Energy Drink
May 27, 2007 on 4:54 pm | In Main, National |
Two energy-related notes:
If you’re concerned about high gasoline prices, read this interesting piece in today’s Courant. It points out three salient points: 1) adjusted for inflation, gasoline prices are lower than they were in 1981. 2) The gross profit margins of the oil companies are actually far less than those of companies that manufacture beverages and computers, for example. 3) The government collects far more on a gallon of gas than Exxon-Mobil.
But as the author notes, you won’t find elected officials (left or right) who are willing to say those things because it’s much more politically palatable to turn people into victims and blame a big evil entity.
If you don’t like the price of oil, then use less of it. A collective decrease in consumption will bring the price down. In the last three years, we have replaced the old windows in our house with snug-fitting Pella thermopanes. And 90% of our light bulbs are now compact fluorescent, which use about 1/4 of the energy of highly inefficient incandescents. I am also working on cutting out unnecessary auto trips but I’m not there yet.
Not everyone will do that. you say? Well, then have the guts to advocate for a tax that will raise the price of gas to $7 or $8 a gallon. That is bound to affect consumer behavior. Woops, there go all those votes …
Second note:
Regular commenter Terrence McCarthy has hit the nail on the head with this post on his own blog. He talks a bit about the Cape Wind project, which would put an armada of windmills in Nantucket Sound. Ironically, the project is opposed by environmentalists and other lefties (including the Kennedys of Hyannisport) whose views would be spoiled.
[Aside: There are others who oppose the wind project because they don’t like its economic structure or its impact on the safety of the shipping lanes, but that’s another matter.]
McCarthy, a self-described liberal, took an inventory of all the energy-consuming appliances in his Rhode Island home and concluded he has no moral standing to oppose projects like this. In fact, tilting toward windmills, McCarthy says, “I’ll take one. Yes, they can construct one right here: In my back yard.”
You’ve heard of NIMBY. Now you have PIMBY (Put It in My Back Yard). I concur and while they’re at it, they can put a cell tower in my back yard (PACTIMBY). That’s good for about $15,000 a year in rent and free service. Bring it on, AT&T!
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Thanks for the mention, Terry.
Comment by Terrence McCarthy — May 27, 2007 #
Terry…
When CATV 6 went on air we replaced all the high energy halogen spot lights (10 of them!) with low wattage, umbrella lights for a savings of over 4,000 watts usage a day..
When we took over the WKZE building, we replaced 60 seventyfive watt bulbs with 15 watt energy savers, and we installed all new sound boards that are solid state, and use 50 percent less energy!
Its still just a drop in the bucket…
The oli companies still do not invest in new refinereries, and, they shoot down alternitive forms of energy. The automobile companies are not ionnocent as well… hybird schmibird…with the new deisel fuel, it burns lots cleaner and nearly doubles your gas mileage…
And our goverment does little to foster hybird fuels, solar or wind energy, etc, etc..
It obvious, there is no single, simple answer…and no accountability for any politicioan , or company, to invest in new technology for energy comsumption or usage.
We need a miracle, and I do not see one on the horizon.
Comment by Marshall Miles — May 27, 2007 #
I particularly liked the idea of PACTIMBY! They can put a cell tower in my backyard too.
I wonder how many miles I drive per year because we STILL don’t have respectable cell service here and one has to drive to a destination where there is landline service before one can adjust one’s route for contingencies.
Also, how much energy it requires to make, install, and continuously energize the telco cables that hang along all the roads — fewer of which would be less necessary with decent cell service.
Comment by Geoff Brown — May 27, 2007 #
New Page 1
Depending on your sources, you can create any type of sorry gas price excuse
you want.
Your author DOES NOT indicate his information sources, therefore I discount his
claims based solely on the following source:
http://www.fintrend.com/inflation/Inflation_Rate/Gasoline_Inflation.asp
This source indicates he is WRONG.
Comment by Michael Flint — May 28, 2007 #
Michael,
Actually, it looks like they agree on a key point. The Courant piece says:
The piece you provided from inflationdata.com says:
In other words, we have not yet reached the inflation adjusted price of 1981. But another later sentence in the inflationdata.com piece suggests we are already at or slightly above that level. At any rate, it hardly sounds like we are getting robbed blind at the pump when you take the historical perspective.
I’m afraid we Americans have become spoiled by low energy prices. Don’t get me wrong. I don’t like spending more of my income on fuel either. But my understanding is the only countries in the world that enjoy cheaper prices than we do are petroleum producers like Mexico, Venezuela and Saudi Arabia, where the government subsidizes production and keeps prices artificially low. And most places in Europe pay 2-3 times what we pay because of confiscatory gasoline taxes.
I don’t think either the Saudi or European models are sustainable for us. So unless we find another heavy-duty energy source, we are stuck with higher-than-desirable prices.
Comment by Terry — May 28, 2007 #
Terry, the more I read your article, the madder I get.
1) adjusted for inflation, gasoline prices are lower than they were in 1981.
Who gives a damn about the high prices in 1981…I was mad as hell then, and I am as mad as hell now…high prices, huge saleries, no return of investment in the companies technology.
2) The gross profit margins of the oil companies are actually far less than those of companies that manufacture beverages and computers
Computer companies pay high saleries to their owners…lets see, I don’t see any of the oil companies setting up the worlds largest charity like Bill Gates!! I do not see oil companies reinvesting in their companies like computer companies to improve the performance of their product!
With beverages I have viable choices…very low cost generic brands, or more expensive brands. AND, I can always drink my tap water for FREE!
With the oil companies I have high, higher, and highest prices…and no other options!!
No one cares about profit margins being high if the oil companies would do more than hand over the profits in grotuesqe, ultra high saleries.
Profits were disgustingly high in 1981 for oil companies, and now that we are getting back to that level it’s OK? NO, its not.
And don’t get me stared on the goverment…all talk and no action for over thirty years on “energy reform”.
There is no excuse for oil prices to skyrocket out of control, ther is no excuse for frittering away now, close to 700 billion dollars in Iraq, and there is no excuse that this years presidential election will cost around a billion dollars by most peoples estimate.
And, we let the same people and parties stay in power election after election.
I love when I am told to drive less, to use energy efficient lights, etc, etc, etc, blah, blah, blah…and no one in goverment tells or demands that the oil companies do anything but reap high profits for saleries!
I read the post you are talking about..and it does not change the bottom line…..
It was price gouging in 1981, and its price gouging now. PERIOD. It was colusion betweeen the oil companies then, and its colusion now. PERIOD!
I am going to cover Sharons parade, and cool down!
Happy Memorial Day everyone, please take some time to pray for those who have given their lives, those who serve right now, and those who have served in our armed forces. Without them, we would be writing on this blog in German or Japanese..and I have enough trouble with English!
Comment by Marshall Miles — May 28, 2007 #
1981 is an interesting year to choose for comparison. There was a huge spike in the price of crude oil around that year. It went from about $35 a barrell in 1978 to almost $70 in 1981, then steadily back down to about $20 in 1985.
http://www.wtrg.com/prices.htm
Comment by Tom Cowgill — May 29, 2007 #