Gas Prices: Who's to Blame?
 

Who do you blame for the recent increase in the price of oil and of gasoline?

As part of my job, I read a lot of articles on the cost of energy. Everyone is blaming someone, but no one is taking the blame.

Who do you think is responsible? I've listed all those that I've seen pointed at in recent weeks, though very few seem to be looking in the mirror.

Some of the categories overlap.

I also blame tw, but thats just me :P

A friend of mine was out on his boat last weekend. A friend of his who was further out on another boat called him and told him to come to where he was, there was something he had to see. When he got there, it was about 40-50 oil barges sitting waiting for the price of oil to go up. apparently, the price is set when they hit the dock, not when they leave the home port. how fucked up is that?

"How much will this cost?"
"How much have you got?"

I voted 'other'. It's all consumers, not just US. Humanity is seeing the tip of the iceberg w.r.t. our dependence on fossil fuels.

I blame everybody who was in a position to do something about US dependence on oil in the late 1970s and didn't.

I voted, but I have reservations about the negative connotations of the word "blame." Sure, it hurts in the short term, but the price of oil going up is inevitable and necessary. The price spiking is the only thing that's ever going to push alternative fuels beyond a curiosity.

I think (but don't actually know) that market speculators, the weak dollar, and increased demand from China caused the recent spike.

But I voted for consumers because we are a bunch of gluttons with oil, especially in the US, and our waste of oil is going to bite us back.

30% Greater demand ie China, India and others
15% Dollar weakness
15% Iranian asshattery
15% Hesitation over ANWR, oceanic, shale drilling
10% Refinery capacity
5% Failure of Iraq to come online at greater capacity
5% General inflationary pressure
5% Failure of ethanol as a moderating factor
3% Conservation failures
2% Oil company profiteering

DING DING DING DING! :thumbsup:

Spexx, I haven't heard from you in a while. How are things?

Clodfobble, I used the word "blame" because that's what everyone seems to be doing - blaming everyone but themselves.

I'd blame me, except that I know it was that other guy's fault.

Gordon Brown.
Well the media in this country reckon he is personally responsible for everything from knife crime to obesity to the teenage pregnancy rate (he must have a hell of a Saturday night!)

Then again, Ken Livingstone was responsible for London's crime rate, pollution, the overspend on the 2012 Olympics and Wagon Wheels getting smaller, so it might have been his fault too.

I like this new blame game. I'm going to start blaming Boris Johnson for the recent spate of acid reflux attacks occurring in my oesophagus. And for the noise pollution that stops me sleeping every Sunday night (also known as HM bringing people home from Open Mike Night). I demand action!

Wow, lots of choices.... since I drive an suv I just assumed it was my fault...

If it's blame you're looking for, why not blame George W Bush? Everyone seems to blame him for everything else.