Is Gasoline going to $6.00 a gallon?

Here in Oz it's already over $5 for a US gallon (3.5 litres) and tipped to exceed $7 before the end of this year and that's a bargain compared to a lot of European countries. It simply means smaller, more efficient engines and less unnecessary driving and increased costs for anything depending on vehicles, which is everything.

Life will go on regardless but maybe our habits will change.

reply to post by jpm1602

yes i worked at sears in tampa ... i got a discount on gas and paid .25 for gas in 1972 .. root beer in a frosty mug was very good .. i dont know what we are going to due about the gas .. i will need to find a 50cc scotter.. i only live 6 miles from work , so a gallon of gas will last me all week

reply to post by Anonymous ATS


Back in 1972 I bought a brand new 1972 Steel Cities Gray Corvette and filled it up with gas for 19 cents a gal. in Moore, Okla. Across town in Okla. City two gas stations next to one another who despised one another had a gas war or price war and were selling gas for 11 cents a gal. it made national news. Remember the term, gas war or price war well today gas war means something else it is called Iraq. Rik Riley

By now gasoline has hit close to the $4.00 a gallon mark across the country and much higher for diesel. How far will it go before major protests by citizens start to take place because of the continual raising of prices. The oil companies know they got us and it is hitting us where it hurts the most our pocket books and wallets 24-7 everyday. So where is the breaking point anyone have any ideas on how high will the prices have to go up to before major disruptions?
Rik Riley



[edit on 3-6-2008 by rikriley]

Here's some data I've read from Multi sources and then my scenario.....

80% of the American public live paycheck to paycheck and have ~$9000
in CC debt. Their currently buying gas on their cards. So when the CC industry collapses it's all over. There is no room for error, then add a hurricane in to mix or a flare up in the middle east (or worse) then with
heat oil being $6/gal(best case) by winter and people stealing gas NOW......You tell me what is going to happen.........


Anyone else have similiar thoughts?

reply to post by Pinktip


Hi Pinktip, tonight on the News here in Florida FPL, Florida Power and Light is asking for a 16% increase in power rates to the consumer due to escalating natural gas costs and other costs attributed to producing electricity. If you have a $200.00 electric bill this month and in comparison if you used the same amount electricity or Kilowatts in August when the hike is to take place if approved your electric bill would be $232.00. Rik Riley



[edit on 5-6-2008 by rikriley]

Look for gas prices to increase to $5.00 a gal. by the fourth of July and it will become decision time on whether to go on that vacation or not. Food banks are seeing record numbers of people needing help to feed their families. I heard a woman on the radio say that she did not have the money for gas to go to work tomorrow. Even with things looking so bleak today and after listening to the commentator she was uplifted and still thankful to live and have the opportunity she has in The United States Of America. Rik Riley

I'm excited about the opportunity for Americans to re-learn conservation...and hopefully, caring & sharing. Personally, I began cutting-back drastically in 06...gasoline & name-brand consumer items.

A-while ago, I served lunches at a local soup kitchen. The number of homeless families with small children was both heart-breaking, and surprising...and that was a couple years back. I live in a relatively small community...but the majority of these families were never visible on the streets.

Today

As a developed nation, we not only can do better...somehow, we have to do better by each-other

reply to post by rikriley


I saw that bit of news too, hope it's a breezy and not too hot summer down here.

Btw, you would think that Florida of all places would be bigger into solar energy, but it's not and in my recent research it seems that solar backups are pretty damn expensive to set up.. guess I'm going to seriously have to consider biting that bullet and pay for it, because I can't see this oil situation getting any better.

reply to post by worldwatcher


Not only that, but airlines in the USA are in a world of hurt. I believe I just read where United is leaving MIA, Delta, American, Continental, Northwest, USAirways, all currently 10 to 15% reductions in domestic capacity; half a dozen air lines already bankrupt, and insiders are saying this is worse already than 9/11 was for the industry. It's only going to get worse.

Food is about to take a huge increase as manufacturers and distributors no longer are able to obsorb the increases in fuel.

I wish there were some good news somewhere in all of this, but I don't see any.

reply to post by worldwatcher


Hi worldwatcher, I have a business associate that is in the energy conservation business with me in Florida plus he has his own solar and small wind mill business. The way I understand he said, in so many words that the state of Florida ran out of money temporarily to fund their rebate program for their residential solar incentive program. Also their are federal tax credits for solar electric or solar domestic hot water systems up to a certain dollar amount.

My associate thinks the state of Florida will reinstate the rebate program very soon. Here is a website to go to for more detailed info. on Solar energy conservation programs available in Florida. Rik Riley

www.cleanenergyflorida.org...

Well, this might help cheer some people up:

www.heraldtribune.com...&tc=yahoo

I liked this article, too:

biz.yahoo.com...

Sure, it's not going to happen today, but what goes up must come down. It's just that oil/gas prices go up like a rocket and down like a feather.

reply to post by jerico65


Thanks jerico65 for the info, so there is hope. Today I understand that oil hit close to $138.00 a barrel today and the stock market took another dive. We have to get domestic oil drilling going full steam ahead and add several more refineries in the U.S. or ween ourselves off oil all together with the use of alternative energy sources quickly. Wake up representatives of the people wake up before it is too late. I am saying we as the people need relief today from high gas prices, wake up representatives and politicians you have been and are asleep on your watch.

We have become slaves to the oil companies and as well as the other oil bearing countries. The question should be asked to our elected representatives why have you let this happen to your people that you are suppose to represent? Maybe I have it wrong and you representatives no longer represent the people, but represent big interest groups like big oil and big oil bearing nations, Oh surely not.
Rik Riley


[edit on 7-6-2008 by rikriley]

reply to post by rikriley


Ya' know, President Carter was wide awake back in the 70's with a full scale reduction and conservation plan, and even put solar panels up on the White house roof, only to have Ronnie promptly take them down. He could only do so much, but my god, there we were back in the late 1970's poised to move forward with alternatives, and the Republican administrations completely dropped the ball on that one. Now there are some Dem's to blame too of course, and I'm extremely disapointed that in this election when it comes to alternatives at the podium, you can hear a pin drop with all three candidates...

Here we are $5.00 per us gal., economy going to hell in a handbasket, and if we had a real leader, he/she would have done something, but then we do have oil executives in the White house. I'm really hoping that from now until election day, that the two candidates will really start getting serious about energy/fuel, and start talking about major policy issues about our future in terms of what we are going to do...now I'm afraid it's even beyond rolling out alternative initiatives, now we are staring right down the barrel of a large gun and at the other end is eonomic depression.

I'm proud to say I did not vote for Bush twice!!! God I'm so freakin' proud of that statement, for what it's worth (heck, I didn't even vote for him once, nor did I ever fote for his daddy, or Reagan although I wouldn't have been able to)...here we are at the brink of complete disaster, so what difference does it make? I wonder if anyone on the Christian right is asking for forgiveness? Huh, I doubt it...*grumble, grumble*.

[edit on 7-6-2008 by skyshow]

[edit on 7-6-2008 by skyshow]

reply to post by skyshow


Hi skyshow, what happens when the elected politicians make it to Washington they forget who put them there, we the voters. It is nothing to see large sums of money corrupt our elected officials not to mention the sex scandals.

Oil is mega money and mega money lobbyist hang around and wine and dine our elected representatives. It is like the fox protecting the hen house. What do you think would happen if the voters could be that fly on the wall that could tap into every conversation that lobbyists had with our elected officials? What do you think would happen if the public was privy to back room discussions between all the elected politicians? It would be interesting indeed and frightening as well as apauling. Rik Riley

reply to post by rikriley


Hi there. Boy isn't that the truth! I just wanted to say I have enjoyed reading your posts on here, your one of the more level headed ones on ATS...

You know what get's me is that it still costs Saudi Arabia the same (roughly, under $5 per bar.) to pump the oil, that now is selling for nearly $140.00. Now as our economy falls to pieces (think Patsy Cline's famous song) stock prices fall on big American corporations and now the same folks we buy our oil from who have screwed us royally (while our very own leaders are paid to look the other way) are able to buy up these companies on pennies on the dollar.

We might as well have just unlocked all the bank doors, grounded our air force, sent the rest of the boys home, and said "come and take it, it's all yours".

We are in a lot of trouble. It's quite scary to think of what the future might bring, and it may be too late at this point to turn it around. Maybe what is needed is a salvage strategy. Oh then there's the 26,000+ nukes ready on the global stage to be fired off...dear or dear, what the hell is happening?

reply to post by skyshow


skyshow, there is away out of this situation the people of the U.S. themselves set up a brain trust and by-pass the status quo. There are enough brains out there that will come forward to help their fellow man in time of need and desperation. I will be in touch with a person that lives a couple of hours away from me that I believe is on his way to eliminating the use of gasoline for our automobiles.
Rik Riley



[edit on 7-6-2008 by rikriley]

reply to post by rikriley


Here is what I (and family) have been doing during the past few years to conserve oil/gas usage. First, I went from a 20mpg highway vehicle to a 31mpg. Next, we started combining all of our various errands/etc into one big trip instead of several trips. We haven't vacationed since 2005. I have been walking to work at least 2 days per week, sometimes as many as four days in one week. We recently traded our other gas guzzler for a 36mpg highway vehicle. We make sure our tires are properly inflated and I have begun driving 55mpg on the highway. You can also save gas usage by not accelerating like a jackrabbit and then slamming on the brakes at each traffic light. Our next step is going to be pre-planning each small trip, first for whether it is necessary or not and then for the least amount of miles that we can travel to get the task done.

As for heating/cooling costs, we will be looking to replace our basement window with a glass block window, replace our drafty windows with more energy-saving windows, and getting a more efficient heatpump. These things all cost a lot, and we likely won't get it done all at once or anytime soon.

But I figure it's a start...

Not far off at all. Gas was over $4.00 today and the $5.00 mark was expected to be almost impossible.

I expect both gold and oil prices to go down sometime over the next 2 to 3 months. Then longer term, gas will probably exceed $6 a gallon before too long. I don't know if it will get there by the Fall or next year. If a hurricane strikes the wrong region in the Gulf of Mexico, it could get there a lot quicker. At least it's not $11 a gallon or liter like I heard it is in parts of Europe. I heard their cars get a lot better gas mileage but you can't buy an equivalent car here in the US. I've been wondering if that was a true story or not.