It's all in how you spin it.

**War Eagle** · 05-21-2007, 07:17 AM

I was reading the newspaper a few days ago and came across an article by Cal Thomas (nationally syndicated columnist) where he claimed gas prices weren't really that high. That, in fact, adjusted for inflation gas today is cheaper than it was in 1981. Well, I looked it up and he's right. Or at least he was. Adjusted for inflation, in March 1981 gas was the most expensive it's ever been. Until today. Today we passed that mark. Gas prices are now officially the highest in history.

We've already had a bajillion gas threads so instead of just making another one, feel free to contribute examples of the media and/or politicians giving verifiable facts their own personal spin.

bobjp · 05-21-2007, 08:13 AM

I hate statistics. They are dumb. You could take any statistic and manipulate it into saying two entirely different things. Statistics is the bastard child of math.

Adjusted for inflation how? Based on what? Minimum wage? Average wage?

REDPILL · 05-21-2007, 08:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bobjp

I hate statistics. They are dumb. You could take any statistic and manipulate it into saying two entirely different things. Statistics is the bastard child of math.

Adjusted for inflation how? Based on what? Minimum wage? Average wage?

Statisticly, the person that hates statistics, suck at math.

jclaude

galaxyjb · 05-21-2007, 08:18 AM

also keep in mind that in 1981 there was a huge spike in gas prices (see link to gas price chart below) which then fell off for several years afterwards...hope that happens again.

http://zfacts.com/p/35.html

jeep_on · 05-21-2007, 08:23 AM

Fox10 (valley new channen) said the same thing this moring. I wasn't even around in '81 but it sounds about right to me. Oh well, time to go start up the diesel beast.

PJL · 05-21-2007, 08:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bobjp

Adjusted for inflation how? Based on what? Minimum wage? Average wage?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inflation

Ds4x4 · 05-21-2007, 08:26 AM

i did see something in the news that congress was going to investigate the oil companies to see if they are artificially inflating gas prices. They think that the oil companies are doing this for the shareholders and gouging us, the consumers..

hopefully something good will come out of this...

Willys2TJ · 05-21-2007, 08:48 AM

When I got my drivers license, gas was $0.27/gallon and I made $1.60/hour, minimum wage. It took about 4 hours of my labor to fill the tank on my '64 Chevy Impala (which I paid $225 for). It now takes only about one hour labor to fill my Tahoe or Jeep tank. Back then I was making less than average and today I make more than average.

I think that average earnings in relation to gas prices, they're probably right, or at least close to it. Face it, gas is never going down much again. They've realized we'll just keep buying it no matter what it costs, like cigarettes. Mom used to send me to the corner store when I was 6 years old to buy her a pack of Winstons for 25 cents. Looks to me like gas and tobacco prices have pretty well tracked each other.

On the other hand, back then a person-to-person long distance call from Indiana to California cost about $0.50/minute or about 1/2 hour of labor time for a two minute call.

Doesn't mean we not getting screwed for the gas.

Edit: In the time it took to write this reply, the thread filled up with boobs. This new-fangled internet thing is great.

2nd edit, 1/2 hr. later. Darn, they got rid of the boobs.

**grogie** · 05-21-2007, 09:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Willys2TJ

When I got my drivers license, gas was $0.27/gallon and I made $1.60/hour, minimum wage. It took about 4 hours of my labor to fill the tank on my '64 Chevy Impala (which I paid $225 for). It now takes only about one hour labor to fill my Tahoe or Jeep tank. Back then I was making less than average and today I make more than average.

I think that average earnings in relation to gas prices, they're probably right, or at least close to it. Face it, gas is never going down much again. They've realized we'll just keep buying it no matter what it costs, like cigarettes. Mom used to send me to the corner store when I was 6 years old to buy her a pack of Winstons for 25 cents. Looks to me like gas and tobacco prices have pretty well tracked each other.

On the other hand, back then a person-to-person long distance call from Indiana to California cost about $0.50/minute or about 1/2 hour of labor time for a two minute call.

Doesn't mean we not getting screwed for the gas.

Edit: In the time it took to write this reply, the thread filled up with boobs. This new-fangled internet thing is great.

I so remember in '86 paying 89 cents for super unleaded... of course I was making $3.35 an hour washing dishes.

SomeGuysName · 05-21-2007, 09:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ds4x4

i did see something in the news that congress was going to investigate the oil companies to see if they are artificially inflating gas prices. They think that the oil companies are doing this for the shareholders and gouging us, the consumers..

hopefully something good will come out of this...

They say this every time gas prices go high, I've never heard the results of any of these "investigations"

**mrblaine** · 05-21-2007, 10:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SomeGuysName

They say this every time gas prices go high, I've never heard the results of any of these "investigations"

They are spewing "feel good" fluff in an attempt to make their constituents think they care.

If you want gas prices to go down, quit using so much gas. The trends are predictable and well known. Gas prices go up in the summer because more folks are firing up the RV's and traveling more, diesel prices go down because the demand on the supply is lower due to less of it being used for fuel oil to heat homes.

So far in this country, the only thing higher fuel prices do is create more snivelling. When it reaches a point where we start leaving SUV's and other lower mileage vehicles to rust on the dealer's lots, then and only then will they drop and stay there.

SomeGuysName · 05-21-2007, 10:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mrblaine

They are spewing "feel good" fluff in an attempt to make their constituents think they care.

If you want gas prices to go down, quit using so much gas. The trends are predictable and well known. Gas prices go up in the summer because more folks are firing up the RV's and traveling more, diesel prices go down because the demand on the supply is lower due to less of it being used for fuel oil to heat homes.

So far in this country, the only thing higher fuel prices do is create more snivelling. When it reaches a point where we start leaving SUV's and other lower mileage vehicles to rust on the dealer's lots, then and only then will they drop and stay there.

This is exactly what I have done. So much so that I have even changed my vacation plans to not include the jeep. The wife's car gets more than twice the mpg of the jeep, cutting our travel costs in half.

Malpaso · 05-21-2007, 11:07 AM

There are three types of lies: Lies, Damn Lies and Statistics. (attributed to Mark Twain, and others)

**HolidayJeep** · 05-21-2007, 04:40 PM

82.4 percent of people I surveyed today feel that statistics suck.

**CoriolisSTORM** · 05-21-2007, 04:48 PM

True, this is why my Jeep is setting at home right now. And, right after I bought my Caliber, the VW dealer called back (after 6 months of waiting) to tell me that they got a TDI in for me. Now the *******s decide to tell me, instead of locating one...

The *** hats at chrysler need to get off theirs and get us the 2.0L VW based Calibers and MKs NOW. A CRD Caliber would be lovely. (And yes, I know the diesel Calibers in Europe aren't CRDs yet, VW is switching over to it, which makes me hope that a CRD Caliber will be on its way here soon.)