And this is an election year. Just think about how high gas will be after it is not to anyone's advantage to keep gas prices under check. 4 more years will bring a lot more tears. If president Obama is not in cahoots with the oil companies he sure missed a good chance. President Bush was said to be in bed with big oil but even he couldn't keep prices up to the level that this president has got them. Some will argue that a president can't control gas prices. It sure is amazing how times change. Just think, less than 4 years ago a president had total control over gas prices and now today there is absolutely nothing he can do, amazing. Where in the heck are all those people who were saying Bush was to blame for gas prices? Have they been abducted by aliens or are they just sticking to their philosophy of "Don't ever eat Crow".

Y-a-a-a-w-w-n-n-n..

Back in the Bush Administration, when gas prices reached similar levels, there were some Democrats who blamed Bush.  Lately, some opportunistic, unprincipled Republican Congressional representatives and right wing pundits of all stripes have been busily and earnestly insisting that presidents could not control gas prices, that gas prices were a function of an international market beyond the control of any one nation or person. And they were right about that.

Now that a Democrat is in the White House, the GOP and its shills blame Obama.

Here is a fair and balanced article that sheds light on the matter: http://www.twincities.com/busi...e-been-around-before

Excerpt:

"Candidates for president chastise Barack Obama for high gas prices in 2012, just as Obama and other Democrats chastised Republicans for the $4 gas we saw for some weeks in 2008. Fox News commentators and their liberal counterparts suffer amnesia and spout positions diametrically opposed to what they said four years ago."

As to Newt Gingrich and his promise of $2.50/gallon gas--DO NOT believe that lying, adulterous weasel.   He will say just about anything to promote his rapidly-dwindling prospects for the GOP nomination.   

Back in the Bush Administration, when gas prices reached similar levels, there were some Democrats who blamed Bush.

===============

Some??

Maybe this is what he ment when he campaigned on change :

We were loosing 800,000 jobs a month when he took office (depected in red), look at what has happened since he took office.  

Or, maybe he was referring to a policy of targeting the people who actually did us harm back in 2001, instead of invading irrivalent countries that have a lot of oil.. Remember, Ben Laden is dead, and GM is alive.

Possibly he ment that he would try to change the way foreign countries precieved the US, as no longer trying to be a Colonial power forcing our way or the highway on the rest of the world, and try to get back some of the respect we once had before Bush.

Perhaps he was referring to getting equal pay for equal work for women.

Maybe he was talking about bringing our military into the 21st century with eleminating "dont ask, don't tell".

Could it be he was referring to a process that will make health insurance affordable to all ?

Maybe he wa thinking about a Consumer Protection Bill to look after the interest of the average working American.

Maybe he was referring to replacing some of the regulation on the banking industry that we have had since the New Deal, until the end of 2000, to prevent the financial disaster we had unfold during the waining days of the Bush admin.

Maybe he was considering a comprehensive energy policy - yet to come by the way- that included higher fuel efficiency standards on cars (done), more oil and gas production (drilling and producing more than Bush did), support of nuclear power to slow the growth of fossil power plants, and encourgement of energy efficiency by tax cuts to homeowners for saving energy, and tax cuts to homeowners who put in solar, hydro, or wind power to help feed the grid.

Maybe he was talking about targeting and prosecuting those who commit fraud against any of the programs in the social safety net.

Maybe he was considering reversing Bush's ban on stem cell research so actual cures for some dreaded diseases may become possable in the near future.

Perhaps he ment ending torture of POWs  and following the agreements signed onto in the Geneva Convention.

 Maybe he was thinking of the "Credit Card Bill of Rights" to prevent credit card companies from screwing the American people.

Maybe , the "Change" he referred to was all the above, and more to come.. 

BTW, if you "blame" Obama for todays gas prices, you gotta blame Bush for the $4 + per gal in his term, and don't forget to "blame" Clinton for the $0.98 gas during most of his term. 

Oh but seeweed, you DID blame Bush. Over and over and over the demmies blamed him. That's why now, when you claim the president has nothing to do with gas prices, over and over and over, that means that if they ever fall you can't give him credit. Ah, but you would. It would be "obama lowered gas prices".

As to all the other wonderful things he "meant", pfttttttttttttttttttttt. He's a waste of time.

To our house liberals:

House Speaker Pelosi criticizes rising gas prices and announces committee hearings and other actions meant to show voters that Democrats aren't just standing there but doing SOMETHING about high gas prices.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tbzzeuYJteY

June 18, 2009 Obama Blames High Gas Prices On Washington

http://www.cbsnews.com/2100-250_162-4045969.html

President Bush allowed an increase in oil refinery mergers to go unchecked since he took office and may have contributed to the highest gasoline prices in 20 years as the November election approaches."

 http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x1616860

15 Times Obama and Top Dems Blame Bush For Gas Prices

http://savingtherepublic.com/b...bush-for-gas-prices/

Y'all blamed Bush over and over. Now, like ostriches, you hide your heads in the sand and pretend it never happened.

For the Democrat voters:  Time to man up, and take your lumps like the Republicans had to -- no excuses, no whining, no finger pointing.

For the Democrat politicians, same instructions, except, of course, its time to weasel up, or lizard up.

seeweed,

This is what most will be looking at:

"The number of unemployed persons, at 12.8 million, was essentially unchanged in
February.  

http://www.bls.gov/news.release/empsit.nr0.htm

The high price of gasoline is certainly partially the fault of the government because of the lack of regulation of the oil commodities market, which is unlike any other commodity.  No president wants to fix that problem and lose the favor of the associated lobbyists.  

A partial fix, at best, as oil is a major global commodity. Regulation will only affect the domestic market.

I believe that regulation of the commodities market will also affect the international market as well. The speculation on buying millions of barrels of oil or selling millions of barrels on a given day can surly effect world price.

My blame to Bush was based upon the military using a half a million barrels of oil a day in Iraq which was a waste in oil, tax dollars and American lives. WASTED !  

Much of that oil useage has now shifted to Astan , and we still have a standing military in that region. 

New drilling and production under the Obama adm has offset some of that usage, but we are still spending, or wasting , a lot of oil in the military. Another factor few people talk about is the oil Darfur has cut off that was coming out of the Sudan. Most of that oil was headed for China, but the fighting there has caused China to go elsewhere to look for their oil. Result, more bidders for the same product.

Here in this country, our oil useage is decreasing, and we are in fact exporting gasoline and some other refined products, but the world market is soaking them up at record pace. We have already told the oil companies we will pay $4 / gal for gas. Maybe now they will try even a higher price this summer. If we take the bate, and continue to buy gas at these high prices in large quantities, it will not stop. 

On second thought, it won't stop whatever we do. We must find a better way to power our personal transportation than petroleum.

This was a political cartoon that ran in the TD a week or so ago.  It is kinda funny , but there is more truth in this cartoon than most of what has been said on this entire forum :

"My blame to Bush was based upon the military using a half a million barrels of oil a day in Iraq which was a waste in oil, tax dollars and American lives. WASTED !Much of that oil useage has now shifted to Astan , and we still have a standing military in that region. "

The US uses about 19 million barrels of oil daily.  That 500,000 barrels used in Iraq was bought in Iraq or Kuwait. Might have affected the global market, but minimally.

"New drilling and production under the Obama adm has offset some of that usage, but we are still spending, or wasting , a lot of oil in the military."

Drilling permits in federal land and offs*h*o*r*e take 3 to 7 years to approve. Send Bush a note of appreciation. Federal government wasn’t involved in oil drilled on private land.

"Another factor few people talk about is the oil Darfur has cut off that was coming out of the Sudan. Most of that oil was headed for China, but the fighting there has caused China to go elsewhere to look for their oil. Result, more bidders for the same product."

Darfur is in west Sudan. The oil cutoff was from the new nation in South Sudan.  The north kept seizing the oil pumped thru the northern pipelines and the south shut it off.  

"Here in this country, our oil useage (sic) is decreasing, and we are in fact exporting gasoline and some other refined products, but the world market is soaking them up at record pace. We have already told the oil companies we will pay $4 / gal for gas. Maybe now they will try even a higher price this summer. If we take the bate (sic), and continue to buy gas at these high prices in large quantities, it will not stop. 

On second thought, it won't stop whatever we do. We must find a better way to power our personal transportation than petroleum."

Europeans paid $8 to $10 a gallon for decades.  No new alternative energy ideas from them, just a lot of tin cans on wheels, that are so unsafe they can’t be sold in the US.

The Europeans also have mass transit. Something we in this country have given up in order to support : Standard Oil, Firestone, and GM.

We meed public transportation back.

seeweed,

Have you ever been on the ring road around Paris in rush hour, or L'Etoile? Anywhere in London during the same? Or, Frankfurt am Main or Berlin?  I have.  Lived in two of the cities and spent months in the other two. All are at least as bad as DC, which is the second worse in the US, after LA.  Paris is marginally worse, than the others. Citroens break down regularly, and you have to navigate around them in 12 lane traffic. 

Sure, use the Paris Metro -- happy mugging. Both Paris and London have violent crime rates worse the NYC.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03...r-gop-myth.html?_r=2

The rest of the world has so much respect for OBama that they move their gasoline prices to match the US price just to show their solidarity.  He is a REAL leader. 

Liberals can dish it out. But, can't take it. Proud to sling the blame around when Bush was in office. Desperate to deflect when their Obamessiah is caught in the same blame game. 

Skippy

Born and raised in Sheffield. One branch of the family arrived from Scotland in 1648. Another branch in Virginia took one look and said, "There goes the neighborhood."  

I really his idea here, maybe he needs to head down to the local liquor store, and pick up a few boxes to start packing for Chicago soon...

The Idiotor know whats best for us, and the entire world population. 

Hundreds of million of people use public transportation everyday without issue, so the problem is the Idiotor.  Imagine that, an ignorant American going to another country and having trouble adapting to their culture.  Only the Idiotor blames anyhting but himself. 

Ditzy,

Poor fellow, still sticking to liberal group think.  I adapted well to the countries I lived and worked in.  Liked the people, the food and many of their traditions.  As many Americans since Franklin and Jefferson, I oserved their ways and commented upon that.

In fact, I haven't denigrated any foreign nations.  I pointed out that mass transit, well loved by the liberals, hasn't stopped long, tedious commutes in the cities that have the transit systems. I'm especially amused by Ditzy, who preaches the liberal group think, but who has never experienced what he espouses.  Still, the unmarried bridesmaid, at her fifth wedding. 

In the past, I've made suggestions on how our own mass transit could be improved, rather than a costly little used continental passenger rail system, the liberals wish to spend hundreds of billions on.

I've noticed that, especially lately, he keeps trying to impress us with all of the cosmopolitan travel he has experienced. That and his accusation that we engage in "liberal group think", whatever that's supposed to mean. He sounds desperate to increase his credibility, but as long as he gets all of his info from right wing blogs etc., he is destined to be just another brainwashed dupe. (A well traveled dupe, but a dupe nonetheless.)

o no!, i'm not impressed by his travels.. as much as i'm disappointed in his lack of social skills...  no wonder the rest of the world thinks americans are nuts... he's the example they have from which to work!

LIKE !

Yes, three liberals reduced to ridicule, when their weak attempt at logic fails. Willie's accusation of lack of social skills is particularly amusing.  I cam schmooze with the best.  One reason I'm now in management positions. Hardly the Ugly American type.  Usually mistaken for Brit by the Spanish, Italians and French,  But, keep telling yourselves otherwise, if it helps your weak sense of self. 

Oh these "other" countries we always hear about.  From what I've seen of "other" countries and the things they do, they certainly have NO right to be running down Americans.

___________________

yes... he of weak argument... is reduced to ridicule... i am so glad you finally admitted it!

admitting you have a problem is only the first step.

(BTW... your seemingly high opinion of yourself... only makes you come off as very insecure!)

Best,

If, I didn't know better, I'd believe this was a setup. Perfect example of group think in action. George Orwell would be laughing his rear end off.  Poor Willie is reduced to insults of the rather juvenile type.

Willie,

Review my first posts in this thread. I presented fact, plus some opinion, without personal attack. Your first response to me was a personal attack.  Don't attack and expect no response. Then, cry foul. 

O No,

Groupthink is a psychological phenomenon that occurs within groups of people. It is the mode of thinking that happens when the desire for harmony in a decision-making group overrides a realistic appraisal of alternatives. Group members try to minimize conflict and reach a consensus decision without critical evaluation of alternative ideas or viewpoints. Antecedent factors such as group cohesiveness, structural faults, and situational context play into the likelihood of whether or not groupthink will impact the decision-making process.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Groupthink

you look... i never insulted you.. i pointed out your negativity... you began the insults a few months ago... feel free to go look... until you started the insults... i never said one cross word to you!

the evidence is spread across the entire forum... grow up... you can't insult every person who disagrees with you... and expect to not get called out on it! schmuck!

If gas prices are set by the world market, the included chart displays that it set it very differently in different parts of the world from $9.63 to $0.06 per gallon

http://www.harley-davidsonforu...gas-prices-chart.jpg 

_________________________________________________________

Well, let's see, I have never had any private discussions with any of the liberals on this board, and I don't allow political discussions of any sort at my business, and I don't watch TV at all, nor do I read blogs of any sort.

So I'm engaged in "groupthink" with myself?