Hey, All cool with me.... I was just looking at the number of people who've expressed that at least one of the reasons they don't ride is the sense of how dangerous it is to get on a bicycle, and expressing my surprise, since I don't see it as the most dangerous activity out there - of course, I have less reason to live, since my kids are 17 and 14 - almost grown
Very true in Dallas. Some cities are just not bike-friendly. A co-worker got nailed several years ago, luckily he survived. It takes a very particular mix of trails, bike lanes, and car drivers' attitude to make bike riding safe.
I'm pretty interested in the schizoid nature of some cities - recreational biking works well, but commuting does not. When the environment is such that people drive their cars to the bike trails, because there is no real way to bike there, you've got a problem.
Apparently Exxon didn't have any smart CPAs in the late 90's. Otherwise they never would have allowed oil to sell for $10/barrel.
So the oil industry is writing the laws, with congress acting as a rubber stamp. Then why are they being denied the right to drill in ANWR or expand drilling in the Gulf of Mexico?
so the 401Ks are totally about making the little guy feel good
Exxon/Mobil's stock price has tripled in the last 5 years while also paying a small dividend. So I'm sure there token gesture to make the little guy feel good is appreciated.
Sure , there are exploratory and development Corporations , contract consultants , oil well equipment manufacturers and marketers , brokers who purchase from the producers , shipping companies , refineries , transportation , real estate companies , Construction companies , chemical companies , fertilizer companies , plastic manufacturers and ?? I have read somewhere that there are about 30 fingers in the pie and owner or controlled by those at the top , the ONE WORLD GOVERNMENT .
That's exactly why Hugo Chavez is demonized , he cast off the shackles . Rockefeller then petitioned to have his U.S. bank funds frozen . So he cut off direct oil sales to EXXON . Now the CIA is using Columbia to fabricate a reason to invade . When you listen to the Main Stream Media , believe the opposite and you'll be closer to the truth .
gas prices from different companies ALWAYS seem to stay remarkably similar to each other in the same geographical area
Not so in many parts of San Diego county. In Lakeside that ARCO stations are $4.01 & $4.03 for RUG. The Citgo 7/11 is $4.15 and the Spirit which used to be Chevron is $4.39 cash $4.49 credit. All within two blocks of each other. I have seen it even more widely spaced. Spirit is $5.24 for diesel and the independent down the street is $4.75 for diesel. Across the city is varies from $3.88 to $4.49 for RUG. Diesel varies from $4.59 to $5.29. Most stations charge for CC. Shell gives 5% for using their CC. Costco now gives 3% with their AMEX Card. Costco is the best price most of the time.
That's exactly why Hugo Chavez is demonized , he cast off the shackles
Chavez is demonized because he is a ruthless dictator like Castro. Castro made all the same promises to help the poor. I have a friend that was there last year doing a concert and said it was still very poor and the people have little. Just because Chavez gives the gas away to the citizens does not mean he is a benevolent dictator. The reason he has problems with Exxon is they developed his oil production, and he did not pay them. So $12 billion is held up pending the lawsuit.
edit - given our host's desire (below), this could also be titled "Why Mexican oil isn't going to get us out of our jam"
In today's news:
"Mexico's 2008 oil production target of 3 million barrels a day looks like a fairy tale as output slid for the third straight month in April to a nine-year low. Waning output at major oil exporters Mexico, Venezuela and Russia have contributed to a meteoric rise in oil prices this year to over $130 a barrel. In Mexico, oil provides around a third of government revenue, leaving the country exposed to a fiscal crisis if exports dry up. During the first four months of this year average production fell 9% and exports fell 13% compared with the like period of 2007. April output of 2.77 million barrels a day was the lowest since October 1999. In the country's four main production zones output either fell or remained steady compared with March. Earlier this month, Pemex CEO Jesus Reyes Heroles said the company can still close the year with average output over 3 million barrels a day, but, in private, company officials are much more pessimistic. "People in Pemex think it will continue to keep falling in the short term," said David Shields, an expert on the state oil firm, who publishes the Energia a Debate magazine. One Pemex executive, speaking to Dow Jones Newswires on condition of anonymity, admitted the target is unrealistic considering low production during the first quarter. "
Some places only prohibit sidewalk riding in downtown core areas. Anchorage started that policy long, long ago after some kid flattened a shopper downtown. Same deal with roller blades and skateboards.
Some of y'all are getting more into politics instead of talking about how gas prices are fueling your pain, so some post pruning has been done.
For a while there people were commuting on roller blades come to think of it, but not to save on gas money. That craze calmed way down.
it looks at the glass as half empty. It should read that biking is a great way to go if you can do it...or something like that. And if you can't bike, then surely there is something else you can do to relieve your pain at the pump.
I think people who promote biking, myself included, realize that not everyone can do it. But there are sooo many out there who could do it even if it's one day in their life. Exercise is good medicine - not everyone like to take their medicine.
And when you see that rare individual out there riding his/her bike to work you should appreciate the fact that he's taking one more car off the road and being part of the solution not the problem.
and expressing my surprise, since I don't see it as the most dangerous activity out there
Well my typical day involves sleeping, showering, sitting behind a computer, eating, playing some tennis, and watching TV, along with commuting. The most dangerous part of my day is driving. If I bike my probability of ending up going to a hospital is about 5X higher. I biked about 1/2 the days last summer. My particular hazards are areas with no sidewalk or bike-path on a pot-holed road, the occasional bee or insect hitting in the face, and pop-up thunder storms. I can deal with the longer time, the need to shower, and the inconvenience of wearing a heavy back-pack with extra clothes, shoes, and lunch. And then there's the issue of not being able to run errands that require picking up or dropping things off.
Also I think that riding in commuting traffic is worse than the weekend because there are more people on the road at commuting time, and they are in a hurry to get to work on time.
If I were desperate to save gas, I would seriously consider a cheap scooter before a bicycle. Faster, able to keep up with city traffic and use the regular car-lane, and able to haul a little. I would seriously consider that at about $8/gal.
Apparently Exxon didn't have any smart CPAs in the late 90's. Otherwise they never would have allowed oil to sell for $10/barrel.
There was an active justice department and a real President back then.
So the oil industry is writing the laws, with congress acting as a rubber stamp. Then why are they being denied the right to drill in ANWR or expand drilling in the Gulf of Mexico?
I'm not sure what the bother is really. The congress will throw even most most liberal loud mouths a bone to chew on every once in a while. ANWAR and the Gulf of Mexico have about a farts worth of oil and gas anyway. Who cares? Carabu and beach goers? Both are doomed by global warming anyway.
Exxon/Mobil's stock price has tripled in the last 5 years while also paying a small dividend. So I'm sure there token gesture to make the little guy feel good is appreciated.
Personally my straw man is Apple, but Apple's been going out of business for thirty years and the stock brokers will berate the hell out of you if you actually try to buy Apple stock. Kind of funny how that works, you can only buy what the brokers want you to buy. Oh sorry, not supposed to talk about that.
An interesting article, detailing how production is declining in this area; and how these poorer countries are having a hard time subsidizing their oil for the population. This last fact is important as this is what will decrease global demand and keep prices from going much higher.
It is important to keep our money in this country, keep our wages high, and to keep our $ worth a lot relative to other currencies. Your oil and gasoline prices are a result of the "economic-war" that we're all in. When you give money, or buy stuff, or otherwise help others around the world such that they then can buy oil and gasoline, you're making gasoline more expensive for yourself.
I think people who promote biking, myself included, realize that not everyone can do it. But there are sooo many out there who could do it even if it's one day in their life. Exercise is good medicine - not everyone like to take their medicine.
And when you see that rare individual out there riding his/her bike to work you should appreciate the fact that he's taking one more car off the road and being part of the solution not the problem.
Just to be clear, I agree with you - I think biking is great, and I actually own one, though if I were to be commuting I'd probably get a different kind of bike. One of the things that I was saying (obviously badly) is that I believe that the dangers of biking are often overstated, and that the infrastructure is not all that great.
America is slowly becoming a third world banana republic where there will be two classes of people. The ultra Rich and the dirt poor. $4.00 a gallon gas is destroying the standard of living of millions in the USA who could barely make ends meet as it is and now have to make the choice between putting gas in their car or food on the table.
For minimum wage workers, it is reaching a point where it may not even be worth it to drive to work, considering it could cost 2 hours pay (after taxes) worth of gas just to get to work and back that day.
I believe what you say to be the truth, unfortunately many people just believe in the status quo and don't believe their own government could be capable of such an act.
and then there are other who just believe it's capitolism working and anyone who feels otherwise should leave the country.
The US government doesn't want people to drive less, they want us to consume as much as possible. What do we do when we over extend ourselves on credit? We issue $1,800 checks (the recent stimulus package) and tell people to go spend more. The problem is the solution is the problem...
You're kind of ignoring the fact that there is a fairly large middle-class that has good job security. there are at least 20 million government employees who all make decent money and benefits, and there are many managerial and professional people.
While $4.00 may be affecting people, the gas-price is just the tipping point, but the real problem might be they were overspending before that. I say cable-TV, and cell-phones are luxuries, and that most people are running around with them. So until I see people cancelling those sort of things, I don't take them seriously. In fact that reminds me of a 17-year kid I know who asks his mom for $ for gas, but meanwhile had 576 text-messages in 2 months that cost $198. He quit his minimum wage job, to spend more time with his girlfriend! Another casuality of $4 gas.
For minimum wage workers, it is reaching a point where it may not even be worth it to drive to work, considering it could cost 2 hours pay (after taxes) worth of gas just to get to work and back that day.
First there are very few people who make minimum wage. Second I can't believe there are many people stupid-enough to burn $10 to get back and forth to work for minimum wage. Tell me how many people you know that live in North Philly, and drive to S. Philly to work in a McDonald's?
There are plenty of decent jobs in this country that go unfilled. But you can't expect to have the house, the 3 kids, and the 2 cars unless you get some skills and motivation. A high school diploma and expecting a good job doesn't cut it anymore to obtain that; as you're basically at the same level as the worker in Asia.
If I had kids that were 17-18, I would recommend that they enter the Coast Guard or Navy which are relatively safe, save $, get the education benefits, and then go with a career from there. it is fairly simple to find what professions pay and decide what works for them.
$4.00 a gallon gas is destroying the standard of living of millions in the USA who could barely make ends meet as it is and now have to make the choice between putting gas in their car or food on the table.
Well, we were in northern Italy in the late 90s & France in the early 2000s, when the cost of gas was well over $6/gallon, & we saw no evidence that high fuel costs were crushing the middle class in those countries. To be sure, France (more than Italy) has a highly-developed public transportation system that gives many an alternative to driving. On the other hand, after-tax incomes are significantly lower, so that fuel costs count for a larger part of the average household budget over there than they do here.
(I spotted an interesting difference between middle-class households in northern Italy & their American counterparts: while a U.S. family typically owns 2 or more cars, the Italian family owns 1 car & a motor scooter or motorcycle.)
High fuel costs will really hurt the rural poor, who can't take the bus or train to work. Beyond that, the people who will most keenly feel the pinch will be those who've used debt to prop up their living standards. If the payment on your Tahoe runs to $500/month, it won't take much of a gas price hike to torpedo your finances. But those of us who've made it a habit to live within our means can cope with today's pump prices. We'll walk, bike, carpool, take the bus, telecommute or vacation closer to home & we'll get by without much pain.
There was an active justice department and a real President back then.
You referenced the Enron scandal in a previous post. Didn't we have a different President and Justice Department during Enron's heyday?
Somehow the US government is complicit in this oil company conspiracy to extort money out of us. Except that's it's not just happening to US motorists. It's impacting all but a small handful of socialist countries. So leaders of Europe, Japan, Canada, Australia, etc., are either all co-conspirators in this scam or they just don't have your insight. You're scenario is just way too implausible.
"...It's practical for many hundreds of thousands of single young people..."
At the risk of sounding like an old fart (too late) single young people are the least likely to give up their cars.
When I go to the market I park farther out than most people. I figure that as long as I can walk I will not take the spot of someone who has trouble getting around.
As often as not the handicapped spots are taken by 20 something bimbos and himbos who can't be bothered to walk an extra 10 feet to the door. Recently an elderly man chastised one of these people and three of them got out of the car and knifed him.
That'll teach those old folks to ride a bike.
2019 Kia Soul+, 2015 Mustang GT, 2013 Ford F-150, 2000 Chrysler Sebring convertible
Eron's folks did get caught, although the death of Ken Lay seems a bit to clean, don't you think. Guy's like that don't just die of heart attacks. And the SO bill did pass. It took awhile to shut down the Justice Department, but it's definitely down for the count now, chasing terrorist ghosts and approving NS letters by the thousands. It'll take awhile to rebuilding the JD and maybe it'll never work again. But for now there really is no Justice Department in any meaningful sense.
In the mean time gas prices are headed towards $5/gal, even $6/gal in Hawaii and Alaska. Oil company friends heading for the fence by the thousands, with their newly minted wealth.
Actually over at GMI there are a goodly number of members for whom $4 is no biggie. Their V8-guzzlers are their dreams and they have no intention of bowing to economic pressure to downsize. Downsizing is for wimps. A common concept is 'suck it up and make more money'. Now these posters might work at various truck and SUV plants but they do exist.
$4 gallon gas hasn't effected my desire to have my Suburban, boat, and travel trailer. I easilly afforded it at $2 gallon, $4 is really not a big deal to me. Sure I'd like to pay $2 gallon. The difference to between $2 a gallon gas and $4 is only about $200/mo for us. On top of that it might mean I spend $400 more this summer on boat gas than last year. Neither is noticable to our budget. We go where we want and take the boat out as much as possible. Same as every summer.
We keep our camper at a seasonal site at a campground on a fairly large lake. Memorial day weekend it was jammed packed with weekend campers. Lots of boats towed down there, gas didn't seem to be keeping anyone off the lake, the weather, on the other hand did:(
I agree with you, in a vacuum. The piece that most people don't consider is the ancilliary costs - so fuel is expensive, it affects food prices, etc etc.
No, my world is not ending, or even substantially affected, and as you say, neither is yours, however the cumulative effect is there.
No, my world is not ending, or even substantially affected, and as you say, neither is yours, however the cumulative effect is there.
True, those who don't have any room in their budget are in trouble. Fortunately for us, we live below our means and our income has increased faster than our expenses over the past several years. Unlike many, we don't go out and make a big purchase just because we received a nice raise. My Suburban is 8 years old with 108k miles on it. Sure I could buy a new one w/o a problem, but that would be a huge waste of money when the one I have is paid for and still runs fine.
I do not have the profit per gallon values for 2002 and 2007, e.g. But I hope someone out there does have them or knows a link that will find them. I suspect the profit per gallon has increased greatly.
While the dollar amount ( or in this case the cents amount) may have gone up greatly the percent has barely increased,
2011 Hyundai Sonata, 2014 BMW 428i convertible, 2015 Honda CTX700D
$4.00 a gallon gas is destroying the standard of living of millions in the USA who could barely make ends meet as it is and now have to make the choice between putting gas in their car or food on the table.
The sad fact is that most people are barely making ends meet by choice. By that I mean $40K/year families spending like they make $50K and $100K families spending like they make $125K and so on and so forth. Most people who live beyond their means could very easily live within their means.
2011 Hyundai Sonata, 2014 BMW 428i convertible, 2015 Honda CTX700D
The vast majority of families in the United States of America are NOT living within their means. Sorry to bust any bubbles of bliss. And gas prices are NOT a family budget issue. Gas price effect everything fairly rapidly, so the little waves currently on the people micro economics shores are turning into a storm surge real soon now.
Only 20% of American families have nothing to worry about, the other 80% are going to visiting ballot box to get theirs, believe me.
One of the things that I was saying (obviously badly) is that I believe that the dangers of biking are often overstated, and that the infrastructure is not all that great.
Exactly. Most people just cannot picture themselves being on the road outside of their steel box. Although there are a few high volume, high speed roads that I could legally travel on my bike I always take the alternate parallel route.
Many of these side roads linked together are no longer than the main drag but people probably are not even aware they exist. A detailed local road map would spell it out very quickly. That's what I did when I first started riding to work. My wife used to be amazed that it would only take me 20 minutes longer to arrive home via bike than the 25-30 minutes it takes by car.
I'm saving gas and money and having a ton of fun while doing it. Tonight's midnight ride home objective: Count the deer and see if I can break my record of 15 spotted.
The Indiana High Speed Rail Association 2645 Ridge Road, Highland, IN 46322 USA Phone: (219) 887-1351 Fax: (219) 887-5950 Email: wdh.2016@att.net INHSRA News French TGV V150 Speed Record of 574KMH (357MPH)!
HSR News Links Once gas is too expensive, we will resort to trains, busing, bicycling and walking for our transportion needs. There are plans in the works in the Midwest to build a TGV(train de grand vitesse) a high speed train to go across the country. Just think you can bus or take a train to work, enjoy the ride, or read your laptop, the paper, talk to co-workers etc. High-speed rail, 'A parallel universe' Midwest Regional Rail Executive Summary Indiana DOT But we will also be innovative and perhaps with nanosolar's help we can all use electric cars with an additional hydrogen cell for distance extension.
A reporter would like to talk consumers who expressed interest in Chrysler’s $2.99 gas promotion and either purchased a vehicle or had considered purchasing one because of the promotion . Please respond to ctalati@edmunds.com with your daytime contact information no later than Friday, May 31st.
"...a banana republic also typically has large wealth and income inequities, poor infrastructure, poor schools, a backward economy, low capital spending, a reliance on foreign capital and money printing, budget deficits, and a weakening currency. Banana republics are typically also highly prone to revolutions and coups." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Banana_republic
I like it! Where do I sign up? :shades:
"is destroying the standard of living of millions in the USA who could barely make ends meet as it is and now have to make the choice between putting gas in their car or food on the table. "
Less driving = lower emissions. Less food = people might lose weight
Out in the oil patch they are paying people $60k to $80k to drive a truck. So the jobs are out there if people want to make a move. I hear there are also a fair amount of jobs in Alberta, Canada. Their winters are a bit nippy, however.
The sad fact is that most people are barely making ends meet by choice. By that I mean $40K/year families spending like they make $50K and $100K families spending like they make $125K and so on and so forth. Most people who live beyond their means could very easily live within their means.
Very true. Makes me think of my BIL and SIL. They were hurting for money and asked us for some help. I told my wife I didn't mind giving them money, but don't make it a loan, just give it to them. Well, the money we gave them got them out of a jam. Now they just bought a truck for my BIL to drive 30 miles each way to work. I guess some people are just destined to be poor.
That's a result of 8 years of being told to "spend spend spend" in order to help out the economy. Even those who didn't have it were told to spend (I remember days where I'd get 10 or 12 credit card offers in the mail at once).
Now the economy is still bad, and spend spend spend isn't an option because fuel prices went up too, causing a major ripple effect in the economy. And suddenly, those who were told "it's OK, go ahead and spend, help the economy" are all of a sudden living beyond their means to some degree.
I feel some pity for those people who got sucked in by the whole easy-credit/help-the-economy dog and pony show.
Regretfully, no budget can be found for this major infrastructure project. On the other hand, 50 times such a budget (and XXXX casualties) have been spent for a humanitarian operation in the ME.
4USD /Gallon is still too cheap for any such project to go forward. Maybe $8 would provide a real push. but $8 is impossible isn't it ?
>There was an active justice department and a real President back then.
I would blame the government for not using this period of cheap oil to significantly raise gas tax. At that period, the price of one gallon in the US would buy nearly one liter in Europe.
As a consequence, nada was invested in key alternative infrastructures or R&D and the big 3 went lazy when dealing with their cars' fuel efficiency.
Now that the winds are shifting, US is in trouble.
This reminds me of the story of the Cigal and the ant.
Sir, do you advocate raising taxes? If so, why? I don't think the solution is more money... Some folks are having a very hard time and taking money away from them doesn't solve anything. We haven't done a good job with the money we do have, as of this time. Also, I would like to know how you are going to pick your goods up off the train, without utilizing the services of a trucking company? For those advocating rail services, how do you get your products to the retail consumer via train? You have to use trucks and I don't mean UPS or FED EX, they are not trucking companies.. With due respect, those are psuedo trucking companies. People just don't realize that pretty much everything you own was delivered during some point of its logistical journey via truck. Also, for those that indicate you will keep your SUV no matter what, that is fine with this southern boy... If you are willing to pay the associated costs, no problem here. I do know a comptroller that works for Edd Kirby Chevrolet in Dalton, GA and they sold only 2 SUV's during the month of April 2008... We are talking about the South, where it is God, Guns and Trucks, that tells me there is lots of pain at the pump...
Ha.. I am answering my own question about rail transportation... You could use rail and trucking if you logistically worked out via intermodal transportation... Some of my father's trucking business was connected in with Southern Railway... They would operate hubs delivering tractor trailers via train, which were then off loaded and hooked up to awaiting tractor trucks... So, you can do it, as long as the diesel prices don't force the trucking companies under... Railways and trucking companies, like JB HUNT, for example, would need to merge or form alliances to streamline costs, in order to increase operating ratios and efficiencies. My apologies, if I seemed rude in any way earlier... thanks...
Out in the oil patch they are paying people $60k to $80k to drive a truck.
My nephew lost his job in Ohio with one of the airlines that collapsed. He just snagged a job in Alaska as a Helicopter mechanic. He plans to move his family where the work is. There are a lot of jobs. Many are very good pay. The company I retired from just hired a guy from Wisconsin that is going to work in Prudhoe Bay Alaska. If you think you have to stay close to mom and dad and family. Maybe they will support you. I would go where the best job for the most pay is.
I just paid $4.21/gallon for regular unleaded! I went to my usual place which is normally low-priced. I didn't have time to shop around but I bet if I take a quick look around tomorrow I will find it is competitive for my area even at $4.21.
I paid $4.07 at the end of last week! What the heck hapened here? I've been saying that people predicting $5 spikes this summer were just being alarmist, but now I wonder if we might not see a spike to $5 before Labor Day, under the right conditions.....
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
FedEx bought Viking Freight and American Freightways, what, a decade ago? They do freight in addition to ground transport around town. I think UPS is still killing them (and DHl is about toast).
Yes and no. I support a steep tax raise on fuel but to lower other tax. The idea is to tax polluting/oil burning activities more and to tax less non polluting activities (working, buying, investing)
I don't advocate more tax in general, but to shift the the current tax scheme
>I don't think the solution is more money This is true indeed. it is more about where and how money should be spent.
>Some folks are having a very hard time and taking money away from them doesn't solve anything mmm, when one works, one has to pay tax. this is unavoidable as everybody need to work to live. However, when one burns oil, I consider it more like a choice. If one does not agree with oil price, then I trust he/she will consider alternatives.
I think the current system of heavy tax on income and light tax on oil is therefore hitting nastily against the hard working people.
>Also, I would like to know how you are going to pick your goods up off the train, without utilizing the services of a trucking company?
I view truck and train as complement of each other. trucks for shorter stretches (can't put railway everywhere) and rail for longer distances. in Europe, Trucks will be able to board dedicated freight trains soon. Europe also offer high speed rail freight services (up to 100 mph). More trucks on the rails means fewer accidents on the roads and shorter transit times. isn't it a good deal? True it is expensive if US Gallon is 4USD. At 8 USD, this may be another story.
You were not rude at all. Thanks for your concern.
as you see my English is impaired, I may not always express things in an appropriate way, which in turns may provoke stronger reaction.
Creating a serious rail network would definitely create many jobs and not necessarily destroy car/plane/truck jobs on a one for one basis. Planes should be for long distances where trains are not competitive. I find it absurd that in the mightiest country in the world, I still have no other option than to burn oil to travel from LA to SF or to Las vegas. Same for many large cities less than 500 miles apart .
I also support the idea of intermodal interconnection hubs with key roads, ports, airports linked together.
Yep, whoa is right! Shock is the only damn things that is going to wake up the masses. Those who are wealthy think it's funny. Or say "Let them eat cake."
The french revolution wasn't that long ago folks and the anger at these gas prices are causing is very broad reaction. I'd advise those in the wealth classes to look around quickly and get your escape plans in place. The party is just about over.
Like scientist's excitedly studying a rumbling volcano, but have waited to late, when she blows, it'll be way to late.
What I'm I threatening? Hmm, I don't know, how about a 70% tax on incomes over $2 million. Yes that would do it. Before Regan, that's what we had in the country. It could happen again very fast.
To balance that, a 15% cut tax cut for incomes under $200K.
Also, take the $500 billion going to the military and cut all of the soviet era weapon systems, the B1s & B2, the new Raptors, the extra carrier groups, a few subs, the crazy big tanks. That would save $250 billion eventually and force us to keep our noses out of other country's business.
We aren't the cops for the whole world. Sure people hate out guts, but they sure ain't going to like us at the point of the gun while we take their oil.
We are going to need to triple the size of the national guard by the way, because the prisons are about to start emptying at a rate of 100,000/year hardened criminals, all those pot smokn' teenagers are getting out now. The local police are going to need big time backup.
I did not realize that FedEx had purchased Viking, as I have been involved in the insurance industry for over 10 years now... thank you for enlightening me... I agree, whether it is FedEx or JB Hunt, etc... all of those guys are really hurting right now... I don't know if the independent contractors can make it much longer..
Comments
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
I'm pretty interested in the schizoid nature of some cities - recreational biking works well, but commuting does not. When the environment is such that people drive their cars to the bike trails, because there is no real way to bike there, you've got a problem.
So the oil industry is writing the laws, with congress acting as a rubber stamp. Then why are they being denied the right to drill in ANWR or expand drilling in the Gulf of Mexico?
so the 401Ks are totally about making the little guy feel good
Exxon/Mobil's stock price has tripled in the last 5 years while also paying a small dividend. So I'm sure there token gesture to make the little guy feel good is appreciated.
and owner or controlled by those at the top , the ONE WORLD GOVERNMENT .
That's exactly why Hugo Chavez is demonized , he cast off the shackles . Rockefeller
then petitioned to have his U.S. bank funds frozen . So he cut off direct oil sales to EXXON . Now the CIA is using Columbia to fabricate a reason to invade . When you listen to the Main Stream Media , believe the opposite and you'll be closer to the truth .
Not so in many parts of San Diego county. In Lakeside that ARCO stations are $4.01 & $4.03 for RUG. The Citgo 7/11 is $4.15 and the Spirit which used to be Chevron is $4.39 cash $4.49 credit. All within two blocks of each other. I have seen it even more widely spaced. Spirit is $5.24 for diesel and the independent down the street is $4.75 for diesel. Across the city is varies from $3.88 to $4.49 for RUG. Diesel varies from $4.59 to $5.29. Most stations charge for CC. Shell gives 5% for using their CC. Costco now gives 3% with their AMEX Card. Costco is the best price most of the time.
Chavez is demonized because he is a ruthless dictator like Castro. Castro made all the same promises to help the poor. I have a friend that was there last year doing a concert and said it was still very poor and the people have little. Just because Chavez gives the gas away to the citizens does not mean he is a benevolent dictator. The reason he has problems with Exxon is they developed his oil production, and he did not pay them. So $12 billion is held up pending the lawsuit.
In today's news:
"Mexico's 2008 oil production target of 3 million barrels a day looks like a fairy tale as output slid for the third straight month in April to a nine-year low. Waning output at major oil exporters Mexico, Venezuela and Russia have contributed to a meteoric rise in oil prices this year to over $130 a barrel. In Mexico, oil provides around a third of government revenue, leaving the country exposed to a fiscal crisis if exports dry up. During the first four months of this year average production fell 9% and exports fell 13% compared with the like period of 2007. April output of 2.77 million barrels a day was the lowest since October 1999. In the country's four main production zones output either fell or remained steady compared with March. Earlier this month, Pemex CEO Jesus Reyes Heroles said the company can still close the year with average output over 3 million barrels a day, but, in private, company officials are much more pessimistic. "People in Pemex think it will continue to keep falling in the short term," said David Shields, an expert on the state oil firm, who publishes the Energia a Debate magazine. One Pemex executive, speaking to Dow Jones Newswires on condition of anonymity, admitted the target is unrealistic considering low production during the first quarter. "
Some of y'all are getting more into politics instead of talking about how gas prices are fueling your pain, so some post pruning has been done.
For a while there people were commuting on roller blades come to think of it, but not to save on gas money. That craze calmed way down.
it looks at the glass as half empty. It should read that biking is a great way to go if you can do it...or something like that. And if you can't bike, then surely there is something else you can do to relieve your pain at the pump.
I think people who promote biking, myself included, realize that not everyone can do it. But there are sooo many out there who could do it even if it's one day in their life. Exercise is good medicine - not everyone like to take their medicine.
And when you see that rare individual out there riding his/her bike to work you should appreciate the fact that he's taking one more car off the road and being part of the solution not the problem.
Well my typical day involves sleeping, showering, sitting behind a computer, eating, playing some tennis, and watching TV, along with commuting. The most dangerous part of my day is driving. If I bike my probability of ending up going to a hospital is about 5X higher.
I biked about 1/2 the days last summer. My particular hazards are areas with no sidewalk or bike-path on a pot-holed road, the occasional bee or insect hitting in the face, and pop-up thunder storms.
I can deal with the longer time, the need to shower, and the inconvenience of wearing a heavy back-pack with extra clothes, shoes, and lunch. And then there's the issue of not being able to run errands that require picking up or dropping things off.
Also I think that riding in commuting traffic is worse than the weekend because there are more people on the road at commuting time, and they are in a hurry to get to work on time.
If I were desperate to save gas, I would seriously consider a cheap scooter before a bicycle. Faster, able to keep up with city traffic and use the regular car-lane, and able to haul a little. I would seriously consider that at about $8/gal.
There was an active justice department and a real President back then.
So the oil industry is writing the laws, with congress acting as a rubber stamp. Then why are they being denied the right to drill in ANWR or expand drilling in the Gulf of Mexico?
I'm not sure what the bother is really. The congress will throw even most most liberal loud mouths a bone to chew on every once in a while. ANWAR and the Gulf of Mexico have about a farts worth of oil and gas anyway. Who cares? Carabu and beach goers? Both are doomed by global warming anyway.
Exxon/Mobil's stock price has tripled in the last 5 years while also paying a small dividend. So I'm sure there token gesture to make the little guy feel good is appreciated.
Personally my straw man is Apple, but Apple's been going out of business for thirty years and the stock brokers will berate the hell out of you if you actually try to buy Apple stock. Kind of funny how that works, you can only buy what the brokers want you to buy. Oh sorry, not supposed to talk about that.
http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/energy/2008-05-28-indonesia-opec_N.htm
It is important to keep our money in this country, keep our wages high, and to keep our $ worth a lot relative to other currencies. Your oil and gasoline prices are a result of the "economic-war" that we're all in. When you give money, or buy stuff, or otherwise help others around the world such that they then can buy oil and gasoline, you're making gasoline more expensive for yourself.
And when you see that rare individual out there riding his/her bike to work you should appreciate the fact that he's taking one more car off the road and being part of the solution not the problem.
Just to be clear, I agree with you - I think biking is great, and I actually own one, though if I were to be commuting I'd probably get a different kind of bike. One of the things that I was saying (obviously badly) is that I believe that the dangers of biking are often overstated, and that the infrastructure is not all that great.
For minimum wage workers, it is reaching a point where it may not even be worth it to drive to work, considering it could cost 2 hours pay (after taxes) worth of gas just to get to work and back that day.
and then there are other who just believe it's capitolism working and anyone who feels otherwise should leave the country.
The US government doesn't want people to drive less, they want us to consume as much as possible. What do we do when we over extend ourselves on credit? We issue $1,800 checks (the recent stimulus package) and tell people to go spend more. The problem is the solution is the problem...
While $4.00 may be affecting people, the gas-price is just the tipping point, but the real problem might be they were overspending before that. I say cable-TV, and cell-phones are luxuries, and that most people are running around with them. So until I see people cancelling those sort of things, I don't take them seriously. In fact that reminds me of a 17-year kid I know who asks his mom for $ for gas, but meanwhile had 576 text-messages in 2 months that cost $198. He quit his minimum wage job, to spend more time with his girlfriend! Another casuality of $4 gas.
For minimum wage workers, it is reaching a point where it may not even be worth it to drive to work, considering it could cost 2 hours pay (after taxes) worth of gas just to get to work and back that day.
First there are very few people who make minimum wage. Second I can't believe there are many people stupid-enough to burn $10 to get back and forth to work for minimum wage. Tell me how many people you know that live in North Philly, and drive to S. Philly to work in a McDonald's?
There are plenty of decent jobs in this country that go unfilled. But you can't expect to have the house, the 3 kids, and the 2 cars unless you get some skills and motivation. A high school diploma and expecting a good job doesn't cut it anymore to obtain that; as you're basically at the same level as the worker in Asia.
If I had kids that were 17-18, I would recommend that they enter the Coast Guard or Navy which are relatively safe, save $, get the education benefits, and then go with a career from there. it is fairly simple to find what professions pay and decide what works for them.
Well, we were in northern Italy in the late 90s & France in the early 2000s, when the cost of gas was well over $6/gallon, & we saw no evidence that high fuel costs were crushing the middle class in those countries. To be sure, France (more than Italy) has a highly-developed public transportation system that gives many an alternative to driving. On the other hand, after-tax incomes are significantly lower, so that fuel costs count for a larger part of the average household budget over there than they do here.
(I spotted an interesting difference between middle-class households in northern Italy & their American counterparts: while a U.S. family typically owns 2 or more cars, the Italian family owns 1 car & a motor scooter or motorcycle.)
High fuel costs will really hurt the rural poor, who can't take the bus or train to work. Beyond that, the people who will most keenly feel the pinch will be those who've used debt to prop up their living standards. If the payment on your Tahoe runs to $500/month, it won't take much of a gas price hike to torpedo your finances. But those of us who've made it a habit to live within our means can cope with today's pump prices. We'll walk, bike, carpool, take the bus, telecommute or vacation closer to home & we'll get by without much pain.
You referenced the Enron scandal in a previous post. Didn't we have a different President and Justice Department during Enron's heyday?
Somehow the US government is complicit in this oil company conspiracy to extort money out of us. Except that's it's not just happening to US motorists. It's impacting all but a small handful of socialist countries. So leaders of Europe, Japan, Canada, Australia, etc., are either all co-conspirators in this scam or they just don't have your insight. You're scenario is just way too implausible.
At the risk of sounding like an old fart (too late) single young people are the least likely to give up their cars.
When I go to the market I park farther out than most people. I figure that as long as I can walk I will not take the spot of someone who has trouble getting around.
As often as not the handicapped spots are taken by 20 something bimbos and himbos who can't be bothered to walk an extra 10 feet to the door. Recently an elderly man chastised one of these people and three of them got out of the car and knifed him.
That'll teach those old folks to ride a bike.
2019 Kia Soul+, 2015 Mustang GT, 2013 Ford F-150, 2000 Chrysler Sebring convertible
Hmmmm...at 17 you have a choice to flip burgers or make out with some young hottie. Which should you choose...which should you choose? LOL
It will all even out later in life when he will TAKE a minimum wage job to get AWAY from his wife.
2019 Kia Soul+, 2015 Mustang GT, 2013 Ford F-150, 2000 Chrysler Sebring convertible
In the mean time gas prices are headed towards $5/gal, even $6/gal in Hawaii and Alaska. Oil company friends heading for the fence by the thousands, with their newly minted wealth.
We keep our camper at a seasonal site at a campground on a fairly large lake. Memorial day weekend it was jammed packed with weekend campers. Lots of boats towed down there, gas didn't seem to be keeping anyone off the lake, the weather, on the other hand did:(
No, my world is not ending, or even substantially affected, and as you say, neither is yours, however the cumulative effect is there.
True, those who don't have any room in their budget are in trouble. Fortunately for us, we live below our means and our income has increased faster than our expenses over the past several years. Unlike many, we don't go out and make a big purchase just because we received a nice raise. My Suburban is 8 years old with 108k miles on it. Sure I could buy a new one w/o a problem, but that would be a huge waste of money when the one I have is paid for and still runs fine.
While the dollar amount ( or in this case the cents amount) may have gone up greatly the percent has barely increased,
2011 Hyundai Sonata, 2014 BMW 428i convertible, 2015 Honda CTX700D
The sad fact is that most people are barely making ends meet by choice. By that I mean $40K/year families spending like they make $50K and $100K families spending like they make $125K and so on and so forth. Most people who live beyond their means could very easily live within their means.
2011 Hyundai Sonata, 2014 BMW 428i convertible, 2015 Honda CTX700D
http://www.examiner.com/x-325-Global-Warming-Examiner~y2008m5d27-Fuel-Subsidies-- Being-Will-Decrease-Oil-Demand
The next two links are interesting. They provide information that suggest the pain at the pump is more of a long-term pain.
http://europe.theoildrum.com/node/4007#more
http://www.theoildrum.com/node/4038#more
Only 20% of American families have nothing to worry about, the other 80% are going to visiting ballot box to get theirs, believe me.
Exactly. Most people just cannot picture themselves being on the road outside of their steel box. Although there are a few high volume, high speed roads that I could legally travel on my bike I always take the alternate parallel route.
Many of these side roads linked together are no longer than the main drag but people probably are not even aware they exist. A detailed local road map would spell it out very quickly. That's what I did when I first started riding to work. My wife used to be amazed that it would only take me 20 minutes longer to arrive home via bike than the 25-30 minutes it takes by car.
I'm saving gas and money and having a ton of fun while doing it. Tonight's midnight ride home objective: Count the deer and see if I can break my record of 15 spotted.
2645 Ridge Road, Highland, IN 46322 USA
Phone: (219) 887-1351
Fax: (219) 887-5950
Email: wdh.2016@att.net
INHSRA News
French TGV V150 Speed Record of 574KMH (357MPH)!
HSR News Links
Once gas is too expensive, we will resort to trains, busing, bicycling and walking for our transportion needs.
There are plans in the works in the Midwest to build a TGV(train de grand vitesse) a high speed train to go across the country. Just think you can bus or take a train to work, enjoy the ride, or read your laptop, the paper, talk to co-workers etc.
High-speed rail, 'A parallel universe'
Midwest Regional Rail Executive Summary
Indiana DOT
But we will also be innovative and perhaps with nanosolar's help we can all use electric cars with an additional hydrogen cell for distance extension.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Banana_republic
I like it! Where do I sign up? :shades:
"is destroying the standard of living of millions in the USA who could barely make ends meet as it is and now have to make the choice between putting gas in their car or food on the table. "
Less driving = lower emissions.
Less food = people might lose weight
Out in the oil patch they are paying people $60k to $80k to drive a truck. So the jobs are out there if people want to make a move. I hear there are also a fair amount of jobs in Alberta, Canada. Their winters are a bit nippy, however.
Very true. Makes me think of my BIL and SIL. They were hurting for money and asked us for some help. I told my wife I didn't mind giving them money, but don't make it a loan, just give it to them. Well, the money we gave them got them out of a jam. Now they just bought a truck for my BIL to drive 30 miles each way to work. I guess some people are just destined to be poor.
Now the economy is still bad, and spend spend spend isn't an option because fuel prices went up too, causing a major ripple effect in the economy. And suddenly, those who were told "it's OK, go ahead and spend, help the economy" are all of a sudden living beyond their means to some degree.
I feel some pity for those people who got sucked in by the whole easy-credit/help-the-economy dog and pony show.
It may not be obvious, but if we seriously increased rail links investments, it would be an alternative that would release many from dependance to fuel without compromising average speeds.
I concur it is not cheap. getting independant from gas is investment_intensive indeed but necessary.
http://www.cahighspeedrail.ca.gov/
http://www.californiaprogressreport.com/2007/05/why_california_3.html
Regretfully, no budget can be found for this major infrastructure project. On the other hand, 50 times such a budget (and XXXX casualties) have been spent for a humanitarian operation in the ME.
4USD /Gallon is still too cheap for any such project to go forward. Maybe $8 would provide a real push. but $8 is impossible isn't it ?
I would blame the government for not using this period of cheap oil to significantly raise gas tax.
At that period, the price of one gallon in the US would buy nearly one liter in Europe.
As a consequence, nada was invested in key alternative infrastructures or R&D and the big 3 went lazy when dealing with their cars' fuel efficiency.
Now that the winds are shifting, US is in trouble.
This reminds me of the story of the Cigal and the ant.
My nephew lost his job in Ohio with one of the airlines that collapsed. He just snagged a job in Alaska as a Helicopter mechanic. He plans to move his family where the work is. There are a lot of jobs. Many are very good pay. The company I retired from just hired a guy from Wisconsin that is going to work in Prudhoe Bay Alaska. If you think you have to stay close to mom and dad and family. Maybe they will support you. I would go where the best job for the most pay is.
I paid $4.07 at the end of last week! What the heck hapened here? I've been saying that people predicting $5 spikes this summer were just being alarmist, but now I wonder if we might not see a spike to $5 before Labor Day, under the right conditions.....
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
FedEx bought Viking Freight and American Freightways, what, a decade ago? They do freight in addition to ground transport around town. I think UPS is still killing them (and DHl is about toast).
Fuel prices are killing all of them.
Yes and no. I support a steep tax raise on fuel but to lower other tax.
The idea is to tax polluting/oil burning activities more and to tax less non polluting activities (working, buying, investing)
I don't advocate more tax in general, but to shift the the current tax scheme
>I don't think the solution is more money
This is true indeed. it is more about where and how money should be spent.
>Some folks are having a very hard time and taking money away from them doesn't solve anything
mmm, when one works, one has to pay tax. this is unavoidable as everybody need to work to live. However, when one burns oil, I consider it more like a choice. If one does not agree with oil price, then I trust he/she will consider alternatives.
I think the current system of heavy tax on income and light tax on oil is therefore hitting nastily against the hard working people.
>Also, I would like to know how you are going to pick your goods up off the train, without utilizing the services of a trucking company?
I view truck and train as complement of each other. trucks for shorter stretches (can't put railway everywhere) and rail for longer distances. in Europe, Trucks will be able to board dedicated freight trains soon. Europe also offer high speed rail freight services (up to 100 mph). More trucks on the rails means fewer accidents on the roads and shorter transit times. isn't it a good deal? True it is expensive if US Gallon is 4USD. At 8 USD, this may be another story.
as you see my English is impaired, I may not always express things in an appropriate way, which in turns may provoke stronger reaction.
Creating a serious rail network would definitely create many jobs and not necessarily destroy car/plane/truck jobs on a one for one basis. Planes should be for long distances where trains are not competitive.
I find it absurd that in the mightiest country in the world, I still have no other option than to burn oil to travel from LA to SF or to Las vegas. Same for many large cities less than 500 miles apart .
I also support the idea of intermodal interconnection hubs with key roads, ports, airports linked together.
The french revolution wasn't that long ago folks and the anger at these gas prices are causing is very broad reaction. I'd advise those in the wealth classes to look around quickly and get your escape plans in place. The party is just about over.
Like scientist's excitedly studying a rumbling volcano, but have waited to late, when she blows, it'll be way to late.
What I'm I threatening? Hmm, I don't know, how about a 70% tax on incomes over $2 million. Yes that would do it. Before Regan, that's what we had in the country. It could happen again very fast.
To balance that, a 15% cut tax cut for incomes under $200K.
Also, take the $500 billion going to the military and cut all of the soviet era weapon systems, the B1s & B2, the new Raptors, the extra carrier groups, a few subs, the crazy big tanks. That would save $250 billion eventually and force us to keep our noses out of other country's business.
We aren't the cops for the whole world. Sure people hate out guts, but they sure ain't going to like us at the point of the gun while we take their oil.
We are going to need to triple the size of the national guard by the way, because the prisons are about to start emptying at a rate of 100,000/year hardened criminals, all those pot smokn' teenagers are getting out now. The local police are going to need big time backup.