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The Million Can March!

15540 Views 123 Replies 27 Participants Last post by  BMW4VWW
They're not "ridiculous" prices. As I said in an earlier thread, my 30-mile commute costs an extra buck a day at $3.00 per gallon than at $2.00.



"Ridiculous" is two bucks for a fancy cup of coffee or a buck for a bottle of water.



We're spoiled. If you're pissed about paying more for gas, think of all the money you saved on your $50 DVD player (they were $400 not so long ago), your $40 VCR (they were $500 back in the early '80s), or your $350 25-inch television (check out old Sears catalogs for what those used to cost.)



Or you could just remember that gas was pricier in 1981 when you adjust for inflation. So you want the government to "do something about it"? The last time they interfered with the free market in gas, we had shortages and rationing (basic economics, folks - price controls = scarcity.)



You can make up for the price hikes by doing things like giving up a snack cake one day, fishing under the couch cushions for change the next, checking the washer and dryer the day after that... you know, it's really not that tough to make up the difference.



This *****ing about three bucks a gallon is as annoying as when people gripe about a two-cent increase in the price of a stamp. They're both still good values.
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I was making observations, not drawing politically motivated conclusions. The only conclusion in my post is that I believe we are being gouged. It's OK with me if you don't agree. Also, I don't really see how your point about people selling their homes for profit negates any of my observations.
We do what were good at, b1tching and moaning... Action? Thats somebody elses problem.
Re: Jesus H!

Finally, a realistic look at the core problems facing our country. Bravo fastoldman.
Re: Jesus H!

I'll second that. Always a pleasure to see fastoldman's posts.

With off-the grid living possible right now, plus a more or less viable electric motorcycle being offered in a previous post ... weaning oneself from oil is very nearly possible right now. One of my local electrical companies supplies green power for a small increased cost compared to regular power, so even folks in apartments could feasibly go off of oil.
The policy isn't causing the deaths ... it is the prejudice against females within Chinese society that is causing the deaths. If they were as happy with a female child as they were with a male child, then the one child rule wouldn't cause a single death.
Venti Starbucks regular coffee: 2.30 CAD

Extra large Tim Hortons coffee: 1.75 CAD



Priced out today on my daily coffee run for the office. The venti actually holds more coffee than the XL Tim Hortons, too.
Re: Jesus H!

I have lived off the grid with a solar electric system that I designed and installed myself. To produce roughly 6 kw a day the system parts cost 20k usd. The battery bank, with great amount of care, lasted 7 years, at a cost of 4800 dollars. I really enjoyed using my system but solar electricity is nowhere near as cheap as grid power. The only thing that made my system an economically sound investment was the fact that my home was 10 miles away from the closest access to grid power. The cost of running the grid to my home would have been over a million of today's dollars!
Re: HEY !!

Now you can pick up on biker chicks and granola chicks!
In the UK and the rest of the world a gallon of gas is roughly 5 to 7 a gallon.. we should be so lucky..
Re: Jesus H!

And wind wasn't an alternative for you?

I did some research a half decade ago for the same switch you made and IIRC, wind was considerably cheaper to generate power from than solar power. Wouldn't you be able to put up a turbine out in the boonies?
Yaaawwwwnnnn. Er, I was awoken from my peaceful slumber by leftist drivel, uninformed yokelisms, flat earther moonbat yowls & other silliness.



Did ANYONE but me hear that there is a refinery crunch on right now THX to the EPA.



1. 50+ regional blends mandated when we could get 95% of the way there with 3-5 blends.

2. MBTE which was mandated into fuels by EPA - ooops, gets into the water supply and causes trouble - so being mandated back out...right now.

3. Normal ramp-up of outdoor activities as northern hemisphere slides into spring & summer.

4. Refineries still down from Katrina.

5. Major refinery repairs usually happen in mid spring - no hurricanes, weather not too warm nor too cool, demand flat. But this yr, near 1933 conditions in OK, N TX, etc. And don't whine to me about "global warming". The PNA, ENSO, NAO, AO, PDO, etc., are all mirroring 30's setup...so it was/is hot & dry with big swings in temp and rainfall. Don't know what I'm talking about? HELLLO, GOOGLE. Go learn something and quit wasting everybodies time.



So what prices are up. Give up a pack of smokes or a 6 pack this week and tough it out, whiners.



Rising prices will spur increased supply later. Supply & demand curves don't exactly snap into equiblirum overnight, don't-cha-know...



We have petro running out our ears. Whiners: I condemn you to a rainy weekend digesting the life works of Julian Simon to be followed by a basic economics course. If oil stays in the $70/bbl new supplies from sands & shale (more than all the middle east even when the finds were new) will be online in 4-8 years.



Whiners. Timewasters.



And one more thing: you people that want to "solve problems" that you have utterly no understanding of are, in the long run, the most dangerous people on the planet. You Luddite losers.



Someday I'll tell you what I really think. But not today!
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Uhhh. . .did you flunk math? Let's not get into semantics of exorbitancy. Uh, if their MARGIN was the same, they would be making the same profit or less, because volume is the same. Remember, we're at max output. Hehehehe. . . right.



Your analogy is severely flawed. Prices of American homes are dictated by what people want to pay. There is no shortage of residences in this country. The same is not true of oil. The country currently cannot live without it, which is certainly part of the problem. Thus, big oil can charge whatever it wants an most folks can't do anything about it in the short run, except try to drive less. Many of us can't afford to upgrade to more fuel-efficient vehicles.



It used to be that the way you ran a business was to make a "fair and honest" profit. This is the age of the robber barons all over again, execpt without all the philanthropy (if at least that can said about Rockefeller and the lot).
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Re: Jesus H!

Wind is not a good idea in a mountainous and tree covered area as gusty turbulent air tends to wear out wind turbines very quickly.
You are confusing cause and effect

No you are getting cause and effect mixed up... Click the link in my post.. Balanced budgets create low interest rates which cause a growing economy. A growing economy doesn't cause higher interest rates. Government borrowing crowds out privat borrowing thus cause higher interest rates. If the Fed doesn't race interest rates we will have rapid inflation.. Right now the economy is growing due to massive government spending like if you went and charged up you credit card. Sooner or latter youhave to pay it off...
You're terribly funny. Let me see if I can translate "BWAAHHHHH. . .BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH EEERRRRRRG" from your post into slightly more meaningful blather.



Your points appear to be:



1. It's the EPA's fault for high prices, despite few authorities appearing to agree with you.

2. Increased demand (which happens every year) is affecting us extra special this year.

3. Refinery capacity is low (but then again, if it wasn't Katrina, they always find reasons to shut down lots of refineries for "repairs"). I remember when folks like you said that Enron was just following market forces and that Californians should stop whining. No, no manipulation anywhere!

4. Regardless of curent climate conditions, apparently you also feel that global warming does not exist, even though Bush and his three neurons has finally acknowledged that this *might* be a problem.

5. Hey, the economy is slow to compensate. Gee, thanks, Adam Smith.

6. I don't smoke and I don't drink. Maybe I should give up eating instead?



Lotsa love, jackass,



Your Friend,



Luddite Loser
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Excellent Post Again in a competive market profit margins stay the same

You nailed it again. If the cost of oil was increasing and the cost of making gasoline was increasing and sale of gasoline was increasing in a competive market profit margins would stay the same..
Excellent Post

You nailed it, in a open and free market profit margins (% profit) stay the same..
Excellent Post

I am glad you clicked post. Cause honestly Bush is the worst president in US history.. I hate to be the man or woman who has to clean it up.. It took 12 years to clean up Reagan vodoo economics. Courageous Bush Sr and then the extremely intelligent Clinton.. balanced the books.. Bush Jr. then took daddy's (Uncle Sam's rather) and went on a spending spree..It's Econ101...
Re: Jesus H!

Thanks VWW. I don't know quite what we're going to do, but I'm not ready to give up just yet. This country is capable of amazing stuff when we get around to it. I love the probably mis-quoted Churchill: "The Americans always do the right thing - once they have exhausted all other options."
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