Pontoon Boat & Deck Boat Forum

Gas prices are headed up again, geese, they have us trained now to accept $2.50 and more. After last summers $3.10, $2.50 is supposed to look good? They made a higher profit than any other busness in the US and we are supposed to be happy? I don't mind them making a profit but give the consumers a break all ready. [/b]

well....you cant blame the oil companies. They said on the news that they are switching over to the summer blend of gas (whatever the hell that is) and the extra cost of this will be passed on to the consumer. Lets be honest....who amongst us knew that it was going to be spring again after the winter months.?? Evidently it is only a surprise to the oil companies. And I just thought cause it was getting close to Spring vacation and more people traveling/boating etc. Silly me. As pissed off as this gets me...Im more than happy to fill up the toon tank and spend time out on the lake where I can forget about annoying stuff like this. Worth every penny....since I dont see it changing anytime soon.

Get the tree huggers of the backs so drilling can proceede in the gulf and Alaska

Ugg, I hate to get involved in these debates yet I can't help it.

Consider this: The oil companies have fixed profit margins of 7-9 cents per dollar spent on gas. Therefore, if the price of gas increases, so does their profit.

That said, market and government influences determine what gas prices will be, not the oil companies. On the market side, production disruptions (middle east) and demand (China, etc..) have cuased prices to rise. On the government side, taxes and regulation (i.e. different blends required for summer months) have increased prices and hindered the ability of oil companies to market a cheaper product.

Based on pump price of 2.50/gallon, .20 cents/gallon can be allocated to oil compan profits while .62 cents/gallon (national average) is collected in taxes.

You know also being from Oklahoma I remember the oil bust, no one gave a shit about oil companies going belly up. I drove through Stroud Ok once and as far as you could see were pumps and oil equipment piled up from companies that went broke. In fact it almost broke Oklahoma. Thank god we had Mcdonnell Douglas and American Airlines along with all the other aircraft and aerospace type companies to pull the load.

It just happens to coincide with Spring Break...........hmmmmmmmm

Looks like it's going to be a yearly
thing to keep raising the price of
gas. I think that they are trying to
get it up aroung 3.00 a gal then it
will settle out. I hope I'm wrong.

HEY!!! A fellow Bistineau person!!
Thought I'd never see the day when a neighbor would be on the forum..

something I am waiting to see is when yellow gas ( gas made from corn) get going in this country will it be any cheaper. It will cost a ton less to make so we will see if it has anything to do with production cost or is it all market forces that says how much.

Hi,
We have been using lake Bistineau for about 30 years, we
bought a place on the lake in 1999. We are on Evangeline
Dr. Where are you located or where do you boat on the
lake?

Most of the time we are around Greg lake. Glad someone
from our neck of the woods is here.

The lake is up and I am afraid it's going to come out of the
banks soon.

I like the way they use the media to get us ready for the gas hikes. They were talking on the news again how the price is going to go up again.

Kind of funny though when we are at record levels of surplus oil (at least thats what they said in the paper the other day)

All prices today are 'market driven'. This is complete BS. Since the government taxes most products, the government is in the market for revenue. Follow me here. No one will drastically reduce energy consumption, be realistic. Do you think on a nice summer day that you would not use your boat? We all know the answer. If energy consumption was cut or reduced, the thieving government would lose revenue and lose control of the economy. If the country started using corn as a fuel, the tax on the corn would eventually surpass the tax on petrolium since there is less transportation costs, refining costs, and pollution. All three of these items are big business in this country. If they are gone, then the govt would need to keep market pricing in line, and the govt would not let the energy company make up the difference with higher profits.

I laugh when I read the whole market produces the cost arguement. Some people need economics lessons.

Also, I dont give a shit when an oil company goes broke. I care when you lose your home and posessions. If you have no skills and are only an oil man, then you get what you deserve if your company goes under. People in OK could learn other trades. I was looking, and I saw people in OK could read and write. They could also think logically. You think the only people that could do this are in the NE and NW part of the country? Being lazy and thinking you are only going to exploit the land is an extremely bad way to think. What would you expect to do when the oil runs out? It is a fixed amount commodity. Selling yourself as cheap labor when someone else makes huge profits with nothing invested is not very bright.

The tree huggers are not holding us up in Alaska and Gulf. Oil companies are. The longer they wait, the more money they will eventually make. What is the most profitable oil company? Lukoil. They are completely vertical (look that one up economic majors). The drill, transport, refine and own stations. The rest of the companies are waiting to do this and will make a killing when they get there. Petrolium companies are all making good money and do not need to be greedy yet. They are waiting though.....

The summer blend theory is a joke. Blending 2% ethanol into gas not only saves the oil company money, it produces less harmful emissions. The oil companies do not want to be bothered with the blending process if it saves them raw material costs, then they lose at the pump since they claim fixed profits. Originally the winter blend was MTBE, a patent owned by Dow (one of those poor companied the OK guy was crying about). MTBE polluted every major waterway in the US. Who do you think paid for the cleanup? Consumers and not Dow. It looks like no one did an environmental impact study on that one. The alternative to MTBE was ethanol, and ethanol did not have people lobbying in DC. Think of that one. LESS COSTS = LESS PROFITS=AMERICAN WAY.

I tired of this bull about as the price goes up it's going to show like there making more profit.

If there prices go up and they pass it on the profits are going to stay the same, gross revenues will be up, but the profit will still be the same.

If I was selling hamburgers for a dollar and making 7 cents a burger and beef went up to a hundred a pound, I still be making 7 cents.

Now if I say there a beef shortage, I can charge more and increase my profit to 50 cents and say the only reason I'm making more is due to demand