Take A Bus, It's Cheaper, Or Holy Shit, Batman, Look At The Price Now, Continued

4/27/06: Up to $3.35 now. Forty-four cent increas in two weeks.

How long will Americans put up with the endless excuses and Republican blame game? About as long as it takes for a GOP screw-up to impact their own pocketbook or lives. And that's exactly what is happening right now with energy prices. Understandably then, Republicans are terrified that their jig is up. High gas prices knocked Jimmy Carter out of office, a hardworking and intelligent man, despite being perhaps a little too ineffective at solving some serious problems that got thrown his way. You can imagine Republican anxiety over voter backlash on gas prices when the man-child at the helm is an incompetent, messianic, ex-oil man afraid to hold those in his confidence accountable--but all too happy to lovingly hold hands with his Saudi petrol-baron sweetheart. So I guess no one should really be surprised that the wingers are squealing like a stuck pig that it's not their fault.

4/26/07: Gas price now up to $3.27. The above quote, courtesy of DarkSyde at the Kos.



4/20/06: Up to $3.23 now. It's even higher in Beverly Hills.

4/18/06: Smack me upside the head, but didn't I just see the man change the price from $3.03 to (gasp) $3.17? Hell yeah, I saw that. A fourteen cent jump in one day. And wasn't the Preznut just today saying he'll look into possible price gouging? And Pigs Will Fly, Right Batman?

This little tidbit, just in:

Increases in the "spot" market price of crude oil -- which is the highest price a major oil company would pay for crude oil -- accounted for only 12 cents per gallon. California's percentage sales tax increased fuel prices by another four cents per gallon. More than 40 cents of the 60-cent increase in gasoline prices over 3 1/2 months is attributable to increased refinery and marketing profit margins for the oil companies.

The profit increase of 42 cents, on top of record profits last year, means California gasoline will cost consumers approximately $546 million more in April 2006 than in April of last year.

"Oil companies are opportunistically using the rising world price for crude oil as an excuse to excessively raise gasoline prices and pump up their profits, even though the spot market price for crude has gone up far more slowly than gasoline prices," said FTCR President Jamie Court. "In addition, the spot price is higher than most oil companies pay, since they either harvest their own crude or pay more stable and often much lower contract prices.

"This study should be a wake-up call for California voters who will vote in November on a ballot initiative to tax windfall profits by oil companies so the state can develop alternatives to the petroleum economy."

4/13/06: Only one day later, and the price jumps another two cents, to $3.03. Stay tuned.

4/12/06: Gas stayed relatively at the same level through most of February and March. However, in the last week or so, the price started inching up. Yesterday I left for work and the gas price at the pump across the street was at $2.91. When I got home, it had jumped to $2.97, and by the time the station had closed, it was at $3.01. Ten cents in one day, not to mention an additional twenty-four cents over the two month period from the end of January through March. Spring break, and the prices just soared through the roof. And there is all this talk about the prices going up even further. At it's peak, in October 2005, the price was $3.07. I'm sure we will see it top that over the summer.

1/27/06: Two weeks later, and the price of gas is $2.67, up another 16 cents. 38 cent increase in 20 days. That is an increase of more than a penny a day.

1/11/06: Well, gas prices are jumping again. Today the price across the street is up to $2.51. That would make this latest increase 22 cents in just four days.

UPDATE WHATEVER: 1/9/06 - Gas dropped a bit more. Office station went down to $2.15 and the one across the street down to $2.29. Then, in the span of two days, the one across the street jumped to $2.45, a whole 16 cents in two days. The office station jumed to $2.35, up a whole 20 cents in two days. Stay tuned.

UPDATE XVIII: 12/20/05 - Gas prices dropped considerably this month, with the station across the street down to $2.31 and the office gas station at $2.17. Today, however, they started the increase. Across the street up four cents to $2.35, and at work, up four cents, to $2.21.

UPDATE XVII: 11/29/05 - Just before Thanksgiving, the gas station across the street dropped to $2.55 (with the one at the office down to $2.35). Today, it dropped to $2.49 (with the office gas station down to $2.31).

So, we are almost back to the exact prices that were in effect just prior to the fourth of July holiday weekend. Obviously, Bush's favorite oil companies reaped extremely high, billion dollar profits, for that quarter, where they raised the price of gasoline 60 cents, kept it over $3.00 a gallon retail, and then dropped it back down...all for no apparent reason other than to create those huge billion dollar profits.

This from the oil companies that denied participating in any meetings with the oily veep of this country (oh, let's not look at THAT leaked memo!) and who didn't have to testify under oath. I am truly amazed at the audacity of these oil companies. And there are those that deny this Iraq war is about oil? Ha ha ha ha. Idiots.

UPDATE XVI: 11/18/05 - While the gas station across the street from the residence dropped to $2.67 two or three days ago, it just went down to $2.59 this evening. At the same time, the station near my office, dropped to $2.49, then to $2.47, then to $2.45, then to $2.41.

UPADATE XV: 11/8/05 - Another six cent drop, to $2.71, with the local station at work down to $2.55. How low can it go?

UPDATE XIV: 11/6/05 - News Flash! Gas prices have been dropping like flies in the last two weeks. Yesterday, the local station dropped it another six cents, to $2.79, and the station near my office is down from $2.69 to $2.59.

From the July 4th weekend, through September 4, 2005, the gas prices rose over sixty cents, approximately a penny a day. And, now, in that quarter of earnings for the oil companies, they have reaped in unheard of billions in profits. So much money has been made in the last quarter, thanks to that sixty cents increase in price, that there has begun to be talk up on the Hill of a windfall tax on the oil companies.

I am relatively certain that this sudden sharp decrease in price is to try to steer the talk away from a windfall tax.

UPDATE XIII: 11/01/05 - Dropped from $2.89 to $2.85. On an aside, the station near my office is down to $2.69.

UPDATE XII: 10/29/05 - Dropped again, to $2.89. August 16, 2005 was the last time it was at that price.

UPDATE XI: 10/24/05 - Dropped again - my, my. Now it is at $2.93, a drop of six cents. However, at the work station, it has dropped to $2.75.

UPDATE X: 10/17/05 - Gas at my local station dropped again, four cents to $2.99 on 10/14/05.

As an aside, I have noticed that the station near my workplace not only is cheaper at $2.87, but drops more dramatically than the one near my home.

UPDATE IX: 10/10/05 - Post-Rita price of gas, dropped two cents to $3.05. Hmmm.

UPDATE VIII: 10/5/05 - Post-Rita price of gas back up to the $3.07 it was about ten days ago. So much for the reprieve.

UPDATE VII: 9/30/05 - Post-Rita price of gas went back up, four cents, to $3.03. I guess that drop was short lived, and I expect it to go up another 30 to 60 cents over the next two months.

UPDATE VI: 9/27/05 - Post-Rita price of gas dropped. First, it dropped from $3.07 to $3.05 the day Rita hit. It stayed that way until yesterday, when it dropped to $2.99. The last time the gas companies reduced prices was back in June 2005, just prior to the July 4th holiday. After that, the prices jumped a full $.60 (sixty cents) over a two month period. Does this foretell a gigantic price increase (cough, gouge, cough) in the near future?

I'm bumping this up from my August 10, 2005 post, to the front page. I've been tracking the price of gas in my area for about two months, now, and the current four-day increase of 18 cents leaves me flabergasted.

MIAMI -- 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.

Speaking of higher gas prices, and having zero ability to affect said prices, the corner gas station has successfully raised the price over a one month period a total of thirty-four cents. The price over the July 4th weekend was $2.47 for regular. Today, the price is $2.81. A penny a day.

Where are the angry Americans? For that matter, where are the angry world citizens? Fuck the oil fat cats. This is just absurd.

UPDATE: The price today, 8/11/05 is $2.85. It went up another four cents since I first posted this.

UPDATE II: The price today, 8/16/05 is $2.89. I went up another four cents.

UPDATE III: 8/29/05 - Katrina hits the Gulf, and the price of gas went up four cents, to $2.93.

UPDATE IV: 8/31/05 - Post-Katrina, and the price of gas jumped six cents, to $2.99.

UPDATE V: 9/1/05 - Post-Katrina, and the price of gas jumped eight cents, to $3.07.