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I lost my bet on gas prices (w/ new poll!)

By scribe, Section Diaries
Posted on Wed Mar 21, 2007 at 02:15:44 PM EST
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You'll remember, about a week after the election, I posted a diary with a poll attached.  I discussed whether gasoline prices had been manipulated prior to the election and then polled the audience on where the price of gas would be come the first day of spring.

Today's the day the bet comes due: March 21.  

If you recall, I tank up at an off-brand place which regularly has the lowest prices around.  I thought that gas prices would be more than $2.509 a gallon there today.

I was wrong. And, so was everyone else who took the poll.  But, hey, we were predicting the future.

This morning, driving by, the price was $2.399.

That price has been holding now for about 10 days.  It's up considerably from where it had been right before the election.  In my earlier diary, I noted the price was $1.919 on November 7, making a 48 cent/gallon increase in four months - a hair better than 25%.

Not too shabby if you're an oil company, considering there has been no supply interruption or new debacle affecting oil prices.  I still think the prices were manipulated pre-election.  That the price has not hit the $2.509 I thought is nice, if only because filling up costs me a buck and a half less than it would, if I had won my bet.  

So, since the "preview" function is telling me I have to have a minimum 300 words in my diary, else the computer won't publish it, I have to put together a new poll.  Two questions this time:

(a) What will be the price of gas on the first day of summer, June 22, 2007 at my favorite off-brand place?



(b)  Will Alberto Gonzales still be Attorney General on June 22, 2007?

I've set out eight combinations of prices and the Gonzo gone-zo question;  the price combinations reflect middle bands of a 25% increase and a 16% decrease and the extremes.  Gonzo is either in office, or not.  For him, if June 22 is his last day, he's in office....

As always, this is for fun only and the only reward is the knowledge that you were right (or not).

< Be prepared, be calm, be cool, be steadfast. | Why are the Republicans only sort-of jumping ship? >

Poll

You see the poll questions above. Pick a combination from these:
♦ Gas will be $1.999 or less and Gonzo is still AG 0%
♦ Gas will be $1.999 or less and Gonzo is NOT AG 0%
♦ Gas will be between $2.000 and $2.398 and Gonzo is still AG 0%
♦ Gas will be between $2.000 and $2.398 and Gonzo is NOT AG 25%
♦ Gas will be between $2.399 and $2.999 and Gonzo is still AG 25%
♦ Gas will be between $2.399 and $2.999 and Gonzo is NOT AG 50%
♦ Gas will be $3.000 or more and Gonzo is still AG 0%
♦ Gas will be $3.000 or more and Gonzo is NOT AG 0%

Votes: 4
Results | Other Polls

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    I lost my bet on gas prices (w/ new poll!) | 9 comments (9 topical)

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    AM PM mini-mart (none / 0) (#1)
    by sarcastic unnamed one on Thu Mar 22, 2007 at 12:45:05 PM EST
    generally has the lowest prices here in LA, CA - at about $3.069 today.

    What state are you in?

    Damn sarc!.... (none / 0) (#2)
    by kdog on Thu Mar 22, 2007 at 12:55:26 PM EST
    I thought NY was bad.....2.79 and 9/10 by me in the burbs.

    [ Parent ]
    And that's the cheap stuff... (none / 0) (#3)
    by sarcastic unnamed one on Thu Mar 22, 2007 at 01:01:46 PM EST
    ...the Chevrons and Shells of the world are usually about $0.10 - 0.20 more expensive.

    [ Parent ]
    I live in the machine.... (none / 0) (#5)
    by scribe on Thu Mar 22, 2007 at 01:42:08 PM EST
    What state are you in?

    I want to say "Denial" but that would be inaccurate, as would "Altered". To be fair, "Fugue" or "Near-catatonic from Scandal Fatigue" might do for now.

    But seriously, this is not (I think) the cheapest gas around - on my way to one of the more obscure courts I did find a place a few months ago where they were selling it for about 10 or 20 cents less than elsewhere (including the off-brand).  But I got dubious because I think I saw a pipe running through the station and the back fence into the refinery....

    [ Parent ]

    Hmm, very vague answer. (none / 0) (#6)
    by sarcastic unnamed one on Thu Mar 22, 2007 at 01:52:16 PM EST
    Trying to protect your favorite trout fishing spots are you? ;-)

    Fair enough, I learned many years ago in the school of hard knocks to do that also...

    [ Parent ]

    In a word (none / 0) (#7)
    by scribe on Fri Mar 23, 2007 at 02:30:42 PM EST
    Trying to protect your favorite trout fishing spots are you? ;-)

    Yes.

    That, and I work at keeping my on-line anonymity. I'm just another face in the crowd in real life, and I want to keep it that way.

    I heard recently a bit on the radio about a very prominent baseball player who, after his (team's) season ended badly, was invited by another prominent, retired athlete, to take a week or two travelling to Europe - get the bad taste of defeat out of his system.  Current ballplayer had never been and took up the offer.  Since baseball is not "big" over there, he was able to just walk the streets and be an ordinary guy on vacation.  This, he remarked, was the most amazing thing and highly enjoyable (making and having lots of dough helps, too...);  in the large city where he plays, he cannot go to the corner store without drawing a crowd and it really wears on one after a while.

    Fame (or infamy or even public recognition) ain't all it's cracked up to be.

    [ Parent ]

    Fair enough (none / 0) (#8)
    by sarcastic unnamed one on Fri Mar 23, 2007 at 02:48:00 PM EST
    I often find such basic info helpful in giving comments context, but your level of privacy is very much your own decision to make.

    I fly fish in the CA Sierras, fwiw.

    [ Parent ]

    good for you on your choice of rivers; (none / 0) (#9)
    by scribe on Mon Mar 26, 2007 at 08:51:05 AM EST
    I was just reading on them over the weekend.

    That's one of the beauties of flyfishing, BTW.  How many other participatory sports can claim to have developed a body of literature about the sport written substantially by participants who are not professional writers?

    Or, as Churchill was once heard to remark at an art exhibition:  "amo, amas, amateur."

    [ Parent ]

    Cheap Stuff (none / 0) (#4)
    by squeaky on Thu Mar 22, 2007 at 01:20:11 PM EST
    The "cheap stuff" is from the same terminal as the name brand stuff. The only difference is that name brands may add detergent among other things.

    Brand name allegience may be comforting, but your car could care less.

    I lost my bet on gas prices (w/ new poll!) | 9 comments (9 topical)

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