WSJ: The view from planet Yaris

[YarisBueller]

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB114623704704938788.html?mod=hps_us_inside_today

Interesting reading about US and its evolving gasoline habits :)

[Leenis24]

nice article, majority of americans need to get out of this bigger is better mind-set.

[why?]

"While Washington was doing backflips about rising gas prices last week"

what type of moron starts an article with a comment like that?

"the better to delay the day when some adventurer can water-ski from Prudhoe Bay to Murmansk."

ah there we go. Way to force politics into where it doesn't belong.


" A wavelet of new minicars is about to hit the U.S. market,"

this line made me smile.

[foober]

thanks for the article. I'm guessing there will be alot of suv's for sale in a less than a year. I've already noticed alot more little cars on the road. Up here in montana big trucks are the status symbol. CAn hardly wait to see what those red neck types do.

[ricko]

Maybe Americans will get the picture when they realize that while they were facing huge price increases at the pump, the big 5 oil companies were announcing RECORD profits to their share-holders and still receiving government subsidies. One of the big 5 were so delighted with the gains they had made that they offered their CEO a modest $600 MILLION retirement bonus, in addition to his pension. (source - CBS News)

[why?]

Big oil does not recieve government subsidies. In fact, it is the highest taxed commodity.

I've seen estimates that state oil companies make only about .08 - .10 cents per gallon. while the fed tax is 18.4 cents per gallon.

That means that when you hear oil company profits, realize that almost double that amount gets payed to the Feds.

Not to mention these morons at the mainstream media are failing to report the costs for gas companies has almost doubled in the past decade.

This whole whining about oil prices is nothing more than a way to get re-elected.

If the politicians really cared, they'd suspend the gas tax.

Then they'd allow drilling in the USA.

Then they'd allow the building of refineries.

Then they'd build nuclear plants all across the country so that our electricity wasn't being produced with oil.

Then they'd raise the cafe limit on cars, light trucks, heavy trucks, and all other vehicles on the road to 30 mpg.

If the politicians really cared about the price of oil, you'd see action, not whining.

[stuffy]

i've heard bush himself explaining why (or trying to) the government subsidizes big oil, i don't remember his answer exactly, but it wasn't a denial, (i believe his answer had something to do with exploration)

so i'm not sure where you get your information from why? but i think it is generally understood that big oil recieves some government subisidies, and that they are currently experiencing record profits,

i don't have a clue as to who is paying what tax, but clearly, the oil companies are not hurting financially.
personally, i would really like to see an end to corporate welfare, but every country does it as a way of getting a leg up on one other.

[AlphaFox]

Big oil does not recieve government subsidies. In fact, it is the highest taxed commodity.

I've seen estimates that state oil companies make only about .08 - .10 cents per gallon. while the fed tax is 18.4 cents per gallon.

That means that when you hear oil company profits, realize that almost double that amount gets payed to the Feds.

Not to mention these morons at the mainstream media are failing to report the costs for gas companies has almost doubled in the past decade.

This whole whining about oil prices is nothing more than a way to get re-elected.

If the politicians really cared, they'd suspend the gas tax.

Then they'd allow drilling in the USA.

Then they'd allow the building of refineries.

Then they'd build nuclear plants all across the country so that our electricity wasn't being produced with oil.

Then they'd raise the cafe limit on cars, light trucks, heavy trucks, and all other vehicles on the road to 30 mpg.

If the politicians really cared about the price of oil, you'd see action, not whining.

AMEN!

[AestheticalFilm]

Big oil does not recieve government subsidies. In fact, it is the highest taxed commodity.

I've seen estimates that state oil companies make only about .08 - .10 cents per gallon. while the fed tax is 18.4 cents per gallon.

That means that when you hear oil company profits, realize that almost double that amount gets payed to the Feds.

Not to mention these morons at the mainstream media are failing to report the costs for gas companies has almost doubled in the past decade.

This whole whining about oil prices is nothing more than a way to get re-elected.

If the politicians really cared, they'd suspend the gas tax.

Then they'd allow drilling in the USA.

Then they'd allow the building of refineries.

Then they'd build nuclear plants all across the country so that our electricity wasn't being produced with oil.

Then they'd raise the cafe limit on cars, light trucks, heavy trucks, and all other vehicles on the road to 30 mpg.

If the politicians really cared about the price of oil, you'd see action, not whining.


i was just going to say this.
its a shame that more people dont pay attention to this

[Idjiit]

Big oil does not recieve government subsidies. In fact, it is the highest taxed commodity.

I've seen estimates that state oil companies make only about .08 - .10 cents per gallon. while the fed tax is 18.4 cents per gallon.

That means that when you hear oil company profits, realize that almost double that amount gets payed to the Feds.


Wait, are you trying to garner sympathy for the oil industry? With companies like Chevron's profits jumping 49% in one quarter, forgive me if I just sit here and laugh.

[why?]

I am not trying to garner anything for anyone.

If big oil really does get any money from the government, it should stop yesterday. I have a hard time believing they do.

However, we live in a democracy. I have no problems with people earning money. The oil companies shoulder all the risk, they should get all the rewards.

Gas prices are not set by the gas companies. There are way too many gas taxes, etc. Commodity brokers play a big part in gas prices.

I am sick of people blaming everything on the oil companies. Sorry, they do have to obey the pathetic rules our government has set up.

You want the people responsible for high oil prices look no further than congress.

They are the ones that listened to the idiotic advise of the environmental loonies. That is the reason gas prices are so high.

If it was truly a free market prices would not be as high as they are.