My tank is on E, not again. Someone please help us, gas prices these days are a joke. As consumers of this highly demanded product with supplies being scarce, we are paying the price. We need to seriously start looking for alternative fuels to power our world of automobiles. I don't know about all of you, but I'm sick and tired of paying $3.94 for regular. What would happen if we all stopped buying gas for a week and used alternative sources of transportation? Do you think the prices would go down? Don't forget to check out gasbuddy.com for the cheapest gas in your area. Check out the video below.
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
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Well Miss Stacey S. I do agree that gas prices are increasing up and up (Side Note: That's why I invested in oil a while ago cause I saw this coming and it will cont. to grow even more) but I don't think by protesting for a week or two, will have a major impact on gas prices to drop. Why you may ask? Cause 1). OPEC (The largest oil refinery) and Exxon Mobil and many other major oil refineries knows that we (The U.S.) and many other countries are to dependent on oil for everyday use. 2). You have to look at the demand there is for gas/oil around the world at this moment. Right now China, India, Russia, Japan to name a few and a few other countries has way increased heavily there demand for oil by at least 5% just in the last 2 years alone and continues to grow at a rapidly rate (basic supply and demand) resulting in a higher gas prices for us. (So all you Lefties don't blame Bush for every little thing) Now, how can we (The U.S.) get cheaper gas prices at the oil pumps you may ask? Simple! 1). We start drilling in Alaska and tell the Left wing politics that we are going to do it in a safe environmental way that wont hurt the wildlife. 2). We put pressure on the Saudis to increase there oil production so there is more supply to TRY to fit everyone's demands instead of pumping so much oil at a time. 3). We increase our budget to find other means to fuel our cars which won't happen cause major oil companies will just pay off any scientist or anyone who finds alternative fuel to keep there mouth close and I'm talking millions cause it has happened before in the past and also the government will do the same as well. So I hope I answered your question buddie. I can go on and on this subject but I'll keep it kinda short also I welcome any debates or thoughts you or anyone else may have.
Armando Rod.
I feel the increase in gas prices are a definite result of supply and demand and the efforts in Iraq. There are plenty of alternatives these day expensive and to help not only our pockets but our environment. i.e. hybrid, electric cars, converting your car to burn natural fuels, biking, public transportation. Going green is not just for the environment it also puts more green in your pocket!!
just a side note i meant to say....expensive and inexpensive...bottom line in the end you are going to save money!!!
Nothing will happen if people boycotted gasoline for a week. Boycotting fuel for a week might get some recognition in the Mercury News but will be swallowed up by Paris Hilton and Hannah Montana on main media outlets.
I’m curious, what type of “alternative sources” are you recommending for transportation. It would be ideal to have people use bikes, roller skates, skate boards, or even walk but American’s are known for being obese. 112,000 people die from obesity-related causes each year! (http://www.forbes.com/forbeslife/health/2007/11/14/health-obesity-cities-forbeslife-cx_rr_1114obese.html)
Americans spend more than 100 hours commuting to work each year, according to American Community Survey (ACS) data released today by the U.S. Census Bureau. This exceeds the two weeks of vacation time (80 hours) frequently taken by workers over the course of a year. For the nation as a whole, the average daily commute to work lasted about 24.3 minutes in 2003. If it takes Californian’s 26.3minuets to drive to work, then it they’d be walking about 6-8 hours to work. (http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/american_community_survey_acs/004489.html)
These are just two things that would hinder your project without regards to natural gas vehicles or electric transit.
I think you’re ultimately looking for a natural solution to this epidemic? Lil Armando is crazy to think of drilling in Alaska, more then we are already, is a possible solution. The real question: Are we willing to destroy natural resources and deplete natural beauty for our kids to benefit our obese America?
Armando, OPEC is not a refinery but an international community that regulates the resources of refineries within the community. OPEC has created a monopoly and they is a huge contributor towards the cost per barrel. The other countries that Armando mentioned have begun scurrying for the few barrels available from the Saudi’s. Why doesn’t OPEC demand the increase of production from the Saudi’s? Because they have too much invested in OPEC and US/England. Investments=Leverage. There are alternatives to OPEC but do we really want to work with Vladimir Putin and the OECD? The value of the dollar is depreciating every day with the Federal Reserve slashing rates. With the value of the dollar decreasing and the price per barrel increasing…. We will soon reach a breaking point.
What should we do? Right Wing…. Drill drill drill then bomb bomb bomb then drill some more! (It’s worked in the past.) Left Wind…. Pull everyone home and close all the international bases to save money for the deficit. Fence up our boarders and work on the problem within. (We are too big of a world power to do that; some countries would crumble if we left.)
The Answer: EDUCATION! Knowledge is power…. Creating blogs like this, myspace posting, youtube videos, will only inform people of the direction we are heading. We are living in a day of technology where people can voice their opinions on mass media, youtube, without being overwhelmed by corporate media censorship. There are millions of Americans that are struggling everyday to manage the cost of fuel and determining how they will make it to work tomorrow. Individually, nothing will change. A united group has a voice….
Now, I'm not being as radical as saying to walk all the way to work if you live more that 5 miles away but you could always drive halfway and walk the rest...maybe?
Using these alternatives are great for your health, environment and your pocket.
Consider Alternative Forms of Transport
On the Road
* Driving Habits
* Driving Time
* Car Maintenance
* Purchasing a Car
* Cleaner Fuels
* Alternatives to Driving
One of the greatest contributions you can make to improving air quality is to increase your use of alternative forms of transport. Whenever possible, find ways to use public transit, walk, jog, cycle, in-line skate, carpool, rent, or telecommute. You will reduce your emissions and at the same time save money and improve your health.
If you really want to make a difference, have fun, and stay motivated, take the Commuter Challenge, a friendly competition between Canadian communities to encourage as many people as possible to use sustainable and active modes of transportation.
Take advantage of the tips below and start making a difference!
Tips
•When commuting to work and to other places, consider taking public transit, using a carpool, walking, biking or line-line skating. Quick Fact 1, 2, 3, 4
•Car pool to get to work, school, activities, or a night out. It's a great way to meet new people and reduce emissions, traffic, and noise on the road. Quick Fact 1
•Find out if your company gives rebates or incentives for commuting by public transit or car pooling. If not, ask them to consider introducing a program.
•Ask your municipality to build bike lanes or sidewalks in your area.
•Ask your employer to install showers and lockers at work, so you can clean up after biking to work.
•Consider purchasing an electric bike to make it easier to get up steep hills.
•If you are not comfortable riding your bike in the city, see if there is a CAN-BIKE program, or something similar within your area, which may offer courses on cycling safety.
•If you are travelling long distances and you are not pressed for time, consider travelling by train or bus instead of by car. Travel by plane as a last resort.
•Consider taking the Commuter Challenge, a friendly competition between Canadian communities to encourage as many people as possible to use sustainable and active modes of transportation.
(http://www.ec.gc.ca/cleanair-airpur/Taking_Action/Individuals/On_the_Road/Alternatives_to_Driving-WSAC6A4815-1_En.htm)
Although it pains me, I must agree with Armando. I don't think that a week protest, or two week protest would affect gas prices much because after the protest, then what? Also, I don't think many people would participate, because as well all know, American's have a love affair with their cars. I think a better more economical idea is to start looking towards alternate methods of travel. People should do more carpooling and take advantage of the pretty decent public transportation system that we have in the Bay Area. I for one save a lot of money each week by taking the bus to work. It's a convenient way to get to San Francisco each day. Also, if you go to 511.org, there is a cesspool of information there, including a trip planner that enables you to plan your trip from your doorstep to your destination. Participating in the public transit system won't do much to quell gas prices, but it will help out your individual pocket, as well as spare the air. In addition, the more people who participate, the cheaper bus, BART and train travel will be. In fact, BART was able to prevent another planned fare increase recently due to increased ridership. So hop on the bus (or train) people!
Another significant gripe I have is with sales tax. I think life would be much more simple if items were priced INCLUDING the sales tax. Who has the time to calculate final cost before purchase? If they just did that for us, life would be easier. (She says waving her fists dramatically in the air!)
That's my two cents :)
Tiauna~
I'm sorry about that, I was actually watching Pope Benedict specking to the UN at the sometime I was typing this, but I should have been a little more clearer on what OPEC is and what they do. But yea your right nando thanks for clearing that up. But they do control the largest trading market for oil that has many countries cabined. But pretty much they control the oil being traded. I should have been a little more detail on that one. I was trying to keep it short as possible. At first I had around 3 full paragraphs but I was trying my best to narrow it up as much as possible. Also I see some good points and as soon as I get some free time I'll come back and debate some of those ideas. Time to watch the Pope specking to Jewish community. History taking place as we speak.
You definetely have touched the wrong nerve by bringing this topic up !
Well definetely a week or two wont help in reducing the sky rocketing gas prices. Especially, with the on-going demand - like Armando suggested we need to start diggin in Alaska and have better terms with Saudi to come into a venture to increase their suply. In the meantime, we should try and conserve as much as we can ( by walking or biking short distances, enroll in ride share programmes and so on ..)
Here's some great info that I found a while ago. It has help me big time with my portfolio. Hope it helps you guys out as well.
They aren't Saudi princes. And they don't own oil-rich land in Texas or mineral rights in Oklahoma.
Yet in the time it took gas prices to shoot from $1.50 to $3 a gallon, they got 1,291% richer.
Just ahead, you'll discover how they did it and how you can join them for oil's next big run -- if you act before May 23, 2008.
By Bill Mann, Motley Fool Senior Analyst
Imagine turning the tables so that soaring gas prices would make you a fortune, instead of costing you one...
Well, that's exactly what a group of savvy investors has done and is about to do again...
I call them oil's hidden millionaires.
By taking one simple action, they cut themselves in on a HUGE oil and gas fortune...
And in the time it took gas prices to double, every $10,000 they invested turned into $139,000.
How'd they do it? I'm going to show you. Along with how you can join them and claim your fair share of the "recession-proof" wealth that's about to be made as gas prices continue to surge toward the unprecedented $5-a-gallon mark.
But I must warn you... this opportunity won't knock twice. By the time you see this story on CNBC, the money train will be long gone.
Whatever you do, don't make the mistake of thinking gas won't hit $5 a gallon...
It's already a fact of life in London, Paris, and Stockholm -- and has been for years.
When $5 gas hits our shores, it can either be the best news you've heard in a decade -- or the worst. And it's likely to happen sooner than you think...
The CEO of Total SA, one of the world's largest oil companies, recently confessed that the world can't increase oil output beyond current levels.
The Wall Street Journal reports that output from the world's existing oil fields is dropping about 4.5% per year and by up to 18% per year at some of the biggest oil fields in the North Sea, Alaska, and the Gulf of Mexico.
The New York Times reports that many of the world's top oil exporters may have to begin importing oil within a decade to keep up with rising energy demands inside their borders.
Of course, some people -- like the OPEC ministers -- claim that oil isn't running out. But can we really trust them?
They've got a stranglehold on nearly half the world's oil supply, and are concerned only with maximizing profits and adding to their already obscene wealth.
Just last year they quietly raked in a cool $675 billion -- up 10% from the previous year -- while we sat back and watched soaring gas prices gobble up our hard-earned cash.
No wonder The Economist says, "OPEC is more likely to worsen a global slowdown by keeping prices high than it is to ease one by allowing them to fall."
And don't forget, a handful of OPEC member nations -- including Iran and Venezuela -- are openly hostile toward the United States, its economy, and its government.
In fact, as I write you, Venezuela's little big man, Hugo Chavez, is threatening to cut off oil shipments to the U.S. altogether. This from our fourth-largest supplier of oil!
If he does, $5 gas will be here even sooner.
This will end up costing all of us thousands, BUT it could make a few of us millions...
To understand how, let's step back for a minute and assess the current situation...
Demand for oil is soaring worldwide. And the fast-growing economies of China and India, in particular, are putting a huge strain on supply. Meanwhile, that supply is shrinking.
That, in turn, has oil and gas companies desperately scrambling for new oil and gas finds.
Merrill Lynch & Co. Vice President Thomas Petrie told The Wall Street Journal, "People are running hard to find new sources of oil, and that's just to keep even."
And right there is our opportunity!
You see, oil and gas companies can now afford to search for reserves in places that had been considered way too expensive before. And all across the U.S., once-marginal oil and gas fields are becoming virtual cash machines.
But only a handful of highly specialized companies have the state-of-the-art technology, the specialized skills, and the artful know-how needed to locate these profitable gushers.
"With no breaks on the price of oil, plus energy companies' insatiable appetite for exploration, times have seldom been better for service companies that find drillers' bread and butter."
-- Investor's Business Daily
And one oil-services company stands head and shoulders above all the rest
When it comes to finding new oil and gas formations where others have failed or where drilling previously proved unprofitable -- these are the GO-TO guys!
And now even the U.S. government is adding fuel to the fire.
The Economist confirms, "Opening up land for energy development has been a federal priority since 2001." In Colorado alone, the number of drilling permits granted on federal land has skyrocketed, from 79 in 2006 to nearly 800 in 2007.
That explains why shares of this tiny company shot all the way from $6 past $85 in just the time it took gas prices to double.
At that rate you could have turned $100,000 into $1.4 million in less than five years (or even $3,000 into $42,500). And that's exactly what oil's hidden millionaires did...
And now it's your turn. In just one moment, you can get the name and stock symbol of this company... but first, a couple of things you should know...
A 1,291% gain may be just the beginning for this no-frills business from America's heartland
That's no accident, either.
This company's visionary founder has been waiting for this perfect storm ever since he set up shop in a sleepy windswept West Texas town back in 1952.
He's been at the helm ever since. Not to mention, he owns nearly $6 million worth of the company's shares.
And now his years of dedication and hard work are really paying off...
For the past three years, revenues have grown at a stunning 55%-per-year clip, and I have every reason to believe that this fortune-building growth will continue well into the future...
At a recent oil and gas conference, the company's CEO confirmed that demand for this company's services are at "an all-time high" and that its crews are already fully booked well into 2008.
Intriguing? It's more than that...
But what if oil prices fall and companies slow their search for new onshore fields?
You may think that's a concern, considering some say we'll see $90 or even $80 a barrel in the near future.
But I wouldn't count on it. Even a worldwide recession couldn't drive oil prices that low again. Demand is just too strong. Oil supply peaked long ago. And supplies are shrinking.
What's more, OPEC and other producing nations will cut production before they let prices fall more than a few dollars. In fact, we're more likely to see $120 oil than $80 oil.
But even at $60 per barrel, this company's specialized services will be in high demand. In fact, oil prices would have to be cut nearly in half before this company's awesome revenue pipeline would even begin to slow down.
Why then is this company's stock selling at such a bargain? Ironically, it recently pulled back, along with the rest of the market, on recession worries, even though...
Its business is virtually "recession-proof"
Lots of folks wrongly assume that a recession will cause people to stop buying gas and that will drive oil prices down.
But remember, billions of people around the world rely on their cars to get them to and from school, work, the grocery store, the doctor, and their kids' soccer practices. And they use oil's cousins, natural gas and heating oil, to heat their homes.
The fact is we are hopelessly addicted to oil and gas, and that addiction won't wane -- even in a recession...
"Contrary to popular belief, Americans facing a looming recession should expect little relief in the form of lower gas prices."
-- CNNMoney.com
In fact, according to experts cited in the CNNMoney article, even slowing consumer spending and rising unemployment "are unlikely to drastically reduce energy prices," and the article confirmed, "For 2008, most analysts expect crude to keep rising."
Earlier this year, well-respected energy analyst John Kilduff predicted that oil prices could climb as high as $110 a barrel in 2008. Today, we're sitting at over $113!
And that's no surprise when you consider that global energy demand is expected to rise 2.3% this year -- as supply shrinks by nearly 5%!
This is the hard reality that so many people are missing -- demand is still going up, yet supply is going down!
And that's the reason oil and gas expert Stephen Shorck says, "At this rate, we're going to see $4 a gallon." Probably within weeks -- as we approach Memorial Day weekend and the beginning of the summer driving season. And then we'll see $5 a gallon and even higher.
All of which means energy companies are going to be even more desperate to find new sources of oil and gas.
Now you can see why I'm convinced this is one of the most intriguing investment opportunities today. But, you may be wondering, is it too late to get invested in this company?
No. Not at all. In fact, your timing is excellent...
Based on the company's stellar past performance and outstanding future prospects, this stock should be trading through the roof. But the recent credit crisis and recession talk have investors across the board spooked.
Amazingly, this stock has retreated -- right along with all the rest -- handing investors like you an incredible gift.
You seldom find an opportunity like this, but when you do, the profits can be spectacular
In a few seconds, you can get the name and stock symbol of this fast-growing company, but first let me show you what happened to other companies whose share prices pulled back just as their businesses truly began to take off...
So Good luck everyone. Hope it works for you guys!
Armando..
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