term to help lower retail prices?

discuss

[Big'n slo]

Hell yes it has, been taking the bike to work for three weeks straight

As for the media, "hype" is what they do.
Take winter weather for instance. The moment the first storm hits thier radar screen the graphics guy slaps "BLIZZARD OF 0-whatever" across your TV. People buy out every snow shovel and bag of salt they can find and the storm fizzles

[Stix]

Yep. most certainly. I drive a lot slower. I try to carpool everywhere. I constantly look at my gas gauge. I get more annoyed at super slow traffic. And I go out a whole lot less. I suppose I should just put in a few more hours of OT to cover the cost.

[ottomobile]

Nope. Hasn't changed a Dang thing. Gotta pay it, can't change it, life goes on. Besides when adjusted for inflation its still cheaper than gas in the 1970's during the oil crisis and 1/2 of what it cost when I filled up my car in Germany last May. There you are talking $2 a Litter!

It'll come back down. Market is based on fear and greed. When greed starts to overcome fear the prices will fall...

[slade]

i just started driving

my first time out with the car alone, my parents left me less than 2 gallons for a 2 hour round trip, it cost me $20 when i had to stop for gas...

yeah its changed my lifestyle... maybe ill be getting my motorcycle permit soon

[bofh]

Hell yes it has, been taking the bike to work for three weeks straight

Damn skippy. That and the bike is more fun

[Big'n slo]

Damn skippy. That and the bike is more fun

True,
But stuffing a laptop, suit, and lunch in the saddlebags leaves no room for a six pack

[bofh]

True,
But stuffing a laptop, suit, and lunch in the saddlebags leaves no room for a six pack

Add a tank bag?

[Muzikman]

Havn't changed me at all, though I think I now need a bike.

Even given inflation, Gas prices are out of control and trust me, they will not go down. They might steady off and drop a few pennys, but once gas goes up in price, it doesn't go down.

My question, why in hell has the price of oil almost double over the last year?!?!?!? There is no shortage. I say down with OPEC!

[BigEvil]

My question, why in hell has the price of oil almost double over the last year?!?!?!? There is no shortage. I say down with OPEC!

They SAY that gasoline production that is down and demand is way up.... but who knows. As far as crude oil goes, WTH are we going to do if they keep raising the prices?? ITs not like we can go get it somewhere else.

[Muzikman]

Problem is that the price of oil directly relates to the price of gas. Oil prices went from ~$43/barrel last August to ~$67/barrel right now. WHY?!?!?! I kow China started buying up a ton of oil back about 6 months ago, but there is no shortage of oil right now. If there is, start drilling in Alaska. I am a huge outdoor fan and love the wilderness, but if we need to drill alittle more up there, we still got a few more million acres of wilderness.

I still think it's all OPEC's fault. I think they are just driving up the price and racking in the money. Crooks!

That all being said, I think we need a new fuel that is capable of running in todays car. I think we really need to quit paying farmers money to not grow corn, have them grow the corn and make fuel. It's a simple solution, not all that hard to make and can run in our current cars (especially newer cars).

[Lohman446]

Me... I just signed an oil lease for a piece of property... I guess I'm ok with oil prices

[lather]

Hopefully, Hydrogen powered cars, power plants etc will be a reality in the near future.

I hear another reason for the high oil prices is some studies have shown we pretty much found all the oil reserves worldwide, and that we have reached the apex of oil reserves and the supply will only continue to diminish.

Im sure OPEC is making a killing, but from a business standpoint, why not charge all you can for a finite resource that the world holds in huge demand? Not just OPEC, Im sure the oil companies are doing very well too.

[slade]

That all being said, I think we need a new fuel that is capable of running in todays car. I think we really need to quit paying farmers money to not grow corn, have them grow the corn and make fuel. It's a simple solution, not all that hard to make and can run in our current cars (especially newer cars).

it is pretty ironic that farmers are paid to not work, but it does make sense. remember the dust bowl? (well probably not, i dont, but remember hearing about it?) the soil needs time to recover... im sure there must be a way around it though, a way to increase the production without harmful effects, and not pay people to do nothing .

[Muzikman]

Umm, I doubt YOU "remember" the dust bowl, unless it's your great grand kids that play paintball

But that being said, yes, I have read about it and if you remember correctly it wasn't from over planting, it was from years of drought and the fact that nothing grew. This is not the reason farmers are paid not to grow crops, it is because they already have too much corn. The government needs to regulate the amount of corn grown/harvested each year so that the price of corn doesn't go to fractions of a penny per load. As it is, hundreds of thousands of pounds of corn gets to sit in silos and rot each year. If we produced a lot more corn and designate so much of it to fuel, I think we would;

A. be helping our farming community
B. helping the environment
C. helping my wallet

We could also look at corn as a form of fuel for heating homes. Sounds odd, but it works.