American Politics

[Canada]

Why are gasoline prices high in California? Well, if a person were interested in details, he might want to look into the taxes and fees charged by California, which add up to about $1. 00 a gallon. Or the fact that California has to import 55% of its oil, incurring transportation costs, from places like Asia, South America and Alaska, even though the state has large oil resources. Maybe the state's refusal to issue permits for fracking has something to do with that. Twenty six refineries have closed in California. Perhaps the biggest reason for higher prices is the excessive regulation in the formulations required for gasoline. But people here aren't interested in all those pesky details.

So, when you get right down to it, it's because the California Democratic politicians cater to the greenies who want to have a smug feeling of self satisfaction and superiority from doing good things for the environment, even though they're not in any meaningful way. And they cater to the people who are sitting home on their asses and sucking off the government tit, so they don't have to commute. The workingman, who's busting his ass and paying $4,000 a year for gasoline to go to and from work, he's the minority. And he tends to vote for Republicans anyway. So f* him.

OPEC is cutting production again tomorrow and gas prices will rise again. Not much in Republican states but California will see $8 a gallon gas. I love it. I think it is great. Those dumb ass democrats can keep praising Biden and Newsome. I really feel bad that I am in the oil business and reaping the benefits of the dumbest president in USA history.

[PVMonger]

Did Anybody here bitching about gasoline formulations and "pesky regulations" live in So Cal in the 60's-70's?

If so. Cal had as much smog as, say, Mexico City, the Moron Brigade would claim that Dems weren't doing enough to keep the smog down. Maybe they'd say something stupid like "raking the forest will stop forest fires".

But the Moron Brigade will blame Democrats and they will not offer any constructive solutions. It is in their DNA (unless they think that their DNA was altered somehow, maybe by Chinese thermostats or Italian satellites).

[PVMonger]

Why are gasoline prices high in California? Well, if a person were interested in details, he might want to look into the taxes and fees charged by California, which add up to about $1. 00 a gallon. Or the fact that California has to import 55% of its oil, incurring transportation costs, from places like Asia, South America and Alaska, even though the state has large oil resources. Maybe the state's refusal to issue permits for fracking has something to do with that. Twenty six refineries have closed in California. Perhaps the biggest reason for higher prices is the excessive regulation in the formulations required for gasoline. But people here aren't interested in all those pesky details.

So, when you get right down to it, it's because the California Democratic politicians cater to the greenies who want to have a smug feeling of self satisfaction and superiority from doing good things for the environment, even though they're not in any meaningful way. And they cater to the people who are sitting home on their asses and sucking off the government tit, so they don't have to commute. The workingman, who's busting his ass and paying $4,000 a year for gasoline to go to and from work, he's the minority. And he tends to vote for Republicans anyway. So f* him.

If somebody actually was interested in "pesky details", they could do some research instead of simply pointing fingers.

https://news.yahoo.com/explainer-why...170130453.html

"(Reuters) - After a tumultuous year, USA Gasoline prices have been steadily falling from peaks reached in June due to high demand and tight global refining supply. But in some regions, the average price is beginning to rise again, prompting concern from the Biden administration.

Although 60% of USA States saw gasoline prices fall week on week, the national average gas price increased by about 7 cents per gallon in the same period, according to data from the American Automotive Association.

Last week top White House officials met with oil executives to discuss Hurricane Ian and low gasoline inventories as President Joe Biden warned the industry not to price-gouge consumers.

Why are gasoline prices rising in some regions?

Gasoline prices have recently been affected by regional refinery outages in the west coast and the Midwest.

Refinery maintenance often takes place in the fall when demand drops after the summer driving season. This fall, however, other refineries had to shut units without warning due to infrastructure problems.

Three refineries in Washington state and California have had planned maintenance while another had an unplanned outage in September, according to Refinitiv data and refining sources.

Overall, USA Oil refiners are expected to have about 1.5 million barrels per day (bpd) of capacity offline for the week ending Oct. 7, decreasing available refining capacity by 288,000 bpd, research company IIR Energy said on Monday.

In the Midwest, BP-Cenovus' Toledo refinery is still offline after a fatal explosion shut the plant late last month. On the East Coast, Irving Oil's Canadian refinery had maintenance this fall, according to refining sources.

Gulf Coast refineries are also undergoing maintenance this fall, including Marathon's Galveston Bay, Motiva's Port Arthur refinery, and Pemex Deer Park.

Where are gasoline prices rising and where are they falling?

Gasoline price spikes are most pronounced on the West Coast.

Average retail gasoline prices rose the most in California, rising 10% week on week to $6. 382 per gallon, and Alaska, rising by 11% to $5.34, according to AAA.

Prices have also increased by 11 cents in Ohio and 18 cents in Illinois due in part to the Ohio refinery fire.

Fuel prices fell the most in Florida, where demand was impacted by Hurricane Ian. The average price is now $3. 22, down 16 cents from a week ago. Gasoline prices also fell week on week in other states including Missouri, Nebraska, New York, and South Dakota.

What other factors are affecting fuel prices?

Tight refining supply has caused the gap between wholesale gasoline futures and retail prices to remain wide this year. It currently sits at about $1.30 a gallon, compared with an average of 88 cents over the past five years."

[Beijing4987]

Did Anybody here bitching about gasoline formulations and "pesky regulations" live in So Cal in the 60's-70's?

[EihTooms]

Errata, Post 10456

The labor force participation rate increased from 62.7% in January, 2018 to 63.4% in February, 2020.

Estimates were that the TCJA would reduce government revenues by 1.5 trillion.

I'm not able to link to Peter Whiteford's comments in Greg Mankiw's blog. Either replace the asterisks below with "b l o g s p o t", or Google Mankiw and Whiteford to read the piece.

http://gregmankiw.********.com/2011/...ssive-tax.html

First of all, expand any Labor Force Participation Rate chart you've got to Max and you will see the gigantic plunge in the rate occurred throughout Reagan wannabe Repub GW Bush's presidency. That downward plunging trajectory only came to a halt and began to painstakingly reverse course under Obama-Biden starting in September 2015.

So any vague suggestion that it was "down" under Obama or due to anything Obama had done is total BS. He is the one under whose presidency the dramatic downward plunge trajectory came to a halt and reversed course!

Second, the only notable increase in the rate from where it had increased under Obama began around June 2019. Then, of course, that 8 month uptick came to an abrupt halt in February 2020 when Trump's disastrous economic and stewardship decisions from 2018 and all through 2020 came crashing down with a vengeance.

Labor Force Participation Rate Chart

https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/CIVPART

I have posted screen shots of the above interactive Labor Force Participation Rate chart at the various points I just referenced; at Max showing the dramatic plunge throughout Reagan wannabe Repub GW Bush's presidency, at 10 years showing when it halted its downward plunge trajectory and reversed course under Obama and the June 2019 to February 2020 uptick before Trump's Pandemic crashed it. Although the screenshots are not necessarily in that order.

So what happened in 2019 to cause that 8 month notable uptick in the Labor Force Participation Rate under Trump before his crash? Could it have had anything whatsoever to do with his Tax Cuts and Jobs Act? In all likelihood, not very much. Why would tax cuts for corporations that they used to buy back their own company stocks inspire anyone to re-enter the Labor Force? Why would any tax cuts for anyone inspire unemployed holdouts to re-entering the Labor Force?

Reagan wannabe Repub GW Bush famously cut taxes a whole bunch, at least twice, and as you can see on that chart, Americans fled the Labor Force in droves!

I submit there was a far more logical reason for a notable uptick in American workers re-entering the Labor Force in 2019 and that trend would probably have continued doing so had Trump's Pandemic not derailed the entire USA economy as well as others around the world.

And it was a trend I already previously cited here as the real reason wages increased for women, blacks, hispanics and other minorities that Trump tried to take undeserved credit for but in fact it was something he, Moscow Mitch and most Repubs did and still do adamantly oppose:

Blue states $15 minimum wage push gets a jump-start.
February 19, 2019

https://www.politico.com/story/2019/...m-wage-1173156

With a national $15 minimum hourly wage still out of reach, blue states are mounting an offensive to fill the void.

New Jersey this month joined three other states in raising its hourly minimum wage to $15, Illinois is poised to follow next week, and more states are waiting in the wings.

Its all part of an effort to leverage Democratic midterm election gains to advance the so-called Fight for $15 and increase pay for some of the lowest-paid workers even if the federal government wont.

(and more)

[Tiny 12]

Biden claims oil companies are gouging Americans. Gas in Wyoming last week $3. 29 a gallon, gas in Houston $2.99 a gallon, gas in Tucson, AZ $3.19 a gallon. All republican areas. Gas in Las Vegas $5.19. Gas in Barstow, Ca $6.79. Democrat areas. Why is gas 80 to 100 percent higher in dem run cities? Trying to force people to buy electric cars? Yes stupidity at its finest as the dumbest people in America voted for these dems.

Why are gasoline prices high in California? Well, if a person were interested in details, he might want to look into the taxes and fees charged by California, which add up to about $1. 00 a gallon. Or the fact that California has to import 55% of its oil, incurring transportation costs, from places like Asia, South America and Alaska, even though the state has large oil resources. Maybe the state's refusal to issue permits for fracking has something to do with that. Twenty six refineries have closed in California. Perhaps the biggest reason for higher prices is the excessive regulation in the formulations required for gasoline. But people here aren't interested in all those pesky details.

So, when you get right down to it, it's because the California Democratic politicians cater to the greenies who want to have a smug feeling of self satisfaction and superiority from doing good things for the environment, even though they're not in any meaningful way. And they cater to the people who are sitting home on their asses and sucking off the government tit, so they don't have to commute. The workingman, who's busting his ass and paying $4,000 a year for gasoline to go to and from work, he's the minority. And he tends to vote for Republicans anyway. So f* him.

[ChuchoLoco]

Biden claims oil companies are gouging Americans. Gas in Wyoming last week $3. 29 a gallon, gas in Houston $2.99 a gallon, gas in Tucson, AZ $3.19 a gallon. All republican areas. Gas in Las Vegas $5.19. Gas in Barstow, Ca $6.79. Democrat areas. Why is gas 80 to 100 percent higher in dem run cities? Trying to force people to buy electric cars? Yes stupidity at its finest as the dumbest people in America voted for these dems.

Do the oil companies or dems control the price? Seems to me that the oil companies do and they are taking care of their friends which explains the cheap prices in are areas. Electric cars are the latest joke. Remember when diesel cars were the future and EPA said they were less polluting? Really there is nobody to believe neither the nor are. When is Mexico's first payment coming for the Great Wall?

[Elvis 2008]

Biden claims oil companies are gouging Americans. Gas in Wyoming last week $3. 29 a gallon, gas in Houston $2.99 a gallon, gas in Tucson, AZ $3.19 a gallon. All republican areas. Gas in Las Vegas $5.19. Gas in Barstow, Ca $6.79. Democrat areas. Why is gas 80 to 100 percent higher in dem run cities? Trying to force people to buy electric cars? Yes stupidity at its finest as the dumbest people in America voted for these dems.

Good post, Canada. Some of us know the difference between Republican areas and Democratic cities.

[Xpartan]

The mayor of Houston (Sylvester Turner) is a Republican? Really? Did he switch sides yesterday? Or did he switch sides after reading your horseshit post? Regina Romero (Mayor of Tucson) is a Republican too? Did she switch parties along with Turner?

You said this: "Why is gas 80 to 100 percent higher in dem run cities?

The one thing we can count on you for is not doing any research before you bloviate. Smdh.

Gas in New York is around $3. 30. Another Repub bastion, I suppose.

[MarquisdeSade1]

[Deleted by Admin]

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[Spidy]

"And the federal government doesn't have jack to do with that, except to take taxpayer money and inefficiently redistribute part of it to states and cities."

I am all for the Federal government not sending jack shit of what they collect back to the states. Since "red states" receive a disproportionate amount of those federal funds, they'll all wither and die. https://sipanews.fiu.edu/2021/03/24/...pendent-states

That's exactly right. Although warranted, I thought it a bit harsh though, as there are some good Repubs in "red states", but I understand the frustration, w/r to Repubs in the "red states" as they often are their own worst enemy.

But inevitably, many of these "red states" rant, pomp, bloviate and bluster about Wash. DC should "back-off" and insistently crow about wanting a "laissez-faire" fed. government, that is of course, until the proverbial "shit hits the fan".

Meaning that, when every red city, county, or state run a foul of corruption, malfeasance, debt, bankruptcy, natural disaster or an inept mishandling of a viral epidemic outbreak (and it's not a matter of if, but rather when), they'll come to the feds with proverbial "tail tucked between leg", begging for help and a handout.

(As just noted in EihTooms' recent post http://www.internationalsexguide.nl/...=1#post2749548).

How many times have we seen this scenario play out, from capitalist fraudsters, to the bankster gangsters, to corporate welfare, to gov't funding of the "red states", all with "laissez-faire" hat-in-hand, when times get tough, but were more than happy to tell the feds. "go pound sand" and to "back-off" when the good-times / profits were rolling in.

[PVMonger]

Biden claims oil companies are gouging Americans. Gas in Wyoming last week $3. 29 a gallon, gas in Houston $2.99 a gallon, gas in Tucson, AZ $3.19 a gallon. All republican areas. Gas in Las Vegas $5.19. Gas in Barstow, Ca $6.79. Democrat areas. Why is gas 80 to 100 percent higher in dem run cities? Trying to force people to buy electric cars? Yes stupidity at its finest as the dumbest people in America voted for these dems.

The mayor of Houston (Sylvester Turner) is a Republican? Really? Did he switch sides yesterday? Or did he switch sides after reading your horseshit post? Regina Romero (Mayor of Tucson) is a Republican too? Did she switch parties along with Turner?

You said this: "Why is gas 80 to 100 percent higher in dem run cities?

The one thing we can count on you for is not doing any research before you bloviate. Smdh.

[MarquisdeSade1]

The left is always the beneficiary of these fake polls.

So I'm guessing its deliberate, so that when "election" day rolls around they can "cover up" their cheating.

When something like this happens with Lula for some reason the right hand and the left hand didn't match up.

And you have a huge discrepancy.

Political 3 card Monte!

Those who vote decide nothing. Those who count the votes decide everything.

[Spidy]

Here comes Uncle Sam and Sleep Joe to the rescue again.

I hear Biden has already assured doughy, infantile Ron "no Federal aid for Hurricane Sandy" DeSantis that real tax payers in responsible states like New York and California will pick up the tab for his massive shortfall on this. ...

We'll see how inflation goes for those Repub areas when they get their wish to have all these issues taken care of and paid for from "smaller government" city, state and local tills and pay full boat to their ever popular private sector businesses from now on.

Darn it!

I was just about to report on this very same topic, w/r to PVMongers post on "red states" and you beat me to punch...WELL DONE!

Great post!

[MarquisdeSade1]

https://www.breitbart.com/news/brazi...nst-bolsonaro/

Polls had Lula winning by 10-15%.

Fake polls don't work LMAO.

The left is always the beneficiary of these fake polls.

So I'm guessing its deliberate, so that when "election" day rolls around they can "cover up" their cheating.

When something like this happens with Lula for some reason the right hand and the left hand didn't match up.

And you have a huge discrepancy.

Political 3 card Monte!