Watching BBC World News just now,

[Drum]

and in covering the US' gasoline-price mess the announcer said that since Bush---"himself a former oil man"---entered office, fuel prices have doubled.

DOUBLED?
If that's accurate math (and that I do not know,) then I think that such a statistic is both easy to remember and shocking. In other words, I think that it's an important bit to remember, and to tell others, particularly voters.

Doubled?
It's staggering, and is larceny upon every one of us in this country!

Whatever intentions he professes---and whatever his Source of them, this clown's performance and the greed and hubris would've cast 'em (this crew running the show in DC) out of any job in the land. Can you imagine what Your Boss would do if you &#%@'d things up so consistently badly? Yikes, any of my past bosses would've canned me early in the first term!

[MissB]

1. $1.40

is the figure I've seen tossed around as the average price when Clinton left office.

[Erika]

2. We have 2 oil corporatists running the country as Pres & VP

And the cost of gas has doubled. Surprise, Surprise.

[joneschick]

3. I don't know enough to vouch for the source, fwiw...

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

[Ilsa]

4. Yeah, and they are looking at 1 pound per liter of petrol in England.

It takes 3.79 liters to make a gallon, so that's 3.79 pounds per equivalent of US gallon. 1 British pound equals 1.7866 dollars, so 3.79 pounds would equal $6.775 in US currency. Someone please check how I did equivalents and conversions. That glass of wine is working a number on me tonight.

[muriel_volestrangler]

8. Yep, your calculation is right

Diesel is 99.9p at my nearest petrol station (at least, it was 2 days ago - it may have hit the magic £1 by now, since prices have been going up by about 2p per week), and petrol 96.9p. Though the replaceable figures don't actually allow for 100.9 etc. - either they'll stop quoting the annoying '.9', or paint a permanent '1' in front. And that'll give them an excuse to delay putting the prices back down if crude oil becomes cheaper again.

[w13rd0]

5. That is certainly...

...what I've seen in my area. In 1999, the gas I purchase, the middle grade, was 1.39 a gallon, it is now 2.89 a gallon.

[bananas]

6. Two threads from today about it

A look back - "soaring" gas prices of 6 years ago.
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=364x1004257

In January, 2001, gasoline was $1.46 per gallon....
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x2590829

[Drum]

7. Thank you

for these sources! I've lived in NYC (without a car) for the past 16 years, so I didn't have a good basis for judging the TV's numbers...so I appreciate these links, bananas.

[BooScout]

9. They are wrong...

Sort of. I don't remember what prices were when * took office. But I know for a fact that in late 2001 they were just under $1 a gallon.

Sooooo, since * has been in office they have not doubled.......they have tripled. :mad:

[muriel_volestrangler]

10. Here are Oregon monthly prices

http://www.oregon.gov/ODOT/CS/FS/gas_prices.shtml

They were higher in January 2001 than December - regular $1.51, and $1.22.

It's now reported as $2.869 by the AAA, so the 'doubling' is roughly right.

[Postman]

11. It's the new republican conservation program....

sort of like the way they "liberate" Iraqi's.

Let's just call them the "Anti-Midas Touch" Administration. Everything they lay their hands on turns to sh*t.

Which is intentional, because they have an agenda they want to reinforce in their brain-dead followers that "government doesn't work" only the "private sector can get things done".....You know. Sort of like they way they're getting it done in Iraq.

What a joke.