Hard-up drivers running out of fuel?

Question

Is this what the government want? Will they keep putting the cost of fuel up so many people can't afford to run their cars so they use public transport? So in away if this happens, the government have done their "thing" for global warming?

Does anyone else think the same?

Answer 1

I don't think it will pan out that way. America is so spread out. They swallowed 30% of the available farm lands to make suburbs. Public transportation will be hardly worth it. One would have to walk a great distance before finding available bus stops and train stations.

My prediction is the huge homes will start to be rezoned to allow multi-family dwelling and car pooling will become the norm.

Answer 2

Why aren't the Govt leading by example? I don't see them rushing to ditch their limo's - the hypocrites !!

Answer 3

I see you have a lot of American answers to this.

Info for the Yanks. The British government take 70% of the fuel in TAX

Answer 4

The Government doesn't set the price of oil or gasoline.

Answer 5

The government haven't increased the cost of fuel in the last two years. The cost of fuel is increasing because of the increase in the price of oil, this is beyond the government's control.

Answer 6

Although I think  this GW  thing is just a money spinner, I do think people should make the effort and use their cars less even if its to ease congestion. Fact is there are too many cars on the road.

Answer 7

No. You're proposing that fuel prices are a result of government policy.

The only reason high oil prices might be a result of government policy is that the US Congress is standing in the way of drilling for oil in Alaska, the offshore regions and in the shale oil regions of the American West.

Fuel prices are driven by the market and natural supply and demand. Speculators are pushing the futures price higher in trading (although that market is now showing signs of collapsing), and China and India are making dramatically increased demands on world supply as they expand their economies (nothing wrong with that, either).

The US also doesn't have the refinery capacity to increase the current supply, so we have to rely on foreign refineries, which makes the cost of gas higher.

Unless you live in a nation where the oil companies have been nationalized (i.e., run and owned by your government), the government doesn't set the price of anything. They can add to the cost through taxes, but even in the US, the percentage of taxes in the per-gallon cost isn't that high.

What I find amazing is the short memories of people. The world markets went through this exact same thing back in the 1970s, only the cause was OPEC limiting production. The price of gas in the US shot up from about 35 cents a gallon (when I began driving in the early 70s), to 50 cents and eventually over a dollar. People were outraged. And the same people said the same thing about dependency on foreign oil and alternative fuels. Everyone began driving small (often dangerous) cars. The federal government forced states to lower speed limits (which most people ignored, to this day). Everything you heard back then, you hear now, except its coming from more places (like the Internet) and much of it is just wrong (because of the internet).

Then the supply increased and the priced eased back, a little. People got used to paying $1+ per gallon. The same thing will happen now. The speculators will cash out and run with their profits, the futures market will slide and maybe even collapse back to what it should be (some say under $50 barrel on the futures market), and the pump prices will ease back, maybe under $3 again.

Everyone will sigh with relief and will drive more. All the talk about drilling will stop. The greens will still shout about alternative fuels, but most will ignore them. All will be right with the world again.

And in a few years, we'll go through the same thing. Again.

Answer 8

The three biggest oil fields in the world, 'that we know of', is Saudi Arabia, Iran, Iraq, in that order, so the USA was getting a lot of oil from Saudi, now they have taken Iraq, and have turned all the taps off, they only need Iran to be in control of world supply, they have control of the money, next the oil, and then the food, Monsanto is taking control of the food.

Answer 9

This is what the democrats want.  They want you to take public transportation. Remember what Obama said, "I didn't expect prices to go up this fast".  He already knew this was going to happen.  Yeah so much for a democrat controlled Senate and Congress.  If they get the White House expect 7 to 8 /gal for gas.  And global warming is another scam.  Something just to suck money away from you.  Al Gore and his carbon trading scheme, another democrat.

Answer 10

I have had to increase my personal weekly fuel budget by 30%. Not that it's going to financially ruin me - but other areas of my life have had to have the cutbacks (family, children, weekly groceries)