Just exactly way has gasoline prices gone so high? I've aked at every gas
station that I have purchased gas from.
One gas station said that the price of grain had gone up, therefore the
ethanol has increased the gas prices. When I pointed out that their gas didn't
contain ethanol, he simple shrugged.
One gas station said that there was a gas shortage on the east coast and
therefore gas prices have gone up. When I pointed out that quarts of oil have
been the same price for over nine months, he was at a loss to explain.

I would love to hear other stories and (maybe) discover the truth behind
$1.299 for the cheap stuff.

10 responses total.

I don't know, but I can say that gas and oil prices are not closely linked,
as each is driven by market forces more than the cost of petroleum.

Ok, so I pay an extra $5 per month for gas.  It's not a big deal.  We've stil
got some of the lowest gas prices of anywhere in the world.

I feel the same way.  Our Subaru gets 30 mpg and the Nova 50 mpg.  Gas
prices should be a lot hight according to the rest of the world.

  I think the reason why gas prices are high is that the refiners did not
process as much gas as they did in recent years. I have also heard that home
heating oil is up because of the blizzard last year, and the refiners have
not refined as much heating oil as they have in the past. This was according
to ABC news.
  This we can put right on OPEC.

When you bike to work, it's rare to buy gas more than a couple times a month.
I hadn't noticed.

OPEC is being very American, charging what will maximize their return on
their investment. While they are a cartel, they are not a monopoly. We
could buy our oil from many other places - including "buy American".
What's wrong with this? 

Yadda, yadda, high milage and ride your bike, but just why are gas prices
going up? Oil prices underlay all prices in the economy. When trucking prices
go up, *all* prices go up. This is a concern to all people, bike riders
included...and please, as a taxi driver (who doesn't have to buy the gas),
please, please, please if you are going to ride a bike on the street, please
obey all the laws, especially the traffic lights, lane usage and stop signs.
Thanks

As a bicyclist, I agree with you 100% on obeying traffic laws!  With close
to 100,000 miles of bicycling on roads under my belt, I doubt I'd still
be here if I didn't.
 
American economy is tied to cheap oil prices.  That is the real reason
the US is so involved with what is going on in the big oil producing
countries.  It would be good for this country to ween itself from the
cheap oil, though I doubt it'll really happen without being forced by
prevailing circumstances.

Speaking of your still being here - I almost wiped out a bicyclist this
morning. I was driving west on Huron River Drive and overtook a bicyclist
going the same way along the edge of the road. I pulled over a bit to pass,
at which moment the bicyclist "erupted" into a "wheelie", and he and the
bike were thrown into the road. I swerved and missed him (and no cars were
coming on in the next lane). I stopped to see if he needed help, but he
didn't. I surmise that his wheel dropped into a rut along the road, and
*kaboom*. So, not only obey all traffic laws, but watch the road ahead!

Yes, some sections of Huron River Dr. are pretty bad.  Roads tend to
degrade from the edge towards the center, when there is no curb, too.

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