Why is gas going up?

Hi, I think that instead of the gas prices going up, that prices should be going up in more places like fast food chains. My reasoning for this is because, it is a service to have meals prepared for you, and that the food at these places is not heathy for the people that eat it, which intern can cause heath problems that effect the medical budget.

An interesting comment, however, this does not have anything to do with the state budget. The price of gas is going up because the price of oil is going up. The price of oil is going up because on unrest in the middle east and because summer is coming and the demand for oil goes up every summer with the driving season. Drilling for oil domestically would increase the the world supply of oil and decrease the price of oil. But, we have to drill for it where it exists: Alaska and off the coasts of America. And yes, that means the Gulf of Mexico. The BP oil spill is over. Notice how there is little or no news coverage of any lasting effects down there? Its time to continue drilling and just watch the process better for safety. However, no process can ever be 100% safe. Do the best we can. I would say that BP learned an expensive lesson regarding spilling oil and other companies did too. The cost isn't just in money, but in reputation too. Regulation regarding drilling would be a good thing, but it has to be effective. And, that means that you have to have the people working for the government that actually know something about drilling, what is safe and what is not. Those people are not that easy to find. If you put people in the position of regulating who don't know what they are doing or talking about, they require things that don't make any sense, which increases the cost of drilling (and, in turn the cost of oil) without giving us any real added safety. Fortunately, the government does not set the price for gas, oil or food directly. However, it does things that can make these prices go up and down. By limiting where oil companies can drill for oil, that does raise the price of oil and therefore gasoline. By subsidizing ethonol, that diverts corn from feeding cattle, which in turn raises the price of corn and increases the price of food. The solution is not to raise the price of fast food. The government does not have any direct power to do this (other than the price of corn issue, above). The government can, but fortunately has not added a tax on fast food. The State of Colorado has considered adding a tax on soft drinks, which could raise the price of a fast food meal. However, any tax would likely be minimal (10 cents for a large coke at McDonalds, perhaps). It is unlikely that a 10 cent increase would decrease the number of people eating fast food. Thus it is a meaningless tax that should be avoided. The solution is to let people eat what they want. Reportedly, this is still a free country. A limited amount of government research, as well as research by universities regarding food is fine. You are free to read that and then make your own decisions accordingly. Should you get sick, it may be the result of your diet or some other habit. Sorry, its too expensive and really pointless to figure it out at that point. Regardless of the cause, including random events that no one can control, it would be wise if YOU purchased health insurance, or had worked hard all of your life, to get an education so that you could work at a place that offers health insurance as a job benefit. I hope that you do. However, if you didn't, just like the fact that you are not going to drive an expensive car on MY money, so too are you not going to get your medical bills paid by ME. I have enough of my own expenses. When you expect the government to pay for your medical bills, you are really asking ME, and all other taxpaying Americans to pay for it too. If you are really poor, we already have a program called Medicaid. The care you will get won't be the best, but that is the incentive to get your own medical insurance, not rely on the government for it. Its the same as having to eat peanut butter vs. steak. If you work hard, you get steak. If you don't, its peanut butter. Medicaid is already a big part of the state budget. It is an area that could be cut but that would mean lowering the income level where people qualify. The actual solution is to find inefficiences in government and government spending. The comment from the bus driver was interesting. She reported that the Loveland school district had spent money on showers for the bus drivers that are rarely used, but does not spend money to fix the heaters in the busses. I do not have first hand knowledge of this, but if it is true, and I have no reason to doubt her, then this is a good example of misplaced priorities. Why does a bus driver need a shower room anyway? You take a shower before you come to work. A bus driver doesn't really work up a sweat most days. They certainly don't if their heaters do not work. Fix the heaters and let them shower at home.

Gas prices are MARKET RELATED NOt budget RELATED

 

I am not sure your comments should have been allowed for posting