I wonder whose servers know me better. Google or the NSA?

 

I, for one, welcome our new government overlords.

trick question, NSA has direct access to the google servers

trick question, NSA has direct access to the google servers

Is this actually a proven (or at least leaked) thing, or just an assumption? Granted, it's the same assumption I would make.

Is this actually a proven (or at least leaked) thing, or just an assumption? Granted, it's the same assumption I would make.

Someone add the link to today's Washington post article.

This guy was apparently the uncle of a couple of my friends in NW Indiana.

http://fuelfix.com/blog/2013/06/09/states-...gasoline-taxes/

 

States consider fees for hybrids to recoup lost gasoline taxes

 

 

What do you guys think? Have I finally found a tax you disapprove of?

gotta pay for the roads somehow.

 

edit: but now that I think about it, I think the road wear from small cars is basically negligible and that it's larger trucks and semis that do almost all of the damage.

Edited June 10, 201312 yr by StrangeSox

gotta pay for the roads somehow.

 

edit: but now that I think about it, I think the road wear from small cars is basically negligible and that it's larger trucks and semis that do almost all of the damage.

 

Maybe they could institute a truck and SUV tax to cover for the hybrids.

some sort of weight-and-miles-driven formula would be best, but that's not exactly practical.

How about they just raise the gas tax? Simple, elegant, literally is weighted based on weight of the vehicle.

On a related issue, why is gas around Chicago $1 more than gas in S.C. and .50-60 more than gas all the way down in Key West?

On a related issue, why is gas around Chicago $1 more than gas in S.C. and .50-60 more than gas all the way down in Key West?

 

It has something to do with the Whiting refinery being unable to run at full capacity. It has affected gas prices in most of IL and IN and parts of MI and WI. Luckily I'm far enough south that I'm still paying $3.49 for gas, but it's $3.89 in Indy and $4.09 in South Bend.

 

On a related issue, why is gas around Chicago $1 more than gas in S.C. and .50-60 more than gas all the way down in Key West?

I was in Chicago for a few days a little less than a month ago. While I was in Chicago, the gas prices here in the Cities skyrocketed to be the highest in the country (at the time) at about $4.30. They're back down to $3.60.

http://fuelfix.com/blog/2013/06/09/states-...gasoline-taxes/

 

States consider fees for hybrids to recoup lost gasoline taxes

 

 

What do you guys think? Have I finally found a tax you disapprove of?

We actually have something in the utility industry similar to this...we have something called "lost revenue" that the entire pool of electric rate payers pays to make up for the lost revenue from folks who participate in energy conservation programs.

 

So if Bill is enrolled in the more efficient pool pump program and therefore saves $100 annually on his electric bill, the pool of ratepayers makes up for that deficiency as a whole.

Ha, I was wondering why ComEd is always promoting better electricity conservation, effectively encouraging their customers to use less of the product. Now it makes sense.

It has something to do with the Whiting refinery being unable to run at full capacity. It has affected gas prices in most of IL and IN and parts of MI and WI. Luckily I'm far enough south that I'm still paying $3.49 for gas, but it's $3.89 in Indy and $4.09 in South Bend.

 

They are doing a modernization plan in Whiting, and then I had someone tell me that there was a fire at another refinery somewhere in the midwest. Don't know if that part is true or not.

They are doing a modernization plan in Whiting, and then I had someone tell me that there was a fire at another refinery somewhere in the midwest. Don't know if that part is true or not.

Well the reason I'd heard for the Minnesota price spike was that three facilities were down at the same time for scheduled maintenance. Sen. Klobuchar (D-MN) got all pissed and wrote angry letters galore.

Detroit Free Press

“The Midwest refineries are plagued with problems,” said Phil Flynn, chief energy analyst with the Price Future Group in Chicago. “While the rest of the country is swimming in supply, the Midwest is seeing 22-year lows of supply. We can’t seem to get a break.”

 

Michigan was especially hard hit this weekend because it depends on aging Midwest refineries that have had problems this year. However, unlike other Midwest states, which also had higher prices, Michigan doesn’t have as many other refinery and pipeline options, one analyst said.

 

In addition, speculation among Midwest refiners likely is causing them to panic and buy gasoline at a premium to meet contract orders from wholesalers. Other oil producers see a competitor’s vulnerability and ratchet up prices, which the buying refinery passes on to wholesalers, who, in turn, raise their prices to retailers, who then boost what they charge consumers.

 

Flynn pointed to five regional refineries that supply Michigan with gas:

 

■ On Friday, the ExxonMobil refinery in Joliet, Ill., shut down, possibly through next week. The refinery was closed in April for maintenance.

 

■ Last week, the Phillips 66 Wood River plant in Roxana, Ill., reported a process leak. Its operations status was unclear. The plant also had an unplanned shutdown in late February.

 

■ In late May, a compressor at Citgo Petroleum’s Lemont, Ill., refinery was shut down, adding to the regional supply shortage.

 

■ In late April, there was an explosion and fire at the Marathon Petroleum refinery in southwest Detroit.

 

■ And for many months, production at BP’s refinery in Whiting, Ind., has been cut to about a third of capacity as the plant converts to process heavy Canadian tar sands crude. When completed, the plant is expected to refine more oil, but the conversion is taking longer than anticipated, Flynn said.

Ha, I was wondering why ComEd is always promoting better electricity conservation, effectively encouraging their customers to use less of the product. Now it makes sense.

Yeah, it's really the only way you can expect a company to encourage people to utilize less of their product...

On a related issue, why is gas around Chicago $1 more than gas in S.C. and .50-60 more than gas all the way down in Key West?

 

Taxes.

 

Federal gas tax is 18 cents per gallon

IL state gas tax is 19 cents per gallon

Environmental gas tax is ~ 1 cent per gallon

City of Chicago gas tax is 5 per gallon

Cook County gas tax is 6 cents per gallon

 

...and then, placed on top of that is a City of Chicago sales tax of 6%, in addition to the State of IL sales tax (I don't know the number off hand), which is essentially taxing tax.

 

That's why prices are so high.

Taxes.

 

Federal gas tax is 18 cents per gallon

IL state gas tax is 19 cents per gallon

Environmental gas tax is ~ 1 cent per gallon

City of Chicago gas tax is 5 per gallon

Cook County gas tax is 6 cents per gallon

 

...and then, placed on top of that is a City of Chicago sales tax of 6%, in addition to the State of IL sales tax (I don't know the number off hand), which is essentially taxing tax.

 

That's why prices are so high.

Nope.

Taxes.

 

Federal gas tax is 18 cents per gallon

IL state gas tax is 19 cents per gallon

Environmental gas tax is ~ 1 cent per gallon

City of Chicago gas tax is 5 per gallon

Cook County gas tax is 6 cents per gallon

 

...and then, placed on top of that is a City of Chicago sales tax of 6%, in addition to the State of IL sales tax (I don't know the number off hand), which is essentially taxing tax.

 

That's why prices are so high.

 

Refinary issues are adding another 50-60 cents on top of where prices should be. With futures at $2.80 right now, our prices in Indiana would usually be around $3.40 to $3.50. We are at $4.15.

Taxes.

 

Federal gas tax is 18 cents per gallon

IL state gas tax is 19 cents per gallon

Environmental gas tax is ~ 1 cent per gallon

City of Chicago gas tax is 5 per gallon

Cook County gas tax is 6 cents per gallon

 

...and then, placed on top of that is a City of Chicago sales tax of 6%, in addition to the State of IL sales tax (I don't know the number off hand), which is essentially taxing tax.

 

That's why prices are so high.

I don't think so.

 

NC gas taxes are only 1.3 cents less than IL gas taxes, but our gas is more than a dollar cheaper than yours.

 

http://www.forbes.com/sites/kellyphillipse...t-in-gas-taxes/

Refinary issues are adding another 50-60 cents on top of where prices should be. With futures at $2.80 right now, our prices in Indiana would usually be around $3.40 to $3.50. We are at $4.15.

Yup.

Yup.

 

Nope.

 

It's both.