Comments on: Today’s Not Particularly Deep Thought, 11/17/08

By: Christopher Hawley

Christopher Hawley — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 16:01:05 +0000

Waiting for the other “OMG we is economicatedly depressitized!” shoe to fall, i.e. when the oil companies come around for a ~~handout~~ rescue package.

Meanwhile I continue to ride the bike and the bus, TYVM.

By: Laura

Laura — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 19:06:12 +0000

Enjoy it now, I’m sure by next May we’ll be back above $4. And if not then it will be soon after.

By: Jennifer Ouellette

Jennifer Ouellette — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 18:56:27 +0000

Los Angeles gas prices remain pretty high: around $2.50 a gallon. That’s still way better than mid-summer, when prices are topping $5 a gallon in some areas (*cough* Santa Barbara *cough*).

By: Max Dobberstein

Max Dobberstein — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 18:39:37 +0000

Fschwep

I love the French. You have sense enough to use nuclear power and to ignore your President’s sex life.

By: Max Dobberstein

Max Dobberstein — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 18:37:49 +0000

On the one hand, it’s nice to be able to fill my tank for less than $20. On the other, I wonder if the recent vote against a small increase in sales tax to improve public transit in St. Louis County might have gone the other way if gas had been $4 a gallon on election day.

By: S Belisle

S Belisle — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 18:37:05 +0000

not being near a gas station, I can only assume that we’re still paying closer to $3 than to $2, mostly because my friends would have celebrated at the reduced fuel costs.

Still, when I got my license earlier this year, I was paying something like half my hourly wage per gallon of gas. It’s nice to have that bump down to something a little more like one quarter.

By: Fschwep

Fschwep — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 18:33:44 +0000

@Matthew in Austin:
“Imagine what the country would be like now if we had abundant, cheap electricity from nuclear plants. Electric cars would have replaced internal combustion, the price of oil would be low and there wouldn’t be Saudi funding for terrorists, greenhouse gasses wouldn’t be a problem because of no coal burning power plants and oil burning cars.”
In France we do have cheap electricity from nuclear plants. 80% of electricity here is nuclear, with about 10% hydro, a little bit of wind, and some natural gas making up the rest. Ik makes the country far less dependable on fossil fuels for non-mobile use and results in an unusually low production of CO2 per citizen, for a European country. But we don’t have electric cars and pay the equivalent of about 6 to 7 dollars for a gallon of gasoline or diesel (mostly tax).

Just today the French Environmental Ministry published its plans for durable energy development. Every French region is supposed to get its own large solar power plant between now and 2020 (they want France to become leader in large-scale solar), and 2 million homes should be getting heat pump systems (geothermal power). I’m not sure this will help keep fossil fuel affordable or help develop affordable and practical electric cars, though.
We live in interesting times.

By: Linkmeister

Linkmeister — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 18:33:22 +0000

We had a news report over the weekend that gas had come down to $2.98/gallon. Hawai’i’s Paradise Tax lives!

And, since I need to fill up the tank, I was pleased about it!

By: Gillian A

Gillian A — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 18:12:40 +0000

Ed @ 31: I think US gallons are a bit different to UK gallons, ie 3.79 litres per US gallon. Takes the price here for a US gallon to $5.29 using todays exchange rate of 1.50 US$ per £.

By: Ed

Ed — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 17:56:26 +0000

Down to £0.93 a litre here in the UK in some places. Which is still over US$6 a gallon at current rates (using 4.54 litres per UK gallon).