Gas (Pricing) Is Getting Flatulent

[stratman]

The supposed "meltdown" point was going to be $84.00 a barrel, several economists/analysts had written articles when crude was at $70.00 stating that if crude ever got to $84, out economy would implode. I'm already seeing the cracks beginning to get bigger. The housing industry followed by the banking/savings/mortgage complex unraveling is just the tip of the iceberg, we're really going to start seeing the effects come next year. Already gas is being predicted by Wallstreet to be $3.50 a gallon regular by December. In the next 10 years we might not have an American car industry anymore, GM just wrote off 39 Billion dollars, instead of designing fuel-efficient GOOD LOOKING cars, the same crap keeps rolling off the factories, don't blame their demise on foreign competition, blame it on greed, apathy toward the market and downright stupidity from management.

The Arabs don't want oil this high, it pushes countries to look for alternative fuels, Brazil runs 90% of their cars on alcohol, they're the largest economy in South America. The Arabs would rather have us hooked and buying their product over the long haul at an "affordable" price than get sticker-shock, sober up and adopt something else. Can you imagine America in 15 years running on alcohol? The speculators are the ones pushing up the prices in the futures market, we haven't built a new refinery in the last 20 years, India and China are becoming oil junkies and the supply that is available right now is dwindling to some extent, so prices have no where to go but up. The Arabs see the writing on the wall, and if they can keep us sleepy and comfortable it will be our undoing. You want to make a difference tell the American Auto Industry that you don't need giant SUVs and F150s to haul groceries around, demand well engineered and styled cars, demand more flex-fuel cars so if you can use methanol the better, vote with your wallet, let these companies know you'll only buy better quality and efficiency. By the way I'm a conservative.

 

[Joe Schmoe]

I feel sorry for whoever becomes president next (well, sort of sorry. They chose to run, after all.) This whole mess is going to be dumped in their lap (and it may make the Great Depression look like happy times.)

 

[annunaki]

There is a simple fix for this "crisis". A simple government mandate that all vehicles sold by the year 2023 must use an alternative fuel source such as hydrogen or ethanol (though ethanol is not the answer). In the mean time we start drilling for oil in our own country and reduce our foreign oil consumption down to around 10%. We open refineries and allow full out production of gasoline. This drives the current price of fuel back down to the $2.00 a gallon range or lower and in the process allows the country to be completely gasoline free in the automobile realm long term. After 2023 there would be another 15 year period where gasoline powered vehicles would still be allowed on public roads without a special collectors permit. After that the only gasoline powered vehicles allowed would be collectors items (with a special permit).

It is a long term plan that allows for reasonable prices in the short term without blasting the end user into finanical oblivion.

Oh wait, this makes too much sense and the tree huggers wouldn't stand for it EVEN THOUGH they end up with what they want. Not to mention big oil has nearly every politician in Washington in their pocket, regardless of party affiliation.

 

[Joe Schmoe]

Annunaki for president!

 

[Rickster71]

Ice?

One thing that I've wondered about hydrogen vehicles?
They emit water from the exhaust.
What happens when a large percentage of hydrogen cars all drip water on the roadways in below freezing temps?

 

[annunaki]

One thing that I've wondered about hydrogen vehicles?
They emit water from the exhaust.
What happens when a large percentage of hydrogen cars all drip water on the roadways in below freezing temps?

Hahahahahahaha....

WIPEOUT!!!!

 

[annunaki]

Annunaki for president!

I have seriously thought about it when I turn 35, but, (big but) I do not have money to win an election and that is what it all appears to be about. No one seems to vote on issues anymore just who gets the most air time from their election coffers.

Our two party system stinks to high heaven right now with all the corruption and greed that goes on. To me there is no two party system anymore, just a bad and worse selection from the political class they created for themselves.


That is all another topic though. I will try to stick to the post at hand.

 

[Sheep]

Do you guys know that a fair chunk of your oil come from Canada? Alberta is our Saudi Arabia. If we used that oil for ourselves, our economy would weaken. That is great source of revenue.

SheepStar

 

[stratman]

Do you guys know that a fair chunk of your oil come from Canada? Alberta is our Saudi Arabia. If we used that oil for ourselves, our economy would weaken. That is great source of revenue.

SheepStar

Absolutely correct, most Americans don't realize that the lion's share of our oil is Canadian, not Arab. Nonetheless, America needs to let go of oil and start producing and selling in the world market an alternative to petroleum based fuels. A professor in Gainesville has discovered and patented a bacteriological process to produce ethanol from grass clippings, garbage, tree bark, etc. no longer are food crops needed to produce sugar for methanol, this was one of the larger barriers in mass-scale production of methanol.

 

[Highlander]

You want to make a difference tell the American Auto Industry that you don't need giant SUVs and F150s to haul groceries around...

Are you saying that at present demand follows supply?

 

[Rickster71]

That is all another topic though. I will try to stick to the post at hand.

Oh No, not another one of those 'off topic' guys.

 

[stratman]

Are you saying that at present demand follows supply?

No, what I'm saying is that if a concerned group of buyers gets the ball rolling the industry will listen, the industry is in dis-array at the moment and the future looks bleak. Obviously flooding the market with 9-12 mpg vehicles in the light of rocketing gas prices is a moronic mistake. The industry has the power to change, but no will. Curb the demand by producing responsible vehicles, efficient mini-vans instead of giant SUVs, trucks for those that really need trucks. Come on Cadillac and Lincoln producing pickup trucks!!!???? The industry created the need and then fueled the market and now it finds itself in a predicament it created by making bad choices.

 

[Highlander]

...flooding the market with 9-12 mpg vehicles in the light of rocketing gas prices is a moronic mistake.

I'd like to think that it was a moronic mistake even before the price of gas began to bite.

 

[rnatalli]

I say just crank the oil to $5/gallon and get it over with. I'm stick of this slow climb and bleeding dry which is exactly what they want; keep us addicted and slowly kill us. Let the economy implode now as it'll only be worst later. Here's some ideas on energy.

1. Offer more tax breaks on hybrid cars. Hybrids aren't a permanent solution, but a good stop gap.

2. Require any newly constructed houses and buildings to place solar panels on the roof. Tie those places into the existing grid. Eventually you'd have loads of electricity being generated and just need some Nuke plants as backups. If I'm not mistaken, solar panels for a home are under $10k nowadays and the sun isn't going to dry up anytime soon.

3. Place a long string of wind turbines on the west coast to blow back all the pollution coming from China and India Still need oil to lube the motor

4. Push hydroelectric power as the oceans are only going to get busier with global warming.

5. Outlaw paid lobbying (aka bribery).

6. Make it so no public official can own shares in commercial interests. They should serve the people at fair pay and nothing more. Remember the big scare of bird flu or whatever? Guess who owned loads of stock in the company who had a vaccine? I haven't heard about bird flu since the person in question sold up.

People always say that doing any of this is not possible. But take a look at a country like Switzerland who has 57% hydroelectric, 30% solar, and 13% nuclear power. Granted, only 8 million people living there, but like Sun Tzu said, large or small doesn't matter as it's just a matter of organization.

 

[Joe Schmoe]

I would happily switch to a small car if everyone else would also (at around the same time.) Driving one of the few small cars in a city full of redneck speed-demons in pickups and SUVs, however, is a losing proposition!

 

[rnatalli]

Driving one of the few small cars in a city full of redneck speed-demons in pickups and SUVs, however, is a losing proposition!

Get the MINI Cooper S model which has the turbocharger That little thing zips and gets something like 30 city/40 highway to boot.

 

[annunaki]

I say just crank the oil to $5/gallon and get it over with. I'm stick of this slow climb and bleeding dry which is exactly what they want; keep us addicted and slowly kill us. Let the economy implode now as it'll only be worst later. Here's some ideas on energy.

1. Offer more tax breaks on hybrid cars. Hybrids aren't a permanent solution, but a good stop gap.

2. Require any newly constructed houses and buildings to place solar panels on the roof. Tie those places into the existing grid. Eventually you'd have loads of electricity being generated and just need some Nuke plants as backups. If I'm not mistaken, solar panels for a home are under $10k nowadays and the sun isn't going to dry up anytime soon.

3. Place a long string of wind turbines on the west coast to blow back all the pollution coming from China and India Still need oil to lube the motor

4. Push hydroelectric power as the oceans are only going to get busier with global warming.

5. Outlaw paid lobbying (aka bribery).

6. Make it so no public official can own shares in commercial interests. They should serve the people at fair pay and nothing more. Remember the big scare of bird flu or whatever? Guess who owned loads of stock in the company who had a vaccine? I haven't heard about bird flu since the person in question sold up.

People always say that doing any of this is not possible. But take a look at a country like Switzerland who has 57% hydroelectric, 30% solar, and 13% nuclear power. Granted, only 8 million people living there, but like Sun Tzu said, large or small doesn't matter as it's just a matter of organization.

$5.00 a gallon gas is not going to help the current situation, but rather, make it worse. It will push us right into recession. We should see some pull back in pump prices by or after Christmas.

My solution stated before is the best way to alleviate costs on the consumer as well as remove the country's dependance on oil. We will still need oil just not in the large capacity that we need it today.

 

[Rock&Roll Ninja]

Come on Cadillac and Lincoln producing pickup trucks!!!????

While bad for the enviroment this was genius marketing:

Detroit Guy 1: "Chevy Suburbans and Ford F250s are sitting on lots!"

Detroit Guy 2: "Put leather seats in them and raise the price $20,000."

 

[stratman]

While bad for the enviroment this was genius marketing:

Detroit Guy 1: "Chevy Suburbans and Ford F250s are sitting on lots!"

Detroit Guy 2: "Put leather seats in them and raise the price $20,000."

My friend I've always said it, marketers run the world! What was the name of the Lincoln pickup? Blackwood? Then they put out the Harley-Davidson, then one with the ranch name. Remember we're the Pet Rock society.

 

[jinjuku]

Would any one entertain the idea of a bit of revisionist history?

Check out this link from PBS

What if almost 30 years ago we embarked on a government mandated program for energy independence? Solar, Wind, Geothermal, Nuclear, Hydro. Used seed money at both research one institutions and publicly available purses for private industry (a.k.a the Ansari X-Prize). Actually got real with CAFE standards and goals for percentage makeup of where a certain amount of this nations power came from?

I wonder how cheap and efficient solar cells would be? How ubiquitous wind farming would be? What would be the fleet mile per gallon averages be? How many new Nuclear factories would be in operation providing clean power.

How many industries would have all that created in the U.S? Made us a leader in all these fields? Turning out high quality engineers from this nations University system? All the associated jobs, etc...

We didn't get a national highway system nor a man on the moon by leaving it up solely to private industry. There was a need at hand that didn't involve a CEO needing to make millions upon millions a year and have a golden parachute if it went wrong.

Is Ford and GM's hybrid offerings home grown or are they licensed from the Japanese?

I understand that the OP is about gas prices, but it is all tied together.