GAS Prices A New Look

This is a brief summary of 1. comparative time track of gasoline prices 2. price of gasoline compared to other consumables 3. the greed of the oil companies 4. taking matters into your own hands

It seems so long ago and it certainly was a different world back then. But just before the events of 911 the cost of a barrel of crude oil was eighteen dollars! Fast forward 7 years and it is over $100! But what does a dollar buy now? Certainly it purchases much less than it bought 7 years ago. This much we know for sure. After all, Fox news tells us every day about the incredible shrinking dollar.
If we factor in inflation we get a very different calculation of the cost per a gallon of gasoline than our eyeballs tell us when we see a 3 or a 4 at the gasoline station to the right of the dollar sign.
If we calculate the price of gasoline relative to wages in 1920 we would now be facing a gallon of gasoline at over ten dollars! It can truthfully be stated that the cost of a gallon of gasoline has declined since the 1920s consistently if factors such as inflation and the increase in average earnings are properly factored into the equation.
Another thing that Americans have to be thankful for in consideration of one of the things that we most like to complain about, is the comparison of gasoline prices in the US compared to European prices.
A gallon of gasoline in Europe is now passed $5 or more. And what is worse is that approximately half of that covers only oppressive taxes! In America, the percent that you pay on a gallon of gasoline that taxes account for, including inflation, which Presidential candidate Ron Paul appropriately regards as a tax, is about ¼ or just over seventy cents. Without considering inflation as a tax the amount is about 45 cents or around 12% compared to 50% in Europe. (Of course we are also paying 10% inflation whether you wish to regard it as a tax or not).

Now, let's compare what a gallon of gasoline costs next to one gallon of other every day items if they were sold by the gallon, this is quite surprising.
A gallon of milk is $2.99, compared to a gallon of gasoline which is presently approximately $3.25 or so. A gallon of shampoo would set you back around $40. A gallon of real maple syrup would set you back around $57. Jack Daniels would set you back around $100 per gallon! A gallon of Crisco oil would set you back around $75 and a gallon of nasal spray would set you back around $2.615!

So what is it about the price of a gallon of gasoline that makes it so hated? I consider that there are two causes and one is the profit margin of the oil companies and the other is the rapidity at which a gallon of gasoline is used up.

For instance, how much time does a gallon of gasoline last you? Ok, how long would a gallon of nasal spray last you (depends on the size of your nose I propose ha ha)? How long would a gallon of Jack Daniels last you? You can take the 5th on answering that one!

So that is one factor. And another is how much profit the oil companies rake in and the perceived greed of these companies starting in the days of Rockefeller and more recently to J R Ewing!!
Exxon profited $8 billion from January through March of 2007. They average around ten percent profit on EACH $1 worth of gasoline sold

So it is not the price of a gallon of gasoline more a matter of how swiftly we use up a gallon of gasoline and the intolerable profit margin swiped per gallon by corporations who we see as wanting to rip us off for a buck.

So the real solution is in how do we improve our gas mileage

And the best solution to that is by converting from gas to gas/hydrogen hybrid engines, thereby reducing gas consumption by 24-34% or more. Or by converting to a fuel cell hydrogen only system which means you will never have to purchase a gallon of gas for the rest of your life!

Source: http://www.classicarticles.com/Article/GAS-Prices-A-New-Look/45778
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