Posted on 02/01/2014 1:46:22 PM PST by smokingfrog
CARACAS, Venezuela — Gasoline is so dirt-cheap in this country that the comparison undervalues dirt. Or, for that matter, almost any other element Venezuelan drivers can think of.
“It’s cheaper than water,” said one motorist, pointing out that bottled water costs far more than the 95-octane gasoline gushing into his Ford Explorer.
“Cheaper than air,” said the driver of a Chevy Tahoe, after paying more to fill a tire than the tank.
“The cheapest in the world,” a third SUV owner boasted. “We could wash our hands with it.”
And why not? Venezuela sits atop the world’s largest oil reserves, and its government sets the price of premium gasoline at about 5 cents a gallon. Its real price — adjusted to the soaring street value of the U.S. dollar — is half a penny per gallon.
Unlimited access to virtually free gasoline has become something of a Venezuelan birthright over the years, and raising prices is considered the third rail of Venezuelan politics.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
Wrong! Venezuela is about 7th on the oil-reserve league tables. Canada's reserves are (number 2) nearly 3 times as large. BTW, Canadians pay the world price for oil and gas products (plus a lot more taxes than Americans pay at the pump.) Subsidizing gas prices is a very stupid policy.
And, I had to pay $4.39/gal for diesel yesterday. Effin’ politicians!
—times have changed—when I was there in ‘81, once (just to say I had) I put some in a company truck for about the equivalent of a quarter per gallon-—
Tears By Me Out The Heart!
Maybe they’re not counting tar sands?
Yeah, if you fiddle with definitions, you can make statistics say whatever you want.
BTW, it’s “oil sands” (no tar there).
So, could I get a U-haul tanker filled, and have it shipped here?
It is only that cheap because the government subsidizes it.
How much money do you want the government to take from you to provide you with cheap gasoline?
Cheap gas and no toilet paper.
Pass.
As usual, the Washington Post fails to point out that someone is paying for the full price of that fuel.
They are driving old cars and I wonder what their roads look like? If a dictator gives the people a nickel, it’s because he stuck $100 in his own pocket.
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