Ok, Now They're Gouging
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Can't see the 'ShareThis' icon? Reload your page view by pressing Shift and clicking Refresh at the same time.Gas prices rocketed up anywhere from 11 to 13 cents across the country this morning, including here in Saskatchewan. Oil at a record high? Umm, no, actually it’s just over $100 or so. A shortage of gasoline across North America? Umm, no, actually there is just as much as there was yesterday. The gasoline in the underground tanks and in tankers plying the roadways is the same gas that was much cheaper yesterday. The “rationale”? A September storm.
Hurricane Ike is about to hit Texas, home to about 25% of the refining capacity in the US. Refineries have been, or are temporarily shutting down in anticipation of the storm. Barring damage they will reopen and continue operations fairly soon.
But prices have spiked south and north of the border on the “chance” that refining capacity will be adversely affected. Not that is “has” been affected to this point. But on the “chance”.
Now, I’m pretty much a free market guy – but enough is enough. This is an action worthy of the robber barons of old. Ahhh, but here’s the rub. The Prime Minister has already had to answer questions today about the bump in prices. The Conservatives of course are seen as the big business party. It’s going to be difficult for Mr. Harper to distance himself from this increase at the pumps.
The NDP sounds awfully good when they promise controls of some sort - after years of railing against big business and the oil companies (while I rolled my eyes, I admit) – this is, or at least should be, the issue Jack Layton and his party hang their hat on. They can promise a break to the average Canadian – hoop Stephane Dion and the Liberals on their own Green Shift petard by pointing out that if you think prices are bad now, just wait till the Liberal carbon tax add-ons start showing up, etc. – and if nothing else, make the Prime Minister pretty uncomfortable in the process.
Do I think the NDP will form the next majority government? Yes. About the same time gas is down to 22 cents a litre. Until that time however, this federal election campaign may have gotten a good jolt and a focus not many had anticipated.
Surprised oil execs wear suits and not masks… Dave
Comments
We as consumers need to
We as consumers need to stand up against these oil companies by banding together and making our purchases at stations such as Regina Caps on Saskatchwan Drive or the Regina Messenger on South Railway. The best place to hit these companies are at their pocket books.
Refineries
Where do you think Regina Cabs gets their gasoline supply from? Look north, it smells & it is pretty big too. As long as you consume, you are "feeding" the big bad oil companies, since they own ALL of the refineries.
Reduce your consumption if you really want to do something. Any other scenario and all you are doing is kidding yourself, while you continue to feed their pocket books.
Buying your gas at Regina
Buying your gas at Regina Cabs isn't going to hurt anyone. I'm sure they get their gas from one of the big companies anyway. They're not refining it themselves I'm sure.
Free Market? Pfft
I'm all for the free market too but this isn't the free market. The oil industry is protected by the same type of bureaucracy that protects cellular communications companies. This is not the free market in action. If it was, 20 more refineries would have been built in Canada alone.
As for the commenter's post above mine. Buying at small independent stations won't have any effect on the oil companies. Where do you think independent retailers buy their refined gasoline from?
a co-operative dream...
it woudl be really neet if you could get the co-operative movement moveing in the oil business, where people would own the company and thus set the oil prices ourselves and memebrs would benefit from the dividends as well. That wasy instead of paying the big oil companies out money we could be owners in our own business...just something to think about...
gas price hike
Well Well Well... It never does amaze me when big oil prices dictate big gas price but what the H E double hockey sticks is going on?
With the U.S economy in the dumps and the butt falling out of the inflated oil price, fuel should be following suit BUT it's not.
OPEC even tried to cut the production a little to keep prices high??? Why To Fill the pockets of the big oil company's.
We are hooked on oil! plain and simple.As long as we are dependent on oil the oil company's will continue to push the limit on what we will pay.
Will someone smarter than me please invent an internal combustion motor that does not require fossil fuel? ( then try and sell it to the auto makers lol)
Patronage wont help
Boycotting a particular oil company wont help. If everyone boycotted say imperial oil, everyone would have to fill elsewhere. Then all the other companies will have overshot their estimates, run out of gas, and have to buy gas on the spot market, at inflated prices, from guess who...Imperial Oil who now have a surplus. So at the end of the day it does not hurt any major company as the gas will be sold to another oil company. The only way to have any impact is to conserve oil..period. And even if we do the emerging industrial countries like India and China will drive up the demand, negating any saving we can muster. And, as usuall, in Canada, conserving oil is always great for a sign, but in reality, is "the other guys" problem.
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