Dumb question #14: Why isn't the price of gasoline regulated as a utility?

[begin_within]

[Armstead]

1. Not a dumb question at all

What's dumb is that we don't regulate it to a greater degree.

[newswolf56]

2. Because such regulation would minimize or at least curtail...

the oligarchy's ability to savage the working class, thereby contradicting the basic principle of capitalism: to the plutocrats according to their greed, from all the rest of us according to our defenselessness.

[sweetheart]

3. Due to the fungibility of energy

With electric power grids or telephone wires, there is a natural
monopoly of singularity in the marketplace, that "one" wire naturally
enter a house, and with this monopoly, a public right to keep the
market efficient from corrupt monopolists.

Whereas in energy, be it petrol, coal, wind, nuclear or biomass, there
are replacements, and market selection mechanisms have worked over
many centuries that today you will pay for something that was worth
very little in past centuries... something that may become worth very
little in future centuries as energy generation profiles change in
intelligent nations... and this market-price-correction is part of
the feedback that will make coal-fired cars more efficeint.

Well, at least that's what the white man's economics textbook said.

[acmejack]

4. Holy profit margin, Batman!

They don't want to impede these mega-corporations in their screwing of America. Free market, deregulate, etcetera, etcetera...

Here is some good info on that topic:

edit to add link

[Dr.Phool]

5. How dare you use that "R" (regulation) Word!!!!

The next thing you'll come up with is regulating drug prices and healthcare costs!

Commies!

[longship]

6. Both wife and I filled up today.

Little Nissan Stanza -- $34.00 (yup, it was MT).
Toyota Corrola -- ~$20.00

$2.89 / gallon.

I remember in the late 60's when gasoline was 18 - 19 cents a gallon. I could fill up my car for under 2 bucks.

[yurbud]

7. Is ANYTHING regulated as a utility anymore?

[Zinfandel]

8. Like California utilities? (Enron) HAHAHA! Reagan convinced Americans...

regulations were bad for Americans, and greedy stupid Americans always eat up the republican self serving lies.

Never understanding the word collusion and they believe the corporate lies, that deregulation spurs on competition...Dumb fucking Americans...

The media, which is republican owned and adores the deregulation concept and goes along with the ideology completely....

As corporations make monster profits, pollute, and price fix, with no government regulations, they just laugh as Americans wonder why there's no government to control price gouging...Not to mention the republican in power are energy moguls!

Reagan started it all and some of you actually voted republican ideology and voted for republican Reagan!!!! Bush is just finishing up what Reagan started!!!!

[Just Me]

9. Profiteering robber barons is prioritized over the people's interests.

In the three quarters of the twentieth century, we moved three steps forward towards the economic and social equality/justice necessary to create a healthy democracy. We have been pushed four steps back to another robber baron corporatocracy over the last 30 years.

[Junkdrawer]

10. How would the Neocons rule if we don't funnel all our treasure...

to their Saudi partners? :shrug:

BTW: Wasn't that a neat trick? "We don't control the OPEC Cartel, the Saudis do. And shucks, they're beyond the control of anti-trust laws."

[KharmaTrain]

11. Concept That Gas Is Not A Mandatory Need

Unlike water or electricity, you can live your life without gasoline. Many people live without cars.

Of course there's no way you would get a single Repugnican to ever go along with regulating the oil companies or even making them accountable. They'd be loathe to put a winfall tax on profits made from speculation in the wake of these storms and other shortages that could be used now to reconstruct those refineries, rigs and docs. Nah...let the U.S. Tax payer get the bill, let Haliburton double bill for the work and pay the workers minimum wages to get it done.

C'mon, in the Repugnican world any disaster is an opportunity to profit. Look at how they're ooglign at how wonderful Wallyworld is for shipping in so many supplies. Little will these asshats discuss how the Wallyworld trucks tend to only go into the rich white neighborhoods and how many billions this company and others that will be involved in the reconstruction will make off this tragedy.

[LaPera]

12. The same corporate heads are now running the government departments

overseeing the same industry they make their money in and are a part of.