Current Events > Gas prices are one of the most ridiculous things driving the political narrative

(+) Yeah! (+)

How much of one's personal budget is gas realistically taking up? Certainly less that 10%. Less than 5% I would guess.

And this is what is driving people's political opinion right now? When *this* is the current reality?

Look all Biden has to do is turn the gas prices dial on his desk down, but he won't do it!!! WHY?!??!?

Joe Biden is leading the assault on the innocent gas companies! Look, they just want to make obscene profits and destroy the planet! Is that too much to ask for?!

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No shit

It's mostly because gas prices are a lot higher than they have EVER been at before. If gas was around $4 I don't think people would be losing their shit, but in Cali its like $8 per gallon which is fucking insane.

The average American voter is less informed on American politics than the average European adult. :l But also, throw in how selfish they are and you have huge swathes of the population who you just have to convince that the guys in charge are to blame for whatever bad thing that's happening and they buy it every time without fail. After all, it's easier to think it's Biden's fault than the fault of the gas companies. "Nooooo, why would the gas companies charge more than they need to when they sell so much gas every single day to loyal customers?"

I think people are worried about more than gas right now.

pNaught posted...

No shit

Hilarious considering your OP doesn't convey you knew that. At all lmao

Americans are not smart.

Fuel is like 5% of my spending right now.

Because if Joe bifen let more people drill and put up more pipelines oil companies suddenly wouldn't want more money, and their greed would be satiated and gas prices would plummet to all time lows.

Or something?

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Nor that gas prices effect pretty much everything because everything is transported via vehicles, which influences the producers like farmers who pay truckers, and need fuel to opwrate their equipment, which inevitably seeps to the retailers and then the consumers.

People like TC are a example of someone with a very small picture they think is big, but far from it, lol.

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I mean, usually when people talk in generalities, they mean averages!

Little less than 10% of my normal spending, but that's still more than I would like to be paying for it. I spend around $50 a week on gas, when I used to be spending around $30. That $20 adds up.

And I dont even go anywhere but work and the store.

It's odd to hear people claim they cancelled their family vacation over gas prices. That couldn't be more than an extra $150 over what you planned. If you're running on that tight of margins, maybe you should have planned a different trip to begin with

I'm not poor so it's hard to relate, but it's barely an inconvenience. I don't like paying so much, but I need my car so I buy the gas and don't really think about it too much.

but I guess if you're like making $8 an hour and have to commute 20 minutes, a huge chunk of your paycheck is just going to gas so you can get to work so you can buy gas so you can get to work. At which point just quit bc that job sux.

Dat_Cracka_Jax posted...

It's odd to hear people claim they cancelled their family vacation over gas prices. That couldn't be more than an extra $150 over what you planned. If you're running on that tight of margins, maybe you should have planned a different trip to begin with

IMO thats why its such a problem. First, too many people are in terrible financial situations. They live pay check to pay check and have increased their debt the past three year. Second they feel it regularly. If you fill up every week or so the difference between $30 and $70 in gas is very visible and a constant reminder. People are also dumb to blame it on Biden but thats a while different thing.

Give people that are poor and under constant stress a tangible boogeyman with a good sell and they will do whatever they can to vote him away.

Gas has gone down $0.40 recently. Thanks, Biden!

But seriously, I barely cared and now I definitely don't care with so much more pressing issues having popped up.

First off, gas prices are absolutely not Biden's fault and it's absolutely ridiculous to suggest otherwise.

That said, I do think it's shitty when a lot of liberals/leftists, especially those living in big cities with great public transport, mock people who complain about gas prices or pretend cars are unnecessary. I live in a fairly rural-ish area where lots of people commute anywhere from 30 minutes to 2 hours for work. Luckily I work at home now, but prior to that I had to drive 45 minutes each way. Gas prices are absolutely an issue for people here.

My tank that used to cost ~$36 to fill up now costs more than twice that. If I still had to commute that'd absolutely add up.

It's an extra $12 for me to fill up every week. It adds up. I don't blame the president for that because I'm not dumb, but it does suck.

It's almost like fuel costs literally affect the cost of everything

How do you think your tendies got to Wendy's TC do you think they hauled them all there in Tesla's?

--Zero- posted...

It's an extra $12 for me to fill up every week

There's 52 weeks in a year. This is a loss of $624 a year. This is the number you need to weigh against the lives of LGBT and minorities. Etc...

My issue is, why would anyone vote for Republicans who won't do anything to fix all the price gouging and will just cut taxes for the rich and cut regulations that keep us safe like they always do?

Nerevar791 posted...

First off, gas prices are absolutely not Biden's fault and it's absolutely ridiculous to suggest otherwise.

That said, I do think it's shitty when a lot of liberals/leftists, especially those living in big cities with great public transport, mock people who complain about gas prices or pretend cars are unnecessary. I live in a fairly rural-ish area where lots of people commute anywhere from 30 minutes to 2 hours for work. Luckily I work at home now, but prior to that I had to drive 45 minutes each way. Gas prices are absolutely an issue for people here.

My tank that used to cost ~$36 to fill up now costs more than twice that. If I still had to commute that'd absolutely add up.

This too. That shit does not help at all and just feeds into the out of touch, ivory tower elite liberal stereotype.

It's been killing me because I'm moving and my new place is across town drove over 300 miles in May and June but my car gets 36 miles avg on the highway and I have a 5% cc for gas so it's been aight. Used to cost me $25 to fill up now it's always around $50

Because unlike the overall economy, gas prices are something almost all adults are immediately affected by and something they see every day.

Calling people "stupid" for raging about gas prices is possibly the most out of touch and privileged thing you could possibly say in this situation.

On the one hand some of you people run to the defense of the poor saying how they should be protected from living paycheck to paycheck, but on the other, you call them "stupid" and they should shut up because their gas costs have now just doubled.

pogo_rabid posted...

On the one hand some of you people run to the defense of the poor saying how they should be protected from living paycheck to paycheck, but on the other, you call them "stupid" and they should shut up because their gas costs have now just doubled.

The overlap between the poor and the people loudly complaining about this is far lower than you think.

Southernfatman posted...

This too. That shit does not help at all and just feeds into the out of touch, ivory tower elite liberal stereotype.

Yeah I remember making a topic here earlier in the year about some ass on Twitter cheering high gas prices because they'd hopefully push us away from cars and how people need to stop whining and use public transport, and I checked his profile and he's a tech guy living in fucking Berkeley lol.

pogo_rabid posted...

Because unlike the overall economy, gas prices are something almost all adults are immediately affected by and something they see every day.

Calling people "stupid" for raging about gas prices is possibly the most out of touch and privileged thing you could possibly say in this situation.

On the one hand some of you people run to the defense of the poor saying how they should be protected from living paycheck to paycheck, but on the other, you call them "stupid" and they should shut up because their gas costs have now just doubled.

Spot on.

And I'm glad my state (CA) is at least considering gas cards and rebates to do *something* to help with the hurt. Would be great if both federal and state gas taxes would be temporarily halted like Biden has suggested. Won't be a *huge* effect, but will add up.

yemmy posted...

It's almost like fuel costs literally affect the cost of everything

How do you think your tendies got to Wendy's TC do you think they hauled them all there in Tesla's?

And none of that would be possible without healthy people, yet your kind don't mind wringing people dry for healthcare.

pNaught posted...

How much of one's personal budget is gas realistically taking up? Certainly less that 10%. Less than 5%

It's not just the baseline price of gasoline that puts a strain on your budget. Gasoline is central to the consumerist economy. If a trucking company must now pay more for gasoline needed for transporting goods to your local grocery store, then that extra cost is first passed to the producer of the goods, then ultimately to the consumer.

_HayleyWilliams posted...

And none of that would be possible without healthy people, yet your kind don't mind wringing people dry for healthcare.

Lol you just sound dumb hockeybub ive openly supported universal healthcare for years now.

Even if I didn't this would still be way off subject and way out in left field

yemmy posted...

It's almost like fuel costs literally affect the cost of everything

How do you think your tendies got to Wendy's TC do you think they hauled them all there in Tesla's?

Fallacy. Wendys stopped having tendies years ago

I agree a bit,, but youre're also downplaying it. People are paying double what they did, and for the vulnerable middle and lower class thats the difference on not having left over money for recreational expenses. Also that gas prices add to the inflation plus theres utilities going up as well. So if your typical family has 50-300+ less to spend monthly then its a big deal enough to send us into recession since oild companies are sucking up any money that would usually go towards unnecessary stuff like movies, restaurants, toys etc. Meaning we are going and are already in recession.

I don't understand blaming Biden for Shell and Exxon price gouging.

I do understand complaining about the high gas prices.

It's upsetting how many Americans are willing to support literal fascism just to save 20 cents on gas.

Accolon posted...

to save 20 cents on gas.

Not even close to the amount we are talking here.

TC you sound ignorant.

its ridiculous but its more ridiculous Republicans blame Biden but not Russia for higher gas prices

TheShadowViper posted...

Not even close to the amount we are talking here.

TC you sound ignorant.

You figure Republicans would lower gas prices by more that 20 cents a gallon?

Accolon posted...

It's upsetting how many Americans are willing to support literal fascism just to save 20 cents on gas.

The people who support the fascism do so regardless of gas prices my man.

Most of the people I see bitching about it own huge gas guzzling trucks they never even haul anything with

MixedRaceBaby posted...

Look all Biden has to do is turn the gas prices dial on his desk down, but he won't do it!!! WHY?!??!?

I bet that sick son of a bitch is just sitting there in the oval office right now, just ITCHING for it to turn July 3rd so he can turn the dial up a little more to fuck over our July 4th plans.

TheShadowViper posted...

Not even close to the amount we are talking here.

Uh, yeah it is. Republicans wouldn't lower gas substantially.