ADDITIONAL INCREASES LIKELY …
A gallon of regular unleaded gasoline in South Carolina will cost you $3.34 this week – and while that may be the third-cheapest price for gas in America, it’s up 12 cents a gallon from three weeks ago.
Oh … and given South Carolina’s chronically low income levels, our residents continue to spend a disproportionately large percentage of their budgets on fuel costs (second only to Mississippi, in fact).
Gas in South Carolina averaged $3.24 per unleaded gallon in 2013 – down from $3.35 in 2012 (but up from 2010’s average of $2.60). It could soon cost as much as $3.50 per unleaded gallon, though.
What’s driving the latest increases? More demand, industry experts say – although the costs associated with the federal government’s infamous ethanol mandate are also contributing to higher prices.
“Republicans” led by S.C. Senators Hugh Leatherman (RINO-Florence) and Ray Cleary (RINO-Horry) want to impose a whopping 125 percent increase in the state’s gasoline tax, hoping to hike it from 16 to 36 cents over a ten year period beginning in 2015.
Other “Republican” lawmakers are reportedly planning to introduce similar increases …
Thankfully moderate Democratic S.C. Rep. Bakari Sellers – who is running for lieutenant governor – has vowed to block this increase.
We oppose the gas tax hike – and support Sellers in his efforts to achieve modest gas tax relief.
What are prices like at your local filling station? Include your experience in our comments section below …
67 comments
Roads are fine. More taxes are needed to fun higher education.
Do you drive or walk?
I drive a speedy car. I look cool when I go to the club and play 18.
You are insane and need help.
You are insane and need help.
Obama has NO energy policy except to Block the TREMENDOUS amount of reserves in the US. He is stopping the Keystone Pipeline, so those who are “ALLOWED” to drill…can rob us blind…
And Obama does not care if we cannot buy food or afford a vacation…he Spends billions on travel, and live like a King…Screw you…he’s geeting that revenge he trold us about during his campaign…
If we could turn stupidity into energy, we could just lock you in the reactor and keep warm for a few millennia.
Two words on why gas prices spike: Market Speculators
Another thing to consider, a gallon of gas is still cheaper than a gallon of milk.
Again, other states with higher gas taxes are not crumbling under the weight.
If only my car could run on milk… /s
Good point. I was illustrating the comparative price of a gallon of gas vs. a gallon of milk as per the chicken little scenario.
Oddly enough, cars can run on things other than gas but the market place is tilted heavily against them given all that sweet, sweet lobbying money and gov’t handouts to the Exxons of the world.
Ethanol adds about 30 cents to the cost of that gallon of gas – the various “blend requirements” can add another 50 cents to a dollar. Take away those requirements and the subsidies on milk and let’s really see what the fair market will do to the costs.
Where’d you get those costings from?
Ethanol blending is an example of “heart’s in the right place, but it isn’t helping.” The idea is to reduce consumption of oil, but there are too many negatives to the equation to really enjoy the positive.
Required ethanol integration in America’s fuel supply is the worst idea ever, bought and paid for by farm lobbyists.
“Two words on why gas prices spike: Market Speculators”
If it wasn’t for speculators, instead of price spikes you’d get gas shortages and waiting lines a la the 73′ oil crisis if the supply become short enough.
This blaming of speculators is ridiculous and completely misunderstood. Not only do speculators not compete for available oil, they would only hurt themselves if they priced risk higher than appropriate as they’d make no money:
http://money.cnn.com/2012/03/22/markets/oil-gas-prices-speculators/
You’ve got your research…and I’ve got mine (from wikipedia page):
“In September 2008, a study of the oil market by Masters Capital
Management was released which claimed that speculation did significantly
impact the market. The study stated that over $60 billion was invested
in oil during the first 6 months of 2008, helping drive the price per
barrel from $95 to $147 per barrel, and that by the beginning of
September, $39 billion had been withdrawn by speculators, causing prices
to fall.[58] Research and testimony presented by Rice University, The Federal Reserve Bank of Saint Louis, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, Citigroup Global Markets and the Levy Economics Institute of Bard College
studies argued that excessive speculation, mainly by Wall Street
index-fund traders drove up prices, with estimates ranging up to $1 a
gallon in inflated gasoline costs. In this sense the crude market was
used as a hedge for inflation, while at the same time crude was the
source of inflation, creating a feedback loop despite otherwise
plentiful oil supply.[59][60]”
You’ve completely missed my point. Speculation is nothing more than risk hedging. PERIOD.
You take it away, you get shortages instead of price spikes, as proved in 73′.
Your “research” don’t show otherwise.
Not really. The last line from my quote says it all. Speculation artificially manipulates the market to create shortages where none actually exist and therefore the price will spike.
As an aside, there are lots and lots and lots of cases and examples where Wall St. does not in fact play by the rules (willingly) and that has caused tremendous harm to the US and world economies. Yet miraculously most of the perps are not in jail.
“Speculation artificially manipulates the market to create shortages
where none actually exist and therefore the price will spike.”
Wrong, speculation is nothing more than a guess on future supply. It has nothing to do with supply, that’s why you are missing the point. It can’t “create shortages”.
But it can, and does create artificial price inflation.
and my other point is that such price increases stave off shortages…
I’d rather pay more on occasion then not have availability.
But especially during Katrina, there never was a shortage issue. It was a contrived cost based on speculation–speculation that the oil / gas commodity was a better investment for artificially driving up prices than the stock market was.
“But especially during Katrina, there never was a shortage issue.It was a contrived cost based on speculation”
What are you talking about? The pipelines running through that section of the country and delivery routes were all hammered during Katrina, so while the damage wasn’t as high as expected the rigs & pipelines were off line, & road shipments briefly went to zero.
Wiki:
“By September 7, Gulf oil production had returned to 42% of normal. Of 10 refineries that were shut down by Katrina, four were expected to be back at full capacity within a week”
So what you are saying is that had prices not gone up during and after the storm, there would have been shortages, even though production returned to 42% of normal in only 7 days?
If so, then every price spike and pointless run up in gas prices after Katrina was simply due to supply and demand?
Really?
No, that’s not what I’m saying. Go back and read everything I posted, it’s in there.
Speculation itself is fine, if it is controlled. The problem is that it can be abused to drive prices up and churn out more money for a select few at the expense of everyone else.
For more information on how the few fuck the many, research LIBOR, or the price of aluminum. Just a few other examples of manipulation that fucks us.
“For more information on how the few fuck the many, research LIBOR, or the price of aluminum.”
All done by TBTF banks, bailed out with our tax money and “regulate” by government.
So your argument that speculation is fine “if controlled” is dubious at best. Government “control” via regulation is not only laughable as shown by the last banking crisis, but filled with corruption.
If you doubt this, ask yourself why employees of Goldman Sachs are constantly coming/going from the Treasury department on a revolving door basis. You might also consider that GS gave close the same amount to both Obama and Romney last cycle.
Two words to stop this: Keystone Pipeline.
How’s that? Please go own and tell me how Canada’s oil that’s going to be sold to China, is going to benefit the U.S.
You don’t drink a gallon of milk going to work or coming home. You don’t buy 20 gallons of milk once a week. Why compare the two?
You don’t drink a gallon of milk going to work or coming home. You don’t buy 20 gallons of milk once a week. Why compare the two?
——-
Because oil has to be pumped out of the ground, travel through pipes to a refinery (or travel in ships), be converted to an exact formula through heat and chemistry, transferred to tankers to be trucked to a gas station, and pumped into a car. It’s used for energy, it’s indispensable.
You get milk by putting a machine on a cow, running it through a homogenizing machine, pumping it into a tanker and taking it to a packaging plant. It’s a beverage.
Will, you can do better than that! That’s the *worst* gas picture since I’ve been here! I hung around for the cheese.
And for non-comprehending Dumb@$$#$, like you, the pictures are what matters. Right?
Information, DT, is comprehended by the mind. The vehicle that transfers the information may be the eye, the ear, the skin, the tongue, and/or the nose. When choosing the type of information preferred, two very important considerations are; the volume of information presented, and the speed at which that information can be transferred effectively.
When using one’s eyes to gather information, it’s often possible to transfer more information in a shorter time through pictures, than through text… you might also be interested to know video has the capability to transfer even more information in an even shorter time than through pictures or text.
Your idea that non-comprehension is served best by pictures, leads me to believe you aren’t clear on the concept, and very possibly more interested in being hateful and obtuse than trying to gather or communicate useful information.
Am I close?
Apparently so, since he avoided giving an answer.
He says he’s afraid of me.
The gas hike should only be on premium and diesel.
See how long a tax lasts when you make the rich pay the tax!
Short haul truckers and workmen are “the rich”?
Well, you would hit the truckers.. that’s true. They don’t have much of a voice – unless you count the unions. :)
Of course, they wouldn’t put up with it either.
It’s when you hit the people who don’t have a union, or don’t have a group with a voice that you get away with it.
If, instead of making the average person shoulder the load with his pittance – make the people who have good jobs and lots of money shoulder the whole load, and you’ll see that tax go away in the blink of an eye.
Who do you think buys the most fuel? And who do you think eventually pays the price of fuel increase in OTR trucks?
Hey! I’m on their side!
I’m just saying if you want the gas tax to go away, tax the ones with the loudest voices.
Who you tryin’ to fool, Dumb@$$???…
You’re on the side of your elitist lord-god Obama, who sips champs, stays on vacation, probably snorts like a vaccum and eats like a King, despite all the suffering his is responsible for..
Pieces of $#!* like place your greed and hate for those not like you…above all…
Why do lie about who, and what, you are???..are you ashamed???
I think Dubya left a kilo under the Oval desk…
What? What would Damned Tango be doing under the… ooooohhh…
Who you tryin’ to fool, Dumb@$$???…
——-
Well, obviously not *you*! You’re onto me… and my elitist lord-god Obama.
are you ashamed???
———-
Not at all, DT.. but I can see why you ask – it must puzzle you to see people who are not ashamed of themselves when they are calling people dumbasses and pieces of shit.. it would make most people ashamed to talk this way in mixed company – especially if they set themselves up as a paragon of virtue, whose inner compass leads them into the pure, unadulterated world of truth and light…and even more so when the obviously low-brow nature of the insult is completely bereft of the slightest ray of humor of interesting perspective.
But, though your example of self-righteous indignation is tempting as a parody, I think I’ll continue to be the most humble person in the room – lest I become venal and petty, and vent my spleen continually with vain, childish insults.. for by indulging in such base emotions and behavior, I might damage my message…
…and that message, Dear Damned Tango – is that you…
…are absurd.
Crooks plain and simple, In the last month it has gone up 29 cent a gallon. Now all these big company’s can buy off all these politicians and it’s all legal.But they all talk about the economy,The oil company’s kill it every time it starts to get better and no politician cares. The oil cos. use every excuse they are,, shut down refinery,s for maintenance,weather,summer or winter mix,ethanol shortage or some other b.s. and its not going to change until something happens to all these crooked politicians,they all have been bought off! Just look around at everything that’s going on in the U.S. And its not just gas prices, someone or some country is trying to bring the U.S. down!
Whoa there my man.As Fits,Nikki,or Hell ANY Republican or Libertarian here will tell you,high gas prices are the Governments fault.They make poor old Exxon and these other criminals raise their prices with “burdensome” regulations and preventing them from drilling in your backyard.The fact that they are making more money than they’ve ever made, are paying their execs millions?fiddlesticks.They need MORE money!Its the damn “free market!” Got it!
Now shut the Hell up and PAY till it hurts and vote REPUBLICAN!Thank God for the”free market and THANK GOD for NIKKI Haley!
Your characterizations of people are funny, but not true.
I suppose you can root to nationalize the oil companies like Venezuela if you hate them so badly. That’ll fix their boats.
I can tell by your comments you are one of those that were born with a silver spoon up your butt, the free market is controlled by to many factors now to be called free,now you shut the hell up and go give them all your money. I agree it is the Governments fault,and their all crooks so who you going to vote for? Either way you vote you are going to lose.
The “free market.” Is a fraud and a delusion.Has never existed.Its funny to watch all you clowns run around here mouthing off about it.
Supply and demand is why gas goes up every time the economy gets better. Don’t get me wrong, I’ll rail against speculators ripping us off, Keystone XL being nothing more than for Big Oil’s bottom line, and the huge subsidies we give the industry, but our consumption against the world consumption rate makes it go up.
It won’t improve either, China and India keep consuming more, too. We need to reduce consumption by improving efficiency in the now and get a viable alternative in the future.
During almost ALL of the Bush Administration, gas was relatively cheap. And when democrat policies led to price jumps…Bush moved quickly to lower the price. And it worked. Obama has been HORRIBLE on energy.
It’s one of the reasons Bush served during a BOOM economy…and Obama has been nothing but a BUST…
More Keystone XL bullshit. Yes, why is Obama standing in the way of posing a huge risk to millions of American citizens in order to transport, refine, and sell oil to other countries?
If this wasn’t obvious before, look no further than the GOP’s suggestion to sell that stuff to Europe after the whole thing with Russia and Crimea. They pretend it will help our oil independence yet they are giddy as hell to ship it out of the country over any reason they get.
Luckily they have shameless tools like GT to trot out blind, unquestioned support of it.
Bottom line: Obama is is a F*#k up…
You are running your mouth while families w/ unemployed parents, suffer, and pay more of the little money they have, for heat, food and gas…
You FAILED, and are Failing…so STFU with the excuses. No one buys your lies anymore…It’s stupidity.,
Please link how Keystone is going to bring down the price of gas for the U.S. Put up or shut the fuck up.
You increase the abundance of oil and the price goes down..Dumb@$$…
The Keystone Pipeline increases supply…
Oil producers, and traders, KNOW that when democrats are in power, and Clamp down on production…they can charge what they want…and get away w/ it….(See 2006 democrat take over of Congress, followed by Obama)…
You are a F*#king embarrassment..
You Ignorant MotherF*#kers lie about what you are…and when you get caught hurting the very people you milk for your GREED and Power, you lie like the Pieces of S#!* you are…
Just admit who you are and what you do..and that you don’t give a $#!* who you hurt to push your theories, and stupid Bull-$#!*…All the crap you FORCE on people NEVER works in the Real world…
For whom does the keystone pipeline increase supply? Show me evidence the U.S. will benefit. If you can’t, move along…
You cannot PROVE anything to you Hardheaded F*#king liberal idiots…You still say Bush’s economy was not better than the F*#king Disaster of Obama’s..
When Reality is presented to you, that does not fit the theories, and Bull-$#!* your leaders feed you…you simply deny facts and the truth…
So the question is: What gives Obama the RIGHT to Deny the pursuit of energy???..
He needs to sign for the pipeline, get out the way and STFU…Let the market meet the needs of the people..
Because ONE THING is SURE: Obama has F*#ked up on energy. From pouring billions on Solyndra to the The Volt (Total Failures)…. He has damaged family incomes, because the cost of heat and gas have been ASTRONOMICAL under his watch…
When you say NO TO DRILLING..The price goes up…You ignorant Dumb@$$…Obama needs to get out of the way…he is nothing but a failure and a hindrance to Americans…and America…
Thanks for not answering my question, Dumbass. You go on with your fantasy…all you had to do was show me the links to support your point, but all I got was the rantings of a madman…good day, knuckle dragger.
Someone could F*@k you you simple-minded idiots up the @$$ w/ the truth, and you’d still be able to fit your head in there too…
You don’t care about reality..only protecting your-lord god, who you’ve somehow elected king….You worthless, idol worshiping piece of $#!*…
I’ll give you this: You sure don’t lose an arguement graciously…
Jesus, son! It’ll take me all day to fix this mess.
Gas prices when Barack Obama took office: $1.89 per gallon.
Gas prices 5 years later: $3.40 per gallon.
Thanks Obama!
EXACTLY: And how many billions has Obama cost Americans, who are already suffering because of the number of jobs he has bled, or cut in two because of Obamacare???
Wrong again oh wise one: http://www.politifact.com/texas/statements/2013/jul/23/roger-williams/says-obama-policies-contributed-raising-gas-prices/
Dear Spawar Atlantic Captain Burin,
Just look at how WIl FOlks has served this timely piece of energy fluff. Look at the “whiffs” offered by Grand Tango and SMIRKS. Captain Burin, you do understand that Grand Tango and Smirks are NOT stupid. They understand if the Keystone pipeline is NOT “opened” that all that OIl has to be railed to port somewhere. How does rail congestion impact grain and food delivery…?
The Naples Camorra understand……..and so does a farmer in Canada. Dare to wager what Wil Folks will do when he listens to this audio.. here..?
http://podcast.cbc.ca/mp3/podcasts/current_20140407_24898.mp3
Captain Burin, how should this Command and Control information be used by WIl Folks on a map to allow SMIRKS and Grand Tango to play along in “real” time..?
How should this be used against Bobby Harrell to reveal the Norfolk-Southern and CSX rail congestion across the Charleston metro area..?
Captain…….how should the be used by SPAWAR Atlantic civil SERVANTS to impact actions in Kiev….today..?
{Boomerang 101, 404, 901, 909, move Nancy Mace to Tru-Luck Island, wager 3 Grand Tango bitcoins, FACEBOOK Smirks chessboard, Pintarest Wil Folks’ season tickets…}
This comment jungle is a classic example of ….WHAT..?
Ya know………the studies from the Mount Sinai Institute of Mental Health have not taken into consideration the data found here. Deception detection ratings will need to factor in the distinct attributes on display.
Thanks everybody……