Ok So I am sitting in a bank working on the drive up window and some guy pulls up in a crappy '70's van. He says "How much do I have in my account because I need to buy gas?" The teller says... $7.56... He says "ok I'll take 7.00 - I guess 2 gallons of gas is better then none, it will get me to work until thursday."

I'm thinking to myself.... this whole gas price thing sux. I paid $6.35 a gallon for gas 10 years ago in italy - but I also drove (don't laugh) a moped most of the time. I guess I'm going to have to get myself one here.... We pay $0.50 in gas tax, and the politicians give them self a raise. Everyone I know seems to think it is because we have an oil man in the white house. But I think it is because no matter what the price, people pay it. We love our cars and trucks here in the USA. I don't have a solution... just felt bad for the guy in the van and wanted to rant.

Thought of the day...
Riding a moped is like making love to an ugly person... its all fun till your friends see you do it.

 

Seems to me the high gas prices is doing more to get folks to conserve than anything else has.

 

Here is a little tidbit from your neighbor to the north...

The hard working folks in Nebraska have cut back on consumption. Our reward? The brilliant state politicians want to increase the state gas tax because they say the drop in gas tax revenue is hurting the highway budget!

 

I read that so sad these gas prices are hurting the economy everywhere no one can afford to drive anywhere.

 

Nobody walking or riding mopeds where I live, but im sure it is hurting the lower income people. Unfortunately, high gas prices is what it will take to force us to develop alternative fuels.

 

It isn't as far-fetched as you think! I saw a guy riding to work on North Watkins in Memphis TN on a VESPA scooter - they WILL DO 55 and then some....

Looked like he was having a blast, too!

What I see happening, is that we are entering into a rejuvenated "sports car" era

 

I believe what will bring them down is people refusing to drive other then to and from work, make the food stops on the way home from work, drive as little as possible. Drive the speed limit or below. In the 70's Speed limit was lowered to 55 not for safety but to conserve on fuel.

The new increase in gas prices, have come from a shortage of supply. The reason is the killer. The oil companies shut down some refrineries and slowed production of gas. Why? To up the prices for the summer vacation travelers. To up thier profits, See they want to make another record qtr. in the BILLIONS That's our money they want and they are getting it.

I have a good job, but can hardly afford to drive my 32 mile one way. That poor guy in the van, is probably a min wage earner. He will probably give up some food till payday just for gas. And the BIG OIL Company execs are just laughing in thier greed.

THANKS for letting me rant!!!

 

Rant away!!!!!!! We don't mind.

 

I just heard the news say that about Kansas, too. Also, was listening to some radio news earlier and they mentioned that the federal government is looking at raising the national fuel tax because revenues from fuel sales are down.

The way I look at it, yea, the oil companies do need a watchdog over them, cause we have no idea if the profit margin they claim is accurate or not. However, until the country gets off the oil market (and I don't just mean reduce our oil intake, I mean nearly eliminate it), we're just going to see gas go higher and higher. Remember that even with gas as high as it is, we still have the lowest gas prices in the world here, as far as I know.

Rant time

The other problem is corruption in the government. I'm a Bush supporter. I think he's doing about the best he can do in troubled times. I don't think he's trying to increase the fuel prices to line his own pocket. However, I don't think the same can be said for the vast majority of Congress which get kick-backs from oil company lobbyests. Non oil-based alternative fuels will never be widely developed until the lobbyests are silenced and the government actually follows the will of the people rather then the will of big business.

And I'm currently unemployed and having to depend on others for my gas right now, and my truck gets a whopping 12 mpg, too.

Okay, rant over, for now

 

Thing is that the big oil companies have stock holders. Lots of little folks invest in those stocks. So when the companies folks invest in do well, so do the investors. Thing is are we mad at just the oil companies or every company that makes large profits? Guess the retirement fund I draw from has some oil stocks.

Now I sure would like $1 a galon gas back. Man even $2 a galon would be nice now. Guess I do more traveling than most around this fine country. Had one trip to AZ earlier this year. Another just went to Utah. I skipped another to Utah. Have one to Montanna in June. And then there is our Chapter trip to Colorado in August. And 16 mpg in Green is not what you would call low cost.

We are still paying about 1/2 or less than folks in other countries. Seems to me the envrio guys have had a bit to do with closing down refineries (other manufacturing as well) and keeping new ones from opening. And require different blends of additives for some places in the summer vs. the winter.

I think we are still pretty lucky with all we have. Gonna be some tough days ahead for us big truck guys though.

 

We're getting ready to go visit Martha's parents in Chihuahua. Gas there is sold by liter, seems like it came out to around $4 per gallon last time we were there two years ago. It's probably gone up a little, not as much as here though. Dunno if gas prices make a difference or if it's just because there are a lot of people who don't have cars, but Chihuahua has a pretty good system of buses. Really don't have to drive around the city except maybe if you're planning on coming back with a lot of stuff, buses will get you about anywhere in the city you want to go, and isn't any slower by the time you count parking.

We're taking the LTD, figuring 15 MPG, hoping for 16-17. Not planning any more long trips this summer after this one.

What chaps me is that Ford, Chevy, Nissan, and about everyone else sell small, more-efficient (and much, much cheaper) cars, and small pickups there. Maybe gas prices will force Ford and GM to do what we mere customers haven't--get them to back off the high-$$$ SUVs and pickups and start offering us some of the cars they sell everywhere else.

 

Not one to try to sound like a broken record but I think those enviro guys have a hand in that. There are other things of course. Manufacturing (above and beyond what the viro's control) costs for one. You can make way cheeper stuff when you pay workers a fraction of what they are paid in the US. You ready to drop your wages to those countries levels?

 

However, nothing is stopping them from importing those cars into the states. Sure, enviro restrictions here would force them to mod the cars a bit to comply, but I bet they could still sell them for under $20,000 here.

Now, most of the foreign built domestic cars and trucks are of litle or no interest to me. Things like Ford's Ka in Brittain is just ugly and a death trap, with the U.S. love of trucks. I hate driving Carl's ZX2 around here sometimes, I can't imagine what it would be like in a car thats almost half that size. However, I would actually consider buying a new car (something I've said I'll never do) if Ford would import the Falcon and Falcon Ute from Australia. The Ute would almost certainly be a more fuel efficient truck than even a Ranger, for about the same price.

I priced it out last year to get a Falcon XR8 Ute imported into the states. Minus any work needed to comply with U.S. laws, it would only cost about $45,000 to get one, and around $30,000 is in the car itself. Of course, the enviro work would probably drive that up into the 60s or 70s.

[EDIT] That $30,000 Falcon is for the top of the line, Supercharged V8 model. The V6 powered Falcons sell for around $20,000, I think.

 

I need to get my '72 Beetle running, and use IT. I wonder how much extra weight I can strip out of it?

 

Ok my 2 cents!!

No matter what the cost of gas will be, there will always be people buying that gas at that price to make a living to support their family's. Theres nothing i or anyone else as a blue collar worker can do about it. I trust that Bush will do something about it, maybe not right away but will soon. I alone with others on this board will have to pay this gas prices nomatter what im driving to support our familys and to pay our bills. Do i like paying high dollar for gas? Hell no, but i do anyways so i can make money. Either that or live under a bridge in a cardboard box and eat rats. Something i dont think anyone would wish upon even their worst enemy!!
Just my 2 cents!!

Jeff