Reply #12: I don't agree with $20/gal gas, but... [View All]

At present, the markup on gas, IE the profit going to the Oil Companies is at a record high. The congress is talking about gouging, but only at a retail level. It is NOT the gas stations who are gouging. The OIL COMPANIES are GOUGING the gas stations, who are in turn forced to sell gas at a high price just to break even. Gas stations have been struggling for decades now as the oil companies reap higher and higher profits.

I would propose forcing a cap on the per gallon markup on gas charged at the wholesale level, which would probably bring the retail price back down to about $2.00/gal for regular, but then increase the gas tax by about .50 per gallon to fund alternative energy sources to get the fossil fuel monkey off our back. The gouging must be stopped. The rise in gas prices is going to be an inevitable result of scarcity, but the drastic jumps we are seeing are just opportunistic gouging by big oil and do not represent the actual supply/demand situation. The oil companies should be FORCED to keep the increases in gas prices slow and gradual so as to minimize the impact on working people and give them time to transition to more fuel-efficient cars.

I haven't driven a car that got less than 35 mpg highway in the last 20 years. The fact that everyone started buying gas-guzzlers always boggled my mind. A part of me says "serves you right. I still spend less than $20 a week on gas", but the bleeding-heart side of me says that we should not let oil companies put the screws to working people just because they can.

So - caps on per gallon markup, new gas tax to fund renewable energy, and how about new tax breaks for cars that get better than 40 mpg highway?


My 1990 Mazda microvan gets 38 mpg highway, by the way, and I can fit tons of stuff in it.



This is a newer model than mine, but you get the picture.

Why are cars like these not available for sale in the US? There are tons of them everywhere here in Japan, for less than $10K new.