How to Get Cheap Gas
by Sean Brodrick
Wednesday, May 07, 2008 7:30 AM
With gasoline prices up 15 cents a gallon in the last two weeks — and about 63% in the last 18 months — American drivers are feeling a pinch at the pump. Consumers are demanding that ... [More...]
XX Unfortunately -- or "fortunately," if you think I'm too long-winded -- some sections were cut out. Being a writer who is possessive and protective of his words, my first instinct is to wish my editor is fed to Satan's own chihuahuas. However, as one wag once said of Thomas Jefferson, "Like most writers, he did not think he should be edited at all. Like most writers, he was wrong."
So here are two sections that were cut out ...
Section #1 goes right after the section on bringing back the 55-mph speed limit.
Denial Isn’t Just a River in
Now I can tell you that advocating a rollback in speed limits is fightin’ words. This is a battle going on in my own house, by the way, and I’m not the one with the lead foot. I’m the one who sets the cruise control at “60.” My wife on the other hand …
But
my wife has nothing on a friend of mine who lives for the sheer speed
he can crank out of his sports car, and he HATES the idea of driving
55. His other ride is a Ford Excursion (15 mpg highway, 12 mpg city),
and yet he rails and rants about high gasoline prices. When I tell him that his high speeds means he’s paying an extra buck a gallon, he gets even more red in the face.
There’s no arguing logic with some people. That’s why this needs to be a LAW, and not a suggestion.
Section #2 was the original ending for the section on "peer pressure."
We could also have fun with this one. I say if a vehicle doesn’t get 25 miles per gallon or better, the
Posted by: John Adams. on Wednesday, May 7, 2008
Dear Sir, in reference to your article on "cheap gas". Why is it, that yourself and others, for whichever reason, fail to do the basic research on the refining process for gasoline? There are lots of cities in the U.S whom stipulate a certain blend of gasoline for use in their area. The refinery charges more for "blend's" than the bog-standard variety, which in turn affects the final pricing. Your vote for reducing the current speed limit of 70 m.p.h. to 55 m.p.h.would appear to depend on government figures, why? Government figures range from the sublime to the ridiculous, the recent and current figures for individual vehicle m.p.g. being a case in point. The average person using Interstate highways, does not barrel along at 70 m.p.h. I make that statement based on my travelling from Florida to Texas and beyond, on a regular basis. I also note that you did not differentiate between modes of transport. It cost's less to produce Diesel than Gasoline, yet Diesel cost's more per gallon that Gasoline, why? If my car manages to do 35 m.p.g. does that mean, I get the same m.p.g. at 55 m.p.h., or at 70 m.p.h.? I think not. 35 m.p.g. is achieved under certain conditions, throttle speed, vehicle load, road conditions, driver awareness etc. If the current government, had managed to get enough spinal donor's, to enable them to have had the resolve, to reject George Bush's ego driven desire to invade Iraq. Would the price of a barrel of oil have reached current level's? I doubt it. If the U.S. had more oil refineries, converting crude oil to useable product's would not be as expensive. Plus, "light" crude is easier and cheaper to convert than "heavy' crude,...but don't tell the government!! Thank you for an interesting article. Yours sincerely, J.Adams.
Posted by: Sean Brodrick on Wednesday, May 7, 2008
Sean replies ... Hi, John. Thanks for your comment. You're looking for a lot more depth and detail than we usually put in MoneyandMarkets.com columns, which are aimed at regular folks. While I find these things interesting, I know that many readers would find such depth tedious,a and my editors are already cutting down my columns as it is. For more depth and extreme detail, let me point you to theoildrum.com. It's a great site, chock full of information written by brainy experts.
Posted by: Sean Brodrick on Wednesday, May 7, 2008
Hi, Frank. Thanks for writing. Actually, gasoline demand was up, year-over-year, in 3 of the 4 weeks in April. It may be down this week. We'll have to see. You can see what was happening last week, though, in the chart at the bottom of the EIA gasoline summary from last week: http://tonto.eia.doe.gov/oog/info/twip/twip_gasoline.html As for the war in Iraq and the fall of the US dollar, these are all topics I have covered elswhere. Check my past columns and you can see how I feel on these topics.
Posted by: Frank on Wednesday, May 7, 2008
Gasoline conusmption in the US is already falling. Don't know where you are getting your figures. It appears you are too eager to dump the burden of all this onto the consumer. How about ending the war in Iraq? What affect might that have on the price of oil? Can't do that. It might interfere in the oil companies' profits. We need to bow down to our masters and adjust our habits to conform with the situation created by these global interests. Do you suppose the weakness of the USD has anything to do with the price of oil? Who is responsible for the debasing of our currency into toilet paper? Don't worry about it. Learn to obey and live with less.