Why are gas prices so high in America and do you think it is expected to get worse?

Question

I am angry at pretty much every American right now including my own family and the government for incompetence. The reason I say this is because I look at everyone in America that says it is their right to own and drive a car. I am wondering if many Americans decided not to drive then would the cost of gasoline go down? I just came back from China and most people there didn't even own a car and they used transit like buses, trains, the subway, bicycles, and taxis. I am wondering if Americans are too spoiled and it is our fault and the government for making it too easy to get and drive a car here. There are so many rules and regulations in China on driving a car and here there are hardly none. My question is do you think the problem here is going to get better or worse? Do you think gasoline would go down if there was more public transit here, I live in Austin, Texas and the bus system here pretty much sucks as well as many other parts of the state. Do you think things will change?

Answer 1

limited supply of oil, ever increasing demand, it can go nowhere but up. Way up.

Yes, the US government is acting very poorly here. They should be subsidizing public transportation, with a high tax on gasoline. Will they change this attitude in the future? Maybe, if they get enough pressure from the people. But public transportation systems take decades to plan and implement. So it may already be too late.

If Americans decided not to drive as much, you might see a temporarily lower price, but it would soon go back up.

Answer 2

As long as people want 4 cars in their driveways and to drive around in 2 ton pick up trucks and SUVs, the price of gas will correct itself from time to time, but will continue to rise over the next few years.

Answer 3

Yes, I agree with you.  Hopefully, with the rise in gas prices, people will start demanding that their elected representatives build alternative modes of transport, like trains and buses.  Also, hopefully car companies will start making more efficient cars.

Answer 4

Everything going according to plan . . .

Energy Secretary Samuel Bodman on Thursday defended plans to divert oil into the federal emergency reserve, although he acknowledged that tight supplies likely are one reason for surging crude oil prices.

The Energy Department announced it has awarded contracts to three companies — Shell Trading Co., Sunoco Logistics and BP North America — for 12.3 million barrels of oil to go into the government's Strategic Petroleum Reserve, beginning in January.

Deliveries are scheduled at a rate of 70,000 barrels a day for six months.

Some Democrats in Congress have repeatedly criticized the federal purchase of oil for the reserve, diverting it from commercial markets, when supplies are tight and prices increasing.

The Strategic Petroleum Reserve, a system of salt caverns along the Louisiana and Texas coast, contains 694 million barrels of oil to be used in a supply emergency. The government is working to fill it to its 727 million barrel capacity.

That's maximum capacity by June 2008.

Clearly, the government anticipates an acute shortage in global oil supplies around that time.

If they plan to attack Iran by then that would explain it. But, the question is - WHO are they stockpiling the oil for?

If you think it's for Americans, think again.

BTW, who is Samuel Bodman?

Number 24 on a list of Bush's Israeli Lobby Advisors.

Unification..... the people must take action and voice their opinion and discontent on what is happening.

Answer 5

Transit has little effect on whether people drive or not. As long as it's convenient to drive people will continue to do so. It might change a bit if gas prices rise high enough to the point where people have to choose between eating or driving.