Well.....you could start by buying American drilled and refined fuel from a company thats pours its profits back into our local economy!

"CountryMark is Indiana's only American-owned oil exploration, production, refining and marketing company. Providing customers in and around the state of Indiana with a reliable source of American energy is CountryMark's commitment."
CountryMark - Diesel Fuel, Biodiesel, Gasoline & Lubricant Products for Agriculture, Fleet & Commercial Vehicles - Serving Indiana (and parts of Ohio, Michigan & Illinois)

They sell to the general public too

http://www.countrymarklocations.com/

 

Good Morning Indiana! Happy Saturday!

A little gas-price-rage going on with me too... all while we sit on huge oil reserves in ND and along our coasts. But, we can't drill, we might anger the fish, or worse yet, some earth-muffin sierra club member sitting on the prairie singing Kumbaya.

 

scratcher,

there is one of those here in Fort Wayne...while I like the idea of on-shore profits...sadly they are the exact SAME price and play the exact SAME games with jumping fuel prices...why do their prices seem to follow the middle east pricing when they get their oil on-shore???

If they were closer (about an 8 mile drive for me) I would do it just for the principle...but since I get roughly 8 mpgs in the Ex...it isn't worth 2 gallons every fill up for me since I have multiple choices on my way home.

 

I thought of that too. Kind of makes you wonder if they are bound to some directive that forces them not to be too competitive which is even harder to understand since we are supposed to be a free market.

At the end of the day it IS American oil which means that the profits are not going into the coffers of some middle eastern country who may or may not turn its guns on our boys and girls.

Another thing to consider is that if you are running a diesel their's is of a higher quality with lower Lubricity HFRR rating of 460um than the EPA standard of 520um. 460 is good for injection systems as it provides the extra lubricity needed that ULSD doesnt have.

And now I'm going to shame you all. I am not an American citizen but a permanent resident seeking citizenship in the US. If I am prepared to drive 14 miles past 3 gas stations to buy a product from a seller who employs American staff and supports our co-op farming community in Indiana then why aren't you?

Or is it because America has gone from this
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to this

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Please don't be offended and don't get me wrong. I love this country like it was my own. Infact it is true to say that there are more Scotsmen in America than there are in Scotland.

 

2 way's to think about this: Is this the dream lifestyle the youth in Tunisia, Libya, Egypt, etc. aspire to? Or the opportunity for expanding our global middle class with hard working folks who want a brighter future for their kids. I hope it's the latter.

 

scratcher,

You are right...I'm lazy and the sad part is that the "American" company is playing the same games with American's that the others are...so I'd at least like to be met half way there is all...I mean EVERY fuel station in Fort Wayne raises their prices at the SAME time...how is that "free market"???...the Fort Wayne market has become one where the first one raises and the others use it as their excuse to go up no matter if they JUST got a fuel load or if there is one coming...there is no competition what so ever and I mean NONE...the largest delta you will see between stations here is $0.02 and that is it...if CountryMark wants to attract some folks based on AMERICAN OIL and AMERICAN PROFITS...they should develop a business model that SEPARATES themselves from the OTHERS...following the SAME bend over American's mentality...gives me the opportunity to simply thumb my nose at them even though they are American owned and use American oil but want to follow the "norm" and get rich too...so for me to drive out of my way and waste my time just because they use American oil...well I'm not sold based on their attitude up here in Fort Wayne...

They should LOWER their prices when the middle east farts and prices go up...why does American oil fluctuate with middle east unrest?...that's why I don't feel obligated to go out of my way...CountryMark is just as bad IMO with their pricing gouging...

Joe.

 

nearest countrymark is 21 miles....

There's a station close to my work that had it in their tanks though

 

It all boils down to the basic economic principle of supply and demand. If a product is priced lower than the competition then everyone will flock to that supplier until demand outweighs supply. The result of which is that you get empty tanks and not enough supply to meet demand.

I don't think its a case of everyone following suit just because one or two raise prices and everyone goes in for the kill. Gas prices are linked to an index which probably should be followed unless your prepared to sit for a while with empty tanks until demand drops off.

Equilibrium has to be reached until supply can meet demand and that only happens when the price is raised to comparable levels with other competitors. Keeping the previous price when everyone else around is raising theirs will only get you empty tanks quicker. In the end you actually lose and gain a reputation as a supplier who cannot meet the demands of the customer.

Country mark doesn't refine at a volume that would be able to maintain a lower price for any sustainable time period. They would actually lose out because demand would outweigh supply and people would stop filling up at their locations because they wouldn't be sure that their is going to be any fuel to fill up with.

At the end of the day the lesson is that in economics their really isn't any such thing as a free market. In my line of business I can drop my prices and get a high volume of work but at the end of the day I will be exhausted from overwork and wont be able to function for very long at high output. That's why my prices went up this year simply because my physical output could not keep up with the demand.

At the end of the day its simple economics. That's what we get for living in a "free market"

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The sad part is gas prices aren't going to stop rising anytime soon. They may be higher than they were a couple years ago. Looks like I'll be riding a lot more this summer.

 

I travel all over the country...and I see gas prices that vary within a town...maybe 10 to 15 cents in just a couple of miles as you go thru the town.

I NEVER see a station in Fort Wayne with a price more than $0.02 different than another...when one moves...they all move...simple fact of Fort Wayne gas station owners.

The prices in Fort Wayne are always equilibrated within a couple of hours of the first one to "jump"...up or down...although I have yet to see a $0.20 or $0.30 DROP but I have seen many JUMPS of that magnitude!...explain that?

 

Hey Joe, I'm trying your stromboli recipe, got the dough raising now...

 

They are probably checking the consumer gas price websites. All larger towns and citys have them. The smaller town stations are probably not as connected to whats happening in the local economy hence the wider price variations. Location location location

 

Awesome Rob...you are the second one today that has said that...I just answered a PM on it!

When you roll the dough...roll it thin and spread the sauce thin too...

Hope it turns out good for you...you really can't mess it up actually...I have been making these for well over a decade and have come to the conclusion rolling the dough THIN is the key.

Also remember the BBQ sauce for dipping...it is awesome!

Good luck and let me know how you like it!

Joe.

 

Good evening Indiana.

 

Turned out awesome Joe, thumbs up from the family too... although we used marinara sauce instead of BBQ for dipping.



Glad you mentioned rolling the dough thin, I was worried that I had it too thin. Had trouble getting the dough to raise, but it finally took off. The wife was making cinnamon rolls and her dough wasn't cooperating either, she thought maybe it wasn't warm enough in the kitchen when we started.

I see this recipe being used the next time we get together with friends!