Statistics about Gas Prices (See Also – Damn Lies about Gas Prices)

In reading the news while unable to sleep, I came across this article where Mitt Romney is blaming President Obama for rising gas prices.  To be fair, he is saying that Obama should fire some advisors who have given him advice resulting in higher gas prices.

Such a statement is bullshit because no administration can have much of an effect on gas prices and it is simply being used to convince people that they should ignore the fact that Romney is an auton.

Still, I felt the need to do my due dilligence in a situation like this so I took a look at gas prices in the Obama administration vs. the Bush Administration and I found this handy chart:

OHMYGODOBAMAISEVIL!!!!!!!

I mean look at that!  In the first 26 months in office, Bush didn’t completely screw up gas prices.  In fact, prices increased at basically the rate of inflat…..waitaminnit…

I don’t have a great memory but I could have sworn that at some point during the Bush Presidency, gas prices were higher than $2.00 a gallon.  I didn’t imagine that, did I?

Oh yeah!  Bush was a two term president.  I wonder if I could find a chart that shows me how gas prices did during his second term?  Google google google.  Here’s one!

So hang on….around about July of 2008, gas prices reached an all time high of $4.12 per gallon and then they plummeted steadily to their low point around January 1st of 2009.  Then we watch them increase quite a bit for a while, stabilize for about a year (with seasonal changes that are pretty much expected) and then spike recently.  Because of the mild spring and the fact that we consume more fuel in the summer months (look at how fuel prices go up during the summer on this chart – especially during the Bush years), we can expect fuel prices to get higher this summer – possibly higher than the peak we saw near the end of Bush’s Presidency.

So that means OBAMA WILL HAVE MADE GAS PRICES HIGHER THAN BUSH DID!!

He’s the antichrist!  Let’s start drilling in ANWR now!  It’s the only way we can all keep our Suburbans!

This argument is as old as politics.  Here’s an article from 2004 when Bush was running for his second term against John Kerry (who was also an auton.)  What did it conclude then?  Same thing this article said five days ago – the President has very little impact on gas prices.  You know who was quoted as saying “I think people recognize that the president can’t precisely set the price at the pump” in the more recent article?  Mitt fuckin’ Romney!

Gas prices are trending upward and they will continue to do so.  When I look at the second chart above, I see that the prices dropped to a surprisingly low point in early 2009 but quickly returned to levels recorded through much of Bush’s second term.

That doesn’t look like the impact of anyone’s fuel policy – it looks like a natural adjustment in the market.  You want to spend less on gas?  Buy a car that doesn’t use as much of it.  Convince your friends to do the same.  Then stop driving so much.

Because whether is it under Obama or the next President, gas prices will reach $5.00 a gallon.  You know why?  It isn’t because Americans are using more gas (even though we are).  It is because the Chinese are using more gas.

And hey, just about everyone (who can read) agrees that opening up ANWR for drilling would have little to no impact on the price of gas in the United States.  It would have one hell of an impact on the bottom line of whichever oil company got the drilling rights, though.

With all the stuff that divides us ideologically in this country, how’s about we stop blaming the white house (or congress or conservationists or the Chinese) for rising gas prices?  Instead, why don’t we recognize that gas prices are going to go up and we have to figure out how to stop using so damn much of it?  That, at least, should be something both parties can agree upon.