And god forbid you got Maricopa Arizona, Naperville Illinois or any far-flung exurb.
Thank you Ben Bernanke. In order to bail out your banker buddies, you've f*cked America.
May 09, 2008
I don't think you all understand how bad this is gonna get. Got train? Got bus? Got a high-MPG car?
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94 comments:
Dude chill. Euro gas has been what $6, $7, $8 for years. And yet people still drive and the world didn't end. And last I checked there were many a Range Rover (13 MPG) and BMW 7 series (17MPG) and many other gas guzzlers all over Europe and again the world hasn't ended.
Americans are just getting the jolt of $4 and freaking. They'll adjust like they did when it hit $2 and hit $3. This gas 'crisis' is yet one more in a never ending line of media made crises.
I've said this before. If you have a 15MPG SUV and drive 12000 miles a year the difference between $2 gas and $4 gas is $4.38 a day. It's a daily latte at Starbucks for crying out loud.
Relax.
keith, imho, anything over $4.00/gallon is a major problem for the united states. gads, diesel is already over 4.00/gallon and the truckers are about to go broke. we are the crossroads now of , unchartered territory. this could cause major social unrest in the united states. some may say that we will just get used to it. i say to them, they have idea of how the american street feels about these gas prices. and the prognosis is that it will go way past 4.00/gallon this summer. and why not. the oil futures market is going hog wild. so now we take our gaze off of the derivatives and look at the price of oil and gas and the game continues and america dies.
I think I understand.
We're screwed.
Two of my neighbors bought Chevy Silverado 4/wd trucks this week. One silver, one red. Got a great deal on them from the Hertz Used lot. The neighbor with the fire engine red paint job & all the trimmings is riding the Metro Rail to work each day with his bicycle. He says that riding the Metro allows him the extra money to make the monthly payment on the truck. He says the price of gas will be down below $3/gal by the end of the summer. (Not sure how he knows this).
See there? You can have it all in America.
JaneZ
I love reading about these people in red states complaining about the cost of gas. Ever heard the phrase "you reap what you sow."
"Americans are just getting the jolt of $4 and freaking. They'll adjust like they did when it hit $2 and hit $3."
I don't think the US will be able to cope with $6 gas nearly as well as Europe. Simply cutting out a latte doesn't do it because the cost of so many other things go up as well. One thing that is becoming clear though is the SUV is being phased out by Americans and sales are already falling hard.
Relax,
Not so fast .... everything you buy is affected by the gas prices. When you try to compare US to Euro countries, also take into account what is the main mode of transprotation for goods and services. In US it is mainly Freeways.
I've always wondered why all gas prices end in 9/10. What sort of stupidity is that??
What the US needs is a revival of rail transportation, not bailouts, stimulus packages, or gas tax holidays.
I've heard the Long Island Rail Road was the busiest commuter railroad in America. They obviously have to try harder and add more trains. Compared to the RER in Paris, where rush hour trains arrive every five minutes or so on the city portion of RER A, the LIRR is a joke. Not to mention that a lot of people on LI would rather die than ride a Long Island bus to the train station, or worse WALK to the station.
What's with the exorbitant Amtrack fares? It should be cheaper to ride a train than to take a plane to Boston or DC, but go figure, it's the other way around. And that has to change, flying on these short-haul domestic flights should become more expensive so more people can ride the train.
1998 house prices before its all done.
"Her parents had wanted to get out of a bad neighborhood and into a bigger house, and her older sister, a real estate agent, had recommended Maricopa. "
Must be some awkward family get-togethers going on down in Maricopa these days.
Venezuela charges 15 cents for a gallon of gas plus they give free healthcare to every citizen as well.
But here in the US we get gigged on healthcare and gas too. It sure would be nice to be appreciated by ones government.
Gas price increases are good in the long term. People will drive less, buy more fuel efficient cars, and stop buying houses in the ever further flung asteroid belt of slumburbs.
America requires a fundamental change in its land use and transportation habits. We can either be proactive or make the change when it is much more expensive to do so, when gasoline hits $10/gallon. At least with current higher gas prices it's making people think about the issue a bit.
Deadly Granite Countertops!!!
In the kitchen her group took us to, BuildClean’s radon test revealed a radon level of about three picocuries per liter. Houston homes normally measure around zero.
The EPA says a homeowner should consider adding more ventilation whenever the level is above two. And definitely do something at a level above four.
“We’re seeing what would be called alarming, elevated levels of radon,” said Selber.
Is granite the source?
Selber thinks so, and showed off a test. It was a granite slab sealed in a plastic box.
The radon level there was 17.3.
“Or four times greater than what the EPA says is an actionable level,” said Selber.
http://tinyurl.com/4dwr3p
the problem is these people with the 15mpg vehicles went all in on housing and any additional expense cuts deep.
Many people I know commute 120 miles a day just to get to the office. They then put additional mileage on their vehicle. Easily 35,000 miles per year. With a 15mpg truck, they are using 2335 gallons a year. The difference between $2 gas and $4 gas costs $4670 a year or $12.78 per day.
$4.38 a day is $132 a month.
Not everyone has that much spare income to spend on fuel. Not everyone buys that overpriced swill at Starbucks.
$132 a month is some people's food budget.
the difference between $2 gas and $4 gas is $4.38 a day. It's a daily latte at Starbucks for crying out loud.
Howmucha day? Why don't you just break it down into hours? It's only 18 cents an hour. Maybe if you break it down into minutes, people won't care anymore. It's only .3 cents a minute.
The real cost is $1,600 a year. Multiply that times 100 million housholds. That's $160 billion a year. Then add in the extra cost of shipping good and plane tickets and anything else that requires petro.
Any idiot who thinks high energy costs don't matter is an idiot.
Buy :
UGA - gasoline tracker, USO,OIL,DBO - oil trackers
GAZ, UNG - nat gas trackers
This has been just too easy - a bit like flipping houses '02-'05.
getting rich these last 12 months !
Check out www.etftrends.com for interesting info on funds.
Whooooeeeee!
I've said this before. If you have a 15MPG SUV and drive 12000 miles a year the difference between $2 gas and $4 gas is $4.38 a day. It's a daily latte at Starbucks for crying out loud
------------
In case you haven't noticed, oil is in EVERYTHING you buy, even your credit cards! Gas at the pump is JUST the most visible indicator.
If you have a 30MPG car, you save $4.38 x 365 = $1599 each year.
If you invested that $1599 into an index fund that returns the historical market average of 8% per year over 30 years, with the price of gas rising at a very conservative 4% each year, you would have $272,600 in your account by driving the smaller car over the gas guzzling SUV.
Illinois minimum wage 1980 = 3.35
Gasoline = $1.17
Illinois minimum wage 2008 = $7.50
Gasoline = $3.69
Do the math.
OMG I can't adjust to this gas increase every day..... I thought Iraq was to help us pay....You know to save them.
Proverbs 22:3
A prudent [man] foreseeth the evil, and hideth himself: but the simple pass on, and are punished.
I don't care who you are that's good stuff, now get out there and get that food pantry stocked, plus put a little cash back and maybe a few gold and silver ducats. Oh yeah, get out of debt as much as possible too.
anon at 8:55 PM is clueless.
When the price of gas goes up, then the price of EVERYTHING retail goes up, and that means food, clothes, and other such necessities of life.
Maybe he likes making oil companies rich and paying more to eat. I don't like that at all
Heaven forbid anyone should carpool. That's a foreign concept comparable to living within your means. Totally un-American.
A lifestyle adjustment is in order for America. Long LONG overdue IMHO. The sticker shock of suburban living finally comes home.
Dude chill. Euro gas has been what $6, $7, $8 for years. And yet people still drive and the world didn't end. And last I checked there were many a Range Rover (13 MPG) and BMW 7 series (17MPG) and many other gas guzzlers all over Europe and again the world hasn't ended.
Yeah, but the entire Europe almost fits inside the state of Texas. You don't have any clue about dimensions or proportions, do you?
HPers,
In the very near future there will be yet another internal bloody war in Europe.
This one will make all the previous European murder sprees seem like a walk in the park.
The world will do nothing but watch.
The final death of Europe will be the beginning of the greatest era in all of human history.
Oh give me a break Anon. Have you ever driven in the UK or from country to countyr in Europe before and then done the same in the US South West and Cali??? If you haven't, there is a huge difference in scale...in fact, it is probably unimaginably different for those Brits and Euros who have never been here before. I guarantee you that there are not nearly as many Brits driving 100 to 150 miles per day to work like there is in SoCal and NorCal. Even Keith's comparison to Naperville pales in comparison to a commute from the IE into LA. I know, because I've lived in both place for 5 years each and they don't compare...not even close.
but the Europeans didn't built their whole economy around cheap gas. the US did.
Gas will goto $10 per gallon.
At that point, the working poor, will not be able to afford to drive to work. Meanwhile, all the non working poor in the third world are going to dry up and blow away.
Makes you wonder what all those empty condo high rises in city centers are for? People live in the center of the dense city ... just like the city of old in the new big world.
Venezuela charges 15 cents for a gallon of gas plus they give free healthcare to every citizen as well.
Wow all the free stuff falling from the sky. Perhaps you and your ilk should move to that wonderful magical land of Chavez. I hear it's a workers paradise just like Cuba
I love reading about the people from the blue states complaining about gas prices. You environazis reap what you sow
Good comments!
YES, my fellow Americans, we are all due for a rude shock I think. We can't keep consuming at the levels most of us are used to without DIRE consequences!!
Time to tighten up, leave lean and get back to basics. The world will look SOOOO different in 5 years or so...
Welcome to the MAD MAX ECONOMY!!
"Many people I know commute 120 miles a day just to get to the office."
I have a word for people like that. Idiots. I have zero sympathy for wasteful polluters who refuse to live closer to where they work. These are the jerks who are polluting our air, clogging our highways, and creating disgustingly wasteful exurb communities. Move into town!
Boomerang,
Amen!
We need to change the whole concept of doing business in the US - Why do meetings have to be face to face if videoconferencing can be used? Why do we have to drive between work and home at all? Most white collar jobs can be done with intellect, a computer and a phone. maybe travel to the "office" (why do companies always have to be located in the city center - for "prestiege"? What a load of crap...) once a week to do meetings face to face if needed...
I large McMansion makes more since if it is your office as well - I am not saying that everyone has to be an introverted hermit and never leave the house but why do we require that people travel to a central location to collaborate when it is a tremendous waste of energy to do so.
For blue collar work why not change the arrangements around for working like 12 hour shifts fewer days a week? Stagger work hours to eliminate the "rush hour" traffic that burns more fuel.
Yes some jobs require being on site and we need fuel to transport goods, etc. but a lot of energy is consumed just to confirm to social customs like the standard work day, week, office must be located in the CBD to "look good to customers", etc. Whoever could telecommute at least part time should. I thing we in America do things only because "we always did it this way" (examine our education system - the summer vacation? WTF? It like do we live on farms still?
Who cares what they pay for gas in Europe, or anywhere else? The US pays the bills to defend the oil fields and American technology helps get it out of the ground.
In exchange for paying the defense bills, Americans should get dirt cheap gas and the rest of the world should not.
The fact that our politicians don't demand low prices is absurd.
I think the spike in commodities is more due to a bubble than OMG we are running out of x,y and z...
There are a small number of people with a f**k of a lot of money that are arbitraging commodities now since the stock market and real estate bubbles have popped. And like in housing this drives up the cost for the little guy who just needs a roof over their head or something to eat.
Pure unchecked capitalism is just as much of a failure as pure communism - the one guy at the top of the pyramid runs off with everything and the rest starve to death.
"Dude chill. Euro gas has been what $6, $7, $8 for years. And yet people still drive and the world didn't end. And last I checked there were many a Range Rover (13 MPG) and BMW 7 series (17MPG) and many other gas guzzlers all over Europe and again the world hasn't ended."
Anon,,,you're the smartest guy on here!!
To think that $4.00 can move 5000 lbs of metal roughly 20 miles is pretty astounding in itself.
last night I had the pleasure of watching a table of 6 guys,,,screaming bloody murder about gas being $4.00 a gallon while they each must have drank 6 to 8 pints each of $8.00 German Beer!!!
People's priorities are whacked out. Then again,,,I think screaming and whining can be lots of fun in itself. When done in a group it feels like you're accomplishing something important when you're actually just pissing off a bridge.
OK,,,Here, I have the entire solution. To the gas problem. Just listen to how easy this is.
The US Government increases income tax by an average of $12,000 on all income earners making over $50K per year.
Then,,, it regulates the price of gas to $.15 cents per gallon,,and we all get free health care to boot.
Now,,,, doesn't that sound like the good life in Venezuela??
Mairca said: 'It was a granite slab sealed in a plastic box.
The radon level there was 17.3.
“Or four times greater than what the EPA says is an actionable level,” said Selber'.
------------
Not only is granite expensive, it's now bad for your health.
And, I have another solution to the gas problem if you don't like my Venezuela Plan for free health insurance and nearly free gas,,
US Corporations should build dormitories onto their large buildings. The employees can live in the dorms all week and then drive home on Friday nights,,,or even stay the month and then take a few days off. In the warmer states, they could even build tent cities for their workers, saving billions of dollars worth of fuel.
Yes I have heard of some people in cali commuting 100+. Why would they? Because they wanted an affordable home and were to proud to rent closer to work. SUCKERS!!
Telecommuting, sweet delusion, can you say outsourced to India? If you have a job that can be done by telecommute you may want to start looking for a real non-paper-pusher job because all those "tele-fantasy" jobs are going overseas.
I ride my bike to where ever I go. I almost got kill by a fucking SUV spinning out of comtrol this morning. I hope gas goes to $20 a gallon to get all these morons off the streets. Hell, I hope gas gets rationed to 1 gallon a day. Now we have a bunch of fat ass American walking and riding their bikes. That's better entertainemtn than American Idol. Bring it on! I want to see a bunch of American lard asses having a coronary walking and riding their bike, we're talking about live entertainment here.
Ready for $10+ per gallon?
Peak Oil is going to have a ho' slapping good time on you Suddenly-Useless-Vehicle-crazed colonists. Thinking about how to nick all of Irans crude oil? hehe
I love reading about these people in red states complaining about the cost of gas. Ever heard the phrase "you reap what you sow."
Riiiight. This is a "red states" phenomenon. Because Californians don't drive SUVs or complain about gas prices. Get a clue.
Comparing the US to the EU is ridiculous. Some people in the US commute 50 miles each way per day. That's 100 miles - which in a country like England would take you from London to Bristol (one side of the country to the other).
There is no comparison. Europe still has small towns with mom and pop restaurants and stores. We are filled with strip malls, none of which are within walking distance from our houses.
In the long term this is a great thing, because it is the only way to change things. In the short term it's really gonna suck...
mairca izda debol said...
"Deadly Granite Countertops!!!"
Not just radon gas, but radiation. A lot of granite his highly radioactive, though this little bit of information has somehow been withheld from buyers. What a stupid, stupid fad.
"Americans are just getting the jolt of $4 and freaking. They'll adjust like they did when it hit $2 and hit $3."
Great, and we got the jolt of 80% appreciation on home costs from 2002-2006. Should we adjust to that as well?
This "adjust" crap is a lame excuse. I suppose we could just adjust over and over until its $20 per gallon.
Adjust is just a fancy term for accepting a lower standard of living. I say F that. Sure we can all afford $4 gas and adjust to it. But why should we?
The only "adjustment" needed is a major change to the idiotic and greedy leadership and mentality in this joke of a country (yeah I said joke and I was refering to the USA)
My small town is peacefully quiet again.
The "cool" punks are out of work and they can't afford to fuel their rigs.
Along with the curtailing of waste, this is yet another benefit of this (planned?) economic contraction.
I've always wondered why all gas prices end in 9/10. What sort of stupidity is that??
-----------------------------------
Because that extra 9/10 of a cent that no one realy looks at, adds millions to the suppiers coffers.
Basically you are being screwed "just a little bit" right in front of your "bewildered" eyes.
"Got train? Got bus? Got a high-MPG car?"
Got all three..
and Popcorn!!
The only way out is inflation and socialization. We had it good for a long time, now the party is over.
So sad it had to come to this. Mild prosperity would have kept us on and even Kiel, however some demanded the entire pot at the expense of their fellow man..
The debit has been called, and this time it will be paid.
get a grip panic monkeys, and up your meds if you must. the world isn't ending. just the USD. If you happen to have any wealth and you don't want its purchasing power destroyed, convert it all to USO shares or similar. Oil is the world's reserve currency now; not dollars, not euros, not gold.
Americano = Albusto !!!
-----
This Americano nation and its citizens, occupants, dwellers are low, pitiful, pathetic and all at once despicable !!!
How can you call yourself the greatest nation on Earth when dishonor, divorce, immorality, greed, cheat is every day's code of conduct, the way to conduct business in the land of the Snapper Turtle ???
Look around you: What do you see ? Fat-ass Americano male and female driving that chicken-coop, pig-raising SUV or F350, for what I may ask ? So you can feel big and powerful, huh !!!. Here is a suggestion if you want to feel all almighty, big, and powerful: Go and invade Red China, right now, at this minute, and see what the result may turn out to be.
As I have stated over and over again: This land of the Fat-Ass Americano Homosexual Erectus is a cesspool of sewage now. And to add insult to that, the Americano is being slowly roasted nicely over a bed of white hot charcoal, skewered from mouth to ass like a Snapper Turtle skewered on a green Chinese bamboo stick, juice dripping down, fat oozing, sputtering, succulent flesh aromatically wafting hungryly in the air.
Americano Homosexual Erectus == Roasted Snapper Turtle !!!
Go Hick, Hillbilly and Cracker Nuthead. Party all you can while the going is still good. Drink that Cold Mountain rotgut moonshine until you puke your snapper turtle gut out. The doomday is coming and it will judge you and your heathen crowd harshly.
Illinois minimum wage 1980 = 3.35
Gasoline = $1.17
Illinois minimum wage 2008 = $7.50
Gasoline = $3.69
Do the math.
Do you remember what the economy was like in 1980?
Try this...
Illinois minimum wage 2010 = still $7.50
(if there were jobs)
Gasoline = $7.70
Do the math
Why should Americans have to get off their lard asses and walk, ride a bike, or use public transportation like the rest of the world does.
Can you see the founders of our country all rolling over in their graves as the United States has become a nation of worthless buttheads and scam after scam of gotcha-capitalists?
It's embarassing. You really have to respect all those people in Iraq who are fighting for a country that is too busy playing Wii and looking up who Paris Hilton nailed last night.
Pathetic.
Umm.....Is it just me or am I the only one investing in railroads? If public transportation went 'public' I would buy every share I could get my hands on!!!!
Drink that Cold Mountain rotgut moonshine until you puke your snapper turtle gut out.
ROTLMAO
Illinois minimum wage 1980 = 3.35
Gasoline = $1.17
Illinois minimum wage 2008 = $7.50
Gasoline = $3.69
Do the math.
Illinois is one of the few states that charge sales tax on gasoline. People in Illinois need to look at the problems they vote in for themselves rather than complaining
Can someone here give me a logical explanation of why oil would be at 126.
You are talking about a 6 fold increase in about 8 years. 600%.
I have the following reasons already, but can't seem to understand why it is so high.
War - since 2003. At that point it was what, 35-40??
Peak oil - I don't believe this by the way. Why wasn't this an issue 10 years ago, or did we just suddenly realize that we are running out of oil?
Demand - Sure, a 3% increase in demand yearly will do it.
Dollar down - The dollar hasn't dropped 6 fold. At least not yet.
So what is it. I smell bubble on oil, just like housing.
Dny
Why should Americans have to get off their lard asses and walk, ride a bike, or use public transportation like the rest of the world does.
I'm sure many do. The subways in NYC and other cities are always full. The light rail in my city has standing room only most of the time. Public transportation can't take you everywhere and walking 2 hours to work isn't a viable option. I don't want to risk my life biking to work with all of the road rage maniacs and posers on their cellphones swerving everywhere.
Telecommuting, sweet delusion, can you say outsourced to India? If you have a job that can be done by telecommute you may want to start looking for a real non-paper-pusher job because all those "tele-fantasy" jobs are going overseas
The tide is turning as the USD continues crashing and the Rupee is getting stronger. It's not so cheap to outsource anymore. The high turnover rate in India is also costing companies alot of money. The Indians work for 6 months to get their training then leave to go work for someone else. I've heard nothing but complaints from managers. The Indians are also burning out, having to work graveyard shifts to service Americans on the opposite side of the world.
Dude chill. Euro gas has been what $6, $7, $8 for years. And yet people still drive and the world didn't end. And last I checked there were many a Range Rover (13 MPG) and BMW 7 series (17MPG) and many other gas guzzlers all over Europe and again the world hasn't ended.
Americans are just getting the jolt of $4 and freaking. They'll adjust like they did when it hit $2 and hit $3. This gas 'crisis' is yet one more in a never ending line of media made crises.
__________________________________
STFU YOU STUPID POS!
America is not EUROPE you moronic imbecile.
*People in Europe don't live 30 miles away from their jobs.
*The entire shipping industry in America is almost entirely done by trucks, meaning everything from groceries to household products is completely dependent on being shipped long distances and high gas prices will destroy that.
*American cars do not get good gas mileage.
*90% of America has absolutly no public transportation, unlike Europe which has it in every major city.
IS THAT SINKING THROUGH YOUR THICK SKULL YET RETARD?
America is not Europe. If I hear one more moron make that comment on a message board I am going to flip out and kill some folks.
Illinois minimum wage 1980 = 3.35
Gasoline = $1.17
Illinois minimum wage 2008 = $7.50
Gasoline = $3.69
Do the math.
____________________________________
Illinois minimum wage 1998 =$6.50
Gasoline = $0.89
Illinois minimum wage 2009 = $7.50
Gasoline = $6.00
... Do the math again moron.
Any one who thinks the high gas won't impact USA is a Phken idiot. I commute 3 miles in the Midwest and abandoned my California 32 mile commute when gas hit two dollars in 2001. I just turned down a large promotion that would involve a move and a commute because the housing numbers and the new commute dollars did not make sense. Gas also drives food prices and many will suffer.
HPFAN
"Many people I know commute 120 miles a day just to get to the office."
I have a word for people like that. Idiots. I have zero sympathy for wasteful polluters who refuse to live closer to where they work. These are the jerks who are polluting our air, clogging our highways, and creating disgustingly wasteful exurb communities. Move into town!
With 4 kids, a wife and his mother to support, how is he going to afford the same size house in the SF Valley that he can get in the high desert?
Answer: He cannot. He can't buy in the SFV and they will be living in a 3 BR apartment for the same price. Worse schools, no lawn. Houses in the high desert are one third the cost of them in the SFV; this eliminates any economic gains from reduced gasoline consumption.
It isn't wasteful. It makes complete economic sense. You just think that a commute of XX miles is too far, and you want to force people who drive 'too far' (and that is whatever YOU decide) to drive less.
Of course this means doing things YOUR WAY, but hey? Why shouldn't we let others tell us how to live? That's what I fear most about an HRC or BHO presidency. The return of Neo-Marxism, Socialism, Leftism - call it what you will. The return of others telling me what I can and cannot do.
Freedom. It was good while it lasted.
I love this anti-SUV hysteria going on from you commuting slaves. Keep bringing that shit on. I recently bought a 2005 Denali for $19K. This thing costs $53K new. But since everyone is in panic over $4 gas mode, prices are falling like a rock.
Unlike you saps, I don't commute. I run my own business from home and whenever I do drive I deduct $0.505 per mile from my taxes. My marginal tax rate is 31%. I get about 13 miles per gallon. Doing quick math, you the tax payer is paying me $2 of every $4 I spend per gallon of gas.
It gets even better. Since the GWVR is above 6000 lbs, I got an extra nice little $4750 extra tax deduction thanks to the SUV loophole. At 31% that works to $1473.
So assuming I drive 10,000 miles I'll get a total of $3011 in tax savings. In other words my gas costs for this year will be $0 in my oh so evil SUV.
Enjoy driving in your econoshitboxes. I'll stick with what I have personally.
carpooling only helps when a large group of people come along the same route and go to a similar clump of buildings or downtown area. For people that live and work in the suburbs - it's largely impractical - the closest person to me lives one town away - by the time I would drive over to pick her up I would be halfway to work anyway.
Anonymous Anonymous said...
Any one who thinks the high gas won't impact USA is a Phken idiot. I commute 3 miles in the Midwest and abandoned my California 32 mile commute when gas hit two dollars in 2001. I just turned down a large promotion that would involve a move and a commute because the housing numbers and the new commute dollars did not make sense. Gas also drives food prices and many will suffer.
HPFAN
May 10, 2008 1:13 PM<<<
commuting has been a way of life in amerika for a long time. when the high gas prices, start setting in, it is going to cause major shifts in the way americans spend money, if it hasn't already. then you talk about gas going up even after it hits 4.00/gallon, you have a recipe for economic disaster. the truckers right now are paying more than 4.00/gallon for diesel and they are complaining about it now. they can't even make a living at that price. who is to say what will happen when the price continues to escalate? this is not a matter that can be pushed aside by arguments such as we will adjust etc.....this country was built on cheap gas. when that leg on the economic chair is kicked out, all i can say is look out. americans love their freedom of movment, and the high cost of gas is going to put a end to that mindset. besides we have no electric trains in place like they do in europe or anything resembling the public transport they have in russia. my friends, this situation is dire, at the very least.
Here in sunny south Florida our commuter train service will likely drop its services from 50 trains per day to 20. Why? Because the senate could get the bill through committee for a vote after the house passed their bill unanimously. So taxes on rental cars will most likely go toward the expansion of our interstate system and grease those construction companies..to hell with the citizens.
High gas prices are good for America. We are pigs, using nearly 1/3 of all the oil produced. Our carbon footprints are horrible. High gas prices will force conservation, reduce pollution and improve safety.
Europeans with cars drive an average of 4300 miles per year. Americans drive 12,000, most of it to the drive through at McDonalds to feed their fat faces.
America is not EUROPE you moronic imbecile.
*People in Europe don't live 30 miles away from their jobs.
*The entire shipping industry in America is almost entirely done by trucks, meaning everything from groceries to household products is completely dependent on being shipped long distances and high gas prices will destroy that.
*American cars do not get good gas mileage.
*90% of America has absolutly no public transportation, unlike Europe which has it in every major city.
Well I guess we're going to have to change some of those things to deal with more expensive gas then, huh?
You're points make sense, but you offer no solutions, just "America is not Europe I Will kill you retard RARAWRR!!!111" How does that help?
" boomerang said...
HPers,
In the very near future there will be yet another internal bloody war in Europe.
This one will make all the previous European murder sprees seem like a walk in the park.
The world will do nothing but watch.
The final death of Europe will be the beginning of the greatest era in all of human history."
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From what I hear, there have been few bloodier murder sprees in human history than the American Civil War.
Americans are still in denial, but one day "in the very near future" they will have to wake up to the fact that there are only two superpowers left in the world, and neither of them is the United States. They are the European Union and China.
The EU's population is 500 million - almost twice the US, its GDP is time and half of the US, and it has a strong and stable currency. Think about this as you watch the US dollar disintegrate and the American economy collapse.
Unlike you saps, I don't commute. I run my own business from home
Ladies & Gentleman, I present you another fat bastard who spends his time in his pajamas, doing nothing productive all day, while the wife works to pay the bills. Let me guess, you have a blog about personal finance, to make milk money with Google AdSense, since you're unemployable or too lazy to get a real job.
Europeans with cars drive an average of 4300 miles per year. Americans drive 12,000, most of it to the drive through at McDonalds to feed their fat faces.
I say it again, Europe fits inside the state of Texas. One day you'll get a grasp on scale.
To Chris and the others who commented on this:
Illinois minimum wage 1980 = 3.35
Gasoline = $1.17
Illinois minimum wage 2008 = $7.50
Gasoline = $3.69
Do the math.
It looks as if I'll have to explain myself.
Why in the world would you take my comment as "everything is OK"?
IF you did the math you would see that things are getting WORSE now than in 1980.
YES I was there and lived through it. My friend worked at the gas station at the time and after pumping someones gas he would drain the gas that had settled in the bottom of the hose into a container. At the end of the day he would have close to a gallon of free gas. Yep, that's how bad it was to be a teenager at that time in the depressed area that I lived.
It was very difficult to land even a fast food job at that time.
BUT!!!
I don't think that point in time is going to make a pimple on the fast approaching $###storm that we are heading into.
THEY ARE TRYING TO INFLATE OUR WAY OUT OF THIS MESS, PREPARE ACCORDINGLY.
The EU's population is 500 million - almost twice the US, its GDP is time and half of the US, and it has a strong and stable currency. Think about this as you watch the US dollar disintegrate and the American economy collapse.
Oh yeah, Europe is doing soooo well. Hoooweee, those Europeans are swimming in Money! This is what I call prosperity and superpower:
NYT -- Rome Journal; The Other Face of Italy: Its Busy Soup Kitchens
Legislation in Italy and the remolded face of Europe after the cold war have begun to refashion the profile of the city's needy. At least, that is what they say at some of the city's soup kitchens, like the one in the Trastevere district, which is run by a religious community called Sant'Egidio and which claims to be Rome's biggest.
"If you had come here two years ago, that room would have been almost entirely full of Africans," said Mario Marazziti, one of the community's leaders, gesturing to a hall where a sitting of 200 people devoured helpings of pasta, meat, fish, fruit and vegetable -- the once-a-day meal that is offered. "Now it's mainly Poles and Romanians," Mr. Marazziti said.
As Italy's recession bites and jobs are harder to come by, the workload has increased at the Sant'Egidio and other soup kitchens run mainly by Roman Catholic associations.
Times -- Spain's economy is slowing more sharply than expected after the implosion of the country's property bubble, triggering widespread gloom and rekindling talk that it could leave the single European currency.
The latest statistics paint an even more pessimistic picture than many economists had predicted after a decade-long boom in construction hit the buffers in recent months.
“The deteriorating economic conditions have extended throughout the entire economy,” Nathan Carroll, an analyst for NTC Economics, said. “Commercial activity declined at a record rate on deteriorating domestic demand.
UK -- Broke Britain: millions face struggle to stay afloat as financial crisis hits home
Debt experts are predicting a record number of personal insolvencies this year as rising mortgage payments and soaring food and fuel costs force thousands of people over the financial edge and into bankruptcy.
More than nine million individuals in Britain are now believed to be struggling to pay credit card bills and mortgages, with the average owed by problem debtors hitting 30,000.
Insolvency experts say people have been readily loading large amounts of debt on to credit cards and personal loans, despite the economic slowdown.
And then the Europeans have the nerve to call Americans "materialistic". Bunch of hypocrites!
From what I hear, there have been few bloodier murder sprees in human history than the American Civil War.
Roughly 600,000 Americans died over 4 years of the Civil War.
Over 800,000 Rwandans were clubbed and beaten to death over 2 weeks in Africa.
Over 30 million Europeans were killed during WWII from 1939-1945.
Over 18 million Europeans were killed during WWII from 1914-1918.
Over 25 million Ukrainians were liquidated by Josef Stalin from 1932-1936.
Ghengis Khan killed an estimated 20 million Chinese during his invasions.
The Khmer Rouge killed 2.5 million Cambodians, roughly 33% of the entire population.
You need to do a little more reading. The Civil War was a picnic when compared to the history of atrocities and wars.
The EU's population is 500 million - almost twice the US, its GDP is time and half of the US, and it has a strong and stable currency
Europe is also much older, has a worse pension crisis than the US and is made up of dozens of different nationalities and ethnic groups who have no desire to merge or unite. Nobody in Europe is happy with the EU except for the politicos and leeches who profit off of the huge bureaucracy. The stronger Euro will only cause them to lose business and jobs as it becomes more expensive to pay workers and their pensions. Most European countries have unemployment in the double digits despite a 30-35 hour work week designed to increase employment rates. Many Italians and French are forced to live with their parents until their 30-40's because they can't find decent jobs other than retail in those quaint little tourist shops that sell overpriced trinkets. I know dozens of immigrants who came from Europe. None of them are in a hurry to go home despite the "free" healthcare. There are very few job opportunities over there and the regulations are stifling. The big cities are being overrun by African and Muslims who have no loyalty or desire to assimilate. Their housing bubble is even bigger than ours. Properties in Ireland, UK, Spain and Italy are even more unaffordable than California and New York on an income/price ratio.
High gas prices are good for America. We are pigs, using nearly 1/3 of all the oil produced. Our carbon footprints are horribl
Hey idiot, do you realize that most of Africa and many parts of Asia live in grass huts and use no energy at all? Is that what you want? No running water, no electricity? Compared to other industrialized nations, the US is not that bad. Idiots like you, who are unable to properly interpret data, are easily fooled by the spinsters.
I bet you're one of those idiots who criticizes Americans for not travelling more to see the world. Then you turn around and criticize Americans for using too much fuel.
Can someone here give me a logical explanation of why oil would be at 126.
Have you ever heard of China and India? Talk to some people from those countries. About 8 years ago, there were no cars, except for the very rich or government. Today, cars are everywhere. Nearly half of the world's population lives in those two countries. There are over twice as many cars on the roads today as there were 10 years ago. Chinese industrial output has increase by over 1000%. Other countires like South Korea, Brazil, Malaysia, Turkey, and Indonesia are booming. That's another 500 million people driving cars and using air conditioning. Even Vietnam is full of cars and motorcycles now. All they had before were bicycles and oxcarts. Your little gas savings from the Prius is like pissing in the ocean.
Exactly right. I've been in China 4 times in the past 18 months, and am making my next trip this week. Every time I go I see more wealth and a burgeoning middle class.
That's good right? We want to end world poverty, don't we?
Yeah, except when all those third world farmers start living and eating like us. Guess what? It's happening.
Half of the planet's 6 billion population live in China and India, and they're more wealthy. That means they won't settle for meat once per week, riding a bicycle to work or suffering the dehumanization of being the last one on the train and having someone with a stick beat them in.
They want cars. They want luxury meals. They want houses in the suburbs (and they want to build suburbs).
Oil $126? You ain't seen nothin' yet!
only two superpowers left in the world, and neither of them is the United States. They are the European Union and China.
The EU which had to beg the Americans to come over and stop the Bosnia War in their own backyard? The EU which is scared shitless of Russia and Iran? Except for Germany, the EU produces almost nothing. Their manufacturing would be dead if not for government subsidies to the corporations. The white European is old and dying off, being replaced by Arabs and Pakis. Most of them are just as fat as Americans. They've been slaughtering each other for the past 2,000 years. A little treaty is not going to stop the killing for long. The Germans, French, Italians, English, Irish and Russians still don't trust each other.
"Answer: He cannot. He can't buy in the SFV and they will be living in a 3 BR apartment for the same price. Worse schools, no lawn. Houses in the high desert are one third the cost of them in the SFV; this eliminates any economic gains from reduced gasoline consumption."
Keep crying silly anon! Boo-Hoo. He made the choice to have four kids. He wants his silly lawn and to live in a big house. He wants to live in California. These are all economic choices. Another person might have decided not to have four kids, or live in a less expensive city, or a smaller home. I wonder if he felt like a victim when he made those decisions?
How is it liberal to say that his situation is idiotic, wasteful and ultimately damaging to his fellow Californians? I didn't say anything about changing laws to stop him, but I'm sure as hell not going to shed a tear that a chump like that has to pay a few bucks more a gallon for gas.
Cheap gas isn't a god-given right. We pay for it with blood, our health and our environment. The least we can do is use it wisely.
I thought Keith was a self-proclaimed contrarian. If so you should realize oil is in a huge bubble and will pop eventually. By this time next year gas will be well under $3 again which adjusted for inflation will be about what it was 10 years ago.
But don't let that get in the way of a good paranoid diatribe about $10 gas.
Do you realize that you can have your own ethanol microfueler at home or split with the neighboors, at a cost of $0.10 per gallon? Oh and any car can run on ethanol. And no, it's not from corn. This is what the oil mafia and the gov doesn't want you to know. Imagine the gov losing all those taxes from gasoline or OPEC going broke. There's no oil crisis, only smoke & mirrors. Check it it out:
www.efuel100.com
Any further questions? Glad to help.
Americans can afford the high tax prices. Look at how Americans have weathered this storm of gas prices hitting $2, then $3 and now $4. Just because you bitter renters can not afford high fuel prices doesn't mean everyone is on the same boat as you guys.
By this time next year gas will be well under $3 again which adjusted for inflation will be about what it was 10 years ago.
Put that number back in your ass where you pulled it out from.
"I hope gas goes to $20 a gallon to get all these morons off the streets."
$20/gallon isn't enough. Make it $30/gallon. Make Americans pay for all the heartache they've put our fellow human beings and our natural world through.
$20/gallon isn't enough. Make it $30/gallon. Make Americans pay for all the heartache they've put our fellow human beings and our natural world through.
There were no wars, diseases, or natural disasters before July 4, 1776.
I chuckled as I read this. Interesting, really. Some observations: Greedy corporate executives sent massive amounts of jobs overseas to fatten their owen wallets and those of wall street. Pure greed. In doing so, they created massive amounts of wealth in poor countries. These people go out now and buy cars and add to the strain of oil supplies, causing the price to go up. If this continues it's current pace, something has to give. Eventually, the collapse of this country? Thus all that accumulated wealth of these greedy CEO pigs evaporates? We storm their homes and kick the living shit out of them because there is not enough police to stop us. Always ends that way. No empire lasts forever. I sure hope to see this happen.
Anything that screws Maricopa Arizona, Naperville Illinois or any far-flung exurb is a very GOOD thing. AMEN!
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