"Consumers shrugged off higher gasoline prices"

I wouldn't call Bill Gates your average consumer ! I read this today and thought it was BS that consumers shrugged off higher gasoline prices.
kilroy Was Here | Homepage | 04.25.06 - 6:05 pm | #

Confidence may be up, but fellings about the economy are still rather mixed in spite of the statistics that show it rather strong. This can only be due to the gasoline crisis, which disporpotionatly affects lower and middle income Americans, who must spend a larger portion of their income on gasoline.
Mike McKain | Homepage | 04.26.06 - 8:10 am | #

Yeah, I have to agree that nobody's just "shrugging this off." My concern is that Americans will end up with more credit card debt as a result. If you want to talk about gouging, consider that oil company profit margins are at 12%, while credit companies are reaping nearly twice that, and pharmaceuticals are even higher.
G Rex | 04.26.06 - 10:20 am | #

Such profits make stockholders happy; happy stockholders makes for a healthy stock market, which makes the economy appear to be doing better than it is. It also boosts confidence, but does not lessen the impact on the average American.
Mike McKain | Homepage | 04.26.06 - 12:00 pm | #

Clergy in the nation's capital and cross the country pray for lower gas prices. Event planned for Thursday, April 27, 2006 from 12:00 Noon to 2:00PM, on Pennsylvania Avenue between North Carolina Avenue and 4th Street SE,and on Pray Live www.praylive.com, 1-888-PRAYLIVE.
(link)
Anonymous | 04.26.06 - 2:05 pm | #

Prayer? That should prove just as useless as the Dems' plan for gas prices, (no plan at all other than to score political points) but at least less harmful.
G Rex | 04.26.06 - 2:30 pm | #

How's this for a plan: roll back the tax cuts on the price-gouging oil companies and use that money to give a rebate check to working Americans in lower tax brackets. Or, how about this; do the same thing, but use the money to invest directly in research for alternative fuels, such as hydrogen.

On a similar note, does anyone else find it ironic that Bush and Cheney, both tied to oil, might be in office for the beginning of the shift AWAY from oil as the primary means of transport? Smile, Republicans - that thought bugs the hell out of me as a Democrat. lol.
Mike McKain | Homepage | 04.27.06 - 8:23 am | #

I am all about alternative energy. If the "greenies" hadn't rallied so hard against nuclear power, this woildn't be an issue at all.
Ryan S. | Homepage | 04.27.06 - 9:19 am | #