Gas Bills

[Mrs. Sixshooter]

Can we all just complain a little more on how rediculously high your gas bills are???

[GLF]

What about gasoline? Sheesh $2.49 per gallon. Expect it to hit $3.00 this year

[Steve Arend]

Just think of what is going to be like if you have to pay at the docks!!!!!!

Steve

[GLF]

The charter captains are the ones that are really going to feel this How many marina's allow you to carry gas to your boat?

[nomas]

What I don't understand is how it can be raised to 2.49 on Monday and then by Tuesday, go back down to 2.27? This summer we will see prices well above 3.00.

[Steve Arend]

I drove by the gas station last Friday morning and gas was $2.16 on my way home they raised it to $2.39. Then come Monday morning it was back down to $2.16.

Steve

[DangerDan]

Gasoline prices depend on the market price. In the past decades the prices were stable and more related to the costs of retrieval and refinement. The instability shown on the markets today is a reflection of world activities and politics. This was something done by the oil corporations and Opec, not by the cost of retrieving and refining the product. Things have certainly changed in todays economy. I feel like anything that becomes as unstable as the fuel issue has, or for that matter any other situation or issue, soon there will be a change. Maybe for the good, maybe not. When I fish and drive I'm affected by the prices, when I don't I'm not. It's really up to me to participate in the scheme of things.

The opinions expressed are not necessarily those of the management.

[nomas]

The one thing I tend to notice for instance I see a tanker truck filling up the gas stations tanks and the price is say 2.20. The very next day the price goes up 15-20 cents, but I am paying more for the same gas that was filled in the gas station tanks the day before. That's got to be a huge profit from this type of behavior...

[Midway97]

WEll its a good thing that Exxon was able to get record profits of 36. BILLION in 2005, what with all the refineries being disabled by Katrina, Crude Oil being so expensive, yada yada yada...

[Mike]

Look at the price of a barrel of oil on the stock exchange.

The price shown is for super sweet crude..Consider that most of the gas used in North America is manufactured from NON-sweet crude.

It is manufactured from a barrel that is worth 1/2 as much..which means you are getting scr*** worse than you think.

[GLF]

No company needs to make 36 Billion dollars in one year.

[Steve Arend]

Let’s take a look at the price of a gallon of gas here in Michigan:

If we pay $2.39 /gallon for gas Michigan takes 19 cpg for tax + .875 cpg for environmental regulation fees + 6% sales tax for a total of 33 cpg. On top of that there is a Federal Gas Tax of 18.4 cpg. So we are taxed a total of 51.4 cpg or we are paying $1.876 /gallon of gas with 27% tax on it. We are not only getting kicked for the big oil companys but from the government too.

Steve

[Sixshooter]

No company needs to make 36 Billion dollars in one year.

Mike that 36 billion dollars was a quarterly profit....They will do that four more times this year.

What is that 132 billion dollar a year buisness?

On a note along with what the wife is talking about. We as michigan voters should NEVER have voted out utility regulation. We somehow shot ourselfs in the foot. Maybe it is time again to regulate the utilities since they think it is fair to gouge us as well.

All this stuff about the war rising prices per barrel up, don't we import about 80% of our oil from Canada anywho?

[GLF]

On a note along with what the wife is talking about. We as michigan voters should NEVER have voted out utility regulation. We somehow shot ourselfs in the foot. Maybe it is time again to regulate the utilities since they think it is fair to gouge us as well.

Funny...My last electric bill doubled from the previous month. I was speaking to my neighbor 2 days ago and he said his doubled also. I need to call the electric company and ask them whats up.

[GLF]

I called the electric company and they told me the estimated the months before and this months was an actual reading. It was a very cold December, so I can see why the price jumped so high.

[Steve Arend]

Man!!!!!!!!

If the Fish Dog Company made just half of that profit, We'd all be going nothing but fishing around the world. Just think! We would have to hire a crew to fish with us and we could pay them 1 million every quarter to travel with us and fish and still have a few billion left to buy some tackle.

Steve

[GLF]

Just got off the phone with the electric company. The previous months bill(December) was an estimate. This months was an actual reading. Decemember was cold plus we had x-mas ornament lights up inside and outside.

[SalmonSlayer]

...We would have to hire a crew to fish with us and we could pay them 1 million every quarter to travel with us and fish and still have a few billion left to buy some tackle.

Steve

Hey Steve,

Where do I submit my application!????!!!! I'd "settle" for 3/4 a million though (no need to get greedy)...just to help out with tackle and such! Plus, I'm not sure what I'd do with the extra $250,000 anyways...yeah right:rolleyes:

[NO MO BEGGEN]

the charter companies wont feel a thing they'll just charge more to go fishing and the average person really wont be able to afford to go charter fishing

[GLF]

the charter companies wont feel a thing they'll just charge more to go fishing and the average person really wont be able to afford to go charter fishing

A charter boat is not making a lot of money per trip. Gas is already $3.5 per gallon in marinas. Figure in the cost of the slip, insurance, tackle replacement, boat repairs/up keep, and the cost of the boat.

Here is another way to look at this. Figure out what it would cost you to purchase, and equip your own boat. If you only used your boat a couple of times per year, it would be cheaper to pay for a charter than to own your own boat.

[spoonfed]

a friend of mine, who is a charter told me that it cost him $350.00 a day, thats before he turns the key on the boat. Thats insurance, slip fees, boat maint. and fuel.

[CaptLevi]

RDFISHIN, Not many charters will boost their prices. Unfortunately for us the consumer is not obligated to utilize our services. While chartering is a huge bargain compared to boat ownership, many will still opt to go golfing or the likes even though they may raise the green fees due to the gas price increase. Some charters may add a gas surcharge for long offshore fishing also although I and most others won't. My rates have actually decreased for a party of 4 or less this season. I may raise rates next season, but will honor my advertised prices for the 2006 season. If I do need to raise fees next year it will be as close to the actual raise in fuel costs as possible. I am aware of a few surcharging $50 a trip for excessive fuel costs when in reality it probably should be closer to $25-$35.

Actually we will see an increase in the price of all goods and services for our everyday nessesities. Many folks in various industries (including charters) will actually attempt to profit from the rise in fuel costs.

Steve is right on the mark. Our Government is profiting on oil sales more than any of the oil companies themselves. In Michigan we are even charged sales tax on the excise tax! We can't look at the dollar figures only. The oil companies are managing a meager 8% profit margin. In the business world that is an unacceptable figure for most corporations. Most demand 20% or higher. Microsoft, GM, McDonalds, and many others have enjoyed WAY higher profit earnings historically than oil but their price changes aren't so noticable on a day to day basis.

I guess we are in for a ride, and it may not be too much fun!