will use for transportation now that gas will no longer be available in the state? http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/08/25/national/main794947.shtml

Market forces are powerful. If I run a refinery in Hawaii, I am calling tankers today to take my end product to California.

They obviously don't get it. What's next, they force suppliers to bring it in and sell it at their price?

will use for transportation now that gas will no longer be available in the state? http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/08/25/national/main794947.shtml

Market forces are powerful. If I run a refinery in Hawaii, I am calling tankers today to take my end product to California.

What I don't get is that we didn't have the highest prices in the country. Now we will until the refineries shut down because they can no longer make a profit. Many stupid laws get passed here because lawmakers just want to get reelected. The state has a huge tax base from tourism, but cannot adequately fund or maintain it's school system. Most of the gas stations are operated locally via a lease from the oil company. The oil company will still have to make a profit, so they will have to raise the lease payments on the station operators. If the station only sells gas, they will not survive. Convenience store gas stations will have to hike their store prices to cover the cost of the lease. Prices will reach the point that people will not be willing to pay an exorbitant price for the convenience of shopping at a 7-11. I see many long term problems that will face the state if this law is not repealed. Hawaii as a state is failing. My son is attending public school and pidgin english is used frequently in the classroom and part of the curriculum is Hawaiian culture. I would have no problem with teaching the history and language of the culture, but not bad english. People who can only comprehend pidgin english are only educationally equipped to remain in the islands for the remainder of their lives.

will use for transportation now that gas will no longer be available in the state? http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/08/25/national/main794947.shtml

Market forces are powerful. If I run a refinery in Hawaii, I am calling tankers today to take my end product to California.

Keep going. You can't sell it in California unless it meets the California Reformulated Gasoline standard.

Do they put gasoline in tankers?

I was born and raised in Hilo. My family still lives there. Many of the locals work two or three jobs and struggle with the high cost of living. Energy prices there have always been exhorbitant. I remember back in the '60's and '70's when my parents were paying more for their electric bill than for their mortgage.

You would be better off financially to send your oil to California. There is enought of a progressive streak there that Hawaii could very likely be the first all-green state. Even with a Republican governor in office. The high energy prices provide the politicians as well as the locals with beaucoup incentive to get the oil monkey off of their backs. I can see it now...Hawaii secedes and becomes a country running off of green energy resources. I would be so proud of my island home...

$2.79.......Poor Baby.....That's what I paid yesterday,,,,I really feel their pain.

I often think that the farthest a politician ever thinks ahead is until the next polls are released. They want people to feel they are working to make a difference on the prices so people will blame the big bad oil companies instead of them. The sad thing is it will probably work for a while anyway. As shortages start to crop up they will say the oil companies are purposely not shipping to the Islands. I was looking into this. They claim the oil companies are adding unneeded surcharges to the oil for delivery to the Islands. The sad thing is, if this is true, how come the fuel prices aren't higher than the mainland? Last year when I was there I paid less in Maui than I did in Reno, Nevada by several cents a gallon. This is going to backfire big time.

I often think that the farthest a politician ever thinks ahead is until the next polls are released. They want people to feel they are working to make a difference on the prices so people will blame the big bad oil companies instead of them. The sad thing is it will probably work for a while anyway. As shortages start to crop up they will say the oil companies are purposely not shipping to the Islands. I was looking into this. They claim the oil companies are adding unneeded surcharges to the oil for delivery to the Islands. The sad thing is, if this is true, how come the fuel prices aren't higher than the mainland? Last year when I was there I paid less in Maui than I did in Reno, Nevada by several cents a gallon. This is going to backfire big time.

Yes, they almost sound cheap compared to California.

Plus, HOW FRICKEN FAR CAN THEY DRIVE???

$2.93 we'll hit 3 in a week I guess. some are already @ $2.99. and what fixed said. you can drive around Oahu in an hour and a half or so. heck I'm just about in LA from SD in that time frame and I've covered about 1/10th the state

I live in Oahu and here are my typical expenses.
Rent: $2500 (the house next door is on the market for 670K and is 1600 square feet)
Electric: $400 thermostat on 76 degrees.
Cable $125 includes cable modem
Car Payment for the one car $500
Phones: $100 home plus cell
Grocery and Misc $1000
Gas $200 Therefore gas is 4% of my total monthly expenses. I don't place much importance on 4%.

You have to look at the culture here to understand why something like this gas cap could be made law. It is not usual for three or more generations to live in one house. With the medium housing price at $550K, the only way a family can afford a house is to split the mortgage among several working family members. People will often work two or more jobs with something on the side during the weekends. You could poll the locals here and ask them who the vice president is and most would have no idea. When your entire life is consumed with making ends meet, you don't have time to "be informed" about the world outside of your neighborhood. Someone says that they want to bring gas prices down, sounds good. Don't have the time or background to evaluate the long term impact on my economy. Kids graduate from high school with the aspiration to work in the service industry for around $12 an hour and live at home until they are in their 30's with kids of their own. Maybe then it will their house. The shipyard had an apprentice hiring fair and had over 4000 applicants, only 150 were selected due to the high standards demanded to get into the program. I shudder to think what will happen if the Hawaiian Sovreignty laws are passed.

You have to look at the culture here to understand why something like this gas cap could be made law. It is not usual for three or more generations to live in one house. With the medium housing price at $550K, the only way a family can afford a house is to split the mortgage among several working family members. People will often work two or more jobs with something on the side during the weekends. You could poll the locals here and ask them who the vice president is and most would have no idea. When your entire life is consumed with making ends meet, you don't have time to "be informed" about the world outside of your neighborhood. Someone says that they want to bring gas prices down, sounds good. Don't have the time or background to evaluate the long term impact on my economy.

My parents never ran the electric dishwasher because they thought it was too much of a luxury. My brother and sister still live with my mother because of the absolutely unaffordable housing prices in Hilo. At least the politicians are trying to repond to the needs of the people. Something's gotta give here.

my 1400 plus sq foot home is pushing $800K
both cars paid off
gas and electric so not as bad, but ya shoulda been here a few years ago when we were getting raped by Texas energy. Thermostat, what's that? I don't run heaters or coolers.
Cable about the same a tad less, no modem but phone line about $100
Cells (Mine and Wife's) about a 100
Groceries and Dining ? no friggin idea
Childcare - $1080
commute (by train) about $140 month
the rest of the commute is by bike so I better figure what I pay in tires, gels, bars, etc...

Hawaii as a state is failing. My son is attending public school and pidgin english is used frequently in the classroom and part of the curriculum is Hawaiian culture. I would have no problem with teaching the history and language of the culture, but not bad english. People who can only comprehend pidgin english are only educationally equipped to remain in the islands for the remainder of their lives.

Easy Bill, if your kid is living in Hawaii it might do him good to learn pidgin english. I grew up running barefoot through the pasturelands of the Big Island and speaking pidgin. I doubt if there is a "Pidgin English 101" class requirement in your son's school. There are some things that are just part and parcel of life in Hawaii and the prevalence of pidgin english is one of them. Personally I don't speak it so well now, but I think if anyone wants to stay in Hawaii they will find that the ability to communicate with the locals in their own vernacular will get them what they want and when they want it.

The recent talk of secession has brought back some of my memories from elementary school there. They taught Hawaiian history of course, and in the course of teaching gave no breaks to westerners. Especially the American big businessmen who orchestrated the illegal coup d' etat and subsequent imprisonment of Queen Liliuokalani. Yes, there it was... Hawaii public schools in the '60s teaching the children of the islands the consequences of corporate injustice.

I am intrigued by the secession issue. Hawaii has always marched to its own drummer politically. I don't care for the new age societal dropouts that have moved there over the last couple of decades but I have always liked the "live and let live" groove of many of the pacific islander and east asian cultures there. I just wonder if the Kingdom of Hawaii will allow an expatriate like me to carry their passport.