Gas Prices

August 25, 2005 | In Politics, California | 3 Comments

Hawaii made the national news today with the announcement of the first gas price regulations (called the gas cap) in the country. It was even reported in California, a state with similar prices for gas and other cost of living expenses. Without going into the politics of regulation, I think the intent of the gas cap is to align wholesale prices to those on the mainland in order to keep the two local refiners (on Oahu) from profiting from their geographical monopoly.

I took this picture yesterday in Kapaa, thinking that it might be the last time I see gasoline prices under $3 per gallon here. The gas cap price set for the island of Kauai this week could theoritically bring it down to $2.92 (2.80 wholesale cap price + 0.12 average station markup).

Some other comments related to this photo:

1. For comparison, a gallon of regular unleaded cost just under $2 for a brief time after we moved here 2 years ago.
2. Unlike Chevron, the Shell stations on Kauai tend to be among the cheapest, and you can get another 5% off by using their no-fee credit card. I usually wouldn’t endorse using a credit card, but all prices are set to take into account their processing fee, so it pays to play the system. I pay cash at businesses I care about.
3. I loathe the nine-tenths of a penny fraction added to gas prices. It’s shameful psychological manipulation that this world could do without. It should be illegal to charge a price that is not reflected in the legal currency.
4. The strings of pennants on the Shell sign are relatively new and ostensibly placed around the sign. I wonder if the’re meant to obscure the price. They are also meant to attract attention. Many businesses in Hawaii use flags and banners to circumvent the restrictions on outdoor signage. As a matter of fact, the gas stations already get a break because the mandatory price sign is bigger than any other free-standing sign allowed.

Verboten

February 18, 2005 | In Blogging, Politics | No Comments

The title means “forbidden” in German. So far I can think of only one topic that I will avoid and censor:

NO POLITICS

To be clear: I am writing this blog to promote my own views and opinions. However, I will expressly avoid partisan thinking, narrow-mindedness, predjudices, and name-calling. I ask that you flag me in your comments if I do any of these. I will remove, edit, censor, or strikethrough any comments that go in these directions. I’m an honest person, you’ll just have to trust me.

Speaking of comments, please use them if you wish to discuss any of the topics, and I will respond through them. Please do not email me to start a private discussion–the point is to bring these ideas into the open.

These are the rules. Thanks for paying attention to them.