local osider wrote on Feb 29, 2008 5:55 AM:The president said yesterday that he thought it was interesting how high gas prices were and that he didnt know the price for a gallon of gas! This is the same man who says we are not in a recession, and that we are making progress in Iraq. This man see's what he wants to believe not what is actually happening. He is out of touch and suceptible to his own propaganda. The Bush years will come to be known as the most damaging administration to our country ever....And still we have Bush supporters that are too afraid to admit that he is a complete failure and harmful to us all...I pray that we are able to elect Barack Obama, because this will all change. No more lobbiests, no more lies, its time to come together and create a better future.

Robber Barons wrote on Feb 29, 2008 6:56 AM:In the 19th century the railroads controlled the nation's transportation and therefore the economy. It took a trust-busting president to break their sranglehold. When are we going to elect another president who will break the stranglehold the 21st century robber barons have on us?

Ask wrote on Feb 29, 2008 8:44 AM:Love this one, "Because of that delay, Langley said high prices now contradict healthy statewide supply and falling demand."

It just means either the station owners or the refineries are making an extra .20 per gallon AHEAD of the price increase.

WOW, WHAT A SCAM.

Plea wrote on Feb 29, 2008 9:11 AM:Can someone please mail this article to George Bush so he can catch up?

Mathew: wrote on Feb 29, 2008 9:25 AM: I'm getting, well let me say, kinda use to two steps forward one step back gasoline prices. Like everybody I complain, and of course, hunker down a little and travel as little as possible. However, a few days ago I was shocked into taking a reality look at the economy as a whole. The shocker was $1.95 for a cup of coffee in my favorite restaurant in Escondido. (You people in the city of San Diego and on the coast, such as the city by the tracks. Carlsbad, might not find that as a shocker.) I started taking note and found coffee prices of $1.62 and $1.42 at other restaurants. A little math applied proved that per gallon coffee would cost me $31.60, $25.92, and $22.72 respectively. Of course one could say that if you get a refill you could cut the price in half. that would put the price at my favorite restaurant at $15.60 not including taxes. I realize that I am comparing apples and oranges with gasoline and coffee. I am very glad my car doesn't run on coffee, and I am drinking my coffee at home more often. It also brings to mind, after a little research, patronage at local restaurants is dropping off at a pace equal to the change in the economy.

Mike wrote on Feb 29, 2008 10:31 AM:Try to think of this as the "trickle down theory". You elected George W. Bush twice. We have an energy policy written by oil companies. Now you're getting trickled on.

DW wrote on Feb 29, 2008 10:46 AM:Robber Barron is right on. What ever happened to the Teddy Roosevelts (Trust Buster) of this country. Does anyone have the best interest of this country or is it all special interest. Our politicians are cowards! Use the Sherman anti-trust act!

Yachtspy wrote on Feb 29, 2008 11:26 AM:You people who think that the President, ANY President can controp the price of oil must be smoking something that costs more than a gallon of gasoline. You have no concept of what causes an increase. The LAST person that I will blame is the President. Do you understand the concept of a "world economy" and that the rate of the growth of some of the third world countries has more to do with the current price of oil than any politician. This President has tried several times to get a cogent, realistic energy policy through Congress only to be turned back by the Democrats. We can't drill offshore. We can't drill in ANWAR. So, as Americans drive more AND as we try to ship our goods domestically and overseas, we compete with China, India and other repidly growing Countries for the same barrel of oil. There is only so much available and since we can't produce anymore domestically, we have to bid for it on the global market and that costs more every day. come on people wake up ans quit blaming the President for your demand for more gas. But, then, you don't want to hear the truth. You just want to blame the President for all your woes.

@Mathew wrote on Feb 29, 2008 11:29 AM:Who buys 16 Gallons of Coffee at a time? your comparison is useless, go to college, your high school math is not something to be proud of.

DW wrote on Feb 29, 2008 11:45 AM:Matthew-the price of coffee does not cause inflation. The price of gasoline does. Pizza doesn't walk to your door, the box of detergent doesn't walk to your store. Oil affects the price of everything, maybe that is why the price of coffee has gone up amongst everything else.

david wrote on Feb 29, 2008 11:50 AM:Stop blaming bush/Govt and look at oneself. If you drive a SUV in southern california and don't ski/go to the mts...your nuts and a typical self-absorbed fool that exemplifies southern californians. I bet most can't even afford their car payment/gas because...well...image is everything and as long as you have your 4-runner--you look cool but eating taco bell for friday night dinners. Those who don't drive the big ol' SUVs...good for you--you are better off in the long run.

Herb: wrote on Feb 29, 2008 12:17 PM: Hey Mike, blaming high gasoline prices on GWB is the easy way out when there is nothing he can do to prevent it. Perhaps working with congress he could have an influence, but don't hold your breath. Let's put the blame where it belongs - oil companies and the public that will not do anything to bring it to a halt. If everybody stayed home from work just one Wednesday they would get the message. Staying home Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday requires an additional shutdown and start-up for most businesses which costly and it would bring those businesses over to the side of the people.

Chubton wrote on Feb 29, 2008 1:05 PM:I think you can blame Bush for part of the cost of gas in this case.
If it weren't for this little war in the Middle East, the price of oil would be less.

HaHaHa wrote on Feb 29, 2008 1:19 PM:Those who say this has nothing to do with Bush are completely ignorant of the implications that he is an OIL MAN. Hello?

Yachtspy wrote on Feb 29, 2008 1:48 PM:Who's the one with their eyes closed? Bush is no oil man. His little oil company from years ago WENT BUST!! If you want to criticize, at least get your facts straight. As to the President being partially responsible for the high gas prices, think again. You can't have it both ways. Either this war is, or is not about keeping the flow of oil coming from the Middle East. You criticize him for starting the war as it bing about oil and then you criticize him about starting the war at all and thus we are being punished because of "oil diplomacy." Look, the war did not commence because Bush wanted to make the oil companies rich. We are getting more oil NOW, then we did prior to 9/11/01. Open your eyes. It is world competition and we have to either pay the price or drill here, at home. Army trucks and equipment would be moving, whether here, at home or, in Iraq. WAKE UP!!!

@@Mathew: wrote on Feb 29, 2008 2:21 PM: My math is right - you had better check your'n out. it was a fun piece since there is nothing we can do about the situation on our level. Grow up and do the math at 16 cups to a gallon.

Larry M wrote on Feb 29, 2008 2:22 PM:Blame the environmentalist for our woes. If only they allowed the drilling in Anwar or along the coast we wouldn't be in this predicament. Now we have to pay for it wether we like it or not. Then they blame Bush for high gas prices.

Jim wrote on Feb 29, 2008 3:00 PM:Ho hum. The Bush defenders would be screaming their heads off blaming the President if he were a Democrat. (Note their implying that it's actually Congress's responsibility.)

Anyway, I despise Bush and don't mind seeing him getting blamed for the problem, but I don't really think it's his fault. The Bush defenders are probably actually pretty accurate in their suggestion that it's the world economy, competition, etc., that are causing the oil price runup. I hardly think despoiling our remaining pristine environments to squeeze a couple of gallons of crude out of them is the answer, though. We need more efficient vehicles and we badly need an alternative to fossil fuels, and the lack of progress in those areas does seem like a charge that can be laid at the door of the Republican party.-

Concerned-1 wrote on Feb 29, 2008 3:08 PM:I'm not an economist, but I can't help but wonder why the price of gas is so out of control. The statement in the article about supply and demand really makes me think the oil companies are to blame for this mess. I've read where the oil companies are content to keep the number of refineries where they are, and to take them off-line when ever it suits them. This doesn't seem right. We need to build more refineries and we need to drill for more oil in Alaska. We also could use some regulation (the last thing I'd ever thought I'd say) in the U.S. oil industry. The fat cats got to go!

It's the dollar, stupid! wrote on Feb 29, 2008 3:51 PM:A large percentage of the rise in oil prices is the result of the devaluation of the dollar. The dollar is trading at $1.52 per Euro. This is compared a trading value of 0.82 per Euro in 2003. This is an 46% drop in the value of the Dollar relative to the Euro. This means that the real increase in value of a barrel of oil is much smaller that it would have been if the dollar didn't lose so much value. For example, $40/barrel oil in 2003 dollars would cost $almost $75/barrel in todays dollars. It is the reckless monetary policy of the Federal Reserve that is at least partly responsible for the very large increase in oil prices. Oil is a commodity traded on the global market, so changes in exchange rates need to be taken into account when considering the real increase in price. This is one of the effects of globalization.

Blame Canada wrote on Feb 29, 2008 4:42 PM:The US imports most of our oil from Canada. We invaded the wrong country. It would have been easier and cheaper to just take over Canada. The US should start using it's muscle as a suprepower and begin largescale global domination. We have the neutron bomb, lets use it.

John from Vista wrote on Feb 29, 2008 5:09 PM:The issue is not the price of oil on the world market. The problem is refineries. California refineries are operating at >95% capacity. If a toilet backs up at a refinery, the supply drops -- prices go up. If we built more refineries, the impact of one going off-line would be greatly reduced. Of course, with the fewer oil companies out there, the less inclined any will be to build more refineries.

Jack wrote on Feb 29, 2008 8:09 PM:Who Cares. Get out of your hummers and into Priuses or Motorcycles. If you didn't drive all the SUVs, we wouldn't be wasting our young lives in Iraq.

Alex wrote on Feb 29, 2008 9:35 PM:That's right--SUV's and the insane images of coolness and belonging--just like everyone else. "Sheep, mere sheep! Easily disperse if you strike the shepherd!"

Carter was worse: much worse wrote on Feb 29, 2008 11:21 PM:Bush is an out of touch patrician bonehead. To bad for Democrats he isn't the one running this year.

The reason the Middle East is a mess goes back to Jimmah "peace in our time" Carter. If he'd dealt strongly with the Iranian revolutionaries who took our embassy hostage, we'd never have been seen as weak, the Iran-Iraq war would never have happened, and thus the Gulf wars would never have happened.

Had he not been seen as a push-over, the USSR would never have invaded Afghanistan, and so there would never have been an Al Qaeda or Taliban.

We're still paying the price for that bonehead, just as Europe paid the price for Neville Chamberlain from 1939 until the fall of the Berlin Wall.

Does anyone remember REAL stagflation, 1978-1981 style? 20% + interest rates, double digit inflation, double digit unemployment in many places? We've had it so good, for so long, thanks to Reagan, that we take it for granted.

Conserve or drill offshore wrote on Feb 29, 2008 11:26 PM:But we Californians need to stop being such hypocrites.

We have lots of oil offshore that we refuse to drill for, we don't let anyone build refineries, we whine about power plants and powerlines (where will all the electricity for those electric cars come from?), we drive massive SUVs and pickup trucks to office jobs and soccer practice, and we blame the president for the price of a gallon of gas!

Look in the mirror people. It's your OWN fault.

Cass wrote on Mar 1, 2008 9:49 AM:Its not the SUV's we drive. Everything brought into any of our stores has been driven or shipped in. That costs money! With the devaluation of the dollar its going to cost even more!

As a mom with 3 kids, I will not give up my minivan. Are you implying that people should stop reproducing so we won't need our minivans and SUV's?

I recently read an article about the way to combat terrorism is for American's to have more babies.... another interesting subject for another day.

I absolutely will be keeping my van and I don't feel bad about it at all!!!!

RJ wrote on Mar 1, 2008 11:31 AM:According to the California Energy Commission’s website (Estimated 2008 Gasoline Price Breakdown & Margins Details for January and February 2008) crude oil costs were 2.35 a gallon. Refining, distribution, marketing, and profits accounted for 35 cents a gallon. The remaining costs 62 cents a gallon are for Federal, State, Local taxes and fees. So who are the real robber barons here? The oil companies who are making less than 35 cents a gallon for all of their hard work, or out of control government taxation at 62 cents per gallon for doing nothing? And you think more government intervention will help the situation?

steve wrote on Mar 1, 2008 3:39 PM:sure is funny how when you read the day before that there is a record price for oil and the next day the price of gas goes up 5 cents and then 5 or 10 more the rest of the week. NAH there is no relation just coincidence. Yeh right . How much of this crap can you really think we will eat? its been going on for oh maybe 8 years now. Hmmmmmmmm coincidence?

steve wrote on Mar 1, 2008 3:47 PM: Hey Herb, most people go to work mon,tues,wed thurs,fri, so they can pay for their gas to go to work mon,tues,wed,thurs fri. DUH

steve wrote on Mar 1, 2008 3:54 PM:One thing I dont understand is how the oil companies, mobil for instance can justify making 40.6 BILLION dollars in 1 year , most in the history of any business, and that is profit net profit, that means alll the perks and expenses paid. clear profit. How could you possibly charge that much and get away with it. Oh thats right your above the law

Tuck wrote on Mar 1, 2008 3:57 PM:There are some clueless people on here who actually think any president can change anything. First of all, Jorge and Hussein are both Ivy League “elites”. Secondly, if voting actually changed things, it would be illegal. Thirdly, what will McCain, Clinton or Obama do to bring down these prices? What their solutions? I am all ears?

Obama is a neophyte... wrote on Mar 1, 2008 6:08 PM:Bush is a common criminal with an oil rich family (gee, no coincidence that oil has become the focus of our nation's failing economy since he stole the presidency), and anybody who thinks Reagan was the sole reason why being an American was a good thing during the mid-to-late 90s has turned a blind eye to reality.

poetryman69 wrote on Mar 2, 2008 1:05 PM:For those who missed it, the rising cost of fuel is yet another sign of a Bush Cheney Mission Accomplished. What mission was that you ask? Why the mission was to create record profits for Bush's old oil buddies and Cheny's old corporate buddies. Why do they think the Bush administration went all the way to the supreme court and invoked executive privilege to keep Cheney's secret deals a secret? So when someone tells you Bush's legacy is just torture and lying about it you tell them: hogwash. For the first time in history an American president has started a war for the sole purpose of raising corporate and oil profits and it worked! There's your legacy! In my humble opinion.