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Are High Gas Prices Actually Doing More Good Than Bad?

Detroit's big auto makers are slashing jobs, closing factories and undertaking costly revamps of their product strategies to cope with $4 a gallon gas. What's the worst thing that could happen now? Gas could get cheap again, says the man who runs America's biggest auto retailer.

"For once we actually have viable alternatives and exciting technology that are really game changers" in the effort to wean transportation from petroleum, says Mike Jackson, chairman and chief executive officer of AutoNation Inc. "However, if the price of petroleum goes down … it undercuts the viability of new technology."

"You have to tell the American people the truth," he says. "Energy costs will be higher."

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Are High Gas Prices Actually Doing More Good Than Bad?



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hao420hao420 - 6/9/2008 11:11:22 PM
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Good one.....agreed dis Lexus fan boy taking

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204E60204E60 - 6/10/2008 12:10:07 AM
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Essentially, you're right. Oil is about two things: Greed and power, both literally and figuratively. After all, the US is in the Mid East for only one reason: Oil. If anyone believes otherwise, they are sadly fooling only themselves.

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LexSucksLexSucks - 6/10/2008 9:30:00 AM
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TheBoss,

I agree with you 100%. The only way for everyone to address the high fuel prices issue is for everyone to buy a Toyota. That way everybody will be driving (by far) the best cars in the world.

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markanthony0419markanthony0419 - 6/10/2008 12:05:24 PM
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fyi american demand for actual oil is lower now then it has been in the past few years. it is also known that we have enough natural resources in this country to sustain us meaning americans for about 100 years. Problem is the left doesnt really want to fix it. we can go nuclear coal and drill for oil plus windmills. ted kennedy voted down the windmills in MA, cant drill, no new refineries, and wont turn to nuclear power. Its easy to say there is a problem and complain and not do a damn thing to fix it.

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kut17kut17 - 6/10/2008 1:09:23 PMView My AgentSpace
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TheBoss,
I don't think that Hybrid technology is really the best way to go. It isn't uncommon for my brother to get 50 mpg on his Honda Civic (that's a gas-engine Civic, not a hybrid). If you drive your car decently and it has a smaller engine, you don't really need a hybrid.

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LexSucksLexSucks - 6/10/2008 2:59:44 PM
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There are regular non-hybrids that get better gas mileage than some of the hybrids. But the Tax break goes to the Hybrid drivers even though they may be driving a vehicle that gets less MPG than a Non Hybrid. The Current Hybrids are nothing more than a fashion statement.

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neutralneutral - 6/11/2008 4:03:26 PM
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thank you. You are completely right.

We are in a crisis state, so the white gloves need to come off. Drill in the Dakotas and the deep water, put windmills wherever possible, more nuclear, less bullsh**.

Also, make it illegal to buy oil unless you physically accept the oil you buy. In other words, cut out the speculators unless they are willing to build massive storage tanks for oil. Then demand on the stock exchange will actually reflect demand of the market, not just the ability of greedy money-grubbers to inflate prices. (I can say this because I am a greedy money-grubber, just not with oil futures).

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neutralneutral - 6/11/2008 4:04:14 PM
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markanthony0419,

my above comment is for you, sorry it got misplaced.


TexLandRoverTexLandRover - 6/9/2008 4:41:33 PM
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Many technologies have existed for quite sometime which have the ability to extend or greatly improve auto efficiencies. But the hurdle has been getting them incorporated and employed effectively into auto manufacturing. Keep in mind, any efficiency "game changer" will catch the eye of the energy conglomerates and quickly be squashed to ensure continued big profits off of oil/gas use. Things will improve slowly, but it will be painful for a lot of average folks in the mean time.

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tattedtwicetattedtwice - 6/9/2008 8:35:25 PM
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Yea, right. Now that the greedyass oil companies see what we'll pay, gas will never be cheap again. The days of cheap gas are gone where bush is gonna go; straight to hell.

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fuelfoolfuelfool - 6/10/2008 3:11:54 AM
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Tattedtwice, just curious. What are your two tattoos? Your name and address in case you get lost? Or "left" on one hand and "right" on the other so you don't get your directions confused?


ghosthunterghosthunter - 6/9/2008 9:51:38 PM
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woo, that price shown in the picture is REALLY CHEAP. here in redondo beach, CA, the regular price for Shell is more than 4.50, and the V power is shooting over 4.80.

anyhow, back to topic. I doubt there are many people drive more than i do (about 90 miles a day), and spend on gas more than i do (300 horses consume quite a bit gas everyday). but i am actually glad to see the price goes up because i experience a LOT LESS traffic now. in fact, i won't mind to pay 8 dollar per gallon if less cars are on the road.



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toolatetoracetoolatetorace - 6/9/2008 11:29:45 PM
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But, don't forget that transportaion of all goods tacks on 80% to the total price by the time it get in your hands . That's the downside .


utahnkidutahnkid - 6/9/2008 11:57:04 PM
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I drive a bigger engine more miles every day. Sorry to burst your bubble. Onsite computer repair and consulting in a 350 HP truck. Beat that.


204E60204E60 - 6/10/2008 12:13:23 AM
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Premium gas on I-5 between LA and SF is in the $6.50 range. At least that's where it was last week; probably higher now. On a desolate stretch of I-10 between LA and the Arizona border, it's well over $7.00. And it ain't never going to be any cheaper (by more than a few pennies, here or there).


damikcodamikco - 6/9/2008 11:35:42 PMView My AgentSpace
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The cars dont have to change to dramaticaly what has to change is the roads. Cars can be made like bumber cars and the streetys could power them.

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utahnkidutahnkid - 6/9/2008 11:58:44 PM
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This is a bubble just like the dot com and real estate. Oil is still VERY plentiful and it's only an amount of time before the same "greedy" investors start pouring money into production and over saturate the market. Sorry but the world isn't ending.

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204E60204E60 - 6/10/2008 12:15:20 AM
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Yes, oil is probably still plentiful. But the U.S. dollar isn't worth jack. If OPEC switches to the Euro to establish oil trading, then it will get much worse, very quickly. (And there is talk of that happening, btw.)


ChicaneShooterChicaneShooter - 6/10/2008 3:45:21 AM
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many people believe the REASON the Big Oilys and their pet president had to take saddam out, was his THREAT to price oil in euros instead of dollars.

a lot of good this Bushite/Big Oily invented war did to keep oil prices down.

it's only a matter of time before ALL oil exporters decide to price their black gold in euros. (meanwhile, what the price of real gold in dollars continue to climb.)






ChicaneShooterChicaneShooter - 6/10/2008 4:16:20 AM
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watch the price


huu76huu76 - 6/9/2008 11:59:41 PM
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tattedtwice,
I may not be a fan of Bush's economic policies, but futures traders are to blame for the rising price of oil. Case point, oil jumped nearly $10 on the news that some guy expected oil to hit $150/barrel by July.

Imagine what will happen when Iraq's 2.5 million barrels/day production gets taken off the market after Obama hands Iraq over to the Chinese.
Before the US invasion, France was the only country that could access Iraq's oil (a whole different story), if Obama wins, only China will have access to Iraq and then who will the leftist yuppies blame then? They'll use the tried and true blame "America for not doing more to protect Europe's oil supplies" strategy.
Once again, being the sole superpower and protector of the West is a thankless job. If its not the Europeans bothering you, its the defeatist segment of your pop'n.

50% of US oil is domestic, 25% from the Western hemisphere and the remaining 25% from the middle east.

What we need is to develop a larger hydrogen infrastructure. I'm willing to pay $2.00/L and $60,000 for a car if it'd make hydrogen truly viable.
Until then, hybrids are the way to go unless you absolutely need a diesel for towing.

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huu76huu76 - 6/10/2008 12:02:54 AM
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utahkid,
I agree, it is a bubble but will only burst when an alternative is available (hydrogen or pure electric).

Once this happens though, traders will just move onto another commodity. Be on the lookout for "water futures" soon, just like how there are rice futures now.

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cdokecdoke - 6/10/2008 1:18:39 AMView My AgentSpace
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Water can be worth quite a bit at the moment.

The neighbors directly to the east of my family's farm (it is actually owned by a corporation the shareholders of which are my grandparents, parents, etc.) sold their water rights to a mid-range 9600 acres earlier this year for $50 million.


ChicaneShooterChicaneShooter - 6/10/2008 4:13:07 AM
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like many of my neighbors, i have to BUY WATER delivered by truck. it used to cost only $ .05/gallon. today's price is .10 a gallon! (altho' most of recent increases were to cost of diesel fuel, and the company's overhead.)



204E60204E60 - 6/10/2008 12:08:14 AM
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I think the photo attached to this article should be updated. Daily.

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truckmentruckmen - 6/10/2008 3:31:12 AM
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I wish that I had more electric skills to make my own electric hybrid truck, there is so much new technology out there doing nothing, I would like to be one of the first to enjoy nearly free energy tec until the goverment decides how to tax us on it.

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ChicaneShooterChicaneShooter - 6/10/2008 4:24:01 AM
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it's been calculated that if just 27% of the national auto fleet were hybrids, WE WOULD NOT HAVE TO IMPORT A SINGLE DROP OF OIL.

the guy is right. alternative vehicles NEED TO BE made and sold. and the best today, ARE hybrids. (the gasoline they still require can be sourced domestically). just over the horizon, are plug-in hybrids.

gentlemen, your mission is clear: trade your guzzler for a hybrid!



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WhelanWhelan - 6/10/2008 11:21:17 AM
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Bottom line, energy is going up, and it is pushing on companies, not just auto, to move towards more economical and environmentally friendly ways.

It was inevitable to happen, and because of our own stupidity we are now paying the price in one big hit instead of gradually. People's reluctance to change astonishes me.

Of course I have never owned a car with an engine bigger than 4 cylinders. I understand people like to go fast, make noise, burn fuel. But if the highest speed limit in the country is say 80mph. Then why make a car that does 150? I know I know, because you can. But if everyone drove in the 55-70mph range the amount of fuel used would dramatically decrease.

So for all those rich jerks in Hummers who could care less about gas prices, keep pumping away cause soon you will create the demise of your own self, just will take you longer to get there.

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kut17kut17 - 6/10/2008 1:07:29 PMView My AgentSpace
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I'm visiting California right now and the lowest price I've seen is $4.39/gal. The highest was $4.69/gal and that was regular unleaded. Diesel was over $5/gal. I really don't see the plus side of this. It's costing more to ship things via trucks, so prices are going up. I really don't think they will go down again.

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Homer007Homer007 - 6/10/2008 3:40:17 PM
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Gonna have to agree with ya. the price of Texas Black Gold is supposed keep on going up until at least September. It should be on or about $5.50 per gallon by then.


TheSailorTheSailor - 6/10/2008 1:53:49 PMView My AgentSpace
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I don't think this is bad at all! It is learning people a lesson! The current prices make people realize that they really don't need that huge SUV which barely makes it past the 10 MPG-mark! And I think the oil companies are digging their own grave. Because once the "bubble" blows, people will have changed their habits and their cars will have gotten smaller and way more fuel efficient... And then what are they going to do with all that oil?!

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BMW995BMW995 - 6/10/2008 5:12:48 PM
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How to reduce substatially oil used for transportation in the U.S.:
1) 20% of electric generation in the U.S. is by Natural Gas.
2) Utilize all this NG for the transportation sector (cars, buses, some trucks).
3) This will replace 38% of gasoline used today.
4) Replace the NG taken away from Electric generation with wind power. The U.S. is the Saudi Arabia of wind; from North Texas to the Canadian border is enough wind to power 20%+ of our national electricity demand.
The only problem with my scenario is that wind farms kill birds and a lot of them. Bald Eagles and a lot of big birds are decapitated by the blades of the wind machines. I wish there was a solution to this.

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Designer1Designer1 - 6/11/2008 6:20:57 AM
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Whenever I read such "solutions" to a problem I fear more and more on America and the western world. None of these are solutions but rather a work around, which basically ignores the issue at hand and finds another route.

I don't see anyone paying attention to the real problem here which is, WHY should gas prices be this high? I'm sure there would be many answers to that, but the only TRUE solution for them is to FIX and do everything to put the gas prices to where they used to and should be.

Now when this solution is implemented at the same time, just it has been in the past decades, the car companies should CONTINUE to find alternative fuel technologies to their cars and provide them to the public. Remember, even if the gas cost $1/gallon, if I can get the same outcome out of a hydrogen car (or other fuel alternative car) than my current gas car and it will cost me LESS for fuel it, TRUST me people will STILL replace there gas cars with the new cars.

We shouldn't blind ourselves and wait until we're being hit hard for us to wake up and change our way of living.

Don't fall asleep America for another 9/11 wake calls, and yes this is another wake up call.


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MadibaPMadibaP - 6/13/2008 4:24:20 AM
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911 was an inside job... wake up to that and you may START to understand what is going on in the world you live in.

Oil is not coming down and America does not have control over this.


ChicaneShooterChicaneShooter - 6/15/2008 4:38:21 AM
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it is indeed true that 9/11 was an inside job. anyone doubting this need only read "Crossing the Rubicon" and/or "The New Pearl Harbor."

people have NO IDEA the extent to which the public is misinformed, and MISLED by the Big Oily oligarchies.

just FOLLOW THE MONEY...



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TONYRICHTONYRICH - 6/28/2008 5:03:32 PM
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I think the best thing to do is just let the price of gasoline go as high as the market will pay for it.

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