Ben Cipiti · High Gas Prices

June 14th, 2008

With gas prices reaching highs this summer, the media of course is trying to figure out who to blame. Is it the oil companies limiting demand to keep prices high? Are the price hikes only due to speculators on Wall Street? Is the government to blame for not having pushed stronger on fuel efficiency standards? Or does the blame simply lie with each of us and our gas guzzling way of life?

Here are a couple of recent articles with different views on the issue. This first is by Charles Krauthammer at the Washington Post.

He makes an interesting point that high gas prices are doing more to raise fuel efficiency standards than the government could have ever hoped to accomplish while gas prices were low.

The second is an article from Ralph Nader which attributes the rise of gas prices to speculators.

Category: BFD

5 Responses to “High Gas Prices”

  1. Valdis Says:
    June 15th, 2008 at 1:25 am

    Then there is the conspiracy theory… the high prices will have us all revolt against the environmentalists and approve drilling anywhere the oil companies want.

  2. Ben Keeler Says:
    June 15th, 2008 at 2:03 pm

    I think a lot of us are already at that point, #1.

  3. jsknow Says:
    June 15th, 2008 at 2:36 pm

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    Source: Schaffer Library of Drug Policy

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    Source: USA Hemp Museum

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  4. Dee Mullen Says:
    June 15th, 2008 at 3:35 pm

    Regardless of what is causing high gas prices… I must agree with the comment my cousin made a few days ago that high gas prices may be one of the best things that happened to this country… It’s getting fat and lazy people off of their butts and making them actually do things, like ride bikes, walk, etc.

    At the same time… that kind of traveling only works for local places. It sucks when you work and go to school at least 20 miles away from your house and barely make enough money to pay to drive there.

  5. Manty01 Says:
    June 18th, 2008 at 4:33 am

    The first fatality of this trend is the Hummer, as GM is immediately beginning the downsizing of this line, with the very distinct possibility that they will kill the line for good. This is a trend that puts the crown jewel of the gas inhalers on the block first. This should be followed very soon by the Escalades, all of the big SUV’s that people have been absolutely addicted to for the last decade will be sure to follow. Look at the very simple economics of it, the Hummer, which averaged 7-9 mpg initially, only peaking at a whopping 12 currently, the number of times you fill that beast up a month, multiplied by the number of them on the road, and the tale becomes all too apparent now. Time to back off from the egotistical economics and get real.