Public Opinion: How Does $4-per-Gallon Gasoline Affect You?

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couchdad hmmmm...? butt still got internet wow

of 8:22PM July 15, 2008

As people make choices between eating and heating their homes this winter --- The depth of this crisis will take hold as people starve or freeze. Our Government is in bed with big oil and they have no idea how hard this is becoming for the average working family -- I used wood, and pellets last year for heat , but now I'm finding wood is in short supply due to the cost to process it. Every logger I've talked to says his costs are rising beyond their ability to produce wood to be competitive -- We need action from our Government -- We innovative Idea's. Somebody needs to go to jail for a long time if this another scam, which I know it is. I have a good job right now and consider myself lucky, I think this winter we as Americans will need to some serious soul searching because so many people will be going with out -- We need to take care of our own, Obama, Bush, They are all rich pri__ , screwem they couldn't really care less-- God Bless the working people of this country

Jim Wood of NH 11:26AM June 30, 2008

I had my first anxiety attack today at Walmart while I was grocery shopping. Can't go to the doctors because I cant afford insurance. Cut down on my spending, thats what people say to each other, how can you cut any more when you are spending 200 dollars a week to put gas in your two vehicle to get you and your spouse to work. And then get groceries to feed a family of five. It makes me so scared for my childrens future. We can barely make it now how are they going to make it in 15 years. I wish things would change for the better but I dont have time or the energy to do anything about it. I just pray to God.

Mom with Worries of WA 12:04AM June 26, 2008

As for the comments, about walking, there are more than a few of us that can't. But I no longer leave my house, being as I am trying to raise a child on Soc. Sec. we already had a bad winter, still have the last 290 heating bill for the last cold month. I have skipped lunches, looks like dinner is coming next, but my child still gets food, but I don't. There are no jobs to help someone like me, and the fixed income, leaves me sitting in the house reading, with the price of food, being so high, the goverment, says 7 percent increase in food is totally wrong, its more like 150 percent, in the last few months, items that were a dollar are now 2.60 or more, why did everyone miss that, yes gas is outrageous but, even if I manage to walk to the store, last week, eggs, milk and coffee, and bread was 15 bux, how can we survive on this?? I can't afford my pills, and had to cancel the 2 fillings for my teeth, there isn't much else I can cut, what really are we going to do, the government, no longer cares, just about how they can ship money to big business. but they can't steal from us forever, eventually there is nothing left to take, will there be food and energy riots in the US...........just might happen, I can't give any more, and when others finally realize, cutting back won't pay the bills.........Meanwhile, Mr. Bush has sent billions, yes real money folks billions to Iraq and for what, we are paying 4 dollars a gallon even there, what is going on, why won't anyone question the senators, or congressmen, we can't fight a war when we have nothing, we keep driving, truck convoys in Iraq when the average American is going without food and a place to live. something has to change!!

Couchdad of WA 4:46AM June 15, 2008

Earl, you're right on! Only two comments I would make are: (1) you paid way too much for bread in 1947. I'm two years older than you but I can recall going to the store for my mother at that time and paying 14 cents for a loaf of Tip Top bread in Syracuse; (2) I couldn't agree more with your sentiments about a political science degree EXCEPT that the country seems to want to move in the direction of bigger government (and we will have it if Obama gets elected). If so, we will need a new brand of political science major, one that gets off the entitlements bandwagon and begins to instill a unified work ethic in America the way it was when we were kids!

Dick Unz of PA 2:26PM June 13, 2008

Living in Western NY, we are a rural area with no mass transit. Back in the day they used to at least have a city bus with a regular route. That is gone. We are retired (due to a downsize and a disability) and had been doing ok until the last couple of years. We had to buy a rice coal stove this past winter to supplement our heat (which is home heating oil). We had locked in our price at $2.49 a gal. paying $2000. That price has now gone away and we have a credit of $380 which will pay for about 83 gal. of oil at today's price. I have no idea where $3000 or more will come from for the impending season. I am really worried for my kids also. Married, college grads, couple of kids. Gas and food is such a burden and then in a few months we will have the heating burden.
When I hear advice like cut down on lattes, or pay off your student loans, it is just a joke. Most people of modest income are lucky to be going to WalMart and the grocery store. The young people are so busy working a couple of jobs, raising a family and taking care of a home (that they hope the can hold on to) they don't have the time to be political, to protest, to even write to their representatives. I do write, but am not sure anyone listens. We are paying ridiculous property taxes because of recent revals when values were up. Don't see these assessments going down now that the market is in the tank. This is not going away over night.
I hope that our Presidential candidates realize that there will be people freezing to death this winter. No HEAP payment for the very low income American is going to even touch the total cost of this Winter of dread.

Mary Davis of NY 8:14PM June 12, 2008

Congress is starting to see the need for a unified transportation system that includes ALL forms of transportation - road, air, and rail. However, the White House still tries to try to undercut Amtrak's funding. It so appears, since rail transportation is so fuel efficent, that Bush and the other oil investors want to keep us on that oil diet. As one respondent said that the nearest Amtrak [station] is still an hour drive away. If Amtrak could afford to provide new routes and extend current ones, passenger rail transportation would be more commonly available and more widely used. As the current 12+% increase in fare revenues demonstartes, Amtrak can be a feasible alternative as well as being fuel efficent. Now, if we could only make the White House less fool efficent.

Earl Karper, Sr. of FL 11:25PM June 10, 2008

I'm 70 plus years old and have observed gas pricing since I was a ten year old in Detroit cleaning lube pits (gas in 1947 was $0.18/gallon), through todays price in Sedona (Village of Oak Creek), AZ (@ $3.85/gallon). During that 60 year interlude, I lived (US Military NCO for 20 + years) overseas for 13 years and was on temporary overseas duty assignment for two years. I then lived in Southern California for 26 years and business traveled (military aircraft export industry) extensively overseas (about 6 months/year) for an additional 20 years. In those 40 plus years that included 92 countries, I only saw three of them with cheaper pump prices than the USA; they were all "oil export" Nations and the price was government subsidized! Are your readers aware that in 1947 cigarettes were priced at $0.15 per pack (in 2008 @ $5.85/pack, a 3,900% increase) and a loaf of bread was $0.35 (in 2008 @ $3.85/loaf, an 1,100% increase)!
Petrol, now at +/- $3.85/gal (up 2,138%) has seen a price increase over the past 60 years somewhere between smokes and bread. Why? In 1947 the USA was the biggest oil producer in the world; today, we don't bother! That is not all bad; while we hopefully spend the next twenty plus years developing alternative energy sources, the existing OPEC countries will be tapped out! From 2025 through 2035, we will have the few remaining oil fields. This will cause a lot of widespread "USA hatred" throughout the remaining "civilized world" so we need to be better prepared to defend ourselves (from both current friends and enemies).
So, I suggest that all you young to middle aged voters get off your a-- and on your feet! You will need energy alternatives sooner than you think! You need scientists, not politicians (and career students) as your future leaders; a BA in Political Science or Business in tomorrows world will only lead to more of todays stupidity (see the past 36 years of our own governments total incompetance; most of it caused through Civil Service "Graduate Degree" promotion criteria!).

Earl McLeod of AZ 10:05PM June 10, 2008

If our national leaders had gotten off their rear ends about 30 years ago, we wouldn't be where we are today. We needed a national effort to find and develop sources of alternative energy...an effort like we made to put men on the moon. Now, in spite of gutless politicians, bending to the will of the big oil companies and OPEC, we are finally beginning to see some progress toward alternative energy. Sort of a Johnny-Come-Lately!! Also, as a nation , we guzzle too much fuel. It's an American penchant toward big gas guzzling SUVs and trucks . I don't feel sorry for Ford and the other auto makers having to shut down plants that produce these monsters. Their huge- salaried upper management teams should have seen the writing on the wall years ago. As for me, I find I can cut my driving about 66% with some planning. So I'm actually paying less to drive than I did before. I just hope things turn around before we face a global depression or war over oil. I really feel a lot of anger welling up in the population!!

Gary Johnson of OR 7:23PM June 10, 2008

Sen. McCain's (and Sen. Cornyn's) idea of granting American drivers a gas tax holiday while drilling for more oil particularly in the ANWR are merely efforts to feed America's addiction to oil. Economists have reported that even adding the new Alaskan oil to the world's supply will have little effect on oil and gasoline prices. Besides, what would be the guarantees that any oil recovedred from Alaska would enter the US supply chain. The current production from the North Slope now goes to Japan.
This country needs a realistic energy plan that takes into account the travel habits and needs of Americans. In other words, the nation needs a comprehensive transportation policy which includes increased funding for public transportation, regional passenger rail, and freight rail.

Robert Farnsworth of TX 1:41PM June 10, 2008