$7 gas

[Roadtrip]

You are way oversimplifying the "Made in China" issue. If you look at what the labor market dictates for wages in North America, versus Asia, what would you expect to pay for the same boots, if made here? It's just not possible in this day and age. Everyone expects more for less.

You just made my point, our trade deficit with china is obscene. That drives the dollar down and the price of imported oil up. As a result the price of crude is increasing by one dollar per gallon per year but I think some of that is speculation driven. If it is that bubble could burst, not unlike the housing market. The question is how much can china and other developing counties consume?
Our demand for their crap is fueling their demand. If that demand supports the speculated price of $200 per barrel things around here are going to change. My point is it's not Bush and the oil giants. It's us that are to blame. Heck, I drink imported beer.

 

[xrated]

What would you all say if water were being charged at caomparitive to oil, becasue there is a shortage???? (there are companies buying water rights), I guess that would just be capitalism at work, right? I don't think so.

Just wait all you fellas out west. The day is coming where the water either runs out(ground water) or the population out grows the aquaducts and irrigation. Water is IMO more crooked then oil and it will get ugly. Just don't come calling to MN asking for water.

Oh adn 7 bucks a gallon. yeah I wouldn't be riding for chit.

 

[jsledder]

dude you put yourself there,i have no school loans,no car payment,no house payment,paid retirement(am retired at 32),full health-dental insurance,$213 in prop. taxes for 3 props(off the beaten path).spend $300 week in gas,drive alot being off the beaten path.$1700/yr in car/home insurance(and self insure so the money make interest).$75/week food we buy nothing boxed or prepared(family of 6)and lots of bulk.no tv only internet/phone $900/year-no cell phones .225/month heat and elec.we have $12,000 yearly cost,of the $40,000 profit we see.you should have made better choices as a 16 year old.and when my wife graduates with no loans we'll have $120,000 of income.only spending 10%.that is how Foreigners come here and succeed,most americans are wasters.i have learned so much from working with them.and adapted their ways.you can live a very simple well planned life here for under $10,000 after 10 years of hard work and good planning.i did it in 4 years.and when we spend the 40k for a complete wind and solar system,our energy cost will be gone and we'll make $250-$400 a month

Congratulations!!! Unfortunately I really doubt that there are many 32 year old retiree's with no mortgage, car payments, health ins payments, college loans, etc.. in this country. The other fella probably had a better layout of the "average" younger person.

Will it affect my sledding trips...

Right now at $4.19 (diesel) and $3.50 (gas) it's costing me...
Pickup - $335.00 (500 mile round trip)
4 sleds - $420.00 (15 gals/day/ea for 2 days)

At $7 gas (we'll estimate diesel at 7.70)
Pickup - $616.00
4 sleds - $840.00

I think at one point I said I didn't care how much it cost to go.... Well, after looking at that, now I do.

Hillary's plan... Yeah, it'll work I don't care who you are, your cost of doing business goes up, your product goes up. People get acclimated to being rich, getting million dollar bonuses a couple times a year and all that good stuff, money does strange things to people and they aren't about to give it up just to see the price of gas come down. I wonder how much of the price of oil has to do with investors coming aboard making it more of a hot item and people are just using it to secure their "nest egg"??

 

[powdersledder]

What would you all say if water were being charged at caomparitive to oil, becasue there is a shortage???? (there are companies buying water rights), I guess that would just be capitalism at work, right? I don't think so.

Just wait all you fellas out west. The day is coming where the water either runs out(ground water) or the population out grows the aquaducts and irrigation. Water is IMO more crooked then oil and it will get ugly. Just don't come calling to MN asking for water.

Oh adn 7 bucks a gallon. yeah I wouldn't be riding for chit.

Yup, they try every year, more and more people are trying to get a pipeline or slurry canal built from Duluth to the west. This sure as hell aint gonna happen in my lifetime, and you're not gonna find anyone around here that'll let it or for that matter let anyone else come in to try. Besides The Great Lakes Water Agreement has been signed by all bordering states, Tribes and Canadian provinces. So no water is to leave the Great Lakes Basin. But at least water is an easily renewable resource, if for some ungodly reason I have to start paying to drink water I'll just start getting my own from rain, ground, river or lakes. Problem is I and everyone else does not have their own private oil refinery.....Although I've in the future i may build my own cooking oil refiner so I fill up at McD's instead of Mobile.

 

[winter brew]

From another thread, good read. http://seekingalpha.com/article/63131-exxon-s-2007-tax-bill-30-billion

And a cap on profits is absolutly rediculous. How would you like it if you ran a business and the Govt. that you pay taxes to told you you can only be "this successful". That's not America and I hope it never is!!

 

[xsummitx]

Congratulations!!! Unfortunately I really doubt that there are many 32 year old retiree's with no mortgage, car payments, health ins payments, college loans, etc.. in this country. The other fella probably had a better layout of the "average" younger person.

Will it affect my sledding trips...

Right now at $4.19 (diesel) and $3.50 (gas) it's costing me...
Pickup - $335.00 (500 mile round trip)
4 sleds - $420.00 (15 gals/day/ea for 2 days)

At $7 gas (we'll estimate diesel at 7.70)
Pickup - $616.00
4 sleds - $840.00

I think at one point I said I didn't care how much it cost to go.... Well, after looking at that, now I do.

Hillary's plan... Yeah, it'll work I don't care who you are, your cost of doing business goes up, your product goes up. People get acclimated to being rich, getting million dollar bonuses a couple times a year and all that good stuff, money does strange things to people and they aren't about to give it up just to see the price of gas come down. I wonder how much of the price of oil has to do with investors coming aboard making it more of a hot item and people are just using it to secure their "nest egg"??

i wont argue that ...
but i am saying if you cut out the wants and just focus on the needs(things we NEED to live) it can be done,i see immigrants come here with nothing and do it on $12-$15/hr jobs.

my father in law and his wife spend $200 a week on pepsi and cigarettes.
those are things we dont need,they are wants.

and proven fact if you joined the union at 18 and dont go to school it amounts to $500,000 more in your pocket by the age of 50....adding the wage,interest on retirement and loans,loans themself....my brother is a union recruiter i hear it from him all the time.I am non union

i am just saying with discipline it can be done,but as americans we are taught to borrow to fill the self gratification....instead of saving and not paying interest.
the get it now ,pay for it later-the american way...buy a house on credit and it costs twice as much.

 

[xsummitx]

From another thread, good read. http://seekingalpha.com/article/63131-exxon-s-2007-tax-bill-30-billion

And a cap on profits is absolutly rediculous. How would you like it if you ran a business and the Govt. that you pay taxes to told you you can only be "this successful". That's not America and I hope it never is!!

WHAT
it already is -its called anti trust.....it forces cost control...it limits any one company from controling the market and their profits.so open your eyes take an economic coarse and learn about how the government has been doing exactly that for years and it needs to be applied to oil companies

 

[winter brew]

WHAT
it already is -its called anti trust.....it forces cost control...it limits any one company from controling the market and their profits.so open your eyes take an economic coarse and learn about how the government has been doing exactly that for years and it needs to be applied to oil companies

You don't think the oil companies have been watched carefully lately? If they are guilty of price fixing they are good at hiding it. I know here in Wa they have done some extensive investigations and have found nothing.
Perhaps regulate their profits so they can't expand or do R&D so we can pay even MORE in the long run??
Gas tax holiday will promote consumption....the oil companies will like that too . We use more and they will charge more. How is that good for the consumer?
The candidates are simply saying whatever they need to in an effort to get the nomination. Right now fuel prices are the topic of the hour, in a few weeks it will be something else. Just shows they don't have a firm long-term plan to correct the issues.

 

[switchback]

you got it wrong!!!!


the tax would come from the oil companies,it(tax) would still being paid ,just not by us.she would be sticking it to the oil companies
....for once...

shes has a great idea.....make the oil companies give up some of those profits toward the gas tax....she has my vote,because now she is talking about making it permanent....also shes is talking about a profit cap for the oil companies...so they can only profit so many %...instead now they can earn as much as they want.....this is good for us(snowmobilers) and any recreation sport.

Those taxes pay for our roads. Where do you think those are going to come from if she does that???

Why should their be a profit cap for oil companies? We live in a free market economy. So along that train of thought, Mc Donalds, WalMart, Pizza Hut, basically any business should have a cap on the profit they can make? Get real, she's trying to pull one over during an election in a struggling economy. She's picking out the one thing that affects all voters. Wanna know what's driving the prices up? Speculators. They are buying at these prices "speculating" the price will go up. Gee, think it will??

 

[SnowAddiction2]

Screw big oil. Ride a bike (non-motorized)! Nothing like doing a body good and controlling where you spend! Either be a victom, or eliminate the problem. My solution doesn't fix your problems, but sure fixed mine.

 

[xtralettucetomatoe580]

Lets get a few things straight about big oil. I for one am not a supporter or hater of them. Yes they benefit from high oil prices, yes they would like to see them go higher, but they do not set oil prices. Oil is a commodity which is traded. It is not set by oil companies but by traders. Sure oil companies have had record profits because the product/raw material they sell has reached record levels. You need to look at the profit margins to tell how much a company is shafting the U S of A. Oil only pulls like a 9.6% margin which is no where even close to other industries who pull close to 50%. So when you decide to bash big oil for record profits think why that is so.

a) Oil companies are gigantic companies that deal with a lot of capital and resources, so obviously there profits are going to be gigantic as well.
b) Oil itself is not set by oil companies but traded on the market.
c) What is your states tax on oil for roads? Most likely it is around $.50 a gallon.
d) No new oil is being tapped so there is a supply issue.
e) Limited refineries and oil wells controlled by OPEC countries who are almost unanimously anti-American.

So how does oil come down? First it needs to stop trading it. We need to raise our dollars status by decreasing the trade deficit. How do we do that, easy we tap our oil in AK, CA, the gulf, VA, and put it on the market like every other country. If the dollar regains its value oil will drop because there is a DIRECT correlation between oil prices and the dollar. I am not saying flood the market with oil but control it to our favor and use the oil tapped to supplement Middle Eastern oil. We also need to give benefits for companies to build refineries and tell the greenies to piss off. We need to go strictly nuclear and save the coal, which we have outrageous amounts of, for conversion to oil. Be smart about the cars we build. Diesel is the fuel of tomorrow and it needs to be implemented NOW.

It really gets me pissed in a country with business and individuals as bright as we have that we cannot find a solution and implement it. It all comes down to people not wanting to take a hit to save themselves in the future. If we stay on this course we will have real problems and $7 a gallon would not even be the start of them. Too many people are making a killing with high prices to change that and the oil companies themselves are just the tip of the iceberg.

 

[asu_gt]

Is there really a supply issue? If there truly were legit supply issues wouldn't the price of gas and diesel be increasing across througout the world? I have a number of colleagues in Europe and none of them seem to be complaining about recent increases in the price of gasoline or diesel.

I realize, in general Europeans pay more for gas in absolute terms than us in NA, however, have they experienced the same relative increase in price over the past 12 months? If not, it does not seem to be a pure supply-demand issue, rather some artifical supply-demand scenario. Anyone have any data?

How about reducing the 2-9 billion american oil companies get in govt subsidies? Granted, they would likely pass the cost on to the consumer, but that seems more fair as those who consume more would pay more.
jay

 

[xsummitx]

Screw big oil. Ride a bike (non-motorized)! Nothing like doing a body good and controlling where you spend! Either be a victom, or eliminate the problem. My solution doesn't fix your problems, but sure fixed mine.

now your talking...yep ,i ride ,walk,run....anything to save a buck,and yes it does a body good.

oil tax....
as far as the tax,would still being paid just not by those at the pump,at least not directly.

your right they(big oil) wont take it laying down and it will most likely be a wash,with what increase they try to tack on for the lost profit.

but looks like she got stuffed last night anyway...she needed a sweep.
and ole barack does not have a plan

 

[switchback]

ASU, do you have any statistics or reports to back up your claim of subsidies? Are you sure you're not referring to those for Ethanol?

Extralettuce, nice points. You've got the facts.

 

[Nate]

Screw big oil. Ride a bike (non-motorized)! Nothing like doing a body good and controlling where you spend! Either be a victom, or eliminate the problem. My solution doesn't fix your problems, but sure fixed mine.

takes me 14min to get to and from work, I guess ill just sleep for 2 hours then get on my huffy and peddle to work

 

[Nate]

Just don't come calling to MN asking for water.

.

We wont, we will just take it

 

[winter brew]

What would you all say if water were being charged at caomparitive to oil, becasue there is a shortage???? (there are companies buying water rights), I guess that would just be capitalism at work, right? I don't think so.

Just wait all you fellas out west. The day is coming where the water either runs out(ground water) or the population out grows the aquaducts and irrigation. Water is IMO more crooked then oil and it will get ugly. Just don't come calling to MN asking for water.

Oh adn 7 bucks a gallon. yeah I wouldn't be riding for chit.

WHy would you have water when you don't get any snow?

 

[spring snow hero]

You can't be serious??? Penalizing a business for being successful is NOT the way America works. If this happens do you think the oil companies will just take it and NOT pass on this new tax to the user (us)??? So they raise their costs to maintain their profits (which really aren't that high % wise) and then when the gas tax holiday is over we will be stuck paying MORE than if it never happened. It's only 18.4 cents/gallon anyway.....about 30 cents/day for the average American. A TERRIBLE PLAN!!
Not to mention, if she gets elected, she wants to put wacko Gore in charge of the environment plan and we stand a good chance of losing ALOT of riding area, perhaps the right to ride at all if he gets his way....his goal is to eliminate the internal combustion engine.

I agree do not penalize a company for being successful. HOWEVER, water, power, natural gas.....all regulated by the UTC. all necessary for american life. gas/diesel and home heating oil are right there too. so I think the US gov't ought to sell off some of it's endless supply of oil to it's people and do so for a resonable profit...heck it was not that long ago that they could make money selling me $.99 gas. I bet when the gov't pumps are selling for 2bux and BP is selling for $4 you can guess who is gonna be sitting on product.

if we are not going to control fuel prices then lets kill off the UTC's control over natural gas and power, have another few enrons and let me make a few mil on the deal.

greed is BS

 

[xrated]

WHy would you have water when you don't get any snow?

Low blow man! Nate I'll be sure and piss in the water before you get here

I gotta agree with Switch, cut the ethanol/corn subsidies. Spend that money on newer, netter, more efficent oil drilling and refining. Then we could see a price drop.

Still how is it that our demand is dropping and gas just jumped 17 cents yesterday! You can't tell me Asia bought up what we cut out in 1 damn day.

 

[snowmobiler]