[jariel]

Quote:

"In the immediate moment, the outperforming economy around the world seems to the United States," says Neal Soss, chief economist at Credit Suisse.

The direction of energy prices will most likely determine whether that trend can be sustained, according to Soss.

"The effect of gasoline prices on consumer behavior particularly is partly a reflection of shock value," he says, suggesting U.S. consumers will be able to handle $4 per gallon gasoline better now vs. the first time in 2008. (For an alternative view, see: Actually, High Oil Prices Will Clobber The Economy)

"We can live with this level of gas prices," Soss says, stressing another big move up -- say 50 cents or more per gallon -- would be a different story. "That's what you need to worry about," he says, even more than Europe's crisis, which Soss says has been put in a "safety zone" (for now) thanks to the aggressive actions of the ECB.

http://finance.yahoo.com/blogs/daily-tic...18576.html

[The Fantasist]

$4 a gallon! That's 1970's prices over here in the UK. We pay more then double that.

[Spike]

In Holland where i live we pay 1.75 euro for one liter !! i think a gallon is 4 liters so that would be around 9 dollars the gallon. Please stop complaining about it.

[Handsome Creepy Eel]

Yet another proof of how lobbies can strangle a country into following an unsustainable, oil-guzzling path. Bravo, spoiled USA...

[Fredo_Corleone]

In DR gas is $6 a gallon right now, and it is a poor country.

I am tired of Americans complaining about $4 gas. Cut down on your driving.

[Aliblahba]

Yeah, high gas prices suck in the U.S. We're a driving culture, and don't have public transportation in most places to not be dependent on driving. My family lives in about an 800 mile radius. Those regional flights are mad expensive. And Greyhound? Forget it. I did that shit once, what would have been a 2 hour drive, took 4-5.

I don't think gas will ever get to Europe prices back home. We just simply couldn't afford it.

[Enfant_Terrible]

Scooters or Motorcycles guys

[SimonRierdon]

38 mile per gallon Honda Del Sol in the winter and when it's raining and a 46 mile per gallon Honda VTX 1300 or PC800 when the weather's nice. I prepared for this long ago and it's paying off big time these days. I feel sorry for my co-workers who drive 50+ miles one way in a gas-guzzling V8 four wheel drive.

[Samseau]

Guys, by the end of this decade you'll be seeing $10 a gallon.


Enjoy the good times.

[Aliblahba]

It costs a certain amount to live in the U.S. regardless. You either pay less for housing and commute to work, or ante up and get a place close to work. I tried to beat the system. Personally I prefer to pay up and live close, but either way, you are spending out of pocket.

[canucktraveller]

Please don't compare European gas prices with North American.

The population density is worlds apart and we do not have anywhere near the rail system europeans do. There are cities hear where it is basically impossible to rely on public transit.

[Chad Daring]

(03-10-2012 01:46 PM)canucktraveller Wrote:  

Please don't compare European gas prices with North American.

The population density is worlds and we do not have anywhere near the rail system europeans do. There are cities hear where it is basically impossible to rely on public transit.

You beat me to it.

I hate it when Euros try to get all up in arms about how much their gas prices are vs ours. America, for the most part, is designed to be driven. We have shit public transportation and everything is built very very spread out.

It takes me 20 minutes to drive to work in the morning and I live closer then anybody that I work with. One of the reasons I'm pushing to move into an urban center this year is so I can curtail driving costs by living within walking range of the places I go to the most.

[porscheguy]

Europeans choose to pay higher gas prices. Most of the differences in price are a result of gasoline taxes that they choose to pay.

Saying we can "live with $4/gallon gas" is not very encouraging at all. Rapidly escalating gas prices were the straw that broke the camel's back in 2008.

[Gmac]

With the amount I drive, I can handle $40/gallon. Bring it on.

[joehoya]

My biggest problem with rising gas prices isn't driving, it is the increase in airfare. When I first started traveling to Costa Rica, I bought several ROUND TRIP tickets for $275-325 (taxes included). Today, the price is nearly double. A trip to The Dominican Republic costs me significantly more than my trips to Europe did several years ago. Anyone remember those days of finding off-season, round trip tickets to Europe for under $500?

[mofo]

(03-10-2012 12:34 PM)Samseau Wrote:  

Guys, by the end of this decade you'll be seeing $10 a gallon.


Enjoy the good times.

Haha, you're quite optimistic.

[kerouac]

There are a few good things that can come out of high gas prices (from a domestic standpoint).

Trade with distant places, like China and South East Asia, would become far more costly, coupled with the fact that there are increasing higher-wage demands in those countries, thus bringing greater incentive to bring back those jobs to the US (or at least N. America).

There will be more movement towards the major cities, and a greater push for better public transportation, in the US. This will be particularly noticeable in California where regular families are going to have a hard time affording the "suburban lifestyle." I feel like there will be a greater movement towards more condensed housing and cities fueled by location relative to public transportation.

Then, of course, there are the people in the automotive industry who are talking about the direction of electric vehicles in the next ten years, so if electric vehicles become more feasible in that time frame there really won't be that big of a shift after all.

[Chad Daring]

(03-10-2012 03:17 PM)Gmac Wrote:  

With the amount I drive, I can handle $40/gallon. Bring it on.

This is why I need to get out of the burbs. If its Baltimore or DC I NEED to move.

[Spike]

(03-10-2012 03:11 PM)porscheguy Wrote:  

Europeans choose to pay higher gas prices. Most of the differences in price are a result of gasoline taxes that they choose to pay.

Saying we can "live with $4/gallon gas" is not very encouraging at all. Rapidly escalating gas prices were the straw that broke the camel's back in 2008.

That's the dumbest thing i've read in a while and i've been reading Kamaki's posts.

We choose to pay 75% tax on gasoline ???

[Vice]

(03-10-2012 05:17 PM)Neil Skywalker Wrote:  

(03-10-2012 03:11 PM)porscheguy Wrote:  

Europeans choose to pay higher gas prices. Most of the differences in price are a result of gasoline taxes that they choose to pay.

Saying we can "live with $4/gallon gas" is not very encouraging at all. Rapidly escalating gas prices were the straw that broke the camel's back in 2008.

That's the dumbest thing i've read in a while and i've been reading Kamaki's posts.

We choose to pay 75% tax on gasoline ???

Facts are dumb? The fuel tax in Netherlands amounted to $3.5 per gallon in 2007. On top of that is 19% VAT over the entire fuel price. Wiki says that taxes account for about 68% of the price of petrol there.

And this is 2007 levels we're talking about...

[thegmanifesto]

(03-10-2012 05:16 PM)Chad Daring Wrote:  

(03-10-2012 03:17 PM)Gmac Wrote:  

With the amount I drive, I can handle $40/gallon. Bring it on.

This is why I need to get out of the burbs. If its Baltimore or DC I NEED to move.

This is one of a million reasons why anyone should get out of the suburbs.

[Handsome Creepy Eel]

In regards to differences in American vs. European way of life, the point was that America was indeed "built" to drive. While populations densities and high distances in the USA matter, no one forced its governments into creating lots of fuel-inefficient infrastructure instead of (or in addition to) a good train network. For those who say it doesn't work, even the much less dense but larger Australia has a high quality, reliable and cheap train network (at least in cities, and we are talking mainly cities and work commutes here).

Just look at that recent news article that reported almost 2 billion parking spaces in the USA, surely admirable from the point of everyone being able to park his car conveniently, but also a giant waste of space. Things don't need to be like that.
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/08/arts/d...wanted=all

[thegmanifesto]

(03-10-2012 06:27 PM)Handsome Creepy Eel Wrote:  

For those who say it doesn't work, even the much less dense but larger Australia has a high quality, reliable and cheap train network (at least in cities, and we are talking mainly cities and work commutes here).

Good point.

I will use this to smack around people in debates in the future.

[Hotwheels]

People seem to forget that decades ago the US had a very good network of passenger trains over the entire country.

It went away due to the automobile.

For instance, at one time there were three railroads operating passenger service between Chicago and Milwaukee, with a total of approximately 75 trains a day between these two cities. Today Amtrak runs 10 IIRC.

A don't forget that 80 years ago the population of the country was much lower than it is now...

Before there was an Overseas Highway to Key West there was an Overseas Railroad to the same place....

This country has had comprehensive passenger rail before and it was wiped out due to the wealth of the country, the automobile, personal choice, long distances, airlines and cheap gas.

Also, large metro areas do have rail service in this country. Chicago has had commuter trains for over 100 years and I assume most people know about the Northeast Corridor between DC and Boston. LA has been getting into rail but I know little about it.

[Enfant_Terrible]

(03-10-2012 06:52 PM)Hotwheels Wrote:  

LA has been getting into rail but I know little about it.

LA Metro rail system is good...only if your area's covered.

I was actually talking to a guy last week about the LA / Valley rail system because we saw a lot of abandoned tracks in the area and he says in the 1960's the automobile companies bought out the rails and to this day they still own the land where the tracks are. Crazy. And it makes me mad, because I love riding in trains and wish more areas are covered. Need to look it up some more.