missycaulk @MaureenMcCabe I filled up yesterday and it was 3.69.99, so basically 3.70. Why are people not outraged? Are we numb to this?
Missy's Tweet on Twitter made me think of
"I'm Mad as Hell ... and I'm not going to take it anymore."
That's a quote from the movie Network, from 1976... I have to admit I have never seen the movie... and I believe it is probably way over my head, but I have seen this clip... he (Howard? Harold? Beale) says something about oil prices his rant...
2008 News - Gas Prices
I was listening to the news in the car yesterday and they said Ohio average gas prices are/ were $3.48 now. What I see in my neck of the woods (northern Franklin County, Southern Delaware County) is $3.599. The west side of Columbus and Hilliard are notorious for having the best gas prices in our area. The news story I was listening to mentioned our surrounding states... West Virginia pricing made me think of Sarah Cooper, our neighbor to the southeast.. I asked Sarah Copper about West Virginia gas prices via Twitter bright and early this morning... The news story said gas prices in West Virginia averaged $3.63 now.
Gas prices in my area (Columbus Ohio) today according to GasBuddy.com:
"Today 3.552 Yesterday 3.561 One Week Ago 3.359 One Month Ago 3.131 One Year Ago 2.806"
The Tweet from Missy Caulk in Michigan (our neighbor to the north) made me think of this clip and go to YouTube to see what crazy newscaster H. Beale said in his on air rant back in 1976.. in the movie, Network. Can you imagine Sarah Cooper filling up her car in West Virginia today and screaming "I'm Mad as Hell ... and I am not going to take it anymore." I can't. I can't picture Missy doing it either....
How are gas prices in your area? Are you mad about gas prices? Would screaming "I'm Mad as Hell..." at the gas station help you?
About $3.50 a gallon in Allentown, Pa Maureen. It's ridiculous and I'm awaiting someboy to help rationalize it to me....I'll probably we waiting sometime. I drive to and from work and to the store now and again, that's it. I'll do my part by using as little as I can, it helps that I don't like driving to boot:-)
I did see the movie and it caused quite a stir when it first came out. Gas prices are going through the roof everywhere.Although I did hear it dropped about $2.00 a barrel yesterday to $118.00. Unfortunately, I live in an area where you have to drive everywhere.
it's about $3.48 a gallon in O'Fallon, MO. I think that this came about by what I have been calling the dumbing down of the buying public by the systematic price increases over the last couple of years.
Gas prices are high all over and soon to go much higher., Am I mad about gas prices...no. Im just surprised that prices are not much more. Actually as oil prices get higher its likely to cause us to embrace alternative energy sources and that would be a good thing
I loved that movie. He mentioned the oil crisis. I remember sitting in long lines waiting to get gas in the early and mid 1970's. The Arab oil embargo .... no oil coming our way.... OPEC raised gas prices......
Michael... I should have seen the movie. Michael and anyone else who has seen Network help with the story... but don't spoil it. I am going to try to rent it this weekend. It was about Network news... he's a newscaster. They are going to fire him, because his ratings are not good so he says on air that he is going to commit suicide on air? He is obviously MAD (insane.) That gets ratings, people watch. So he goes on and does rants for the people who were going to fire him because of low ratings... and gets great rating....This is the rant that is memorable... the ultimate rant by H. Beale.
Viral? He gets people to go open their windows and scream "I'm MAD as hell...."
Did the price go down yesterday? I thought from our local news that it had gone up again...
BLR guy... other than screaming at the gas pumps what can people do to show they are mad (angry)?
Nancy wrote: "The Arab oil embargo .... no oil coming our way.... OPEC raised gas prices...." and said she saw the movie. Don't spoil it for me... I am going to rent it... but isn't the corporation who is going to fire him some how involved with Saudi Arabia? Or another oil rich country?
Thanks all for the price info. I filled up in Southern Delaware County Saturday morning and paid $3.379 so when it was $3.259 I wished I could horde some...
Anyone who does not have a good AR signature like Nancy's:
Maureen, I think the problem is that the oil speculators continue to drive up the price and don't care what we think or what the impact of their greed happens to be.
I'm pissed off too !! what am I going to do about it conserve driving when I can, get a hybrid when I next purchase a car ( Ugh) and also look into an alternative to my oil heat my husband is parking his vehicle he has a Diesel pick up he pays like $4.50 gallon
Ours is $3.50+ or - more often than not it's over $3.50 and this is for regular. I want my hubby to try the E-85 but he won't do it. It's $3.29 (a real steal, eh?). We have no option though when clients are involved. We can't take them looking at property on a bus or on a tandem bike. Unless they meet you at your house and want to buy in your neighborhood you almost HAVE to drive them. Seems every office charges transaction fees, document fees, etc, etc, etc....why not charge a 'fuel fee' too?
I have always been relatively numb about gas prices... You pay the price it is. I do of course complain when I see it on the news... I was never one to pay attention to gas prices. I would as I came to the intersection make a decision to buy at the Speedway over the BP because it was a penny or two cheaper, but I seldom pay attention to gas prices as I drive around town. I do know to fill up with gas when on the westside of Columbus or out in Hilliard, because it is cheaper than the part of Central Ohio I work from and live in.
When it gets like this I pay more attention to gas prices ... but I feel like if I think about it to much it will drive me mad, because I have no control over it.
on Doug's blog someone made a comment about boycotting one brand of gasoline... would that work? I remember getting the emails about don't buy gas on _____ day. Not buying on a particular day of the week? because that will show 'em....
Jim Crawford in his rant H. Beale says he won't tell people to write to officials because he does not know what to tell them to say. We should call and say what???
We are paying around 3.69 here in south florida. I can;t believe it. I try my hardest not to drive anywhere unless I have to. I run my errands all at the same time. So i am mad as hell as well!!
I'm convinced that we have become conditioned over time to these prices and then when it drops to $3.10 we think we're getting a deal. I can remember (long long ago) when I paid $.17/gal for Texaco premium. **Clue** It was after 1965 and before 1975.
In our profession we can't stop driving. So we are over a barrel (literally!) when it comes to the robberies taking place at the gas pumps.
In reality? We allowed ourselves to become too dependent on foreign oil production. We gave up control of our own future and now we are paying - dearly. I am also a believer that this type of "crisis" happens every time we are in a presidential election cycle. The politics of the campaigns divert our attention away from what's still going on in Washington, so the current administration is not bound to do the right thing and draw a line in the sand. Not to mention they powers that be could release a bunch of our reserves and give us all a break.
No don't scream at the gas station, they do not get the money, they just get the frustration. Could this gas situation be a by-product of an election year? What do you think?
I loved that movie - I was a senior in high school. I remember what Nancy does - long lines, the oil embargo, OPEC and the fear of no gas. I think maybe that is why we are still ok paying the price. This surge in price has nothing to do with supply and demand right now, it is about profit and specutlation and people with the money making money. This is an investor caused crisis.
I live in Bremerton Washington and paid $3.65. I don't buy "cheap gas". I only put Chevron in my car. On the other side of the bridge in Kent, it was 2 cents cheaper. Yesterday at one Chevron it was $3.69. My husband lives in Anchorage Alaska and their price is usually about 20 cents cheaper than mine but right now he is paying the same.
And along with the high gas prices, food prices are headed through the roof. The television news this morning had a segment on food shortages. Truckers can't afford to transport the goods we need, including food. The news showed restaurant owners hoarding rice and large bulk quantities of staples at Sam's Club and Costco so they can stay in business. And some stores are rationing rice, setting limits on how many pounds can be purchased by any one party.
Yep, the U.S. economy is in really great shape, isn't it?
...our neighbor in the North. You crack me up. Oh I heard on the radio today that when the Dem's won the house and Senate in 06, they ran on and said they had a "plan to get gas down". So yesterday, the Republicans said, show us your plan, let's work together and get this fixed.
Maureen, I love the post and the clip. Our price here in my part of Texas is $ 3.39 but it seems to change each day. The sad part about this clip is that we are still taking it, right up the credit card. It has not changed in the years since this movie. Until we do really get mad we will still be raped at the gas pump. One of my questions is why the oil produced here in the US is priced at the same price of oil that needs to be shiopped here by tanker. We do have a lot of unproduced oil right here in Texas and other states but for some reason we can not produce it and get to market. We had better get mad as hell if we are going to save this country that at one time WAS the best country in the world. So sad we are no longer .
Don Eichler said "It has not changed in the years since this movie." I was struck by that when I snagged the video after Missy's comment on Twitter, and Jo Soss said that in an email to me.. he could be saying this in 2008. don't look at the dated news desk, the 70's clothes and hair but listen to what he is saying... It is almost the same.
Missy I am so unsmart when it comes to politics...
Marc Ouch re: 3.72
Eric I saw that. Part of that is ethanol too isn't it? We are on the east end of the cornbelt, I think less of the corn grown in Ohio is used for ethanol because of geography, but all farmers are selling the corn for more because corn is in higher demand because of ethanol production.
Jo... I remember the trailer for the movie... I know I have never seen the movie though. Agaiin I am not smart enough to know if this is supply and demand or speculation.
Thanks all for the comments. I buy gas at Krogers because we get money off...usually 10 cents a gallon, sometimes 20 cents... sometimes I can do as well w/ out their discount, sometimes I can't. The prices on gas almost makes me want to shop at Giant Eagle because their discounts are better.... but their stores are big and inconvenient.
I just close my eyes and pretend it's 1999. Gas is cheaper, I'm 9 years younger, 30 lbs. lighter and my biggest decision is which happy hour to hit on a Thursday night!
Tina in Virginia
I filled up my car on Tuesday afternoon at $3.63 per gallon. I stopped home for an hour, then went back out. That same station was then $3.73 per gallon - an hour later! Today, they're at $3.79.
$4 per gallon, here we come. I say it will happen in early May. Unfortunately.
Maureen, these gas prices are crushing. I do not know how people on the bottom of the income strata can make cuts in other areas of their lives to cope. Extremely painful, yet the government and certainly our own oil companies apparently don't care. I still think it is a conspiracy not world demand or a weak dollar. Speculators yes, but it is completely out of control.
Tinas' comment made me laugh. Don's made me cry. Not in May!!! What is this going to do to summer travel? Will people still vacation? Even take short trips? I suppose we will and that's why the price will keep going up. We're not mad enough... the speculators Gary and others here have mentioned win.
I blogged on this as well after I bought gas in Westerville on Tuesday and paid 3.60 ... with no discounts from my Giant Eagle card. Paid $56 to fill the tank. OUCH!
I've heard it is somewhat due to supply & demand due to China and India getting more cars. As someone hinted at above, I also heard a news report that the last time we were in this predicament, Pres Clinton threatened to release OUR reserves, and OPEC brought their prices down.
It's also been mentioned that we should consider the price of milk per gallon. Well, I can choose to not drink milk ... can't do that for gas. However, last year I drove 3000 fewer miles simply because I switched to being a "mobile" agent to work out of my home vs the office.
I just blogged on the Price of Rice on ColumbusBestBlog.com Limiting... not rationing. Luckily I don't go through that much rice.
I wonder if I can ride my bike to the office safely... of course to show I need my car... more exercise going home to get the car.
Don I remember growing up in a family with 6 kids drinking milk every day... my mother did some disgusting things to stretch the millk. Like powdered milk mixed in... why ruin all the milk... give me 1/3 cup of real milk and then pour 2/3 cup of the nasty stuff down my throat while I gag... don't ruin all milk for me.
On the Ethanol topic...It just goes to show us all that there are no easy answers. We, as a country, said years ago, we need to get off the dependence on Foreign Oil. Hey, let's come up with a bio fuel. We can use corn to make fuel. Crazy? no way. Great idea. Only one problem. With the current prices on barrels of oil, our current economy and shortages, the cost of grain and corn has shot through the roof. You can't blame the farmers, who just a few short years ago, were holding telethons called FarmAid as they could not support their families.
Now we have gotten ourselves into a mess as we have farmers growing corn for Ethanol and the poverty levels in America and abroad are rising as food supplies have gone down drastically. Also, the process is still not perfected as the amount of Greenhouse Gases is only slightly less than that of Gasoline.
Maybe we can start showing propety in a horse and buggy and bring along a picnic basket. Wait I dont have enough grass to support a horse maybe I can import it.
Isn't there a kind of grass that could be used to make ethanol? I think it is sawgrass? I know Brazil uses sugar cane and has for years and is not dependent on other countries.
Thanks for all the comments.
Another option? from Trivia bot on Twitter...
triviabot Thai researchers have succeeded in generating electricity from natural gas made from elephant dung.
How would you like to be behind the car that is fueled with elephant dung?
Or have your homes electricity come from elephant poo?
Maureen: The truth is there are things that can be done, but nobody is doing them. We have many sources of new oil in the United States, but we do not drill for them. Why ? I live in Fort Worth, Texas... and one of the largest natural gas finds has been discovered under the entire Fort Worth area. If gas is there, oil should also be around somewhere.
With prices this high, and oil companies raking in all that money, why are they not drilling for new oil fields. And... it has been thirty years since a new oil/gasoline refinery has been built. If we who complain cannot bring our voices to bear on those who can bring about change... if we cannot get "rough enough" with those who are in control... they, quite honestly, we have no right whatsoever to complain.
It is real simple. If we are not part of the solution, we are part of the problem. Thanks for letting me vent, Maureen. Take care...
By the way... I filled up today in Fort Worth... $3.47 a gallon... regular... and my Honda CR-V gets 28 mpg in the city and 33 on the highways. I regularly drive about a hundred miles a day... often more.
One thing I usually try to do... is fill up before I go home every night. If it goes up the next day, I've already got my tank full.
Boycott... how silly. Supply and demand... that is all it is... if we increase the supply... prices will go down. The demand is not only here, it is in India and China... two "emerging" countries. No matter how much we cut back... there are billions of new consumers coming online in India and China. We need to increase the supply, and Bush has done nothing to encourage it.
And... the Democrats do NOT control anything. The Senate cannot do anything unless the Democrats get 60 or more Senators, which they should do in November. Then... the Senate will be fillibuster-proof, and they might get something done. The House... the Democrats do NOT control the house. They have more than half it's members, but they need two thirds to make it veto-proof... which will then allow them to get something done. My hope is that this will happen in November. Then... we should finally see some positive actions that will help our high prices... hopefully... . Please excuse my rant... :)
Maureen... thanks so much for posting about this... I feel so much better after venting... :)
Filled up yesterday, it was $3.51 at Walmart. If the news is correct , they are projecting $8.00 A Gallon over the next 3 years. Stating that in Europe they pay $9.00 per gallon (sold by the liter) already. This is an outrage.
Please be civil in the comments to one another. Thanks. You can be uncivil to nameless, faceless, oil execs, politicians, etc. but treat one another respectfully here on my post or take it elsewhere.
Please don't leave ads or graphics in comments on my blog please. A graphic, tag-line, link or other ad for you makes your commment into comment spam. I deleted the graphic one of you left in a comment. . I tried to go to your profile and leave you an email but your widgets (?) the music (?) locked up my computer twice. I was already annoyed and having a computer freeze up is very annoying. The first time I rebooted it. Second time I just left to get a cup of coffee realizing it was the profile I was on and sure enough when I came back my computer was playing music. Nice music but still annoying.
I am not going to get into the debate about boycott vs. drilling now. Thanks.
Canada is our largest supplier followed by Mexico. Then we head to the Middle East. No refineries have been built in this country for the last 40+ yrs. We have untouched reserves that we cannot drill for in Alaska, the Dakotas, the Gulf of Mexico, and more places. The environemental policies we have are choking the country and stunting economic growth. Also take a look at the grotesque amount of taxes you pay per gallon of gasoline. Californians should be livid, maybe they are. How many different types of gasoline have to be made for each state and it's silly policies.....think of the cost that is to each refinery to meet hundreds of different specs over the entire country.
The truth of the matter is that America doesn't need any other country to supply it with oil if we drill for ourselves. That is energy independence. Anytime government has to subsidize something means that it wouldn't survive on the free market as a standalone. That goes for the ethanol craze, too. I've been to the Middle East as well, many....many times. The countries I frequent have seen food prices soar in recent history due to this change in policy and the people are mad as hell at us for being a part of the cause with this silly change. We're not only hurting ourselves but the rest of the world. Don't blame the oil companies, check your voting history first and look at yourself. Then check your elected officials. Nothing hinders a free market and lower market prices more than law which can change at the whim of any beauracrat. Don't think government can't fix things, it can't. The war poverty should have ended by now with all the money we've thrown at it. The war on drugs should have ended, too. It hasn't........and you want to trust these people to fix gas prices?????????????
I filled up last week and it was $3.98 gallon. Outraged Oh yeah! In Florida prices vary depending on location. Just down the raod in Cocoa the prices were over $4.02 per gallon.
Patty and Scott Carroll asked above, "Could this gas situation be a by-product of an election year?"
It's an interesting question. In an election year, if a president wasn't a "lame duck" and truly cared about being elected, ordinarily you'd think that president and his party would work to make things look rosy. And in such a hypothetical year, you might expect to see inexpensive energy prices, low interest rates, affordable food prices and a high consumer confidence index.
However, this isn't one of those years. The sitting president IS a lame duck. He cannot be elected to a third term. Gas and diesel prices are out of control. Oil companies are engaged in unprecedented corporate greed. Food prices and the price of anything that must be transported by truck, rail or air have followed suit. The housing market is a mess and mortgage rates appear to be trending upward. The middle class in America is becoming an endangered species. And the Congressional Budget Office is predicting that one in thirty-three homeowners will be in foreclosure within the next two years.
But the oddest part is the answer suggested by some folks.
Some believe we can reverse the damage to our economy by voting for the same political party that has spent the past eight years creating and massaging our dismal economic situation.
Others argue that the best way to combat greedy oil corporations is to give them whatever they want. Let them drill where they please, don't regulate them in any way or impose any legislation that will stop the good times from rolling at Exxon/Mobil, Shell, Texaco, BP and others.
Of course big oil doesn't want us switching to hydrogen or electric vehicles. How do you think a drug dealer reacts to a client who wants to get off heroin?
Thanks Eric....I totally missed the question (Patty and Scott's) and would have been totally inept in answering it or analyzing what is going on...why everything sucks so much in an election year...
Christina... is this a joke? I am thrilled that your usual ad for yourself in your comment is absent but I do want you to remove the one I emailed you about. You caught my attention leaving your long honking signature on a post of someone in your market. How disrespectful and self centered, ActiveRain has a guideline against it.
Rich J is constantly posting about the comment guidelines.
Will I come visit your post and read? Probably not. You left a poor impression before I even knew you. My first impression of you was that self centered disrespecful spammer person in the Dayton area. All you could muster for my post as "Great post!" the rest of your comment is all about you and directs traffic from my post. While I have plenty of traffic and would not begrudge most members a link like the one above (since it is on the topic of gas prices) , you have proven by comment spamming over and over on ActiveRain that you are not like most ActiveRain members. Your comments are as welcome on my ActiveRain blog as the Viagra and Cialis ads are on my other blog. The Viagra and Cialis comment spams start out with something like "Great post!" before they offer links for their wares. I don't need what they are selling.
Check out what you posted? Thanks but no thanks! Good luck with this web 2.0 thing...
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