My 2002 f250 runs great but at 17mpg and $4.00 a gallon I have humbled myself to driving my wifes Chev. Blazer to work and the truck I love just sets in the driveway. How could American diesel drivers have ever allowed the Gov. to take our fuel from 40 cents to $4.00. What are we going to do about it ??? isn't diesel fuel cheaper to make than Unleaded Gas ????

 

I think it does take less refining than gas, but, if I'm not mistaken, there are fewer diesel refineries than there are gasoline refineries. Has to do with supply and demand I guess.

Hopefully Obama will man up and tap into our strategic reserves for a while. Otherwise, this "recession" might become a full blown "Depression".

 

I have heard rumblings of a Trucker Strike in the past. I know it's easy for me as a non-trucker to say I wish they would do it, but it might actually work. I don't know how they manage to stay on the road.

 

I guess a trucker strike would be a good thing for the fuel prices, but we would most likely pay more at the grocery store. What needs to happen is for our Gov. to quit allowing big business to rape the common folk by making Billions of dollars profit while the rest of us can just barely scrape along. Shame on the oil companies for taking a product we all must have and milking us dry with it.

 

I'm sitting here wondering that too, since I drive truck for a living. When it costs anywhere from $600-$800 to fuel it up, and doing that a couple times a week, I'm wondering why I even keep driving it.

As I agree with you it's hard to keep the fuel in the pickup with prices like they are, you need to make sure you have your facts straight. Oil companies have probably the thinnest profit margins than any company out there, like around 6-8%. Credit card companies are around 20+%, but nobody complains about them. The reason the profit of oil companies seems so large is from the volume of product they produce and sell. IF the oil companies are making such a huge profit, pretty much all of them are a publicly traded company, feel free to buy their stock and reap the benefits.

And I wouldn't expect our government to do anything about it, if anything they are causing higher prices because they aren't allowing the oil companies to drill where there is oil, along with all the rules and regulations that they think are necessary.

Don't take this as a personal attack, it's not meant that way at all. I just get tired of hearing people say they want the government to fix this or the gov. to fix that. I've been hearing a quote from Ronald Reagan on radio lately that I think says it as clear as can be: "government isn't the solution to our problems, government IS the problem."

 

I use to drive truck, and you would always hear this once or twice a year when prices got high. It never has and never will hapen on a national scale.

 

It used to be cheaper to refine but not any longer. When the EPA stepped in and required Ultra Low Sulpher Diesel that implemented several more steps into the refining process and that sent the price of diesel soaring.

Isnt it funny how the prices at the pump go up immediately on a oil bump, but oil traders buy oil based on 3 month or so contracts. We are getting screwed by the oil companies on the immediate bump.

 

That has been the problem for years.


Yeah, those tree huggers and bunny humpers sure stuck it to us.

oil traders... When the price per barrel goes up, the price at the pump goes up immediately! When the ppb goes down, we do not see the price at the pump go down as they say "oh, those are future prices..."

 

You should really be saying shame on Wall Street and its speculation. Watch prices fluctuate with volume of shares traded. There is just as much correlation between those as there is government or supply/demand. In a global economy the equation of supply/demand is not quite as simple as it used to be. The economy reacts to speculation quicker than you can fill your tank. Right now I have $2.99/gallon diesel in my tank. I hold 90 gallons. I only filled up a few weeks ago and it is now $3.70.

When some crazy goons in the middle east decide they want to go pirate some oil wells or some oil producing country decides to fight for their rights, you can guarantee we will feel it over here.

I personally am doing what I can without going into hock over it or having a knee jerk reaction. I carpool with my wife to work. Unfortunately my economy car is a 2004 Expedition with a 5.4. It is still thirsty. My truck sits waiting for a joy ride.

 

The Federal Reserves policies of Quantive Easing is flooding the markets with cheap dollars. With the Dollar having less value it takes more 'dollars' to buy overseas 'hard assets'. Value of dollar going down per dollar,real wages going down with cheaper dollar , property and 'real assets' going down in value is causing deflation and a slow but sure emplosion.This can not be stopped for years to come. 25% of all mortgauges are underwater. There is a 20% over built of Houses and Commercial property in the U.S. this very minute. Meaning there are carrying costs for all of these non producing properties. 10% of all of the vacant homes and Business properties could burn tomorrow and the trend of emplosion would still be with us in a month. What has been borrowed And Spent by the U.S. Government (14tril.) (and not even factoring in the private sector that has been borrowed and spent, 26tril) can not be paid back because there is not enough assests in the U.S. to cover the costs of those by themselves (or together) The Federal Reserve is trying to cause a fiat inflation up tick with the only tool that it has, currency munipulation. This will fail and even cause prolonged problems because of the added debt to the U.S. (us) Government.


The 'Great' Depressions lasted from 1928 to 1947 (19years)..... There was very little money to be had, but there was also very little debt that was carried. This time it is far worse and also world wide..... what brought the 'world' out of the 'Great Depression'? Nothing short of a 'world war'. There are countries that are collapsing and more will come.

Only the future will tell as we (if we are alive) look back and see how this has been delt with.

Have two jobs, pay your debts off, and keep your powder dry.