provided by the bank or mortgage provider, and CAN BE THE SAME AS THE LAWYER FOR THE SELLER!!
Again I think people need to be smart - choose a different bank than the seller. Or brainstorm, hire another lawyer!
I'm in the process of buying a house now, and I have a realtor who works for a different company than the seller's realtor, I'm randomly selecting an inspector - not selecting 1 recommended by the realtor, and I'm hiring my own real-estate specialty lawyer.
I could have bought a property 15 miles from work, but I'm planning on the possibility of higher gas prices or shortages; thus I made a lifestyle choice. Others should be doing similar, as these choices in life arise.
I could have bought a property 15 miles from work, but I'm planning on the possibility of higher gas prices or shortages; thus I made a lifestyle choice. Others should be doing similar, as these choices in life arise.
Kernick, I agree that we all make "lifestyle choices" - some people look at all things and decide that living in a city is a good thing... others feel that the QOL accorded by a big back yard is a better environment for raising kids... still others are impacted when a company move occurs, so that the house you chose, knowing what you know now, is no longer as convenient. The point is, hindsight is a wonderful thing. I also agree that we are not all wise, and for some, wisdom comes with age, after some bad decisions have already been made. It seems that one of your personal focal points in decision making is commuting costs, so this all works out well for you.
I see a day where there will be a reverse of what occured during the late 1940s thru the present - that suburbanites will start moving back to the cities and inner ring suburbs, while the outer suburbs and exurbs will either decline or be abandoned. By the late 21st Century, the exurbs will look like Old West ghost towns or will have been reclaimed for agriculture.
"No that's incorrect. I work for a company that has its hourly-laborers on 2nd shift work M-Th, 10-hr shifts. They pay a 10% shift premium. Overtime at 150%-pay, is only paid after the first 40 hr are worked."
Depends on location. Hourly workers in California MUST be paid overtime if they work over 40 hours per week. They can work 10 hours per day "by exception", but cannot be deliberately scheduled that way. It has been a pain in the neck for our company, which used to allow employees to be flexible in their working hours, and then take a day off. Now employees have a lot of restrictions on their hours.
big oil companies are making handful of money. it is hard to beleive they are not or just making by . that is a crock of ....... Just like casino's are there to make money and steal it from the poor and old folks the oild companies are doing the same.
Oh yeah did the presidents of these companies give them selves raises? LOL i bet they did making milllions of dollars!
Depends on location. Hourly workers in California MUST be paid overtime if they work over 40 hours per week.
I agree. I was not stating that where I live applies everywhere else in the U.S. I was simply refuting our Hostess, who made the blanket-statement that 10-hr days required OT to be paid. It seems the federal law allows 10-hr days, but individual states may limit the work-day to less hours. But probably states could not go the other way and allow work-days longer than the Feds.
Enough with the 40 hour week stuff please, unless you have a plan to change the wage/hour laws to encourage gas savings. Thanks.
Lemko, big ag is heading for skyscraper production. Saves on gas that way. Meanwhile some of those suburbanites are digging up their yards and some are grossing over $10k annually on 1/8th of an acre selling lettuce and tomatoes to local stores and restaurants. (Suburban farming growing in popularity - Rocky Mtn News)
This does not absolve them from their predicament but the lending practices that brought them on were so unethical they are close to criminal.
As far as I know no lender put a gun to anyone head and said "sign or else". People took on more than they could afford and the reality of the situation is that they are the only ones to blame.
If it were really unethical lending practices then you would have a lot more foreclosures, currently it is way, way under 1% of all homes.
2011 Hyundai Sonata, 2014 BMW 428i convertible, 2015 Honda CTX700D
We've got the Corporatocracy that dictates $3.60/gallon here, they have Chavez that dictates $1.00/gallon, hmmm. Which dictatorship do you think will win ? As long as they keep the price low over there, they will get stronger and stronger, and the US well...unless something is done real quick, say byebye to your prosperous lifestyle unless you are very rich of course. Countries like China and India will surpass us. The world will surpass us including Canada which is doing better than the US for the first time in history. And if McCain is elected which is very likely, there will be war for the next 100 years as promised, that will set the US back for a century kowtowing to all other countries for financial backing to pay its debts. If the world switches to the Euro instead of the US dollar and calls in its debts, the US will be in real trouble and I don't want to see that happen, lets head it off at the pass and do something about it now. This is not about oil, its about political survival.
Other news, Mexico produced less oil but imported more gasoline. If you add the decrease in production of 7.8% to the 6.5% increase in gasoline they imported you get a lot less gasoline available in the U.S.
"Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah said he had ordered some new oil discoveries left untapped to preserve oil wealth in the world's top exporter for future generations "
Since both Mexico and KSA supply the U.S. with a lot of oil we can expect high prices to stay.
I just checked my local Toyota dealer. They have 2 Corollas, 2 Yaris Sedans, 19 Tundras and 12 Sequoias in stock! There must have been a good deal from the factory on Tundras and Sequoias. I am sure it has nothing to do with the price of gasoline.
There must have been a good deal from the factory on Tundras and Sequoias. I am sure it has nothing to do with the price of gasoline.
Time to buy that big rig you always wanted
I can tell you the 5 MPG gain in this Equinox we have rented is not worth giving up the luxury and security of the Sequoia. With a little prodding maybe Toyota will bring the Land Cruiser diesel over for US to have a decent sized SUV that gets good mileage.
Their lack of development of Pt. Thomson is a good indicator it's not a very attractive project without a gas pipeline. It's expensive to develop a field if you have to reinject all the produced gas.
It could also be the oil companies are waiting for Congress to get their heads out of you know where and open ANWR for leases. That would make extending the pipeline practical. Right now the thrust is in the NPR that Bush opened when they slammed the door on ANWR. Pt Thompson is rather small in comparison. They had big hopes for Badami and it is a so so field that is closest to Pt Thompson. The field is going crazy with work out in the western region. I don't think you will ever see the 2 million barrels a day from the 1980s and early 1990s. That pipeline has already past its life expectancy and is lucky to pass a million barrels a day. At least two pump stations are gone, removed.
All the talk about Exxon making big profits is not a reflection of gas refining. That is probably operated at a loss. They do still have some sizable leases that are real money makers at $120 per barrel. They were happy when oil was $30 per barrel. The only way to drop the price of oil being imported is to colonize those countries and Nationalize the oil production. I would start with Mexico and Canada and let Venezuela and Saudi Arabia know they are next. Of course we do not have the will to do that so get used to being held hostage to our neighbors and enemies.
Yes, except the prices go from $38K to $50K. There are a lot of great vehicles in the $20K to $25K range. We are happy with the two vehicles we have now ($25-26K each). They both provide all the luxury and security we want.
"We've got the Corporatocracy that dictates $3.60/gallon here, they have Chavez that dictates $1.00/gallon, hmmm. Which dictatorship do you think will win ?"
Are you serious You do realize that gasoline prices are high because demand is high? The oil companies do not make us buy big vehicles. The problem is US not them.... repeat after me: Supply/Demand, Supply/Demand, Supply/Demand And just for the record, gasoline prices in Venezuela are in the 10 to 20 cent a gallon range.
"As long as they keep the price low over there, they will get stronger and stronger,"
Low prices will make them lazy. Their businesses are inefficient. Eventually their governments will run out of money and the subsidies will evaporate. If you don't believe me research what happened to Indonesia in 2005. They raised gasoline prices by about 100% overnight. Demand the next month dropped 20%.
"and the US well...unless something is done real quick, say byebye to your prosperous lifestyle unless you are very rich of course."
People will adjust.
Countries like China and India will surpass us.
In what? And who cares.
"This is not about oil, its about political survival."
No, this forum is about oil or more specifically: What will you do when gas price rises above $4 a gallon? The left wing or right wing political talk is best left to another blog.
Anything on urban agriculture? I usually grow a small garden behind my building every season - mostly tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, squash, carrots, beans, and radishes.
...but it definately concerns my co-workers at my little part-time gig. The cost of fuel is only a minor concern. They're more concerned with the affect the cost of fuel has on food prices. Somebody was telling me something about a gallon of milk being over $5. It's been a long time since I bought milk by the gallon, but that fact is an eye-opener and how it can affect working-poor people with children.
Seeing that your tag is dieselone, I imagine you have at least one diesel vehicle. Diesel is over a dollar more a gallon at the Sunoco station I passed last night. Regular gasoline = $3.54. Diesel = $4.55!!! It must negate any advantage diesel has over gasoline.
I'll have to check out the milk prices on my own sometime. Oftentime in poorer neighborhoods, there are no supermarkets, so poorer folks actually end up shopping at corner stores or convenience markets where prices are significantly higher.
Oil and politics are pretty closely intertwined. We don't buy oil from iran...why? Politics. Chaves raises the rpice of crude for us...because of politics. Oil companies not only have record profits but manage to squeeze additional tax breaks...out of politicians.
In many ways, oil has become so powerful and necessary a commodity in this world that it has BECOME politics. Oil prices affect EVERYTHING...a true implementation of trickle-down theory, because we use the fuel from oil to both produce and deliver pretty much everything else.
So yeah, the price of oil is a political issue. Especially when we're in a recession, since high oil prices contribute to economic slowdown by making everything else expensive.
Observation from a co-worker: she went to a TGI Friday's restaurant on a Friday night. Usually there's a line out the door and an hour wait. This time she walked in and got a table right away. When she sat down she noticed there was hardly anybody there. What happens to a restaurant and its employees when the place is deserted on what should be a busy night?
What happens is they lose business, let employees go, and there's a bunch fewer people who can't afford to fill their tank anymore. Or incidentally, go out for dinner....but people probably couldn't' afford the gas to out to dinner in the first place, causing the business slowdown.
The future seems to fit a pattern now. The democrats in congress have been running against Bush all along; they'll do anything to make him look bad. They are purposely not doing any of the things to affect the pricing of gasoline for the consumers to make Bush look bad by election time and to put the economy further into the recession we are in. The high cost of fuel, which many people refuse to cut back on, is taking discretionary money out of the economy. This slows the spending in other areas and puts those companies into recession mode. Then layoffs and more people not spending money and the spiral continues.
Add to that the idiotic move in congress to suppose alcofuel with tax dollars to big corporations to make ethanol from food is increasing the cost of food. Little of the higher price for corn and wheat has been paid to farmers; it's mostly middlemen profits and traders' profits from the increases. But the people getting to build alcohol plants with taxpayer support are appreciative of their congress people's support.
In summary, don't expect gas prices to moderate through the summer. That will be despite the unwise gift of lots of checks to people as tax refunds to spend before the election to try to shore up the economy.
Unless there was an event in the area drawing business there, I'd say that TGIF is in trouble. Was there a shooting in the restaurant recently or something negative? A community around this area has a bad reputation. They kept having fights at their TGIF along with walkouts on checks, because of the general attitude of the people in that small community. TGIF closed the store.
Seeing that your tag is dieselone, I imagine you have at least one diesel vehicle. Diesel is over a dollar more a gallon at the Sunoco station I passed last night. Regular gasoline = $3.54. Diesel = $4.55!!! It must negate any advantage diesel has over gasoline.
No, not anymore. When I first registered on Edmund's many years ago, I owned a 2000 Jetta TDI (turbo diesel). Wish I had it now since I avg. around 42mpg over the course of the 36k miles I drove it before selling it.
$4.55 vs. $3.55 is the biggest price difference I've heard of between diesel and gas. Around here in central Illinois, I saw diesel between $3.97 & $4.25. Gas around here is between 3.45 -$3.59.
Funny you'd mention TGIFriday's. I went to lunch there on Monday and business seemed a little slow. Now we got there a bit early, around 11:30, but probably stayed until almost 1:00 pm, and it never really got that crowded.
I usually don't go out for lunch, and it had probably been a few years since I've been in this TGIFs, so this may not be the most scientific observation in the world.
I dunno how the restaurant industry in general is reacting to this economic downturn. One of my roommates is a waiter at a restaurant called Smokey Bones, and he usually does pretty well. Before that, he was at Olive Garden, and they always seem packed.
Oh, it also turns out that the company that owns Smokey Bones is somehow affiliated with Chrysler corporation, and he told me the other night that he actually qualifies for employee pricing on any Chrysler vehicle. I think it's called "Plan A" or something like that.
Smokey Bones used to be a Darden restaurant (Olive Garden & Red Lobster too). In this area Smokey Bones stores were closed because of slowed business. The barbeque clientel are quick to change to another restaurant, in my opinion.
We were out several times at certain restaurants, but it was elbow to elbow at them including Outback. But there was a worldwise competition in the area (Winterguard and then Drumline International) those weekends.
I would think restaurants would be among the first cuts people would make in their personal spending, along with cell phone plans, smoking, then grocery shopping.
The alcofuel thing was Dubya's pet idea to begin with, which you seem to be forgetting. Don't make like the Texas Oil president is an innocent bystander.
Oh, I don't imply that at all. And Cheney hardly is clean. But the power is in congress right now, dems and publicans. They voted the money. And some would have us believe W is too dumb to actually think of things like that. :P
Well I live in a city of 20K-25K with surrounding towns of 3K-4K, and they really have overbuilt these Chili type restaurants. There's a "99", an Olive Garden, a Longhorn, Pizzeria Uno, Pizza Hut, and downtown - a Margherita's. Plus there are numerous other other Chinese and Italian restaurants. And 1/2 of these were built in the last 5 years, but the population hasn't increased much.
So I think any evaluation would have to include whether it is a slow-down in the economy, or have the # of restaurants increased too fast.
For a family of 4 to eat in one of these places you're looking at about $70 with tax and tip? People's weekly gas bill is up $10/week?
Two things come to mind regarding the last few days' posts: 1. Some folks think $3.60 is too high for gas. Yes, it's high, but with oil at about $120, the raw material is costing almost $3/gallon, before refining, distributing, and taxes. And don't tell me Exxon is setting the world oil price - they're a small player on that stage. 2. Others think subsidized prices are a good thing, such as Mr. Chavez is doing. Subsidizing leads to several bad results: it eliminates any conservation and causes waste (think of what we did when gas was $1/gallon, SUVs everywhere); it eliminates incentives to develop the oil reserves in the country (no one can make money developing today's difficult oil fields at the equivalent of $30/bbl or less); and it makes any efforts by consuming nations to limit carbon emissions a joke. Other that that, it's great!
They don't have to try to make him look bad. He does a good enough job on his own. I must admit, he does get the blame for everything, even things with which he has nothing to do or over which he can exercise any power. The Dems would probably blame the Titanic on Bush if they could forge any link.
No, it's a good neighborhood where this particular Friday's is located. The restaurant's quality is decent. No psychos with guns, etc. The thing is, it's not just at Friday's but everywhere. Go to the movies and you'll see four people in the theatre where it was once packed.
The only good thing about high fuel prices? Less and less of those god-awful SUVs blocking my view of the road.
"$3.60/gallon here ... Chavez dictates $1.00/gallon"
Motorists in Saudi Arabia and Iraq pay between 10 and 20 cents per gallon for gasoline. How's that for a subsidy?
It only costs $2 per barrel to bring oil out of the ground in the middle east. Shipping and refining add much more to that cost, but it gives you an idea of the profit margins for OPEC members.
"these Chili type restaurants ... for a family of 4 you're looking at about $70 with tax and tip?"
Maybe for lunch, if you bring a coupon! I took my mom out to Chili's last year (before they raised their prices). One appetizer, two dinners, two margaritas, and a tip was $55.
Later that year, I took both parents to a no-name Italian restaurant in a suburban strip mall. Dinner and drinks cost $80.
Even Cracker Barrel -- a bargain restaurant if there ever was one -- just announced an across-the-board price increase. No chain can continue to absorb the increasing price of food (thanks to ethanol mandates) and the increasing price of transporting it (thanks to OPEC).
Such is the insidious nature of higher oil prices. We don't just pay more for gasoline; we pay more for EVERYTHING. That means we simply keep lowering our standard of living, and watching our national economy decline along with it. .
I don't know what you guys are ordering, but we don't spend nearly that much eating out and we have a family of 4 (2 girls 5 & 9, so it will get more expensive as they get older) and we eat out a min. of twice a week. I looked up our avg transaction price for dining out and it is $35.
We went to Cracker Barrel about 6 times this year with an avg. of $36 including tips. BW3's avg was $45 and that includes at least two tall beers for my wife and I.
Wife and I spent $150 on a dinner for two at a fine Italian restaurant with high $ wine, but other than that, the most we spent on the family eating out was $66 at Olive Garden and that included wine for the wife and beer for me.
We love Mexican food and as a family including a few beers we rarely spend over $30 with tip.
That means we simply keep lowering our standard of living, and watching our national economy decline along with it.
And all this is directly due to the weaker $. As the $ loses value against other currencies, other nations can more easily afford the oil and gasoline. The oil producing nations what more $/barrel so they can get the same number of Euros, gas and diesel increase here ... and tada ... we are relatively poorer.
Yes it is all connected. If you want to get to the root of the probelem it all goes back to running large trade deficits year after year, our government spending too much, and US spending everything we make and mostly buying foreign goods.
A weaker $ means we can buy less of the goods in the global market, because now the goods are more expensive for us. Pretty simple.
I've switched my retirement investments to foreign stocks and commodities to compensate. I have a natural gas mutual fund that's up 14% since Jan 1.
Think skyscrapers. A lot of open space advocates and city planners are going to be surprised one of these days - they think they are protecting land by making it ag only. One of these days ag is going to start building structures to farm in instead of planting pretty acres of potatoes or corn.
Smokey Bones, Olive Garden, Red Lobster, Outback, Macaroni Grill. Those aren't restaurants. Those are extensions of the factories where "food" is processed, injected with chemical flavorings and shipped 100's of miles to your local trough. Their margins are getting whacked because they ship the food to the factory, freeze it and ship it back out after shaping it into 4 oz. portions. If they don't flip the tables fast enough they go broke - all that manipulation costs a lot in fuel dollars.
Can I interest you in a burger? It's pumped full of Natural beef flavor #12001. Flavor Encapsulation :shades:
Anyone getting a loan this week to buy gas? I need to fill up the van this morning; luckily the bank is on the way.
Smokey Bones, Olive Garden, Red Lobster, Outback, Macaroni Grill. Those aren't restaurants. Those are extensions of the factories where "food" is processed, injected with chemical flavorings and shipped 100's of miles to your local trough
HAHAHAHAHA
This is the funniest thing I've seen today. Thanks.
Anyone getting a loan this week to buy gas? I need to fill up the van this morning; luckily the bank is on the way.
I've actually been pretty lucky. Filled up my Silverado a couple days ago, and that came to about 50 bucks, but my roommate, who has been putting most of the miles on it, reimbursed me. Filled up my '76 LeMans last week, but that came in at under $50 as well...thankfully I didn't let its 22 gallon tank get too low!
I'm gonna top off the Intrepid tonite. Going up to PA tomorrow after work for Spring Carlisle. I'm going to try hypermiling...see if I can break 30 mpg.
Republicans because the price didn't sky rocket until the Democrats dominated Congress while remembering that bad Bush was still a better choice over the previous dumb Democrat candidates for President.
Me? I've topped off both the Cadillac DTS Performance and the Park Ave in anticipation of taking either car out there for Spring Carlisle. The Park Ave is the sensible choice, but I feel like driving the DTS while I still can afford it. The way things are going, several decades from now you're going to see a super low-miles black 2007 Cadillac at Carlisle someday.
Go to the movies and you'll see four people in the theatre where it was once packed.
I blame the $9.50 price for a movie! It's insane to spend that much; at least for a college student only working part-time. I can fill up my 30 MPG car, but won't spend that much for 2 hours of what could be good (or bad) entertainment. I'll wait for the DVD, then rent it and split the cost with my friends.
Sure doesn't help, especially if you have a date. You'll spend over $30 if you throw in popcorn and drinks! It better be a movie as good as the first two Godfather movies for that price!
I blame the $9.50 price for a movie! It's insane to spend that much; at least for a college student only working part-time. I can fill up my 30 MPG car, but won't spend that much for 2 hours of what could be good (or bad) entertainment. I'll wait for the DVD, then rent it and split the cost with my friends.
That's pretty much what I do. I'll go to the matinee sometimes, when the cost might be "only" six bucks. However, sometimes the movie theater seems a bit redundant when you have a 50" plasma at home hooked up to a surround sound system and a netflix subscription.
Those big tvs might sound ridiculously expensive, but when you account for inflation, they're really not. I think the one we have cost around $1300 out the door with an extended warranty. My roommate bought it, so I don't know all the details. My grandparents bought a tv way back in 1972. 25" console, no remote, single speaker. $700. Adjusting for inflation, that's about $3500 today! :surprise:
Those big tvs might sound ridiculously expensive, but when you account for inflation, they're really not.
Very true. My dad still has a Mitsubishi 35" Tube TV he purchased in 1985 for $3,000. It's lasted 28 years, and he finally replaced it with a Samsung 57" LCD that he paid around $2k for. Adjusted for inflation, that '85 Mitsubishi would be comparable to spending at least $6k (roughly @ 3% inflation rate) today.
Comments
Again I think people need to be smart - choose a different bank than the seller. Or brainstorm, hire another lawyer!
I'm in the process of buying a house now, and I have a realtor who works for a different company than the seller's realtor, I'm randomly selecting an inspector - not selecting 1 recommended by the realtor, and I'm hiring my own real-estate specialty lawyer.
I could have bought a property 15 miles from work, but I'm planning on the possibility of higher gas prices or shortages; thus I made a lifestyle choice. Others should be doing similar, as these choices in life arise.
Kernick, I agree that we all make "lifestyle choices" - some people look at all things and decide that living in a city is a good thing... others feel that the QOL accorded by a big back yard is a better environment for raising kids... still others are impacted when a company move occurs, so that the house you chose, knowing what you know now, is no longer as convenient. The point is, hindsight is a wonderful thing. I also agree that we are not all wise, and for some, wisdom comes with age, after some bad decisions have already been made. It seems that one of your personal focal points in decision making is commuting costs, so this all works out well for you.
Depends on location. Hourly workers in California MUST be paid overtime if they work over 40 hours per week. They can work 10 hours per day "by exception", but cannot be deliberately scheduled that way. It has been a pain in the neck for our company, which used to allow employees to be flexible in their working hours, and then take a day off. Now employees have a lot of restrictions on their hours.
Oh yeah did the presidents of these companies give them selves raises? LOL
i bet they did making milllions of dollars!
I agree. I was not stating that where I live applies everywhere else in the U.S. I was simply refuting our Hostess, who made the blanket-statement that 10-hr days required OT to be paid. It seems the federal law allows 10-hr days, but individual states may limit the work-day to less hours. But probably states could not go the other way and allow work-days longer than the Feds.
Lemko, big ag is heading for skyscraper production. Saves on gas that way. Meanwhile some of those suburbanites are digging up their yards and some are grossing over $10k annually on 1/8th of an acre selling lettuce and tomatoes to local stores and restaurants. (Suburban farming growing in popularity - Rocky Mtn News)
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
Fueled with biodiesel. :shades:
As far as I know no lender put a gun to anyone head and said "sign or else". People took on more than they could afford and the reality of the situation is that they are the only ones to blame.
If it were really unethical lending practices then you would have a lot more foreclosures, currently it is way, way under 1% of all homes.
2011 Hyundai Sonata, 2014 BMW 428i convertible, 2015 Honda CTX700D
As long as they keep the price low over there, they will get stronger and stronger, and the US well...unless something is done real quick, say byebye to your prosperous lifestyle unless you are very rich of course. Countries like China and India will surpass us. The world will surpass us including Canada which is doing better than the US for the first time in history. And if McCain is elected which is very likely, there will be war for the next 100 years as promised, that will set the US back for a century kowtowing to all other countries for financial backing to pay its debts. If the world switches to the Euro instead of the US dollar and calls in its debts, the US will be in real trouble and I don't want to see that happen, lets head it off at the pass and do something about it now. This is not about oil, its about political survival.
I also think people are running out of easy credit. The pain at the pump is finally reaching critical mass.
http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/08_18/b4082000518114.htm?chan=rss_t- opStories_ssi_5
Other news, Mexico produced less oil but imported more gasoline. If you add the decrease in production of 7.8% to the 6.5% increase in gasoline they imported you get a lot less gasoline available in the U.S.
http://www.ogj.com/display_article/326535/7/ONART/none/GenIn/1/Mexico-imports-mo- re-gasoline-as-oil-production-drops/
"Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah said he had ordered some new oil discoveries left untapped to preserve oil wealth in the world's top exporter for future generations "
http://www.evworld.com/article.cfm?storyid=1436
Since both Mexico and KSA supply the U.S. with a lot of oil we can expect high prices to stay.
I just checked my local Toyota dealer. They have 2 Corollas, 2 Yaris Sedans, 19 Tundras and 12 Sequoias in stock! There must have been a good deal from the factory on Tundras and Sequoias. I am sure it has nothing to do with the price of gasoline.
Time to buy that big rig you always wanted
I can tell you the 5 MPG gain in this Equinox we have rented is not worth giving up the luxury and security of the Sequoia. With a little prodding maybe Toyota will bring the Land Cruiser diesel over for US to have a decent sized SUV that gets good mileage.
It could also be the oil companies are waiting for Congress to get their heads out of you know where and open ANWR for leases. That would make extending the pipeline practical. Right now the thrust is in the NPR that Bush opened when they slammed the door on ANWR. Pt Thompson is rather small in comparison. They had big hopes for Badami and it is a so so field that is closest to Pt Thompson. The field is going crazy with work out in the western region. I don't think you will ever see the 2 million barrels a day from the 1980s and early 1990s. That pipeline has already past its life expectancy and is lucky to pass a million barrels a day. At least two pump stations are gone, removed.
All the talk about Exxon making big profits is not a reflection of gas refining. That is probably operated at a loss. They do still have some sizable leases that are real money makers at $120 per barrel. They were happy when oil was $30 per barrel. The only way to drop the price of oil being imported is to colonize those countries and Nationalize the oil production. I would start with Mexico and Canada and let Venezuela and Saudi Arabia know they are next. Of course we do not have the will to do that so get used to being held hostage to our neighbors and enemies.
And the gamblers on the commodity exchange.
Yes, except the prices go from $38K to $50K. There are a lot of great vehicles in the $20K to $25K range. We are happy with the two vehicles we have now ($25-26K each). They both provide all the luxury and security we want.
"We've got the Corporatocracy that dictates $3.60/gallon here, they have Chavez that dictates $1.00/gallon, hmmm. Which dictatorship do you think will win ?"
Are you serious
"As long as they keep the price low over there, they will get stronger and stronger,"
Low prices will make them lazy. Their businesses are inefficient. Eventually their governments will run out of money and the subsidies will evaporate. If you don't believe me research what happened to Indonesia in 2005. They raised gasoline prices by about 100% overnight. Demand the next month dropped 20%.
"and the US well...unless something is done real quick, say byebye to your prosperous lifestyle unless you are very rich of course."
People will adjust.
Countries like China and India will surpass us.
In what? And who cares.
"This is not about oil, its about political survival."
No, this forum is about oil or more specifically: What will you do when gas price rises above $4 a gallon? The left wing or right wing political talk is best left to another blog.
Wow, they must be buying some type of organic derived milk. I paid $3.39 yesterday at our local store for a gallon of skim milk.
I've kept track of all of our expenses (quicken) for many years, so I can fairly accurately monitor where our money is going.
YTD, we've actually spent $200 less so far this year vs. last year over the same period.
Gas OTOH, I've spent $800 more so far this year, but we've done more traveling this year along with price increases.
I'll have to check out the milk prices on my own sometime. Oftentime in poorer neighborhoods, there are no supermarkets, so poorer folks actually end up shopping at corner stores or convenience markets where prices are significantly higher.
In many ways, oil has become so powerful and necessary a commodity in this world that it has BECOME politics. Oil prices affect EVERYTHING...a true implementation of trickle-down theory, because we use the fuel from oil to both produce and deliver pretty much everything else.
So yeah, the price of oil is a political issue. Especially when we're in a recession, since high oil prices contribute to economic slowdown by making everything else expensive.
It's a self-propagating cycle.
Add to that the idiotic move in congress to suppose alcofuel with tax dollars to big corporations to make ethanol from food is increasing the cost of food. Little of the higher price for corn and wheat has been paid to farmers; it's mostly middlemen profits and traders' profits from the increases. But the people getting to build alcohol plants with taxpayer support are appreciative of their congress people's support.
In summary, don't expect gas prices to moderate through the summer. That will be despite the unwise gift of lots of checks to people as tax refunds to spend before the election to try to shore up the economy.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
No, not anymore. When I first registered on Edmund's many years ago, I owned a 2000 Jetta TDI (turbo diesel). Wish I had it now since I avg. around 42mpg over the course of the 36k miles I drove it before selling it.
$4.55 vs. $3.55 is the biggest price difference I've heard of between diesel and gas. Around here in central Illinois, I saw diesel between $3.97 & $4.25. Gas around here is between 3.45 -$3.59.
Let's burn the oil executives at the stake!
I usually don't go out for lunch, and it had probably been a few years since I've been in this TGIFs, so this may not be the most scientific observation in the world.
I dunno how the restaurant industry in general is reacting to this economic downturn. One of my roommates is a waiter at a restaurant called Smokey Bones, and he usually does pretty well. Before that, he was at Olive Garden, and they always seem packed.
Oh, it also turns out that the company that owns Smokey Bones is somehow affiliated with Chrysler corporation, and he told me the other night that he actually qualifies for employee pricing on any Chrysler vehicle. I think it's called "Plan A" or something like that.
We were out several times at certain restaurants, but it was elbow to elbow at them including Outback. But there was a worldwise competition in the area (Winterguard and then Drumline International) those weekends.
I would think restaurants would be among the first cuts people would make in their personal spending, along with cell phone plans, smoking, then grocery shopping.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
Oh, I don't imply that at all. And Cheney hardly is clean. But the power is in congress right now, dems and publicans. They voted the money. And some would have us believe W is too dumb to actually think of things like that.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
So I think any evaluation would have to include whether it is a slow-down in the economy, or have the # of restaurants increased too fast.
For a family of 4 to eat in one of these places you're looking at about $70 with tax and tip? People's weekly gas bill is up $10/week?
1. Some folks think $3.60 is too high for gas. Yes, it's high, but with oil at about $120, the raw material is costing almost $3/gallon, before refining, distributing, and taxes. And don't tell me Exxon is setting the world oil price - they're a small player on that stage.
2. Others think subsidized prices are a good thing, such as Mr. Chavez is doing. Subsidizing leads to several bad results: it eliminates any conservation and causes waste (think of what we did when gas was $1/gallon, SUVs everywhere); it eliminates incentives to develop the oil reserves in the country (no one can make money developing today's difficult oil fields at the equivalent of $30/bbl or less); and it makes any efforts by consuming nations to limit carbon emissions a joke. Other that that, it's great!
The only good thing about high fuel prices? Less and less of those god-awful SUVs blocking my view of the road.
Motorists in Saudi Arabia and Iraq pay between 10 and 20 cents per gallon for gasoline. How's that for a subsidy?
It only costs $2 per barrel to bring oil out of the ground in the middle east. Shipping and refining add much more to that cost, but it gives you an idea of the profit margins for OPEC members.
"these Chili type restaurants ... for a family of 4 you're looking at about $70 with tax and tip?"
Maybe for lunch, if you bring a coupon! I took my mom out to Chili's last year (before they raised their prices). One appetizer, two dinners, two margaritas, and a tip was $55.
Later that year, I took both parents to a no-name Italian restaurant in a suburban strip mall. Dinner and drinks cost $80.
Even Cracker Barrel -- a bargain restaurant if there ever was one -- just announced an across-the-board price increase. No chain can continue to absorb the increasing price of food (thanks to ethanol mandates) and the increasing price of transporting it (thanks to OPEC).
Such is the insidious nature of higher oil prices. We don't just pay more for gasoline; we pay more for EVERYTHING. That means we simply keep lowering our standard of living, and watching our national economy decline along with it.
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We went to Cracker Barrel about 6 times this year with an avg. of $36 including tips.
BW3's avg was $45 and that includes at least two tall beers for my wife and I.
Wife and I spent $150 on a dinner for two at a fine Italian restaurant with high $ wine, but other than that, the most we spent on the family eating out was $66 at Olive Garden and that included wine for the wife and beer for me.
We love Mexican food and as a family including a few beers we rarely spend over $30 with tip.
And all this is directly due to the weaker $. As the $ loses value against other currencies, other nations can more easily afford the oil and gasoline. The oil producing nations what more $/barrel so they can get the same number of Euros, gas and diesel increase here ... and tada ... we are relatively poorer.
Yes it is all connected. If you want to get to the root of the probelem it all goes back to running large trade deficits year after year, our government spending too much, and US spending everything we make and mostly buying foreign goods.
A weaker $ means we can buy less of the goods in the global market, because now the goods are more expensive for us. Pretty simple.
I've switched my retirement investments to foreign stocks and commodities to compensate. I have a natural gas mutual fund that's up 14% since Jan 1.
From the Philadelphia newspaper:
http://www.philly.com/philly/hp/news_update/20080424_Tips_for_improving_gas_mile- age_30__or_more.html
Think skyscrapers. A lot of open space advocates and city planners are going to be surprised one of these days - they think they are protecting land by making it ag only. One of these days ag is going to start building structures to farm in instead of planting pretty acres of potatoes or corn.
Smokey Bones, Olive Garden, Red Lobster, Outback, Macaroni Grill. Those aren't restaurants. Those are extensions of the factories where "food" is processed, injected with chemical flavorings and shipped 100's of miles to your local trough. Their margins are getting whacked because they ship the food to the factory, freeze it and ship it back out after shaping it into 4 oz. portions. If they don't flip the tables fast enough they go broke - all that manipulation costs a lot in fuel dollars.
Can I interest you in a burger? It's pumped full of Natural beef flavor #12001. Flavor Encapsulation
:shades:
Anyone getting a loan this week to buy gas? I need to fill up the van this morning; luckily the bank is on the way.
All this topic drift is making me hungry...
HAHAHAHAHA
This is the funniest thing I've seen today. Thanks.
I've actually been pretty lucky. Filled up my Silverado a couple days ago, and that came to about 50 bucks, but my roommate, who has been putting most of the miles on it, reimbursed me. Filled up my '76 LeMans last week, but that came in at under $50 as well...thankfully I didn't let its 22 gallon tank get too low!
I'm gonna top off the Intrepid tonite. Going up to PA tomorrow after work for Spring Carlisle. I'm going to try hypermiling...see if I can break 30 mpg.
The price probably skyrocketed because the oil companies were pouting that their precious Republicans lost their majority, hehe. :shades:
I blame the $9.50 price for a movie! It's insane to spend that much; at least for a college student only working part-time. I can fill up my 30 MPG car, but won't spend that much for 2 hours of what could be good (or bad) entertainment. I'll wait for the DVD, then rent it and split the cost with my friends.
That's pretty much what I do. I'll go to the matinee sometimes, when the cost might be "only" six bucks. However, sometimes the movie theater seems a bit redundant when you have a 50" plasma at home hooked up to a surround sound system and a netflix subscription.
Those big tvs might sound ridiculously expensive, but when you account for inflation, they're really not. I think the one we have cost around $1300 out the door with an extended warranty. My roommate bought it, so I don't know all the details. My grandparents bought a tv way back in 1972. 25" console, no remote, single speaker. $700. Adjusting for inflation, that's about $3500 today! :surprise:
Very true. My dad still has a Mitsubishi 35" Tube TV he purchased in 1985 for $3,000. It's lasted 28 years, and he finally replaced it with a Samsung 57" LCD that he paid around $2k for. Adjusted for inflation, that '85 Mitsubishi would be comparable to spending at least $6k (roughly @ 3% inflation rate) today.