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Who is to blame for the recent spike in gas prices?

Oppressive regimes in the Middle East and North Africa, which have fueled civil wars in oil-producing nations.
4% (68 votes)
Oil companies who have used instability in the Middle East and North Africa to justify raising prices.
46% (767 votes)
BP because we are still reeling from the disaster in the Gulf of Mexico.
1% (9 votes)
OPEC because they will always raise gas prices until the demand curve flattens.
14% (228 votes)
Ourselves because we have not invested enough in the development of alternative fuels.
36% (605 votes)
Total votes: 1677

 

 

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Comments

Who is to blame for the recent spike in gas prices? It sure isn't any of those listed above. Barack Hussein Obama alone is to blame. It was he who, while imposing a ban on offshore drilling, gave Brazil over 2 billion dollars of taxpayers money to further their offshore drilling. Obama is bent on destroying our economy and thus, our country. I'm shocked that the Legion didn't add him to the who is to blame list.

Submitted by Gonendunit : Apr 21, 2011 4:47pm

1 of the above & then some.
Wall Street speculators create havoc with the market price. In addition, oil companies control the US supply to support higher prices. The US has a history of "talk" about energy independence; however, no "serious" long term investments have been made to promote actual change. Solar, wind, geothermal, etc. need to be invested in at a high rate to make a dent of difference.

Submitted by dons1960 : Apr 21, 2011 6:10pm

I also believe that none of the above is the correct answer, but not because of President Obama. From everything I've read, it is not a matter of supply and demand. There is plenty of oil in the market at present. Rather, it is Wall Street oil speculators who are betting that the price will continue to rise because of any number of events, including continued turmoil in the Middle East.

Submitted by revert : Apr 21, 2011 6:23pm

It's good to see a few members who realize what the cause is, and always has been. Keep the politics out your replies and address the real issues, the rest of you.
Right now, it is mainly the Wall Street speculators causing the latest rise in oil futures.

Submitted by stan124 : Apr 21, 2011 9:18pm

Are a combination of OPEC, market speculators, and our Administration. EPA rules have severely limited construction of new refineries and drilling where we know we have an abundence of fossel fuels.

Submitted by okiejim : Apr 21, 2011 8:49pm

Are you in cahots with the administration (for the available choices)
The available choices don't approach the causes:
Lets start with the Democrat party for failing to support drilling in the US/Alaska and offshore,
And Obama and his administration for not issuing permits,
Add in the speculators for bidding the price up - thank you Carter administration,
How many truly wealthy people have the resources to cause the spike - try George Soros (for one) who wants to bring the US down

Submitted by bobcan207 : Apr 21, 2011 8:51pm

The price of oil is in dollars. The dollar has been devalued as a result of the government overspending and printing more dollars to pay the bills. As with anything, the more there is the less it is worth. The government, led by Obama and the democrats are to blame. They have to stop printing money and cut the spending. The value of the dollar will rise and it will not take as many to buy oil.
Very simple.

Submitted by herefreeman : Apr 21, 2011 9:01pm

All of the comments above are pretty much correct. the results of the questionare most believe falsly that the oil companies just raise the price. They have to buy a large percentage of the oil from producing countries which raises the price. the increase is also due to speculators, the falling dollar, lack of domestic production. The oil companies make about 5% on the oil they refine. If the price goes up they will make more money but the percentage remains the same. The government makes about 15% with no cash outlay. Alternative energy will not affect the price of oil that much. Most of the oil is used for transportation. Most of the alternative energy is used to produce electricity.

Submitted by tommyB : Apr 21, 2011 9:33pm

The United States has vast energy resources. Various groups -- environmentalists, leftists of all varieties, Democrats, and the foreign oil-rich countries who finance them -- have, and continue to, keep U.S. energy companies from exploiting our energy resources. The U.S. Department of Energy was started to reduce dependency on foreign energy. Foreign energy represented 30% of our energy needs at the time. Foreign energy now represents 70% of our energy needs.

Obama is a special case. He bragged during his campaign for president that he would raise the cost of energy. He bragged that he would bankrupt electric companies that used coal (our most abundant natural resource). Well, he's doing exactly what he said he would do.

Submitted by Luthier : Apr 21, 2011 9:34pm

I have NEVER been so disappointed in The American Legion in all the years I have been associated with it. It is hard for me to image The Legion question options on this issue of oil prices not including the current administration in Washington DC. Has the American Legion sold out to this “hell bent on the destruction of this great country” agenda of this administration?
I have a friend who used to work in the gulf coast oil drilling industry. They have lost 100s of thousands of job in the gulf coast because of Obama and his administrations drilling moratorium for the region. Not to mention the addition oil we are have to buy from other countries; more American dollars going overseas. The friend’s company moved their drilling platform to Angola. More jobs sent overseas.

Submitted by eviehoward10 : Apr 21, 2011 9:39pm

used to ferry tourists to look at the swamps in the off season. Now he's unemployed, broke, about to lose his boat and his home. He tells me he's one of about 12 million families in the gulf region screwed by BP. But golly, hate to lose those 3,000 oil jobs. right. BTW they are handing out permits unabated, in spite of reports saying the Blowout Preventers don't prevent Blowouts 40% of the time.

Submitted by bobajabob : May 19, 2011 9:42pm

The increase in all fuels and food is the direct result of the Obama administration Policies. They are doing everything they possibly can to reduce the standard of living in America to same level as the socialist in Europe that they so much admire. The first anti American president in the history of our country.

Submitted by Angus : Apr 21, 2011 10:47pm

It has been shown that supply is more than adequate and demand is down so the question must be asked: Why do prices continue to increase, flying in the face of what used to regulate most commodities, i.e., supply and demand. I believe (as do others in this forum) that there is a one word answer and that one word is "Speculators". Those who indulge in this national pastime should be thoroughly investigated and brought under control, maybe even prosecuted???

Wake up, America!!! Greed is NOT good!

Submitted by exiledmainer : Apr 21, 2011 10:55pm

Oil Companies have made huge profits affecting our countries economy!

Government must intervene and put some of these crooks in Jail! We have a very dumb goverment??? Our Government officials who are elected by us, do not work for us? Most of the officials have their hands into the pot of Gold?? They do not want to disturb their money making machine! OIL---

With all the dollars it cost the Taxpayers of this country, to fight the mid East wars, we get absolutely nothing for it! It's time for payback! It's time for these countries to pay us back, even if it is with oil??

Remember, the Stock Market plays a big role in this too! It is the same class of people who help destroyed the housing market and now are going to destroy the economy again??? We cannot keep going up and down The economy must stabilize!! It's time to put some of these people behind bars and thro the key away!!

Wake up America!!

God Bless America David Karam

Submitted by davidk44972 : Apr 22, 2011 5:11am

The last time the government stepped in to control oil prices we had a real shortage if you are old enough to remember. The housing bubble was also caused by government policies, that everyone should own a house and fannie and freddi wouild cover it. Any time the government does something it doesn't work

Submitted by tommyB : Apr 22, 2011 6:38am

How about none of the above. Surveys by design always limit the answers too much.

"Alleged" Price manipulation and fixing by oil corporations in violation of Federal Anti-Trust & price gouging laws.

A veil of corporate protection from liability to oil company directors and officers.

Excessive Federal Road Tax on Gasoline & Diesel.

Excessive State Road Tax on Gasoline & Diesel.

Tax on Taxes paid, where State and/or Local sales taxes apply to the amount of Federal and State Road taxes in addition to the actual price of the fuel.

Submitted by TonyC51 : Apr 22, 2011 8:03am

I object to the use of blatent partisan politics in this forum, since the Legion is non-political and non-partisan.

Submitted by TonyC51 : Apr 22, 2011 8:43am

I Object to the 51% of American Voters, whom through Their Own Entire Ignorance, Elected a Candidate with the Pretense of the Political Platform, in which has Implemented Exactly & Precisely, upon this Nation, as prescribed during the Primary Campaign. Thus Forcing the Minority of Voters to Swim in the Great Democratic Cesspool, as the rest of YOU ! Many Thanks from the 20 Million Unemployed, the 40 Million 1st time Welfare Applications and the countless of thousands of Extreme Small Business People, like me, that have either Closed, Incurred More Debt, and/or Lost or about to virtually Everything Tangible and/or Real in Property. There's NO Humor in this situation. Feel fortunate You're NOT Face-to-Face, with me right now !
Mother F@#$%^&* !!!

Submitted by Tim Foor : Apr 22, 2011 3:26pm

threaten people on the interwebs?
big tuff guy in front of a computer screen huh?

Submitted by junx : Apr 28, 2011 11:44pm

Look at how many diffrent "blends" of gasoline the refiners are required to make due to goverment regulations. There's an east coast, west coast, chicago, and houston blend just to name a few. If there were only one blend the cost to refiners would be lower and the price should at least stabilize.

Submitted by garycrittenden : Apr 22, 2011 9:12am

Since when has the Legion become a puppet for the liberal left?
The real reason is not even listed--it is the failure of the Dems to allow drilling for our own oil!!!!!!!!

Submitted by mountaineer59 : Apr 22, 2011 10:26am

I realize that when the price of a barrel of crude goes up, so does the price of gas at the pump. But the average national price of gas that we all see in the media is not the real story. What is the real cost of just a gallon of gas. Just once, I would like one of the media hounds to take any State, mine in Virginia would be great, and break down the TAX we're paying per gallon at the 3.60+ rate. In other words, tell me what each federal, state and local tax there is per gallon, how much each tax is, what the tax is for, how long has the tax been in place, and has the purpose of the tax been satisfied, that it should be removed. Remember that when the price of gas goes up, you pay more of these taxes. With that in mind, why would government really want the price of oil to go down?

Submitted by Bob1 : Apr 22, 2011 12:59pm

In Montana there is a total of 46 cents tax per gallon-18 federal tax, the balance state and county/local. This hasn't changed since gas was $1.96/gallon.

Submitted by bobajabob : May 19, 2011 9:36pm

The tax on the price of a gallon of gas does not go up with the increase of cost per gallon. The federal tax which may increase from time to time goes for infastructure. Mostly the building of roads and brigdes. Some goes for Airports and high speed rail.
The State tax is also used for the building of roads and Bridges. The State tax may increase from time to time depending what the need is for infrastructure. They used to have the State and Federal tax posted on the pumps.

Submitted by van139 : Apr 22, 2011 1:47pm

The state and federal road taxes per gallon today are about 10 times more now, then they were back in the 70s.

Submitted by TonyC51 : Apr 22, 2011 2:17pm

If Push came to Shove. The Real Reason would come during the WW2 Era. Drilling & Production Increased for the War Effort's, well into the Korean Conflict. My 3 Oil wells, were drilled in 1947. 1 was finally "Capped", in 1994. Due to being just a "pisser". The other 2 are still Good Pumpers.
But, if "Blame" has to be administered. Then Start with the DEMOCRATS. US President Eisenhower's Final Farewell Speech to America, Warned us of the Industrial-Military Complex. We haven't, as a Nation, learned anything from that, as well as, the Oil Embargo of 1973. US President Bill "Slick Willy" Clinton, whom didn't inhale, Shut-Down 65 Oil Refineries. Located across CONUS. We still to this day, haven't Rebuilt Any of them. That's where the Major Percentage of the Overall Cost of a Price per Gallon is derived. Now the recent Administration's have either Profited or Totally Ignored, this circumstance. Your Interpretation. Absolute Blame comes to "We the People", for allowing it.

Submitted by Tim Foor : Apr 22, 2011 3:12pm

It's the current administrations fault - period!

Submitted by lazlady : Apr 22, 2011 4:03pm

I didn't say the tax went up with the price of gas, I said you pay more tax with the higher price of gas. Big difference.

Submitted by Bob1 : Apr 22, 2011 6:20pm

Good point.

I paid about $5 per tank in taxes in 1992, and I pay over $10 per tank this year.

If the percentage of the sale price stays the same, who cares?

I still have to pay more.

The difference is semantics.

Submitted by TonyC51 : Apr 23, 2011 5:46am

I will chime in on the behalf of the "none of the above" guys. I can say without fear of contradiction that we are all fortunate that I have not been elected president of the United States. However, if I had been, I would be throwing everything including the kitchen sink at this problem. First, I would standardize Octane standards for all 50 states. If there's a shortage in Oregon we can ship gas from Maine. Next, I would build 30 refineries a year until we reached capacity. Simultaneously I would drill baby, Drill!!!!! The Alaskans want us to drill on a fraction of 1% of their land. I would permit them to do so. The Oil companies would like to drill off the coast of several of our states including the gulf. Under the condition that they utilize the technology gained by this last spill I would encourage them to do so as long as the derrick is not visible from shore.

Submitted by luckybuckeye : Apr 22, 2011 9:01pm

they haven't changed a darned thing since the BP disaster! And to boot a recent report tells us that the "Blow-Out Preventers" Don't 40% of the time. They know this, the MMS knows this and yet they are handing out permits hand over fist. There are wells sitting capped all over eastern Montana and Wyoming I know of, probably in ND and SD as well, they won't pump them till they have gotten every gallon they can elsewhere. We simply need to make this product cost 100% of it's true cost, no subsidies, no cheap royalties, no Wall Street speculation, strictly business. The Flex-Fuel system in south america works well and is where we should be going for now-we could do an Apollo Project style commitment and achieve it in 5 years but, even then we need to watch the fracking and not sacrifice our water in the process. There are plenty of economical sources of natural gas that don't require this dangerous, filthy practice. 30,000 years under the Sea of Cortez alone.

Submitted by bobajabob : May 19, 2011 9:31pm

The question is bogus!
The issue are the wackos who forbid us to use our own
natural resources.
We have plenty of of natural gas, coal, etc.,but we
cannot drill for oil because of our BIG BROTHER government will not allow it.
It is time for the people to speak up and get the EPA
out of our lives.

Submitted by williamr : Apr 23, 2011 9:07am

1. Who is it that is "required" to do such development? The greadly oil companies???
2. After the 1970s "oil crisis" fund "where to be set aside from the profits of the oil companies to do such research & development"... So why do we, ONCE AGAIN need to pay for such? How much of the "45+% increase of profits" has the oil companies invested into such research and/or development???
3. The United States does offer FREE ENTERPRISE, but when big businesses continuously GET AWAY with RIPPING OFF the public, should this NOT be a VIOLATION of PUBLIC ENTERPRISE???

Submitted by Chaplain Anderson : Apr 23, 2011 1:37pm

It is the people bet on future pricing that drive the price of gas up. Supply is stead and demand is low. It the futures market that drive up the price. Until speculation from Wall Street banks needs to stop. Their dice game is killing us.

Submitted by JOHN D. ATKINSON : Apr 23, 2011 11:24pm

First, all people who are on Alternative Fuel/Green Environment/Global Warming better wake-up and do some study on technologies (how and what it takes wind power and solar power work). See how long the private sectors and govt. worked on wind power? Over 30 years and we are not even close to get to where we need to be. Go visit Oregon where there is wind power farm and see what it does for the life of community and the environment. How about the Spain whose been using this technology for while and what impact it has on them. Better yet, our own Hybrid car? How much we are paying to little dinkling car and every 4-5 years have replace the batter which cost appx $4 K to $7K, then what do we do with old batteries, it certainly is not a little battery. By the way, it is made of what? Gee, I thought we suppose to help the environment?
Second, where is the answer on our own govt. Obama and his admin, to include Dems) fosil fuel policies that has greater impact to gas price and econo

Submitted by CurrAHee : Apr 27, 2011 12:44am

VW to begin marketing car in America next year that gets 171MPG, uses technology that has been around since 1894. The windmill farms you disparage are also in Washington, idaho, Wyoming, Montana, North Dakota and Nebraska and I have heard damn few complaints. There are occasional wind spills though but they are pretty cheap to clean up. We also face a serious National Security threat from our outdated power grid: one effective solution is to install solar PV cells, windmills or Bloom Boxes on every building in America-a system known as distributed generation. This would be better for the environment and the consumer/citizen and the technology is on the shelf right now! This is only one suggestion. Look at transportation in Brazil and Bolivia-they use a shadow of the fossil fuels we do.You sound like a lobbyist for the Koch brothers.

Submitted by bobajabob : May 19, 2011 9:19pm

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Submitted by junx : Apr 28, 2011 11:43pm

According to the federal government's Energy Information Administration, the average cost to produce a barrel of oil in the United States is approximately $30. So when oil companies sell a barrel of oil for triple the cost -- $100 or more, as they have been for months -- the oil industry is pocketing at least $70, and passing the cost on to you and me.
They not only pull in massive profits but they collect US government subsidies from the US taxpayers of $4 billion dollars a year.
These subsidies go to the same industry that is pushing legislation to allow offshore development without new safety requirements. The oil industry fights safety inspections, complains about environment safeguards critical to protecting community water supplies, and pressures Congress to gut environmental laws.
Something is dreadfully wrong with this picture.
Greed does not justify destroying America.
I am a Korean War veteran that came home and made a new life. Not all did.

Submitted by Rev. Richard : May 13, 2011 1:04am

None of the poll answers included:
The fault is ours for not using the abundant resources in oil, natural gas, and coal available in the United States. This is the answer although politically incorrect.

Submitted by redfox : May 16, 2011 1:13pm