$5 a gallon of gas rant

[redhen]

Quote:
Same here, by not looking I avoid an anger I can do nothing to change.

Yep.. nothing we can do about it anyways... and we have to drive..
They have us by the male parts and they know it...
we want to drive..we have to pay.

 

[elizabethbinary]

I drive for a living and before the exchange rate started to match we were paying like $7USD a gal after conversions. I think it's 4ish now. $1.30 a litre, anyway - so I think I'm already at $5 a gal + here. Exchange rate is almost dollar for dollar so..yeah.

But here's my thought: It's a non renewable resource that everyone in the world wants. It's got a limited supply. It's got a huge demand. Prices are gonna go up and either way I need it to work - so I do it.

I'm just happy I'm not in the UK/Iceland where it's $9-11 a gallon.

 

[Me & My Peeps]

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i did some research a while back. Ever since Katrina - Oil\\Gas company's have made record profit's!!! At first, they used the excuse of "storms, explosions, spills etc" but now they dont even offer up an excuse anymore.........and NOBODY scratches their head and wonders "why"? GM = too big to fail? What was that? The UNIONS had a chance to make it right but they were greedy and refused to make any changes. Instead they kept making MILLIONS and keeping workers home collecting FULL PAY!!! Then the Gov't says there too big to fail!! Dont get me started....



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What we need in my opinion (for whatever thats worth) is to hold people responsible for their actions. Why should WE as a society, be held hostage to corporate greed? The problem with people cutting back on purchases/consumption, is that the company's then RAISE the cost of their goods to keep the profit % even. Then when consumption rises, their profits grow disproportionate and exponentially to sales. A neighboring town here raised the Mill rate on property evaluation, to combat the declining property values. Now when the real estate values rebound, they will grow faster and way PAST previous evaluations. It's a mess here in this country, I personally dont think the answer is to cut back to the bare bone but to move forward in an educated manner which allows everyone to benefit.

That's my rant for the day and I apologize to whoever thread this is, that I hijacked.

 

[elizabethbinary]

Problem is it's not the daily consumer using most of the oil - it's the shipping/travel companies. Trucks, planes, etc etc. Personal use only accounts for 10% of all that, and would barely put a dent in the pocketbooks of the Man if everyone in the world stopped using petrol for home.

Though it does still annoy me that our money is worth more now (by double!) and yet still doesn't seem to buy any more oil....

 

[Cindiloohoo]

Quote:
The daily consumers drive that market too. If the things shipped in were not in demand...they'd NOT be shipped in. Buy local anyway you can. You can't blame the industry for providing what consumers demand. Maybe the consumers should stop being so demanding of things not local and not necessary

 

[elizabethbinary]

Quote:
The daily consumers drive that market too. If the things shipped in were not in demand...they'd NOT be shipped in. Buy local anyway you can. You can't blame the industry for providing what consumers demand. Maybe the consumers should stop being so demanding of things not local and not necessary

Well there we agree! I do buy local as much as I can and am even a member of a CSA and all that jazz.

Most people seem to think the only solution is to drive less and really, that's one of the tiniest dents in oil usage there is, believe it or not. Like I said, I have to drive for a living - no driving - no bills paid.

I have a motorbike too, though, which really really does help saving money in the long run. Nothing like filling up a tank for $11!

 

[knjinnm]

Me & My Peeps :

The UNIONS had a chance to make it right but they were greedy and refused to make any changes.

Don't fall for the "it's the unions fault. UAW workers made $27.50/hr or $57,200/yr plus 30-35% benefits ... is that a middle class salary?
New UAW workers are starting out at less than $15hr ... can you start a family on less than $30K/yr?
75% of American workers earn less than $77K/YR, so you figure out where you are on the scale and decide if you are gaining or losing.
Most of us are losing IMO.​

 

[mom'sfolly]

As for no society or government lasting more than 200 years, utter hogwash!

The British monarchy has existed in its current form since about 1700, even though it's power has waxed and waned.
The Japanese feudal system lasted from the 1300's until well into the 19th century
Depending on how you divide things Egyptian kingdoms lasted hundreds of years
the Roman empire lasted 300-400 years
the US has lasted 235 years

lots of examples.

High gas prices are not the end of civilization. But they may mark a change in the world.

 

[Dar]

We are already $5.13 per US gallon...... ($1.129 per canadian L)

 

[knjinnm]

mom'sfolly :

As for no society or government lasting more than 200 years, utter hogwash!

The British monarchy has existed in its current form since about 1700, even though it's power has waxed and waned.
The Japanese feudal system lasted from the 1300's until well into the 19th century
Depending on how you divide things Egyptian kingdoms lasted hundreds of years
the Roman empire lasted 300-400 years
the US has lasted 235 years lots of examples.

The British monarchy is vastly different than it was in 1700. As for the rest of your examples I don't believe any of us would want to live during those time unless we were part of the aristocracy, which in today's terms is the top 2% of Americans.​