Being robbed

OUCH!!!...Big Brother Just Kicked Me In Tha Dick Again!!!

 

Alright I give up. I am going to fix it for everyone. I am going to build the engine to replace the internal combustion engine with a engine of comprible power with no need to fill-up, pay-up and shut-up. A engine with 500k miles lifespan and comes ready to fit in all chasis out now. Serious investors are not needed until the prototype is finished. Lets free up the free market.

 

Have you ever experienced a northern winter? I'm not saying you need a lifted truck but I drive a 2001 ram 4x4 quad cab that gets in the low teens FOR mpg. I used to live over 30 miles from the closest town and sometimes we wouldn't get plowed out for a couple days. seemed like the more snow we got the longer it took to get the roads plowed. I ride my bike when I get a chance but so far this year gas prices and the cost of everything else going up because of gas prices has crippled my budget. I can't even afford to get my bike on the road. We also had a Baby last August so we had to get rid of the wifes 2 door caviler and we go a Jeep cherokee because if we can afford it we want to have another in a year or so and didn't want to get something that would be to small. we tried smaller suvs but they just didn't fit our needs. We got the one with the v6 but I think we would have been better off with the 8 because the 6 doesn't get any better milage because it is full time 4x4. I think when the oil companies are getting record profits that blow away the previous records that the elected officials need to do a little more than say that they will look into it. I would like to see the day when we have a leader with a backbone or someone that isn't linked to big oil in office.
and that is my $1.02

 

Nationalize the oil companies?!

PorsheBob, what the hell type of socialist thinking is that ?

Man, I am reading along your post and POW! that hits me like when big brother gives me another shot to the junk.

You are right, "We do need to do something..." Its called change your own lifestyle. Regulating the oil companies is a recipe for disaster PoscheCastro. The problem is not the oil companies...

IT's US! The rebellious American who says: "I know I don't need an SUV, but piss off, I'll do what I want" OK Pal, keep that attitude and when you are paying 3 to 5 bucks a gallon, I'll be laughing.

Truely the blame is on Americans NOT the oil companies. They are providing a legal product to a public that just sucks it up. They should be making record profits off our fat asses.

I got some ideas if I was President:

"Hey Americans quit wasting so much and learn a great word called "Conserve"

"Hey Americans, quit buying vehicles that suck on gas milege and turn around and blame oil companies"

"Hey Americans, You want to rebel? Well rebel against your own fat asses and dump the lifestyle habits that suck resources dry just so you can look cool"

"Hey Americans, regardless of what your T.V. or your scumbag attorney says, you do not have a constitutional right to drive a gas hog. Go back to civics class and quit blaspheming the constitution".

I get so worked up about this because it is the classic example of the thinking that shows America has forgot the term "personal accountibility".

We are the problem, no one else.

A little logic and reason can go a long way. Example:

I don't know about the rest of you, but the one thing in my 32 years of living that has consistently gone up in price every year is gasoline. So when it came to buy my first vehicle out of college it was a 4 cylinder Nissan Frontier. The year was 1997 and although I could afford a 'bigger' vehicle:1 bigger vehicles got crap gas milage and 2, the payment was more, so I would be paying more for a vehicle that would cost more to fill up each year. Gas was $1.15 a gallon in Waldorf, Maryland at the time. I had the Nissan for 7 years and it got (whatever the govenment says, cuz I refuse to argue about it) miles to the gallon. The whole time I owned that vehicle gas prices kept going up, up, up! And people whined and cried and I smiled because they only had themselves to blame.

We are getting exactly what we have coming to us! Change yourself and wash your hands of the blame!

However, like you PorsheBob, I hate to see the poor get hosed on this, and in my area I have seen the pinch on people. But that is another topic!

BZ

 

Uhhh, yeaupp, compared to most of the world that is cheap.

Also, what was a quart of drinking water in the same stop? Typically 0.99 or more, which puts bottled water at over $4 a gallon. And an awful lot of that stuff comes out of the tap.

But think about it. The oil field has to be found, lot of exploration, lot of drilling dry wells. Then you have to get it out of the ground -- not cheap or easy. Then you have to ship it, halfway around the world. Maintain a system of docks to do the offload, and secure them. Again, not cheap. Now you have to refine it, expensive and dangerous. Now send it thru a pipeline in many cases to a local distributership, how much does it cost to build and maintain something like that? Now truck it to your local stand, while abiding by all the hazardous waste over the highway rules.

$4 is nothing. Percentage wise, the gas companies certainly aren't making what the water companies are making, I am sure. Or perfume, or possibly even milk.

I have no idea that massive amounts of people will hop on public transportation, they won't, but certainly some will. But more likely it will change what people choose to buy & drive. And where and how they choose to drive.
And yes, the rise in oil will lead to increased priced on pretty much everything. I don't think too many people deny that, what you may be missing is that some are willing to accept it.

 

So, you no longer like living in a country with capatilism based economic system?:biggrin:

 

spend far less on gas, but what do you spend on the bike, tires, mait, etc.?

 

Born and raised in CT, lived in RI and Ma for a while. Frequent trips to VT, NH and Maine to ski. Never had a truck. Never had a problem driving because of it. Lived in a small town in CT, plowing was sporadic at best. Never said no one needs a truck, certainly some do. But when you go to FL and half the vehicles are trucks and SUVs, that says something. There are also a ton of cars out there availible in AWD, with a good set of snow tires, you can get thru near anything. As for with kids, you have to get an SUV, that is kind of hard when a Honda Odessey or Toyota Sienna have the same interior volume as a suburban; but -- get better mileage, easier for kids, dogs, the elderly to get in and out of, less likely to tip over, drive better, are safer in an accident, cheaper to mait, and because of their handling attributes are less likely to be in an accident. And the Sienna has an AWD version availible

 

Like many of the car magazines note too, is that Americans have some problem with "wagons". I would drive a station wagon over a minivan anyday.

JayMZ, I grew up in Iowa where having a big 4X4 is fine, but now I live in AZ where a bunch of macho needledicks are trying to compensate for their short stature or look cool. Then there's the materialistic middle class(I'm guilty), who seem to think they need SUVs that cost more than they make in a year! Mine is an old POS and paid off and sits in the driveway almost everyday.

 

Bubba, I didn't spend 8 years of service in the Marine Corps to sit back and let someone call me names....so I suggest you back off on the name calling.
I've been around twice as long as you and I have seen how other industries have held back prices. For instance, here in northern California we have the Pacific Gas & Electric Co. held accountable to the Public Utilities Commission (PUC).
Why?....because it is a necessary energy source! And...so is fuel oil and gasoline. Any price changes have to be approved by the PUC. Why not have a similar program for gas stations and oil refineries? Years ago when I was in college and working part time in a gas station we use to have gas wars. Our station posted prices for regular at....$0.18 ! That is not a misprint. My question to this esteemed audience is this....how much higher must the price go before we tell the oil companies, and the politicians that are in their pocket,...enough is enough! If anything, we need laws that make the oil profits more transparent. I want to see and be able to follow-the-money and and know who the politicians are that need to be booted out of office. My 2 cents.

 

A shame too with so many good ones around, went from a 7 seat SUV to a Mazda 6 Wagon a few years ago, amazing how much more entertaining just the act of driving is in a car that is not only much cheaper to fill but dynamically brilliant.

In the US why everyone isn't driving a C300 Hemi wagon is beyond me, they rock to look at yet are still better than SUV's for Gas milage.

 

Someone said something about not buying gas for a week, thats not going to hurt anybody but us. To make up for the lost money the gas companys will just raise prices again. What NEEDS to happen is everyone needs to stop buying gas from just one company, say Exon/Mobil. Stop buying from them, buy your gas from some other station. When they start losing money from poor sales, they will have no choise but to bring their prices down. Investers don't like losing money!!! When their prices come down we start buying from them again and not from anyone else. The rest will lower their prices so on and so forth. People do have the power to change things, we just got spoiled and lazy !!! It won't change until we as a country get off our A$$es and make it change.

 

You guys moaning about fuel (sorry gas) at $4 a gallon. I filled up yesterday and on straight forward gas it was £0.959 per litre and the Premium stuff was just over £1.04 per litre - I really am not cnvinced it makes any difference, so the staight forward stuff went in.

For those of you that don't know there are around 5 litres to 1 gallon.
The £ = about $2

So that made my fill up cost £17.37 or just short of $40!!!

That is the bike sorted, when I fill up the car (a VW estate) it costs around £70 ...... or $140.

To my mind that is expensive, and we get loads of oil out of the ground just off the UK coast.

I somehow get the feeling that it is going to get more expensive, rather than less in the coming years - enjoy the cheap fuel while it lasts guys.

 

That would be to an Imperial Gallon, the US Gallon is 3.8 litres, still bad just not quite by as much.

 

I keep hearing that most of what the rest of the world pays for gas is taxes, any truth to this?

 

Yes - certainly this side of the world it is taxes - designed t make money for the government, and make us think abut using public transport (where it exists) more. Inmy opinion these will only go up - now because of global warming and reducing emissions

 

:biggrin: Thanks John.... I thought there were 2 types of gallon:frusty: , but also knew you would be out there to correct me!!!:biggrin:

 

Porshebob:

Just engaging in a fun debate with you brother and the name calling is in jest.

BZ

 

Why sorry about that Old chap, just keeping things on an even keel what what. :biggrin:

 

no probs mate