Very true words. May I suggest to begin a program to store about 3 months worth of the normal things you eat each day (including a small financial reserve) . This wil actually cost you less in the long run and helps one deal with lay offs, transitions etc. If you can stay warm, dry and fed most problems are not really problems.

Tim

 

I wish that were true in California. I've only seen biodiesel (B20) here once and that was in Bakersfield and it was 5 cents per gallon MORE than straight petrodiesel. It's nearly impossible to find. This is supposedly the state with the toughest emissions regulations too. Ha!

 

Ironically they also have the toughest regs for Biodiesel as well. I think B20 is the highest formulation of the two that meets fuel specs and anything higher then that is under a different classification. That would be the main reason why I think most stations only sell up to B20(which I believe is something that you can run year round as well and only needs to be treated if you have really harsh winters) and you have to go to places like co-op to find a higher blend(or do it yourself).

 

Out here in corn/soybean country you will spend more for soy biodiesel than you will for straight diesel fuel.

 

Like I said in another thread, biodiesel here is made with switchgrass so the competition for other avenues looking for the same source are almost nil. Only really the totally cheap farmer would feed it to livestock as the most common livestock don't have the correct enzymes to break it down as efficiently as other forages(I knew my animal science degree would come in handy one day). That is why biodiesel at the co-op sells for 3.98 versus 4.65 for the petro diesel.

 

I really don't think fuel prices are that terrible. I spent some time in europe 10 years ago they were paying what we are paying now. Might be time for use to down size and adapt. European folks generally don't have 350 hp pickup trucks; They have 150 hp trucks. They don't use 40' motorhomes with a C-13 Cat; they have learned to pack all of the same amenities into a 23' motorhome with a 200hp diesel.

 

What's the point of drilling in the Gulf, Alaska, the Dakotas? America is more concerned with profits over the public pocket book. This oil we drill up will no doubtedly be exported because it's profitable. Plain and simple!

 

yes but 10% of $4 is more than 10% of $1 of coures not sure how much inflationthere was since $1 a gallon fule.

They are making a good profit for their shareholders while bankrupting there consumers. If fule prices rise much more people clearly wont be able to afford it and will have spent so much money trying to aford it that they will still be broke when the prices are lowered. So at the very least it can be said that they are not good buisness people.

The thing i don't get is even with the rising price of crude it still does not cost that much more to get it to the pump and if they sold it for a mush lower pirce with say a 6% profit per galon istead of say a 10% profit per gallon they would sell more and make more $ wit the same %profit.

Obviously The precentages were pulled out of space not real #s just used to illusrtate a point.

And as for change coming be it bio fules,electric, hybrids, or hydrogen fule cells I am kind skepticle especialy since the sience of electric cars is try true and was even mass produced in the eighties but for some strange reason all the electric cars were took back by the dealers and by bough back I mean you literaly had no choice but to return them to the dealer. And according to my roomate theres a parking lot all by its self near burbank full of the old electric cars.

 

It's not just the fuel prices. Everything is going up... look at food prices. I was told Beef would be $7 a pound by the end of the year. I have to wonder what it will take to slow this cycle down? A large recession? Another depression-type era? It just feels like things are getting worse and worse, and there is this tension that just keeps building within the American public. Just look at all the things that are "going wrong" right now... Health care, fuel prices, food prices, unemployment, home foreclosures at all time highs, loss of jobs to overseas markets, it goes on and on. Does John Q. Senator or Representative REALLY care about their constituents? I say hell no they don't....and/or they couldn't do anything about it if they did. THEIR job is safe, THEIR fuel is paid for, THEIR benefits and retirement is not at risk.

The question I'd like to pose to the older members here is: Was the common feeling/ sense of urgency or panic among people the same in the oil crisis of the 70's and the recessions in the 80's as it is now. Or is it worse now? I wasn't around in the 70's so I'm just curious. It all just feels like its building towards something major..... and in the back of my mind I'm dreading what that might be.

 

Actually their jobs aren't safe. They might perceive them to be safe, but in fact they truly aren't. In all honesty, the people that take these jobs are ones that don't know how to run a country(same with the presidential hopefuls), those that actually do know how to run a country, don't want to be in the crossfire and I don't blame them. What most people do is the praise the current president when something good happens during his term and damn him when something bad happens in his term(rather or not he caused either one of those events to happen). Same thing thing for what is causing this downturn, most economists blame Clinton for this, yet you look at the public and they blame Bush. People will praise whomever gets us out of this when they may not actually have started the ball rolling to do so.

Statistically we haven't reached the same numbers as we did in 70s and 80s so that's problem with that(bare in mind I said statistically, of course those can be manipulated). Most people tend to forget 30 yrs ago and their going to think now is much worse then it was 30s yrs ago. It might be equal to the 70s, but I don't think it will be as worse as the 70s. As far as the jobless data that came in yesterday, I think it was slightly skewed by the summer work force caming into play(don't know that for certain, but it seems like a logical reason to me).

 

One current problem with biofuels revolves around oil companies as well. Bio is distrubuted through filling stations owned by big oil. Big oil is happy to use ethanol, and bio diesels because they make a margin on the additive as well. We are at $3.99 gas and $4.79 road fuel. Illinois taxes fuel at a % of total cost at the pump. They are making about 3 times as much revenue now as they were 3 years ago. If they were really looking to help out the consumer, they would go to a flat rate tax. State budget proposed was $1 million in the red. The world is run by spoiled brats!!! I want bio to work. I can feed the biproducts of ethanol to livestock. 85% of the corn distilled is recaptured and feedable. The protein content actually goes up. Lots of bad press by people who want to appeal to voters about bio fuels. It may not be the answer, but it might buy us some time (and groceries!) until we find a better one.

 

I consult with business owners/CEOs and CEOs of publicly traded companies. Dollars are good but percent profit is what they are measured on. The P&L statement is the bottom line. You either made money or you did not.

If you made a profit then the amount of money made comes into play...expansion, buying down debt, R&D...etc. If you did not make a profit

then there is a whole new set of things to look at.

We as consumers surely focus on price. CEOs focus on a lot of things but profit is one and how much profit is another.

Wall Street believe it it not does not want to you to make too much or too little...but hit your target as predicted. If you under or over shoot , investors (institutional investors) get jittery and do not have confidence in the management to actually know what is going on in their business.

You suggest that the companies are bankrupting their customers?

How so?

 

I sugest a simple look at history!

It has happened since the dawn of time and will continue to do so till the end! The price of goods go up and the payroll stays the same......then the payroll goes up and the goods are steady for a while...then the cost of goods go up again and pays stays the same......It keeps going on and on in it's simple cycle! I do believe that is what is happening but this time it seems much worse then in the past.......and the reason for that- Too many things are happening in the economy at once to make the cycle not as noticeable as it normally would be!

As said here before- all goods that are needed for basic suvival and luxury are at a rising cost....that is rising too fast for the pay scale to catch up quick enough, the major markets in the country(housing, stocks, autos, transportation, airline, and so on) are on the down fall. The major issue now I thinkis a much bigger issue then most people realize!!!

The issue is where do we want to go with our nation as a whole? Do we want to take america back to the way it was when we were wholly independant and relied on no other nation in the world???? Or do we want to take this entire world to a major market where we all rely on each other???

I want an independant nation that relies on no one but itself, personally!

To me there is only one way to get there, We drill the western shale, EPA be darned, and we tap our own oil reserve to supply our nation first.....if there is left overs we keep a certain amount on reserve and the rest is sold to the world market. We hold the housing market responsible for their own stupidity and make them do away with any and all adjustable rate/balloon payment loans and put them on a fixed rate to stabalize the housing market and stop the mass of forclosures happening, we secure our boarders on all side completely!! You cross into our country illegally and your are considered a threat to national security....a felony punishable by death on the second offense...the first you are dropped back into your home nation and they can deal with you(as for mexico, if their gov is unwilling to punish their citizens for breaking international laws.....they could be banned for trade or imposed by military might((again!!)). The EPA must be controlled!!!!!!!!!! While I do beleive that we have to be responsible with our eco system.....being alive is much more important then the southeasternlywestern spotted polkadotted green footed horny goat weed toad bird's habitat on top of a major oil reserve! Last but not least, to better our nation for the future as a whole- any and all lobbyist groups are with held from any and all contributions to politics in general!!! Get your message out there all you want but don't hand a million dollars to a politician and say it's a campaign contribution when we all know your buying them a spot in major politics for your future political thoughts and wants!



I'll take the job if ya'll wanna give it to me but I will only do it with total control for the time period i'm there! Ohh, and I'm a person who believes the end justifie's the means!

 

[quote=ag30265;6235862]I want an independant nation that relies on no one but itself, personally! /quote]

Already most of what you consume everyday is foreign produced and bought on credit....so how is it you think your going to become independant?

 

If your forbearers had your attitude we would be pre history...pre driving a Ford. Employment is about the boss making money off your labor, not welfare!