Yes, prices did spike, but to me, the complaints about costs always ring so hollowly. It wasn't the first time gas prices ever spiked, and no one held a gun to anyone's head to force them to buy a gas guzzling pickup/SUV/whatever.
Yes, prices did spike, but to me, the complaints about costs always ring so hollowly. It wasn't the first time gas prices ever spiked, and no one held a gun to anyone's head to force them to buy a gas guzzling pickup/SUV/whatever.Not to play Devil's advocate, but prices did spike nearly two years ago. Muricans are really dumb about gas prices. In the Bush era you referred to, $4 was the absolute pain point for most people. Now it's higher than that but only temporarily gets car buyers to evaluate their poor decisions (two years ago, there was some chatter about people seeking out fuel efficiency. Didn't last long.) People just like to whine about the "libs" (see above).
Gas prices are a pretty useful explainer for how fucking stupid the average dipshit American bitching about gas prices is.Yes, prices did spike, but to me, the complaints about costs always ring so hollowly. It wasn't the first time gas prices ever spiked, and no one held a gun to anyone's head to force them to buy a gas guzzling pickup/SUV/whatever.
Gas prices are a pretty useful explainer for how fucking stupid the average dipshit American bitching about gas prices is.
1. The reason US Gas prices have remained almost the same over the past 20+ years is due to GOVERNMENT SOCIALISM (subsidies). Yet ask the average dipshit who can't define socialism, and they say they fucking hate it. PRICE CONTROL BAD! CAPITALISM IS FREEDOM!
2. People say they love capitalism because it's freedom or whatever, and yet when the free market makes the price of gas go up a few percent for any number of reasons, people scream about it and demand that politicians use the government to make gas cheaper, like price controls, which those same people say they hate because it's against their freedom.
At some point, Democrats need to break the news to the average dipshit American that we either let gas prices be determined by the free market which they'll fucking hate, or they need to figure out why they believe capitalism and freedom is the same thing. This circle of stupidity where a large portion of Americans believe gas should cost under $3 a gallon forever, without knowing why it basically costs less than that given inflation over the past 40 years, is a god damn mind killer.
If the average voter can't understand gas prices and government subsidies, how can we expect them to understand complicated things like core inflation and how a global economy works?
A power point presentation probably wouldn't help, but for the love of fuck, someone has to start teaching basic shit to the American voter or we're stuck forever electing morons who promise everything and only ever deliver a kick to the crotch.
Gasoline prices are not subsidized. You cannot include tax breaks for oil companies as all companies from widget makers to weed shops get them. Any one can start a company and get tax breaks.
IN FACT ... Government INCREASES the cost of gasoline:
1) Gasoline is taxed on the federal and state level. On top of the federal tax of .184 cents per gallon, you also pay...
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2) No new refineries are allowed to be built because of pollution concerns which also increases the price per gallon. No new oil refinery has been built since 1977!!! As a result refiners enjoy big profits.
Even if we increased drilling we simply cannot make enough gasoline to supply demand because of lack of refining capacity.
Arguably, roads are also heavily subsidized, which encourages reliance on personal automobiles and continued use of gasoline to power said vehicles.I disagree with you saying gas is not subsidized…
Year after year oil companies get tax breaks and etc. they are not a startup anymore
That is my plan for the old laptop. It's a nice 17" and I have plans for it to replace an ancient Dell laptop I have running some unique software connected to my weather station.It's pretty easy to in-place install Win11 on an "unsupported" PC. If your need for yours is "mission critical" then I would probably avoid the risk, but otherwise I would recommend giving it a try. I've installed Win11 on several PCs without issue so far.
Its a complicated relationship. You tolerate threesomes in the beginning home you will change your man. But Musk will soon realize you can have it both ways.So I'm confused, I know Trump wants to drill drill drill, and his boyfriend Musk wants the world to go EV. Trump seems to hates EV's and even thinks a boat battery could electrocute him to death if the boat sank. So how the hell's that gonna work out?
Trump takes his marching orders from daddy Vladdy, and from billionaire oligarch donors. In exchange for Elon's money, Trump has already softened his anti-EV stance a bit.So I'm confused, I know Trump wants to drill drill drill, and his boyfriend Musk wants the world to go EV. Trump seems to hates EV's and even thinks a boat battery could electrocute him to death if the boat sank. So how the hell's that gonna work out?
I disagree with you saying gas is not subsidized…
Year after year oil companies get tax breaks and etc. they are not a startup anymore
It's both.As I mentioned, all companies besides oil companies get tax breaks. Our gasoline is taxed not subsidized.
I keep track of my grocery expenses in a data table. Keep the receipts from the store and enter them later. I can go back and see what I paid for eggs, green peppers, potatoes, beef, bacon, bananas, etc. etc. I for a couple years some 12-15 years ago kept data to see how much I was paying for food on a daily basis, but don't do that any more.Here’s an interesting idea, by end of November let’s grab common items from the market and list what we bought them for. I’ll set a reminder and we can revisit this every year.
Keep it to normal stuff most people use
Avoid vitamins and stuff that wildly varies in price.
Clearance stuff doesn’t count, going out of business sales don’t count.
Who knows maybe prices will go down. Be fun to track it and admit if we are right or wrong.
I’ll do it this week.
As I mentioned, all companies besides oil companies get tax breaks. Our gasoline is taxed not subsidized.
2) No new refineries are allowed to be built because of pollution concerns which also increases the price per gallon. No new oil refinery has been built since 1977!!! As a result refiners enjoy big profits.
There is a fully permitted, ready to build refinery on the books for Yuma, AZ and has been for ~15 years. Investors aren't interested in expanding capacity.You actually figured out the real reason nobody has built a new refinery in the last sentence. They could absolutely build new ones especially in accommodating states (Louisiana, Texas, Florida, etc) but they don't because US demand can be met from existing facilities that are churning out the $$$. There is no reason to spend a huge chunk of capital.
Shit when you have to shut one down for a few weeks for maintenance, it just increases the profits everyone. Literally no market incentives to add capacity.There is a fully permitted, ready to build refinery on the books for Yuma, AZ and has been for ~15 years. Investors aren't interested in expanding capacity.
Also, gas hasn't risen in price enough to induce the need to build out additional refining capacity. Throw on a continued rise in BEVs, and I doubt you'll see a need to increase refinery capacity.Shit when you have to shut one down for a few weeks for maintenance, it just increases the profits everyone. Literally no market incentives to add capacity.
Also, gas hasn't risen in price enough to induce the need to build out additional refining capacity. Throw on a continued rise in BEVs, and I doubt you'll see a need to increase refinery capacity.
The only way I could foresee building capacity is if you were building chemical plants in general, but you'd be more likely to see just expansions of existing facilities. It's not like chemical engineers and operators grow on trees.Nobody wants to spend billions on an asset with a life span easily measured in decades if there is even a hint that the product it makes could decline in use.
Actually, they don't build new refineries because building them is hell expensive. It's substantially cheaper to expand the current refineries, which is what is happening.You actually figured out the real reason nobody has built a new refinery in the last sentence. They could absolutely build new ones especially in accommodating states (Louisiana, Texas, Florida, etc) but they don't because US demand can be met from existing facilities that are churning out the $$$. There is no reason to spend a huge chunk of capital.
That's exactly what has been happening.The only way I could foresee building capacity is if you were building chemical plants in general, but you'd be more likely to see just expansions of existing facilities. It's not like chemical engineers and operators grow on trees.
Actually, they don't build new refineries because building them is hell expensive. It's substantially cheaper to expand the current refineries, which is what is happening.
Median voter never beating the rap of criminal stupidity.