Dealing with gasoline demand

[godsrighthand]

The 70’s were a rough when I was a really young child my parents could only buy gas every other day and you could only buy half a tank of fuel. Attendants checked license plates to make sure you were buying gas on the right day.

Also there was violence as well, short commodities make the worst in people come to the surface. I remember one time a local hothead was causing trouble for senior citizens and woman. An individual of smaller build who was not a senior was abused as well and had had enough. When the idiot tried to grab the hose away from someone else and fill his car with their gas by intimidation there was a struggle. His objective was to soak the fool in gasoline, which was able to do. The guy was mad (of course) and had no idea why, until he pulled out a lighter and advanced towards him. Saying “Leave now or die!”

The US government placed a demand on the auto industry to make fuel efficient cars to offer to the public. The US automakers complied, (foreign automakers were already producing them.)

Thus the compact car boom was born also the speed limit was lowered to 55 mph since the fatality statistics were higher at 65 mph with the then current car designs.

Given the reality of China and India demanding more oil for their growing populations. It would seem that there is a real necessity for the masses to move away from large vehicles to more efficient lighter vehicles. This would ease the demand to more manageable levels. So these hurricanes or other disasters would not have so great an impact on supply.

I am paying 70% more for fuel during –non- peak demand then 2 years ago.
So my savings of fuel by owning 4 cylinder Honda is gone down by 1/3 because of the supply demand. During peak it goes to almost 50%.

It’s not that it’s consuming more fuel it’s the pressure of the large vehicles on supply driving it up for everyone across the board. So as someone who has always owned small cars, (compact and 4 door sedan) this is a not making me happy.

It was suggested to the president in 2000 to implement this again and by coincidence I was listening to the news and the figures given were amazing. The amount that would have already saved per year would now equal exactly the amount lost to hurricanes Katrina and Rita. (If it would have been implemented) Thus stabilizing our national demand.

Your thoughts and comments?

edit (Figures of up to 50% is a rough aproximate.)

[Athildur]

Especially now, when demands are again high, we can begin to realise just what impacts the demands for oil and gas have on our society. For years I have thought that it would indeed be better if legal action were to be taken to force/convince people to ride smaller, but more importantly, more efficient cars. Unfortunately, this is an era, as any other, where people care about what others see. People like to show off, and that is mostly done with fancy cars, which are, of course, not efficient in their use of gas at all.

However, if you look at it, people with more inefficient engines are already paying more, since they need to buy gas more often, and in larger quantities. Yet still, this does not kee them from continueing to ride these cars. It would seem money has little to do with it, as people who can afford to will keep driving them, and people who can't already drive cheap and efficient cars, for the most part.

As a government, I believe it is unethical or morally injust or whatever it's called to forbid cars with a low efficiency to be produced, sold and driven. However, what could be possible is instituting taxes for car ownership based on how efficient the car is driving (I have no idea whether such a thing is already in existence, but if it is, the government should take a second look at it and adjust it where needed).

and even then, I wonder if people will stop driving them. I think it's been proven that although gas prices go up as the supply runs lower and the demand keeps rising, people still will not give up their fancy rides. I say the car producers should focus on the smaller, more efficient car and make it more attractive to buy for the 'fancy man' (Sometimes, even putting up a rediculous pricetag is enough to get them interested).

If that's not it, I'm lost...I don't know much about politics, nor do I know a lot about this entire situation, but things have to be done if we wish to continue driving without paying half our income to gas in a number of years. Perhaps a good idea is to institue what is being done in China/Japan (dunno which, if not both). Let each citizen pay a bit more tax, and then use that to pay for public transport, and make public transport free. If public transport is increased in size, and all people contribute to it, it will be used more, people will keep their cars in the garage and gas demand will decrease in severe amounts. this is beneficial for everyone, as it also saves them the money they spend on car maintenance and gas, and perhaps other things (as I said, I don't know about politics, and I dont know about taxes in America or anything, so maybe not having a car saves you even more money on taxes or something, but I'm not sure).

all one can really do anyway is wait for the government to either make it right or screw it up royally, which they seem to do more often...

P.S.: Gas prices are rediculously high. It is an outrage...I mean, look at that amount of money...it could have all been SAVED, not spent...imagine what you could do with it...

[nori]

all i want is to try and globalise "gas" prices
its stupid that we have to pay soo much in europe when over stateside petrol is still cheap as piss and your still complaining.
we fought the iraq war aswell yet were still paying trough the roof prices for oil when its still uber cheap for teh yanks compaired to over here, and its not as if its because of belivery prices.
and because of this hurricane shit england gave america over 1 billion barrels of oil towards this "atrocity"
thats a load of wank honestly coz were in need of it more than they ever are.
and the whole fancy car shebang thats crap, if a blokes got enough cash to buy something thats 12 miles to teh gallon then yeh know what ever but if a guys got enough to pay to run that beast that should be it, there shouldnt be any additional tax or whatever due to teh fact he drives a jag, stylish cars are here for a reason, the drive like sex on wheels, they sound like sex on wheels and look like sex on wheels,
have some respect for cars people.
its not the car that makes a thingy, its he people that drive em

[Athildur]

Yeah....screw the world .