OPEC to increase crude oil production.
July 11, 2000 2:53 PM   Subscribe

OPEC to increase crude oil production. Hopefully this will drop the prices of gas in Southern Ontario to below 70 cents/litre. More >>
posted by cCranium (7 comments total)
 
Also of interst, is one of the associated articles about how gas prices work. Apparently, Canada produces about more oil then us Canadians consume.

Petroleum companies sell oil domestically at 'international' prices, because that's the price they could get if they sold it internationally.

I'm of two minds on this issue. The capitalist in me says "Good for them! Get what it's worth." The consumer in me says "You bastards. Don't put all the blame on the government and make yourselves look helpless."
posted by cCranium at 2:58 PM on July 11, 2000


People are making too big of a deal on gas prices. People don't relize that gas would have to be $4 a gallon to equal what it was in 1980 with inflation into effect. Prices are low right now, just compared to the last couple of years they are not.

Maybe gas should be $6+ a gallon. Then watch as the air becomes breathable again as people only drive when they really have to.
posted by Mark at 3:07 PM on July 11, 2000


when rich spoiled westerners complain about the price of gas, people elsewhere suffer.
posted by sudama at 8:21 PM on July 11, 2000


"Then watch as the air becomes breathable again as people only drive when they really have to."

And watch as the prices of all consumer goods, especially fresh foods, skyrocket because the cost of delivering them from Point A to Point B will become even more exorbitant than it is now.

The higher gas price=clean air and happiness concept is nice in theory, but it doesn't wash in real world application. Private citizens in private vehicles are not the only ones on the roads, nor the main contributors to combustion-engine air pollution. Reducing the number of private vehicles on the road might result in cleaner air, but if that comes with the cost of kids not eating well, especially poor kids whose parents are already scraping to makes ends meet, I'll take the current air quality any day.

Instead of suggesting poorly thought through ideas like ridiculously burdensome gasoline prices, which would weigh most heavily on the members of society least capable of bearing the burden, it would be nice to see someone promoting responsible and proven ideas like carpooling/ridesharing which have shown positive results. (Decreased transportation costs for participants, and decreased traffic, air pollution and road rage for society at large.)
posted by Dreama at 8:41 PM on July 11, 2000


Rich spoiled westerners – Poor parents scrapping by. Now I don't know who to hate.
posted by thirteen at 9:13 PM on July 11, 2000


Here in Britain, we pay the equivalent of $6.50 a gallon, it still takes me an hour to drive the 10 miles to work every morning due to traffic congestion. Public transport is not viable as it doesn't go near where I live (I would have to drive to get to the station - about 10 miles away).
On top of that, we pay on average 30% more than the rest of Europe for our cars (that figure is even higher if you compare it to the US).
In the South East of England, where I live, we have acute overcrowding on the roads, the government's proposed solution is to tax the motorist more for fuel (of which a paltry 5% is spent on improving the road and public transport systems, and none at all on environmental projects).
Higher prices don't equal less cars, just poorer motorists.
posted by Markb at 6:10 AM on July 12, 2000


How about promoting more fuel efficient vehicles? That would reduce consumer costs and help reduce air pollution.

Oh wait, I forgot. I live in a country where everyone likes big dumb SUVs.
posted by Mr. skullhead at 7:33 AM on July 14, 2000


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