Even With Gas Prices Falling, More Americans Using Mass Transit

I haven't filled a tank of gas since I rented a car in Quebec three months ago, but it doesn't take a rocket scientist to know that gas prices have been plummeting (and no, not for a good reason). In a span of a few months, we've gone from $4 or even $5 dollar gas to under $2 dollars. So with lower costs, people are naturally driving more and taking that dusty old Hummer out for a spin, right?

Wrong:

Americans rode subways, buses and commuter railroads in record numbers in the third quarter of this year, even as gas prices dropped and unemployment rose. The 6.5 percent jump in transit ridership over the same period last year marks the largest quarterly increase in public transportation ridership in 25 years, according to a survey to be released today by the American Public Transportation Association.

So what's going on here? Are people's love affair with the automobile being broken by a new heartthrob that runs on rails? The data is only over three quarters, but the numbers are encouraging. Perhaps more Americans would rather relax on a train (not the 6 train of course) than sit and silently rage in their cars as the highway commute gets longer and longer. Or maybe we're all getting a little more environmentally conscious.

Whatever the reason, the less we use our cars, the better off we'll be. And of course, having an Administration that cares about mass transit in a few short weeks will help provide the leadership we need to make sure this new phenomenon becomes a national fixture.

When It Comes To Gas Prices, Narrow-Minded GOP Sees Only What They Want To Believe

When you want something and you wish really hard, it isn't the wishing but finding the willingness to take an action that gets you to your goal. Congressional Republicans seem to not have learned that lesson as children (or as adults) because they believe their collective whining on offshore oil drilling made gas prices drop.

From ThinkProgress:

House conservatives, engaging in a third day of political stunts on the floor of the House, are now claiming that gas prices across the nation have dropped in response to their theatrics calling for a vote on offshore oil drilling. “I think the market is responding to the fact that we are here talking,” said Rep. John Shadegg (R-AZ) in a GOP press conference today.

Shadegg claimed that “gas prices have gone down” because of the “pressure” coming from pro-drilling conservatives:

“Gas prices have gone down, and they’ve gone down in part because the market is realizing that this kind of pressure from the Congress may actually cause a change in American policy,” said Rep. John Shadegg (R-Ariz.), one of the ringleaders of the protest demanding that Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) bring Congress back to vote on oil exploration measures.

But actual experts don’t believe the political stunts have anything to do with the drop in prices. In fact, oil and gas prices are down because of simple economics as the high energy prices and the weak economy are “curbing consumer demand” for gas.

The idiots in the GOP caucus have made themselves oblivious to the fact that Americans cannot afford the gas prices that Republican policies have created. Without a coherent, 21st century energy policy in the United States for several years now, our addiction to oil has crippled our economy even though many experts saw peak oil coming decades ago. Jimmy Carter knew what he was talking about in the 1970s, but the advent of the selfishly-driven policies stemming from Reagan destroyed those efforts. People didn't want to hear about the oncoming energy crisis (even though they got a taste of it at the time) but now it is here to stay. So Republicans can make believe that their grandstanding is reducing oil prices, but we need real leadership and a sound strategy to take the oil needle out of our vein.

Bush Tries To Blame Dems For Gas Prices, Fails Miserably

George Bush stepped up to a press conference today to talk about pressing issues, but his aides forgot to wipe off the Kool-aid stains around his mouth, for he had been drinking it heavily before this event. The pResident blamed the Democratic Congress for not giving away more of our nation's coastline to the oil companies, despite admitting that it wouldn't do any good except to " reverse the psychology" problem we have (what is up with all the psycho-babble talk coming from the Republicans these days?).

From RawStory:

"It's time for members of Congress to address the pain that high gas prices are causing our citizens," the president said. "Every extra dollar that American families spend because of high gas prices is one less dollar they can use to put food on the table or send a child to college. The American people deserve better."

Bush acknowledged it could take years before opening the Continental Shelf to oil drilling would result in increased U.S. production. But, he said, at least it would put the nation on the right track toward reducing its reliance on imported oil.

"There is no short term solution," Bush said. "The president doesn't have a magic wand. You can't just say, 'Low gas."

Well he could open the strategic reserve for starters, but that wouldn't be good for the swelling profit margins of his friends in Big Oil. The problem isn't so much finding supplies close to home, but forcing a change in what our energy sources are. The President could have led the nation towards a path of energy independence, but he chose not to time and time again. Appeasing the Saudis and invading Iraq are his way of trying to get more petroleum-based energy.

What the Democratic majority should do is move the debate to alternate energy and promote a bill that takes advantage of the renewable resources we have here at home. Wind and solar power can take care of our needs if we help companies to build the solar panels and wind turbines at a pace that can sustain us in a short period of time. Not only are gas prices skyrocketing (yes, it is this bad) but global warming is getting worse by the moment. By cutting the President off and looking ahead to the future of renewable energy, gas prices and the health of our planet get taken care of. Now if only Reid and Pelosi had the common sense to do it....

You Know Gas Prices Are Bad When....

The title starts off like a bad joke, but the terrible thing is the reality of this situation, both for Angela Eversole....and everyone else that has to endure the cost of gas. Some people have already gone to the extraordinary lengths of stealing gas, either at the pump or siphoning from other people's cars. Now we have acquisitions of gas on a whole new level.

From The Cincinnati Enquirer:

FORT WRIGHT – Police set up a sex sting at the Days Inn on Dixie Highway last weekend, expecting to arrest women who came there to trade sex for money.

They also found something else: a woman accused of trading sex for gasoline.

While doing surveillance at the hotel, officers spotted a woman they knew because of her criminal history.

They discovered she was there for sex – and that she was allegedly paid with a $100 gas card.

“When people are selling their bodies for gas, that’s pretty sad,” said Ken Easterling, chief prosecutor in the Kenton County Attorney’s Office.

Angela R. Eversole, 34, of Fort Wright, is accused of prostitution and doing business without an occupational license.

"Pretty sad" doesn't even begin to describe this situation. People are suffering all over from the explosive rise in gas prices and some will do almost anything to keep their cars running. Angela Eversole certainly did.

McCain Proves He's Out Of Touch Again

Anyone that has paid close attention to John McCain, whether it be his campaign for Presidency or his legislative career, knows that his "maverick," "straight-talk express" facade is merely that. All that lies beneath is a standard-issue, hollow-shelled politician that has sold out to the corrupt system that is Washington, D.C. fused with corporate America. He is an out of touch elitist, who really doesn't give a damn about the average American, the average people he meets are rich corporate investors, bankers and especially large campaign contributors. And he proved it again this past week when he was asked about gas prices, an issue of central concern to a great majority of voters and all Americans.

From ThinkProgress:

In a telephone interview with the Orange County Register earlier this week, John McCain acknowledged he was unaware of the price of gas. The OC Register’s Martin Wicksol reports:

WICKSOL: When was the last time you pumped your own gas and how much did it cost?

MCCAIN: Oh, I don’t remember. Now there’s Secret Service protection. But I’ve done it for many, many years. I don’t recall and frankly, I don’t see how it matters.

I’ve had hundreds and hundreds of town hall meetings, many as short a time ago as yesterday. I communicate with the people and they communicate with me very effectively.

Oh Mr. McCain, it does matter. It matters a whole lot to those that pump the gas. Back when you had to do it yourself, it probably cost less than a dollar to get a gallon out of the pump. Now those that fill their cars are shelling out close to $5 a gallon and will be doing much more than that. Your gas tax holiday and flip-flop on drilling our coasts are gimmicks that do nothing for our energy crisis.

I can tell you from personal experience of being in NYC and not having a car, to going out to Connecticut last weekend and filling up for a drive was shocking. And it wasn't like I was ignorant of those rising prices either. Watching the digital wheels spin as the gas guzzled into the car is much more powerful and real than any spreadsheet your aides can show you.

$2 Gas By August?

On a sultry late June day in 2008, the price for a gallon of gas is to be found in the range of $4-$5 and even more for Diesel. Prices have risen astronomically in the last year to two and on a steady uptick since the beginning of George Bush's ascent to the White House. Individuals and government agencies alike have had to drastically reconfigure their budgets due to the cost of fuel. Well there is an answer to the mess, but only if Congress has the guts to do something about the main reason behind the exponential rise, oil speculators.

From MarketWatch:

Testifying to the House Energy and Commerce Committee, Michael Masters of Masters Capital Management said that the price of oil would quickly drop closer to its marginal cost of around $65 to $75 a barrel, about half the current $135.

Fadel Gheit of Oppenheimer & Co., Edward Krapels of Energy Security Analysis and Roger Diwan of PFC Energy Consultants agreed with Masters' assessment at a hearing on proposed legislation to limit speculation in futures markets.

Krapels said that it wouldn't even take 30 days to drive prices lower, as fund managers quickly liquidated their positions in futures markets.

"Record oil prices are inflated by speculation and not justified by market fundamentals," according to Gheit. "Based on supply and demand fundamentals, crude-oil prices should not be above $60 per barrel."

Sure, there was opposition to this view, but what would you expect from the majority of speculators? Why would you give up a good thing...and no, morality does not figure into the minds of brute capitalists. It just doesn't happen, the competition is too fierce. The long-term rise in oil has been steadily going up and $60 a barrel is far more reasonable and makes sense for where the price should be. Prices will rise as demand increases and the supplies begin to taper off, but the volatility is market-based and not due to real-world conditions in oil fields and worldwide demand.

Congressman Dingell sounded willing to consider capping the speculators and putting an end to their heartless practices in the oil market. If a bill could get out of committee, onto the floor and passed in both Houses, the President could be pressured to act before the August recess. Then again, pigs may fly and the Earth could spin the other way, but there is no harm in mentioning that there is another way.

CNN Catches McCain's Flip-Flopping On The Environment

The media is having trouble keeping its love affair with McCain afloat when the candidate commits so many gaffes, so many blunders and flips his position with the change in direction of the wind. Kudos to CNN for pointing out his inconsistent remarks about oil, gas and the environment.

McCain Fueled By Big Oil

McCain likes to talk about his "Straight Talk Express" but never about how he gets his gas, both literally and figuratively. Perhaps there is a reason for that:

Bush Didn't Know $4 Gas Was Coming

I know, I know, a real shocker, right?

Working Less To Save More, Effects Of Gas Price Rise Spreads Out

Everyone with a car knows how bad it is to fill up their tanks. Just ten years ago, gas was a dollar and a change and now prices are anywhere from four to five dollars a gallon. The rapid jump in prices, especially in the last couple years has had a profound effect on the American economy. Retail spending was reduced to pay for gas, raw materials increased in price because it costs more to ship them and debt has skyrocketed to keep American families afloat in the moment. Now it is becoming hard for people to pay to drive to work, so extraordinary measures are being taken by employers.

From Financial Week:

In America’s struggling automaking heartland, the shorter workweek offers employers a way of rewarding employees when the budget does not allow a salary increase, said Oakland County, Michigan, executive L. Brooks Patterson.

“By allowing employees to work four 10-hour days it will save them 20 percent on their commute costs and ease the financial pinch of filling up their cars,” said Mr. Patterson, who last week proposed the compressed week for county workers.

Gasoline prices have begun altering U.S. commutes in many ways, a survey released on Thursday showed.

Some 44% of respondents said they have changed they way they commute—doing things such sharing a ride or driving a more fuel-efficient car—or are working from home or looking for a closer job in order to reduce gasoline costs, according to staffing services company Robert Half International. That’s up from 34% two years ago.

On Long Island, New York, Suffolk County legislator Wayne Horsley also has proposed employees have the option of working four 10-hour shifts, rather than five eight-hour shifts, saying it would save 461 barrels of oil in a 120-day pilot project.

“This is a gasoline-driven proposition and we’re looking to change people’s long term philosophies of life,” Mr. Horsley said.

In these times of ridiculous gas prices the government that has failed to take appropriate action against greedy oil companies. Nor has it provided a suitable transition to an economy that relies on solar and wind power. Therefore employers and even local legislators are coming together to help people make a living and not lose all their money to the hands of executives at Shell, ChevronTexaco and the behemoth ExxonMobil.

There's More To The Price Of Oil Than Just Supply And Demand

The Commodities Futures Trading Commission has taken the extraordinary step of coming out with an investigation of oil traders who are suspected of manipulating the market in order to make unconscionable amounts of money at the expense of the American and even world economies. Now it is great that high oil prices get people to switch to mass transit, but if the CFTC can prove there was criminal wrongdoing, the bastards involved should face a long, long prison terms.

From The Washington Post:

The CFTC said its investigation started in December, before this latest surge in prices but after an earlier surge that took oil prices over $90 a barrel.

Congress has been pressing the CFTC to take tougher action to stop what lawmakers call "speculation" -- which is not illegal -- and possible unlawful manipulation of oil markets. Some lawmakers have suggested that the commission discourage speculation by increasing margin requirements so that traders would have to put up more cash to buy positions on commodity markets.

The CFTC said that in addition to the investigation, it had reached agreements with British and European regulators to share more information about oil markets. It also said it would take steps to increase transparency by getting more information from index traders and other financial players.

It was unclear whether the commission's announcements were a reaction to congressional pressure, but they were praised by many lawmakers. Rep. Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) said he was pleased, adding that "the CFTC must vigorously pursue all leads to protect the American people from market manipulation during a time of record prices at the pump."

The real question is whether if/when the CFTC finds wrong-doing, will Congress take the appropriate actions and deal the oil industry the crushing blow that it deserves? ExxonMobil, ChevronTexaco and the rest have been figuratively raping America right along with their trader friends on Wall Street. Enough is enough, the people demand action and simply talking about how bad they are won't cut it.

As Gas Goes Up, Will Driving Continue To Go Down?

The farthest we went this Memorial Day weekend was Brooklyn and except for a short subway ride to City Hall, we walked across the Birthday Bridge to get there. Many Americans prefer to drive somewhere though but gas prices are getting in the way of car trips and joy rides in general. According to the Department of Transportation, we collectively drove 11 billion fewer miles this past March as opposed to March of 2007. Thats a whole lot of miles and $4-5 for gas is definitely the biggest factor in that. The thing is, will it continue or can it continue when gas hits $7, $9, or even $15 a gallon?

From RawStory:

Robert Hirsch, senior advisor for Science Applications International Corporation, sat down with MSNBC’s Alex Witt to discuss the possibility of an upcoming oil crisis. Hirsch says that gas could reach $15/gallon within a few years because it is “essentially certain” the world has reached the maximum levels of oil production.

“The problem is that there’s not that much oil left in the ground,” Hirsch says. “What we’ve done is been very fortunate to have oil production increase as our economies have developed over the past decades. And now we’re reaching a point where we’re about to get, or we may be, at the maximum world oil production. After that, oil production will then decline and prices, of course, will continue to do what they’ve been doing recently. So what we’ve got today may be the ‘good old days.’”

Hirsch addressed the timeframe in which the US could see $15/gallon gas: “It could happen within a matter of months. It could happen within a matter of a few years. But it’s essentially certain that we are at the maximum of world oil production. And after that, we’ll go into decline, and when there’s much less oil available, then, of course, the price of oil is going to increase dramatically.”

Fifteen dollar gas might just be the beginning of our oil addiction problems (except for that whole global warming thing). Hirsch realizes and has for sometime that this was coming, yet no one in our government has done much about it. George Bush going to beg the Saudis to increase the supply does not count.

People will still need to go places, you know like work and continue the addiction to everything oil, like the plastic products we all use day in, day out. Yet consumption is largely unabated and despite the increasing prices, we are not doing enough collectively or at the macro, nation-state level. Unfortunately Hirsch's dire prediction of GDP decline will follow the supply levels of oil until we finally switch to alternative, renewable energy sources instead of bowing down and bending over for the oil industry that is mesmerized by their windfall profits.

The Silver Lining To High Gas Prices

When a forest fire burns out of control, not only does it burn grass, shrubs and trees, it takes out cars, homes and even lives. The damage is incredible and the personal loss can be devastating. Yet from those ashes lives begin anew, the enriched soil, wet from winter rains blossoms with wildflowers and hopefully, those that build homes there do so with care, caution and respect for their environment.

The same can be said for gasoline and our global environment. The amount we consume combined with a society and economy that is addicted to oil has made prices skyrocket. We never really cut enough "brush" back from our homes in the form of clean energy (like wind and solar) and now it is hurting us in our pocketbooks. Though in this fiscal mess, there is promise on the horizon.

From The NY Times:

Some cities with long-established public transit systems, like New York and Boston, have seen increases in ridership of 5 percent or more so far this year. But the biggest surges — of 10 to 15 percent or more over last year — are occurring in many metropolitan areas in the South and West where the driving culture is strongest and bus and rail lines are more limited.

Here in Denver, for example, ridership was up 8 percent in the first three months of the year compared with last year, despite a fare increase in January and a slowing economy, which usually means fewer commuters. Several routes on the system have reached capacity, particularly at rush hour, for the first time.

“We are at a tipping point,” said Clarence W. Marsella, chief executive of the Denver Regional Transportation District, referring to gasoline prices.

That tipping point could possibly turn our national car culture into a transit society. Instead of building our homes in forests that burn every year, we might just start respecting our local, and consequently, our global environment.

The more people use mass transit, the more we win as a collective society. Instead of wasting money sitting in traffic, handing it over in fist-fulls to the oil industry and polluting our planet, we can invest in more and better transit systems. As the Times points out, people are starting to get it and if these ridiculous prices continue, we might have hope for the future.

Do Gas Prices Affect You?

Not only for these interviewees, gas prices affect everyone. That goes even people like me that don't drive. Gas prices (and oil prices before that) affect the price of food and anything that requires our oil-based economy to transport or manufacture an item that you may use. We must get off our addiction to this unrenewable resource ASAP.

Literally Praying For Gas Price Relief

As I came back into the city yesterday afternoon, my eyes bulged ever so slightly at the sign advertising $3.50 gas at the New Jersey side approach to the Holland Tunnel. NJ usually has prices on the lower side, so that number was a real shock. Prices have been skyrocketing in the last few years and the tide doesn't look like it will be turning anytime soon. Since our leaders in Washington (especially George Bush) haven't done anything to help consumers out, Rocky Twyman is taking matters into his own hands. More specifically, he's getting it to go into G-d's hands.

From The SF Gate:

Twyman - a community organizer, church choir director and public relations consultant from the Washington, D.C., suburbs - staged a pray-in at a San Francisco Chevron station on Friday, asking God for cheaper gas. He did the same thing in the nation's Capitol on Wednesday, with volunteers from a soup kitchen joining in. Today he will lead members of an Oakland church in prayer.

Yes, it's come to that.

"God is the only one we can turn to at this point," said Twyman, 59. "Our leaders don't seem to be able to do anything about it. The prices keep soaring and soaring."

It isn't that he wants a higher power to strike down those that are integral to the rising prices but for people to pray and keep it simple, whatever that means exactly he doesn't say, only that we need to believe. Although I don't think prayer is the answer to our problem, we could ask ourselves to reduce our consumption and do our part to curb our ridiculous demand on oil. Only then will the oil companies and the oil traders finally begin to be reined in.

Some Good Things About Higher Gas Prices

Many Americans complain about high gas prices these days, I certainly did when I owned a car (thank you NYC!) and the way the numbers have jumped in the last few years, it is hard not to. We all know how to gripe about the situation, so why not try to put a silver lining on it? When it comes to markets, higher prices can lead to new solutions when it comes to energy.

Plenty of car makers offer hybrids and even a few electric cars so consumers can cut back on gasoline. With a little push from the government, we can reduce our reliance on foreign and domestic oil and help the environment at the same time.

Another interesting side effect for me living in NYC with no car is the amount of exercise I do everyday. Getting around the city with my feet has me walking over twenty miles a week, whereas when I lived in L.A. with my car, I drove 200 miles or more and walked a mile at most. In fact, there is even a report now that correlates gas prices with weight loss. Charles Courtemanche found out that for every one dollar jump in prices at the pump, obesity in the U.S. is cut 15 percent over a five year period.

So when you are grumbling at the increasing price of gas when you fill up that SUV, keep in mind that if you walk, bike or jog your way to the next destination you could have fattened your wallet and slimmed that gut.