Oil hits $64.27 a barrel, not a word from Bush & Co. to Americans

[TheCowsCameHome]

about conservation measures or cutting back on consumption to ease the spiraling prices. Reducing consumption would help ease the demand on oil reserves.

This administration is so out of touch with the needs and concerns of average Americans that it is pathetic.

Any leader worth his salt (that would exclude Bush right there) would at least try to reassure his people that they are concerned and are working to address the problem.

A how about some Democrats being more vocal in demanding some relief?

This oil price crisis is really starting to hurt..................

[Cha]

1. Just that "the economy is

doing great" if you're an oil czar.

[BlueEyedSon]

2. It's peak oil, there really is no easy solution. Conquering Iraq didn't

work.

[LynzM]

3. Agreed.

And the key word there is STARTING to hurt... it will get worse before it gets better.

I read or heard someplace that if we all increased our fuel efficiency of our vehicles by 2.5 MPG (average), we could decrease our need for oil by something like 50%. Call me crazy, but enforcing that kind of increase in efficiency is something that, oh, say, Congress could mandate for auto manufacturers? But not a word of it in the new energy bill. :grr:

[Strelnikov_]

10. Not Even Close

Petroleum for personal transport (cars and light trucks) accounts for 42% of consumption. By eliminating all personal transport, we would still have to import petroleum (35% of remaining total) since domestic production only accounts for 40% of current consumption.

Major change is coming.

[LynzM]

13. Ok, I wonder where I heard that, then....

Hrm.

You're right about major change, though. People thinking about 'oil' often only think about gas, not all the plastics and other petroleum products we've come to rely on. Peak oil will be worst on the 'developed' nations, and oddly unnoticed by those who aren't 'developed'. Serves us right for being so developed but unable to think and plan ahead...

[Strelnikov_]

27. I Have Heard This Meme Regarding 'Persian Gulf Oil'

And it is probably true.

Problem is, petroleum is a fungible commodity. Less oil from the Persian Gulf just means more demand (and therefore price pressure) on the rest of the worlds producers.

The real issue, as you noted, is non-domestic production.

[Clark2008]

23. Problem with that is that many Americans can't afford

new cars or the work that needs to be done to improve fuel efficiency.

Between high gas prices, high insurance premiums and low wages, I see more people driving 10+ - year old cars on the road. And, you know, they don't have the fuel efficiency of newer ones - SUVs aside, mind you.

[OhioChick]

4. Did you really expect

to hear anything from * & Co.? Democrats must start speaking up.........

[n2doc]

5. Quick, where's that clenis when you need it?

Too many pols with their hands in the oil cookie jar. As long as no-one talks about it they all get their fat checks, while the rest of us are screwed...

[Mutley]

6. I filled up my car yesterday.

It cost $33! The highest ever for me and my VW Jetta. It was $2.63/gal for the regular. The regular!

[OhioChick]

8. 20 Bucks

Got me half a tank's worth. :mad:

on edit to add: And I don't even have an SUV.

[Mutley]

11. Ugh!

It has finally reached the point where taking public transportation is cheaper for me than filling up my car three times a month.

A monthly bus pass costs about $50, whereas driving will now be costing me $90/mo. Unbelievable!

[Brotherjohn]

7. They waited until oil soared to unreal heights before letting the Energy..

... Bill through. When it, I'm sure temporarily, dips back down into the stratosphere (like $50/barrel, which was a record just weeks ago), they'll say... "Lookie! Our Energy Plan is working!"

Then they'll hope like hell it stays below $60-70/barrel until Nov. 2008, so they can get Jeb elected.

[Norquist Nemesis]

9. Yesterday morning gas here jumped from $2.37 to $2.58

at one station for regular unleaded. An 8.9% increase! Directly across the street from that station, it was $2.61 for regular unleaded...and those two usually have lower prices than the rest.

It was all over the board though, yesterday. Another place was $2.45, but I expect it will be up at another 5 or 10 cents a gallon today.

Glad I filled up last Friday.

[DBoon]

12. No word because they are silently gleeful

just the sound of money sucking out of our pockets into theirs.

[bluestateguy]

14. No. But he did bitch & complain when the prices were $35 a barrel in 2000.

My God the shrieking and whining from conservatives and their selfish SUV driving supporters were impossible to avoid in 2000 when gas was $1.70--topps--in 2000 and oil was going for $35 a barrel.

[sunwyn]

15. "Oil hits $64.27 a barrel, not a word from Bush & Co. to Americans"

Hurt is a light word for me....I'm looking at getting a second job just to pay for gas to get to my first job.

[kcass1954]

17. I asked my manager what's going to happen when...

we start calling in because we can't afford gas to get to work. She just snickered, like she doesn't really thing this will happen!

[sunwyn]

25. "I asked my manager what's going to happen when..."

They better start thinking about....what the hell is the government going to do when no one can get to, can't pay their taxes and buy the things they need. This administration needs to go...lock, stock, and barrel.

[smoogatz]

16. Remember when gas prices were an issue in the 2000 election?

Gas was what--$1.30 or so? Bush said all the President needed to do was "jawbone the Saudis" into increasing oil production. That was his energy policy. His New, Improved energy policy is a multi-billion dollar tax cut for the oil industry--that's at the heart of this so-called "energy bill." Peak oil or not (probably not, given that Iraq's sitting on 220 billion barrels of high-grade crude), prices aren't going down until global production increases substantially and/or consumption declines. The U.S. should commit, right now, Kennedy-style, to energy independence by 2025.

[legin]

18. The 1980's price was apparently $82 a barrel

in today's money.

That caused a reccession.

So maybe at $70 a barrel bush* might think about a splurge from the Strategic Reserve.

[jus_the_facts]

19. a hundred years gas never got above $1.00..in less than 5yrs it's over $2

....all to simple to see why and whose profiting the most...too bad more people can't SEE. :think:

[newportdadde]

20. We are getting gouged plain and simple.

You know if oil compaines were reporting profits in line with their own history I could buy it. The cost of your supply goes up and you pass that on to consumers to maintain your profit margin. But that is not what is happening instead they are gouging. If crude goes up.. and oil companies are coming in with record quarters that means they are not only passing on the increased cost of crude supply but are essentially penalizing the consumer.

The problem with this, the big problem is that increase in gas prices DESTROYS the American consumer.. and given that we are so consumer driven now instead of exports(because we don't make much here anymore) it just ripples through us. It takes away that nice spendable cash and then people can't afford to spend money on Chinesse made crap at Wal-mart or go to the movies(the industry is hurting the past couple of years). If the consumer just has to have their fix they then borrow themselves into debt delaying the pain.

The next phase which we are already in is increasing prices on must have items like food which is getting crazy. Our JIT philosphy of 18 wheel trucking gets pummelled transportation costs increase and those in turn go onto the backs of consumers.

We have to have a visionary plan, a bipartisan plan to make a serious move into new areas of energy.

[gatorboy]

21. What's funny about that is how the media keeps adjusting how bad it is.

I use for example, the 1981 inflation excuse.

As lousy as it is, the media always assures us that the gas prices are still not as bad as they were in 1981 when adjusted for inflation.
What seems to be misleading about this though is that the adjustment seems to keep going up. In March of this year, when adjusted for inflation, the media said the highest price for gasoline would be around $3.00 a gallon in 1981. But now that prices keep going up, they've set the bar even higher, saying that the inflation adjustment for 1981 is now $3.12:

http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/N08351959.htm

Not a huge difference. But I do find it curious that no matter how high the prices go, they always seem to stay just below the 1981 comparison. When prices finally hit $3.00+, I'm sure a new study will say that the prices adjusted to 1981 will be $4.00.

[slackmaster]

22. What would you expect them to say about it?

Oil companies will profit no matter what the price of oil does. Bush is probably happy about it. If crude oil price increasess affect our lives, we are on our own in responding to them.

[nonincriminatin]

24. Course he wouldn't say anything

It's good for his Saudi friends

[BabboonBush]

26. close your mind shut your eyes

and repeat after me:

The economy is strong and getting stronger
The economy is strong and getting stronger
The economy is strong and getting stronger

As for the oil, who gives a **** about the American people, as long as our friend Bushie is rolling in the oil profits, and helping his "friends" the Saudis profit too (15 out of the 19 hijackers?), right?

I say TRAITOR...SEDITION...they've elected a criminal oil-baron CEO and are now living with the consequences.

IMPEACH BUSH