We did it. Our gas is under $1.50. In Kansas City, Mo

I'm beginning to wonder if we are going to go under $1. Boy, wouldn't that be something?

or what ever the high end price was. The economy would have come to a standstill. They knew this.

Cutting our use didn't bring gas price down to 1.50 - maybe ruining the economy did?

I saw where Americans (I think it was just Americans) drove 90 billion miles less than thru November of last year. It was a staggering amount.

wow pass that doobie, must be really really good shit...

As soon as there is credit again, whoosh the price will go back to $5/gal.

Watch other prices too, they should be falling pretty steep. Buy it if you still have money when you see the bargain you can't live without.
Because the other side of this dip, price-wise may be hyper inflation. Own stuff that barters well.

They look uber kewt.

:bounce: :bounce: :bounce:

it will all be over soon......

And have introduced the Kansas City Chiefs Practice Squad this year.

...that would allow for the gradation of taxes used for selling gasoline, depending on the type of vehicle that is driven.

Based on a current rate of $2.00 per gallon:

In short, I am promoting that all passenger cars, vans, and non-commercial SUV's and trucks that exceed 80 miles an hour (hybrids) be taxed so that the total (after tax) would be $2.00 per gallon.

For vehicles that range from 50 to 80 miles a gallon, $2.50 gallon.

For vehicles that range from 30 to 50 miles, $3.50 per gallon.

For vehicles that range from 20 to 30 miles per gallon, $4.25 per gallon.

For vehicles that range from 10 to 20 miles per gallon, $5.00 per gallon.

Finally, for vehicles that range less than 10 miles per gallon, you should pay at LEAST $6.00 per gallon.

By the way, we have existing technology that will automatically determine the price of gas based on the type of car that the nozzle is inserted in. Basically, it is a special electronic detector that reads an imprinted vehicle number that is inserted into the gas cap area and passes that information to the gas pump technology. This technology can be built into every vehicle, and should be used as part of the nationalization of the auto industry that President Obama will initiated this spring.

This system gives us the best of ALL worlds: We can ensure the sale of gasoline at reasonable prices to those who are responsible and drive less-destructive vehicles, while ensuring that those individuals who insist on driving the gas-guzzling, planet-destroying SUV's and expensive cars pay their fair share through the gradated gas tax plan.

how about no gas tax, period!

Seriously. That is an absolute dumb idea. All that would do is to encourage people to revert back to the SUV's and the luxury sports car gas guzzlers at an unprecedented rate.

The gradation plan allows for reasonably priced gasoline for those who are energy conscious, and provides a hefty tax penalty for those who drive the more inefficient cars. Your plan only encourages a republican-sponsored corporate building enhancement of the oil industry, which is what we are trying to PREVENT!

brilliant I tell you. :eyes: :crazy:

How would this tax scheme of yours work when paying at the pump?

Every filling station in the country would have to be upgraded/reconfigured to jive with the varying tax tiers and and have access to a database (based on fuel consumption), of the hundreds of makes/models of vehicles on the road.

The system would also have to be immune from cheating so no one is would be able to getaway with paying the lower tax when they should be paying the higher one.

I suppose one possible way would be to require all existing and newer vehicle to be equipped with some sort of RFID chip or transponder
that would relay the 'tax class' of the vehicle to the pump. But even that would be open to abuse.

Your brainchild aside... I'm personally opposed to taxing basic necessities, be it clothing, food or gas anyways.

If it's your belief that higher taxes should be levied against owners of "gas guzzlers", then it should be in the form of taxing the actual vehicle (can be done at the point of sales), or by offering tax breaks/incentives to those whom purchase more fuel efficient models.

...but I disagree that gas is a "necessity," at LEAST in the sense that the republicanized rich can use up far more of its resources than that of sensible, progressive majority.

Also, keep in mind that the energy companies are the ones who are profiting from any increase in gas usage. To that end, if we can regulate that activity (at least until we nationalize the companies next year), then it would be a better use of our resources, and ensure that the billions of dollars of profits don't get drained into a corporate executive's financial portfolio.

As I said before, the technology exists to quickly implement into the system in a very short period of time, so your other arguments, while points to consider, should not stop the basic premise and tenets of the ideal of gradation in gas prices.

(economics, profit and greed aside), maybe if we were all Amish, gas would not be a "necessity", but that's not the reality; is it?

Apparently you don't live anywhere near Los Angeles, CA.

But I know you know the history of L.A. and how the preexisting public transportation system was literally dismantled to create a market for Detroit, thereby forcing auto-dependency upon the area's residents, along with the development of the whole freeway system instead of public transportation systems development.

In any case, despite some improvement over the last decade or so, public transportation in SoCal still lags behind most other urban areas, nationally and internationally, and I know very few individuals around here who can survive without a car of some sort.

On edit: And, for the record, I paid $2.25 for 89 grade (we have 87, 89 and 91 octane ratings here), a day or two ago. It had gone past $4.50 at its peak.

The poor couldn't afford your tax plan.

I realize someone has escaped from the Gungeon Zoo ....

Hence the 'I hate taxes' libertarian worldview that barely fits into our liberal little world in DU ....

That's why any suggestion of any gas tax hike is a boneheaded move.

Just don't tax K-Kitties ammo and all will be well.

BTW... is that a balloon knot as your avatar? :smoke:

All will be well ?

What happens when all is not well ?

Is this where the gun nut fantasy threats come out ?

Feel free ... We are all friends here ....

NOBODY will mind if you let loose with a nice 2nd Amendment-fueled general threat to do harm to those who would cross you by raising the specter of the use of firearms to keep those who disagree with you in line ....

Cmon now ... Dont be shy .... That would be a typical response about now ....

BTW: Taxes are a necessary part of living in a secure society that 'promotes the general welfare' of it's citizens ... Most progressives believe taxation is a necessary exaction for which all citizens are responsible to contribute .... George W. Bush hates taxes too ... He is no progressive ....

The avatar is own of my own creation: It is a reproduction of an image penned by Kurt Vonnegut for his book 'Breakfast of Champions' .... The story of a psychotic who harbors thoughts of committing murder .... It also happens to represent a symbol associated with George W. Bush, which in Vonnegut's case, becomes a crude representation of an asshole .... It has nothing whatsoever to do with whatever link you provided, of which I have never seen in my life ...

aren't YOU the touchy one!

Don't worry, you can crawl from underneath your bed anytime now.

Us big bad evil gunnies aren't going to hurt you.

Why waste bullets when we can use the ballot box to prevent your gun free pipe dreams?

The avatar is own of my own creation: It is a reproduction of an image penned by Kurt Vonnegut for his book 'Breakfast of Champions' .... The story of a psychotic who harbors thoughts of committing murder .... It also happens to represent a symbol associated with George W. Bush, which in Vonnegut's case, becomes a crude representation of an asshole .... It has nothing whatsoever to do with whatever link you provided, of which I have never seen in my life ...

Allow me to enlighten you further...

This is a regressive tax.

...aspect of the gasoline tax. I realize that many people cannot afford many things, but considering that in the long run we ALL will benefit from not having to pay for fossil fuels should be the main focus.

In the meantime, we can tie in vehicle numbers to individuals who own them, and if their financial situation does not allow them to buy a newer, less gas guzzling model, then certain rebates can be made possible. Certainly, the government in a progressive administration can use "trade-ins" of gas guzzlers and mandate that they get a minimum value toward the purchase of a green car.

As far as "regressive"...the ONLY thing that is regressive is the way the republican criminal thugs have handled the economy the past 8 years, and for 12 years prior to 1992 (which set the stage for the mess in the first place). But I do understand your point, and in fact rebates to pay for the difference in a newer car would definitely be in play.

I would never support what you are promoting.

From diesesl tractors planting, disesl harvesters, diesel tractor/trailers taking product to market/processor, diesel to retail delivery.

Diesel is still at a national average of $2.75 a gallon.

think that groceries will ever come back down. At once point diesel was $5/gallon here. Makes $2.75 seem like a bargain (tongue firmly in cheek)

It's a lot less than it was. Here in central Washington state the price of diesel dropped to $2.97 in my town, and 25 miles away it was down to $2.87. In August I paid $5.00 a gallon so it's around $2 a gallon less than it was just 4 months ago. Last year at this time I was paying $3.49. If prices stay where they are, or drop further, they can't use that excuse that diesel is the problem. It was a couple of years ago that diesel was at $2.75 in this part of the country. Gas prices here hit $2.09 and have been coming down every week about a dime per gallon. It's been some time since I have seen gas lower than $2.00 here, but if things continue as they have, I should see it next week.

In my town there is only "one" grocery store, so they have a monopoly on things and can charge what they want. I can save money by driving 30 miles, but when gas hit $4.49 it only paid to go there when I wanted to really stock up and take my van. It was costing me around a little over $12.00 to make that trip, but now it's only costing me a little over $5.00 to take the van and stock up. It's worth the savings. I do expect prices to come down some in at the stores, and have seen milk drop since last week, not much but some.

Environmental concerns, too much traffic, no exercise...

with E85. it was a $1.39 a gallon here in DFW texas. I converted my 1995 Chevy van to run on it. It loves the hell out of that stuff!

It's been a LONG time since i've seen a $35 fill up.

that we just got it stuck to us for years? i mean come on, with the profits they made over the course of those 4-5 years they can afford to give us a season or two of low prices...


sometimes i wonder if this might have been the last hoorah for the oil companies, realising that their industry is about to have to change for obvious reasons... maybe it was their last grab at everything they could get... but then i remember, nah .. people dont just stop being greedy.

give it time, itll go back up... unless the new administration has done something about it.

For windfall profit tax on oil companies. Revenge? Fuck ya its revenge.

So that the price increase can be blamed on the Obama administration.

Enjoy it while it lasts, but I'd not be too proud of this state of affairs.