MAJOR Gasoline News - Read this if you live near the Ohio to Georgia I-75 area!!!

[newbreed]

I just got home from BP. The night attendant there and I are pretty close since I stop in there a lot. He just got off the phone with the store manager/owner who was telling him to fuel his cars up tonight, because gas is going up to a high of 5 dollars a gallon or more tomorrow. There are BP stations in Georgia as high as $5.33/gallon right now, and it is coming north as the fuel is coming in over the next day or so. This is for only BP gas stations, I don't know what the others are doing.

I implore you if you live somewhere between Ohio and Georgia anywhere near I-75 (from what I understand the highway locations go higher first) fill your cars up as soon as possible before the prices come higher tomorrow!!!

[Sly]

One of the reasons the prices are rising is because people are buying more gas than they typically would, cutting into the supply. Add that to the low production and you have even higher gas prices. Most of the lines should be close to fully operational by late next week, I'm sure all of you out East will be ready.

Here, prices today were up 10 cents from last week at my neighborhood gas station.

[detoxed]

Originally Posted by newbreed

I just got home from BP. The night attendant there and I are pretty close since I stop in there a lot. He just got off the phone with the store manager/owner who was telling him to fuel his cars up tonight, because gas is going up to a high of 5 dollars a gallon or more tomorrow. There are BP stations in Georgia as high as $5.33/gallon right now, and it is coming north as the fuel is coming in over the next day or so. This is for only BP gas stations, I don't know what the others are doing.

I implore you if you live somewhere between Ohio and Georgia anywhere near I-75 (from what I understand the highway locations go higher first) fill your cars up as soon as possible before the prices come higher tomorrow!!!

LOL nice, scare people and cause gas shortages.

[Spunky]

Only the begining sadly to say..probably add a couple bucks more within the next couple months

[NY_TIM]

$3.99 by my house tonight

[Jace]

they are up to $3.50 right now by my house in atlanta

it has already been known here pretty wide spread that we are looking at $4-5 gallon nationwide in the next few days

[tony286]

That wont happen in GA because the gov signed ga into a state of emergency. So if they price gouge they will be heavily fined. Sonny dont play lol

[Jace]

Originally Posted by tony404

That wont happen in GA because the gov signed ga into a state of emergency. So if they price gouge they will be heavily fined. Sonny dont play lol

what is happening isn't price gouging dude

just like the $1 a gallon increase we saw last night, that isn't gouging

[Heywood Jablome]

Originally Posted by newbreed

I implore you if you live somewhere between Ohio and Georgia anywhere near I-75 (from what I understand the highway locations go higher first) fill your cars up as soon as possible before the prices come higher tomorrow!!!

This is EXACTLY what the president warned not to do..

[Jace]

Gouging is the act of an individual station taking advantage of supply problems (and even perceived supply problems).

http://money.cnn.com/2005/08/31/pf/gas_price_gouging/

if all the stations are doing it, it ain't gouging

[AmateurFlix]

Originally Posted by JaceXXX

http://money.cnn.com/2005/08/31/pf/gas_price_gouging/

if all the stations are doing it, it ain't gouging

The gas prices aren't determined by the individual stations they're dictated by the franchise, which is why they all raise at the same time

You can be sure they're going to try to maximize their profits.

[newbreed]

ok, some people may have misunderstood my post. BP's in Georgia, some which are owned by the same group as the one here that we go to, have raised the price to $5.33/gallon as of an hour or so ago. As the next fuel deliveries come north, they are all being told to follow suit. This is not a scare tactic, this is happening right now, station by station as they fill the main tanks up.

In the last week here it has gone up $.40-$.60 a gallon, and it has no sign of going back down, only up, as confirmed by the attendant at this BP location tonight.

[tony286]

Its gouging dude there isnt a shortage

No need for gas panic, experts say

> By LEON STAFFORD
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
> Published on: 09/02/05

The disruption in gas supplies caused by Hurricane Katrina has many metro Atlantans thinking conservation and visitors to the city rethinking travel plans.

Officials are urging residents to limit their driving, but they insist supplies will be adequate through the Labor Day weekend and next week. Some answers to motorists' questions:

Q: Is Atlanta close to running out of gas?

A: No, according to auto club AAA South. While output from the two major pipelines that distribute gas to Atlanta and throughout East Coast states is running far below capacity, officials say the supply is adequate for now. There is no guarantee that suppliers won't run into more problems in the days to come, but oil industry officials expect the supply picture to improve as pipeline issues are addressed.

Q: If I visit Atlanta, will I be able to find enough gas to return home?

A: Yes. AAA says some stations ran out of gas Wednesday because residents ? acting on reports that there would be a shortage over the holiday ? panicked and fueled up in greater than normal numbers. As fears subsided, gas supplies began to return to manageable levels.

Q: How are the tightened gas supplies affecting airlines?

A: Officials at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport and some oil suppliers say they have eight to 10 days' worth of fuel in reserve in case the flow is cut off. At present, they still are receiving jet fuel and have not canceled flights because of supply problems.

Q: Are gas prices likely to continue going up, and if so, how can I find the best prices?

A: Gas is a commodity whose pricing is quite volatile, AAA says. Competition will force most gas stations to keep their prices in line with one another. The best way to avoid paying prices well above the average is to keep your tank at least half full.

Q: How soon will supplies return to normal?

A: That is anyone's guess. Damage to oil refineries in the Gulf of Mexico was extensive and added to already smaller supplies. AAA says most experts agree that the present tightening will abate as oil refineries return to production.

[mikesouth]

this is what my good friend neal boortz had to say about it and guess what
He is DEAD right

When you hear the words "price gouging" uttered by somebody .. even if that somebody is the governor of a state .. you know that you are listening to someone who (a) has a limited understanding of the basics of free-market economics; or, (b) is a politician more interested in pandering to ignorance than in leading.

That describes Atlanta yesterday.

Yesterday afternoon I drove to the WSB studios to participate in a joint AM 750 WSB / Channel 2 fund raising venture. On the way I saw that cars were lined up on the streets waiting to get into gas stations. The panic was on. Word had spread throughout the metro area that there was going to be a fuel shortage. Everyone, it seems, was filling up everything they had that could hold gasoline.

The panic, of course, created that shortage that previously was only a rumor. Even when there is no shortage of gasoline, there is simply no possible way to keep the underground tanks at every service station full if everyone is going to try to fill up their car at the same time. There simply aren't enough tanker trucks on the road to do the job. When rumors create a panic and creates a demand that the marketplace can't meet, it's time for the mechanisms of the free market to take control.

There has never in the history of the world been a better way to allocate scarce resources than to simply allow the law of supply and demand to take its course. Whenever government steps in to interfere, shortages occur and chaos often reigns.

The way to handle the gas panic in Atlanta yesterday was to RAISE PRICES! It's not price gouging. It's the law of supply and demand at work. Today there will be people in Atlanta who might not be able to drive their own cars to work, to doctors appointments or to buy groceries who would otherwise be driving if gas stations throughout Atlanta had raised their prices in response to the increased demand and limited supply.

Let me explain:

As the panic spread, and the demand increased, the prices at the pumps were pretty much unchanged ... for a while. As a result people decided to top off every vehicle they owned .. .no matter how much gas remained in the tank. The predictable result was that stations soon ran out of fuel. The word spread, and more people hit the streets to fill more cars. Today people in Atlanta will find that many gas stations still have their pumps shut down. Throughout the night tanker trucks were busy trying to replenish the stations, but there simply aren't enough trucks to meet this demand. Another supply problem.

So .. what was the solution? For the politician the solution may have been to pander to the electorate by talking about imposing fines on gas station operators who "overcharge", whatever that means, consumers. The real solution, though, was to increase prices in response to the increased demand and limited supply. This is what the uninformed and the political class call "price gouging."

Let's take a look at what would have happened if the free market had been allowed to do what it has always done so well -- when left alone -- and that is to allocate scarce resources. If gas prices had risen strongly yesterday (as they in fact did at some stations) then people would have given a second thought to filling every car they own. If the prices were, say, $5 a gallon, consumers would have purchased what they thought they might need to get through the next few days, and would have started making plans for conservation., Certainly few people would have been shuttling back and forth filling up every car they owned. As a result, the gas that one consumer didn't pump into his second or third car because the price was so high would have been gas available for someone to put into the car they actually needed to get to work.
Keeping the prices artificially low encouraged over-consumption and hoarding.

The truth is that when Georgia's Governor Sonny Perdue signed an executive order late yesterday afternoon threatening heavy fines on gasoline retailers who, as he said "overcharge" customers, he became a part of the problem and not a part of the solution. His statements were a signal to the people that there was a crisis in gasoline supplies, and to get out there and fill up everything they could while he held the prices down. Today Atlanta drivers will experience the results of the governor's actions.

This whole price gouging nonsense was also front and center last year when four hurricanes ripped through Florida. Entrepreneurs abandoned plans to rush needed supplies and commodities to South Florida when politicians started pandering to voters with dire threats of fines and even jail time for evil price gougers. The marketplace simply wasn't allowed to respond properly to increased demand .. and shortages resulted.

Here's an example I used yesterday. Hotel and motel rooms. In the aftermath of the hurricane -- especially Hurricane Charley -- there was a huge demand for rooms for displaced hurricane victims. So, here come the politicians with their laws restricting what motel owners could charge for rooms. The result was that fewer families could find a place to stay. Here's why: A family of four arrives seeks shelter at a hotel where rooms rates are being held down by anti-price gouging laws. They decide to get two rooms when one would do. One room for mom and dad, the adjoining room for the children. Along comes the second family of four, only to find that there are no more rooms. Sorry, out of luck. Now, if prices had been allowed to rise with the demand that first family might have decided to make do with one room instead of two. That would have left a room available for the next family to arrive.

This is a problem borne of economic ignorance. Our hideous government schools do a pathetic job of teaching the very basics of free market economics. The ignorance of the public is then exploited by politicians for votes and support.

And thus it will ever be.

[jollyperv]

Yes, gouging is definetely happening here...I saw Sonny talking about it on the news and he was sincerely pissed off. Saw 2 gas stations literally across the street from one another yesterday, one was charging 3.09 and the other was charging 3.45.

[tony286]

Originally Posted by mikesouth

this is what my good friend neal boortz had to say about it and guess what
He is DEAD right

When you hear the words "price gouging" uttered by somebody .. even if that somebody is the governor of a state .. you know that you are listening to someone who (a) has a limited understanding of the basics of free-market economics; or, (b) is a politician more interested in pandering to ignorance than in leading.

That describes Atlanta yesterday.

Yesterday afternoon I drove to the WSB studios to participate in a joint AM 750 WSB / Channel 2 fund raising venture. On the way I saw that cars were lined up on the streets waiting to get into gas stations. The panic was on. Word had spread throughout the metro area that there was going to be a fuel shortage. Everyone, it seems, was filling up everything they had that could hold gasoline.

The panic, of course, created that shortage that previously was only a rumor. Even when there is no shortage of gasoline, there is simply no possible way to keep the underground tanks at every service station full if everyone is going to try to fill up their car at the same time. There simply aren't enough tanker trucks on the road to do the job. When rumors create a panic and creates a demand that the marketplace can't meet, it's time for the mechanisms of the free market to take control.

There has never in the history of the world been a better way to allocate scarce resources than to simply allow the law of supply and demand to take its course. Whenever government steps in to interfere, shortages occur and chaos often reigns.

The way to handle the gas panic in Atlanta yesterday was to RAISE PRICES! It's not price gouging. It's the law of supply and demand at work. Today there will be people in Atlanta who might not be able to drive their own cars to work, to doctors appointments or to buy groceries who would otherwise be driving if gas stations throughout Atlanta had raised their prices in response to the increased demand and limited supply.

Let me explain:

As the panic spread, and the demand increased, the prices at the pumps were pretty much unchanged ... for a while. As a result people decided to top off every vehicle they owned .. .no matter how much gas remained in the tank. The predictable result was that stations soon ran out of fuel. The word spread, and more people hit the streets to fill more cars. Today people in Atlanta will find that many gas stations still have their pumps shut down. Throughout the night tanker trucks were busy trying to replenish the stations, but there simply aren't enough trucks to meet this demand. Another supply problem.

So .. what was the solution? For the politician the solution may have been to pander to the electorate by talking about imposing fines on gas station operators who "overcharge", whatever that means, consumers. The real solution, though, was to increase prices in response to the increased demand and limited supply. This is what the uninformed and the political class call "price gouging."

Let's take a look at what would have happened if the free market had been allowed to do what it has always done so well -- when left alone -- and that is to allocate scarce resources. If gas prices had risen strongly yesterday (as they in fact did at some stations) then people would have given a second thought to filling every car they own. If the prices were, say, $5 a gallon, consumers would have purchased what they thought they might need to get through the next few days, and would have started making plans for conservation., Certainly few people would have been shuttling back and forth filling up every car they owned. As a result, the gas that one consumer didn't pump into his second or third car because the price was so high would have been gas available for someone to put into the car they actually needed to get to work.
Keeping the prices artificially low encouraged over-consumption and hoarding.

The truth is that when Georgia's Governor Sonny Perdue signed an executive order late yesterday afternoon threatening heavy fines on gasoline retailers who, as he said "overcharge" customers, he became a part of the problem and not a part of the solution. His statements were a signal to the people that there was a crisis in gasoline supplies, and to get out there and fill up everything they could while he held the prices down. Today Atlanta drivers will experience the results of the governor's actions.

This whole price gouging nonsense was also front and center last year when four hurricanes ripped through Florida. Entrepreneurs abandoned plans to rush needed supplies and commodities to South Florida when politicians started pandering to voters with dire threats of fines and even jail time for evil price gougers. The marketplace simply wasn't allowed to respond properly to increased demand .. and shortages resulted.

Here's an example I used yesterday. Hotel and motel rooms. In the aftermath of the hurricane -- especially Hurricane Charley -- there was a huge demand for rooms for displaced hurricane victims. So, here come the politicians with their laws restricting what motel owners could charge for rooms. The result was that fewer families could find a place to stay. Here's why: A family of four arrives seeks shelter at a hotel where rooms rates are being held down by anti-price gouging laws. They decide to get two rooms when one would do. One room for mom and dad, the adjoining room for the children. Along comes the second family of four, only to find that there are no more rooms. Sorry, out of luck. Now, if prices had been allowed to rise with the demand that first family might have decided to make do with one room instead of two. That would have left a room available for the next family to arrive.

This is a problem borne of economic ignorance. Our hideous government schools do a pathetic job of teaching the very basics of free market economics. The ignorance of the public is then exploited by politicians for votes and support.

And thus it will ever be.

So fucking your fellow american is good bullshit. lol

[xuron]

Originally Posted by mikesouth

this is what my good friend neal boortz had to say about it and guess what
He is DEAD right

When you hear the words "price gouging" uttered by somebody .. even if that somebody is the governor of a state .. you know that you are listening to someone who (a) has a limited understanding of the basics of free-market economics; or, (b) is a politician more interested in pandering to ignorance than in leading.

That describes Atlanta yesterday.

Yesterday afternoon I drove to the WSB studios to participate in a joint AM 750 WSB / Channel 2 fund raising venture. On the way I saw that cars were lined up on the streets waiting to get into gas stations. The panic was on. Word had spread throughout the metro area that there was going to be a fuel shortage. Everyone, it seems, was filling up everything they had that could hold gasoline.

The panic, of course, created that shortage that previously was only a rumor. Even when there is no shortage of gasoline, there is simply no possible way to keep the underground tanks at every service station full if everyone is going to try to fill up their car at the same time. There simply aren't enough tanker trucks on the road to do the job. When rumors create a panic and creates a demand that the marketplace can't meet, it's time for the mechanisms of the free market to take control.

There has never in the history of the world been a better way to allocate scarce resources than to simply allow the law of supply and demand to take its course. Whenever government steps in to interfere, shortages occur and chaos often reigns.

The way to handle the gas panic in Atlanta yesterday was to RAISE PRICES! It's not price gouging. It's the law of supply and demand at work. Today there will be people in Atlanta who might not be able to drive their own cars to work, to doctors appointments or to buy groceries who would otherwise be driving if gas stations throughout Atlanta had raised their prices in response to the increased demand and limited supply.

Let me explain:

As the panic spread, and the demand increased, the prices at the pumps were pretty much unchanged ... for a while. As a result people decided to top off every vehicle they owned .. .no matter how much gas remained in the tank. The predictable result was that stations soon ran out of fuel. The word spread, and more people hit the streets to fill more cars. Today people in Atlanta will find that many gas stations still have their pumps shut down. Throughout the night tanker trucks were busy trying to replenish the stations, but there simply aren't enough trucks to meet this demand. Another supply problem.

So .. what was the solution? For the politician the solution may have been to pander to the electorate by talking about imposing fines on gas station operators who "overcharge", whatever that means, consumers. The real solution, though, was to increase prices in response to the increased demand and limited supply. This is what the uninformed and the political class call "price gouging."

Let's take a look at what would have happened if the free market had been allowed to do what it has always done so well -- when left alone -- and that is to allocate scarce resources. If gas prices had risen strongly yesterday (as they in fact did at some stations) then people would have given a second thought to filling every car they own. If the prices were, say, $5 a gallon, consumers would have purchased what they thought they might need to get through the next few days, and would have started making plans for conservation., Certainly few people would have been shuttling back and forth filling up every car they owned. As a result, the gas that one consumer didn't pump into his second or third car because the price was so high would have been gas available for someone to put into the car they actually needed to get to work.
Keeping the prices artificially low encouraged over-consumption and hoarding.

The truth is that when Georgia's Governor Sonny Perdue signed an executive order late yesterday afternoon threatening heavy fines on gasoline retailers who, as he said "overcharge" customers, he became a part of the problem and not a part of the solution. His statements were a signal to the people that there was a crisis in gasoline supplies, and to get out there and fill up everything they could while he held the prices down. Today Atlanta drivers will experience the results of the governor's actions.

This whole price gouging nonsense was also front and center last year when four hurricanes ripped through Florida. Entrepreneurs abandoned plans to rush needed supplies and commodities to South Florida when politicians started pandering to voters with dire threats of fines and even jail time for evil price gougers. The marketplace simply wasn't allowed to respond properly to increased demand .. and shortages resulted.

Here's an example I used yesterday. Hotel and motel rooms. In the aftermath of the hurricane -- especially Hurricane Charley -- there was a huge demand for rooms for displaced hurricane victims. So, here come the politicians with their laws restricting what motel owners could charge for rooms. The result was that fewer families could find a place to stay. Here's why: A family of four arrives seeks shelter at a hotel where rooms rates are being held down by anti-price gouging laws. They decide to get two rooms when one would do. One room for mom and dad, the adjoining room for the children. Along comes the second family of four, only to find that there are no more rooms. Sorry, out of luck. Now, if prices had been allowed to rise with the demand that first family might have decided to make do with one room instead of two. That would have left a room available for the next family to arrive.

This is a problem borne of economic ignorance. Our hideous government schools do a pathetic job of teaching the very basics of free market economics. The ignorance of the public is then exploited by politicians for votes and support.

And thus it will ever be.

I 2nd that.

[mikesouth]

Tony404 You obviously didnt get the point
holding the prices LOW fucks your fellow americans by creating a shortage that wouldnt have existed had the market played itself out the way it should

did we learn nothing fromn the collapse of communism?

[MikeVega]

it's already jumped from $2.79 to almost $4.00 in the last 24 hours and most stations only have premium here on Long Island ... i can see it going to $5.00 over the next few days ...

fuck ...now i have to make 4 more posts to have an even 35 ...

[BradShaw]

Going to be an expensive RV trip this weekend.

[NY_TIM]

Originally Posted by MikeVega

it's already jumped from $2.79 to almost $4.00 in the last 24 hours and most stations only have premium here on Long Island ... i can see it going to $5.00 over the next few days ...

fuck ...now i have to make 4 more posts to have an even 35 ...

you got issues

[tony286]

Originally Posted by mikesouth

Tony404 You obviously didnt get the point
holding the prices LOW fucks your fellow americans by creating a shortage that wouldnt have existed had the market played itself out the way it should

did we learn nothing fromn the collapse of communism?

Well Mike if people that make 300-400 dollars a week and cant afford to go to work . Is that good thing?

[AgentCash]

Originally Posted by tony404

Well Mike if people that make 300-400 dollars a week and cant afford to go to work . Is that good thing?

How will they go to work if there is no fuel to buy due to a shortage?

[bringer]

Originally Posted by tony404

Well Mike if people that make 300-400 dollars a week and cant afford to go to work . Is that good thing?

they can still afford to get to work, just not the mall, tacobell, and blockbuster every night. time for many to get a bike. as mike said, if gas went down people would stockpile it, abuse it, and many would go without as a result. 3mile lines arent good when getting gas, considering everyone now has huge tanks and the station is out before you can even see it.

http://www.gaspricewatch.com

[mikesouth]

It would be a bad thing and the reason they cant is because the shortage was created by keeping the price artificially low
its basic economics....it's called The guiding hand Adam Smith...read it and learn why your fellow american who makes 300-400 a week would be able to go to work had the laws of supply and demand not been fucked with....

[ArikaAmes]

Originally Posted by MikeVega

fuck ...now i have to make 4 more posts to have an even 35 ...

Awww you can reply to this one so you can reply

[cjaccardi]

it is price gouging, prices do not rise at that rate during regular supply and demand curves.. the demand rose only because false statements of supply. There was false statements by news radio, talk radio, and gasoline service stations. There was no/or is no shortage of supply. The escalading prices of gas during the mid afternoon gas frenzy caused consumers to panic even more, creating further temporary demand increase.
Prices were frozen only temporarily, allowing for equilibrium to drop to a more normal point on the supply and demand curve. Allowing the prices to rise would not slow down the demand. If people really thought their would be no gasoline they would have over spent on gas. the effect would have been devestating to the economy. thats why milk has controlled pricing

[dropped9]

My buddy at the gas station tonight told me to expect a 40 cent increase by morning... we are at 3.29 as of 2 hrs ago

[stevo]

Cant fill up, all the stations are EMPTY!

[2257-Ben]

Originally Posted by newbreed

I just got home from BP. The night attendant there and I are pretty close since I stop in there a lot. He just got off the phone with the store manager/owner who was telling him to fuel his cars up tonight, because gas is going up to a high of 5 dollars a gallon or more tomorrow. There are BP stations in Georgia as high as $5.33/gallon right now, and it is coming north as the fuel is coming in over the next day or so. This is for only BP gas stations, I don't know what the others are doing.

I implore you if you live somewhere between Ohio and Georgia anywhere near I-75 (from what I understand the highway locations go higher first) fill your cars up as soon as possible before the prices come higher tomorrow!!!

Actually, it's kinda nice to see that California doesn't have the highest gas prices in the country any more... By state law, gasoline that isn't refined in CA can't be sold here so there's actually been fairly little impact on price from Katrina.

[iwantchixx]

glad i dont have the car anymore. It's 1.30 a litre here now.

[Ninja Scripts]

Originally Posted by tony404

Its gouging dude there isnt a shortage

No need for gas panic, experts say

> By LEON STAFFORD
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
> Published on: 09/02/05

The disruption in gas supplies caused by Hurricane Katrina has many metro Atlantans thinking conservation and visitors to the city rethinking travel plans.

Officials are urging residents to limit their driving, but they insist supplies will be adequate through the Labor Day weekend and next week. Some answers to motorists' questions:

Q: Is Atlanta close to running out of gas?

A: No, according to auto club AAA South. While output from the two major pipelines that distribute gas to Atlanta and throughout East Coast states is running far below capacity, officials say the supply is adequate for now. There is no guarantee that suppliers won't run into more problems in the days to come, but oil industry officials expect the supply picture to improve as pipeline issues are addressed.

Q: If I visit Atlanta, will I be able to find enough gas to return home?

A: Yes. AAA says some stations ran out of gas Wednesday because residents ? acting on reports that there would be a shortage over the holiday ? panicked and fueled up in greater than normal numbers. As fears subsided, gas supplies began to return to manageable levels.

Q: How are the tightened gas supplies affecting airlines?

A: Officials at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport and some oil suppliers say they have eight to 10 days' worth of fuel in reserve in case the flow is cut off. At present, they still are receiving jet fuel and have not canceled flights because of supply problems.

Q: Are gas prices likely to continue going up, and if so, how can I find the best prices?

A: Gas is a commodity whose pricing is quite volatile, AAA says. Competition will force most gas stations to keep their prices in line with one another. The best way to avoid paying prices well above the average is to keep your tank at least half full.

Q: How soon will supplies return to normal?

A: That is anyone's guess. Damage to oil refineries in the Gulf of Mexico was extensive and added to already smaller supplies. AAA says most experts agree that the present tightening will abate as oil refineries return to production.

tony, what would you expect them to say? If they get on TV and tell you that yes there will be a gas shortage and prices will skyrocket people would be getting shot at the pump nationwide. It's pretty obvious that they are going to tell everyone not to panic regardless of the situation. They also said that there could be 100 people dead in New Orleans after the flooding started! You don't think they knew it would be more than 100? They control the population flawlessly and they have to ease this type of information in.

I haven't researched the number of refineries closed or when they will be back but the local police department was informed to fill up as there will definately be a shortage of gas.

[Walrus]

I just can't believe how people speed unnecessarily in times like these. You can save gas by going the speed limit. This fucking dumb chick passed me on a one lane road the other night. And I met up with her just a minute later at the stop light! Fucking idiots think they're saving time by speeding and making dangerous maneurvers like that. Dipshits.

- Walrus

[Ninja Scripts]

mikesouth is dead on in his post. While the local news played "There is no gas shortage" over and over people were filling up their cars and buying huge ass barrels for gas. The panic is here, if you need to drive you best fill up.

[jigg]

BP are expensive anyways

[chase]

We can't get gas anywhere in my town. Everyone is empty.

[spanky part 2]

You are all a bunch of ignorant fucks. Now I see how Hitler was able to do what he did.

It's called propaganda people, and the oil companies are doing a great job.

Last night on O'Reilly he was talking to a member of the Kato institute. O'Reilly said for the good of the country the oil companies should drop their PROFIT margins by 20%. That's PROFIT not the cost. He was told that it couldn't be done because it would hurt the oil companies. Now these are the companies that are having obscene profits, and they can't drop their profit margins by 20%?

They are fucking this country, and we all know it. Our economy and the worlds economy can't take it. Even fucking OPEC knows it. They ain't gonna sell much gas when there is a worldwide depression.

[luv$]

Originally Posted by mikesouth

It would be a bad thing and the reason they cant is because the shortage was created by keeping the price artificially low
its basic economics....it's called The guiding hand Adam Smith...read it and learn why your fellow american who makes 300-400 a week would be able to go to work had the laws of supply and demand not been fucked with....

erm.... invisible hand maybe?

[ry0t]

Your great grandchildren will probably be paying upwards of $10/gallon so stop complaining everyone.

[lisa k]

Originally Posted by jigg

BP are expensive anyways

I agree. They are always the most expensive here in Ohio ... at least .03 cents higher then any other stations.

[Ninja Scripts]

Originally Posted by spanky part 2

You are all a bunch of ignorant fucks. Now I see how Hitler was able to do what he did.

It's called propaganda people, and the oil companies are doing a great job.

Last night on O'Reilly he was talking to a member of the Kato institute. O'Reilly said for the good of the country the oil companies should drop their PROFIT margins by 20%. That's PROFIT not the cost. He was told that it couldn't be done because it would hurt the oil companies. Now these are the companies that are having obscene profits, and they can't drop their profit margins by 20%?

They are fucking this country, and we all know it. Our economy and the worlds economy can't take it. Even fucking OPEC knows it. They ain't gonna sell much gas when there is a worldwide depression.

Did you listen to anythign the guy he was interviewing said? Keeping prices low right now would guarantee a shortage. This is a fact and O'Reilly is a retard about this and pretty much everything else.

[wedouglas]

Im in southeastern Michigan. $3.35 for premium at Marathon.

[pr0]

2.89 here

[Rex]

They were at 3.50 yesterday on my drive home...fuckers

[drama]

Originally Posted by mikesouth

this is what my good friend neal boortz had to say about it and guess what
He is DEAD right

When you hear the words "price gouging" uttered by somebody .. even if that somebody is the governor of a state .. you know that you are listening to someone who (a) has a limited understanding of the basics of free-market economics; or, (b) is a politician more interested in pandering to ignorance than in leading.

That describes Atlanta yesterday.

Yesterday afternoon I drove to the WSB studios to participate in a joint AM 750 WSB / Channel 2 fund raising venture. On the way I saw that cars were lined up on the streets waiting to get into gas stations. The panic was on. Word had spread throughout the metro area that there was going to be a fuel shortage. Everyone, it seems, was filling up everything they had that could hold gasoline.

The panic, of course, created that shortage that previously was only a rumor. Even when there is no shortage of gasoline, there is simply no possible way to keep the underground tanks at every service station full if everyone is going to try to fill up their car at the same time. There simply aren't enough tanker trucks on the road to do the job. When rumors create a panic and creates a demand that the marketplace can't meet, it's time for the mechanisms of the free market to take control.

There has never in the history of the world been a better way to allocate scarce resources than to simply allow the law of supply and demand to take its course. Whenever government steps in to interfere, shortages occur and chaos often reigns.

The way to handle the gas panic in Atlanta yesterday was to RAISE PRICES! It's not price gouging. It's the law of supply and demand at work. Today there will be people in Atlanta who might not be able to drive their own cars to work, to doctors appointments or to buy groceries who would otherwise be driving if gas stations throughout Atlanta had raised their prices in response to the increased demand and limited supply.

Let me explain:

As the panic spread, and the demand increased, the prices at the pumps were pretty much unchanged ... for a while. As a result people decided to top off every vehicle they owned .. .no matter how much gas remained in the tank. The predictable result was that stations soon ran out of fuel. The word spread, and more people hit the streets to fill more cars. Today people in Atlanta will find that many gas stations still have their pumps shut down. Throughout the night tanker trucks were busy trying to replenish the stations, but there simply aren't enough trucks to meet this demand. Another supply problem.

So .. what was the solution? For the politician the solution may have been to pander to the electorate by talking about imposing fines on gas station operators who "overcharge", whatever that means, consumers. The real solution, though, was to increase prices in response to the increased demand and limited supply. This is what the uninformed and the political class call "price gouging."

Let's take a look at what would have happened if the free market had been allowed to do what it has always done so well -- when left alone -- and that is to allocate scarce resources. If gas prices had risen strongly yesterday (as they in fact did at some stations) then people would have given a second thought to filling every car they own. If the prices were, say, $5 a gallon, consumers would have purchased what they thought they might need to get through the next few days, and would have started making plans for conservation., Certainly few people would have been shuttling back and forth filling up every car they owned. As a result, the gas that one consumer didn't pump into his second or third car because the price was so high would have been gas available for someone to put into the car they actually needed to get to work.
Keeping the prices artificially low encouraged over-consumption and hoarding.

The truth is that when Georgia's Governor Sonny Perdue signed an executive order late yesterday afternoon threatening heavy fines on gasoline retailers who, as he said "overcharge" customers, he became a part of the problem and not a part of the solution. His statements were a signal to the people that there was a crisis in gasoline supplies, and to get out there and fill up everything they could while he held the prices down. Today Atlanta drivers will experience the results of the governor's actions.

This whole price gouging nonsense was also front and center last year when four hurricanes ripped through Florida. Entrepreneurs abandoned plans to rush needed supplies and commodities to South Florida when politicians started pandering to voters with dire threats of fines and even jail time for evil price gougers. The marketplace simply wasn't allowed to respond properly to increased demand .. and shortages resulted.

Here's an example I used yesterday. Hotel and motel rooms. In the aftermath of the hurricane -- especially Hurricane Charley -- there was a huge demand for rooms for displaced hurricane victims. So, here come the politicians with their laws restricting what motel owners could charge for rooms. The result was that fewer families could find a place to stay. Here's why: A family of four arrives seeks shelter at a hotel where rooms rates are being held down by anti-price gouging laws. They decide to get two rooms when one would do. One room for mom and dad, the adjoining room for the children. Along comes the second family of four, only to find that there are no more rooms. Sorry, out of luck. Now, if prices had been allowed to rise with the demand that first family might have decided to make do with one room instead of two. That would have left a room available for the next family to arrive.

This is a problem borne of economic ignorance. Our hideous government schools do a pathetic job of teaching the very basics of free market economics. The ignorance of the public is then exploited by politicians for votes and support.

And thus it will ever be.

He is right to an extent. If things were left to go unchecked then chances are that hotel room would be too expensive for either family to afford. Now if the clerk had some commonsense then they would rent only one room out to the family in a time like this and i would expect the fmaily not to be so ignorant to waste a room like that.

If left unchecked who's to say the gas stations wouldnt raise their prices to that $5/gallon mark on their own. A hotel room which normally costs 75 might cost $300.

They do need to fix prices in these situtations so that everyone and not only the rich can have access to supplies to live off of.

[spanky part 2]

Originally Posted by Ninja Scripts

Did you listen to anythign the guy he was interviewing said? Keeping prices low right now would guarantee a shortage. This is a fact and O'Reilly is a retard about this and pretty much everything else.

I hate O'Reilly myself, but what he said was so right on. There is no way that a 10% drop in production would cause shortages. They have been playing this angle for years. If there was such a shortage of refineries why have they shut down several in the last 5 years?

The oil interests are playing us, and you are just one of the flock. Tell me something. Why did the oil companies with the largest profit in our history, just get a huge tax break with the energy bill?

Same reason that our government is letting then fuck us now.

[Ninja Scripts]

Originally Posted by spanky part 2

I hate O'Reilly myself, but what he said was so right on. There is no way that a 10% drop in production would cause shortages. They have been playing this angle for years. If there was such a shortage of refineries why have they shut down several in the last 5 years?

The oil interests are playing us, and you are just one of the flock. Tell me something. Why did the oil companies with the largest profit in our history, just get a huge tax break with the energy bill?

Same reason that our government is letting then fuck us now.

Their profit margin is pointless. We are using very close to every drop of gas that is refined now and 10% of the nations production is HUGE. It's not small. This is on top of the lost oil production from the area and will continue for a long time. Charge 2 cents or $20.00 a gallon and you still can't use more gas than is being produced.

[$tandaman]

So even if you do fill up, what are you gonna save? $20? are you gonna stop filling up for life?

[~Ray]

I filled up a week ago and still have 3/4 tank. What high prices?

[Gnus]

$2.79 a gallon here this morning

Gary