Exactly. I didn't say it wasn't ANY part. I said It's a SMALL part. I stand by my assertion that the flow of jobs and services overseas have had a bigger impact on gas prices than SUVs. We had SUVs under Clinton; we've had a mass exodus of jobs under GW. Which time period had the biggest spike in gas prices?

 

Percent increase:


Clinton 1.00 to 1.75 = 75%
Bush 1.75 to 3.15 = 80%

Looks pretty close to me. What is the inflation numbers? Maybe they would affect the ratios as well.

 

Associations does not prove casuality. Ignore the retail prices of petrol in China, because it is fixed by the government. Instead, check out price trends in other asian countries that have had rapid ramp up of manufacturing output. You will see that the price changes mirror the US, so your suspicion of underlying cause and effect is contradicted.

OTOH, look at world oil and petrol demand over the past 30 years, compared to refinery capacity, world price and US price. As high energy demand manufacturing has shifted towards Asia away from the US, US energy demands should proportionaly decrease, but they have not. Quite the opposite -- they have increased. This is due to increased consumption in the US. More vehicles, more miles travelled, pitiful fleet MPG. Personal transport, not commercial transport, is the major user of oil, and trucks/SUV's are a disproportionate portion of that amount.

 

There could be regional differences as well. In Baltimore, this is what I remember (but always recall that human memory isn't exactly flawless):

Clinton Era
1993: $1.15/gal
2000: $1.35/gal
--> 17% increase

Bush Era
2001: $1.35/gal
Present: $3.69/ga
--> 173% increase

But, of course, I might not be remembering correctly. I drove a motorcycle as my sole transport back then (1988-1999), so I never bought more than 3 gallons of gas at a time, and even then it was only every 3-4 weeks.

 

I don't buy the arguement that the president controls the economy, nor the price of gasoline.

 

You're right about that. However, the President DOES make domestic policy and foreign policy decisions that can AFFECT the economy, gas prices, etc. This is a little more subtle than absolute control. But the cumulative effects do add up over time.

 

Nor do I.

 

It's been my assertion that the consumer is most to blame for the lack of a serious US energy policy. Think about it: if the majority of the public took conservation as seriously as the www.greenhybrid.com members, energy consumption would probably be down at least a couple of million barrels of oil a day - enough that the Katrina shortfall would be a minor economic impact. SUV sales would certainly be under 10% all new sales - Detroit would have had several hybrid choices by now. The Bush administration would have to raise demand better fuel efficency or face serious political consequences (he might anyway with current gas prices).

Add to that if the average home owner upgraded their air conditioner, insulation, sun screens, with a greater percentage using alternative energy to live off the grid.