gas prices are out of hand
- Thread starter middie
- Start date
The friendliest place on the web for anyone that enjoys cooking.
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
middie said:
I say no.
I can easily see the price go over 100 bucks for one barrel of oil next year.
3 bucks per gallon plus at the pump is not out of the question either.
At 100 bucks plus for a barrel of oil it could trigger a global recession.
OP
OP
middie
Chef Extraordinaire
jeez kleenex. you could have said
"sure middie, i hope it's soon" lol
"sure middie, i hope it's soon" lol
Chief Longwind Of The North
Certified/Certifiable
What I'd like to know is if oil per barrel is at $67 bucks or so, and the all time high was reached in '79 or '80 at about $80 per barrel, then how come we're not paying 90 cents per gallon like we did then? Oil is still cheaper than it was when the Middle East oil cartel squeezed us back in 1980, but we're paying 1.5 times as much. And of course, though oil profits, yes I'm talking profits (you know, the money they have left over after paying the overhead, wages, and benefits), the oild companies are saying that they had to increase cost due to higher oil prices. They say that the oil prices are higher because of supply and demand, and that the profits they make are unrelated.
There is some truth to the laws of supply and demand, and that the quantity of oil available for keeping us warm this winter will be less than in previous years. But those extra high profits should be funneled to the consumers, not the high-flying corporate heads and their cronies. Of course this is just my opinion.
In a world where the head of Disney gets 140 million bucks in severence pay, while the workers who run every machine, do the maintenance, and sell the merchandise get just enough salary to live from from paycheck to paycheck, how can we expect the owners of capitol to care on wit for the people who make them rich?
The following rules are not what I believe should be, but they are what my observations lead me to believe are the current laws of buisness.
Bob Flowers' first rule of buisness - Power protects power.
Bob Flowers' second rule of buisness - Power meats out the minimum amount of wealth possible to it's laborers to maximise profit and capitol for owners and the ruling board of directors.
Bob Flowers' third rule of power - give to the labor force just enough in wge and benefits to avoid prolonged strikes and all-out rebellion.
Bob Flowers' forth rule of power - the means jsutifies the end. The end is to maximise profits, at any cost.
Bob Flowers' fifth rule of power - Corporate wealth is all important, so much so that anything we do today is justified, wheter it harms us in the future or not, so long as it increases corporate wealth.
And there you have it. This is what I think the big-boys think and believe. I also believe that their strategy is working very well. Most people suffer too little to step up and rebell against the status quo. We have become a nation, a society of cattle, of wage-slaves. We do what we're told, when we're told, because if we don't, there is someone else who will. And we can't afford to give up our pay, or our cable TV that keeps us from meeting and interacting with each other.
Ya know, ya just shouldn't have gotten me started.
Seeeeeya; Goodweed of the North
There is some truth to the laws of supply and demand, and that the quantity of oil available for keeping us warm this winter will be less than in previous years. But those extra high profits should be funneled to the consumers, not the high-flying corporate heads and their cronies. Of course this is just my opinion.
In a world where the head of Disney gets 140 million bucks in severence pay, while the workers who run every machine, do the maintenance, and sell the merchandise get just enough salary to live from from paycheck to paycheck, how can we expect the owners of capitol to care on wit for the people who make them rich?
The following rules are not what I believe should be, but they are what my observations lead me to believe are the current laws of buisness.
Bob Flowers' first rule of buisness - Power protects power.
Bob Flowers' second rule of buisness - Power meats out the minimum amount of wealth possible to it's laborers to maximise profit and capitol for owners and the ruling board of directors.
Bob Flowers' third rule of power - give to the labor force just enough in wge and benefits to avoid prolonged strikes and all-out rebellion.
Bob Flowers' forth rule of power - the means jsutifies the end. The end is to maximise profits, at any cost.
Bob Flowers' fifth rule of power - Corporate wealth is all important, so much so that anything we do today is justified, wheter it harms us in the future or not, so long as it increases corporate wealth.
And there you have it. This is what I think the big-boys think and believe. I also believe that their strategy is working very well. Most people suffer too little to step up and rebell against the status quo. We have become a nation, a society of cattle, of wage-slaves. We do what we're told, when we're told, because if we don't, there is someone else who will. And we can't afford to give up our pay, or our cable TV that keeps us from meeting and interacting with each other.
Ya know, ya just shouldn't have gotten me started.
Seeeeeya; Goodweed of the North
Last edited:
I'm not too concerned with gas prices. Our gas is still cheaper than a bottle of water AND its cheaper than what they pay in almost every other country in the world.
I say gas prices should be even higher (through higher taxes) so that we can discourage the rampant consumerism that exists now. Perhaps a few soccer moms will sell their Hummers and buy a more efficient vehicle.
Perhaps when gas prices go through the roof, oil companies will finally invest real money into alternate fuel research.
Perhaps when gas prices go through the roof, the sprawl epidemic that most of the nations suffers from will decrease. People may realize that its not efficient to live 50 miles from your place of work. Traffic might even improve as people move closer to their jobs or use public transportation to get to work instead of driving 50 miles through rush-hour traffic.
I say gas prices should be even higher (through higher taxes) so that we can discourage the rampant consumerism that exists now. Perhaps a few soccer moms will sell their Hummers and buy a more efficient vehicle.
Perhaps when gas prices go through the roof, oil companies will finally invest real money into alternate fuel research.
Perhaps when gas prices go through the roof, the sprawl epidemic that most of the nations suffers from will decrease. People may realize that its not efficient to live 50 miles from your place of work. Traffic might even improve as people move closer to their jobs or use public transportation to get to work instead of driving 50 miles through rush-hour traffic.
Hey, we're over $4 a gallon here. And we sit on one of the biggest pockets of fossil fuel in the world.
Andy M.
Certified Pretend Chef
What annoys me is that EXXON/Mobil just reported RECORD PROFITS for their recent quarter. Profits are up 32%. Gas prices are up 33%. Hmmmmm, verrrrrry interesting!
Why do they do that? Because they can. How do you botcott gasoline in protest in this society where the automobile is essential in everything we do?
Why do they do that? Because they can. How do you botcott gasoline in protest in this society where the automobile is essential in everything we do?
VIDEODROME
Cook
Maybe we're starting to run out of oil.
Andy M. said:
I don't think the automobile is truly essential in many ways. It is essential because we choose to make it so by living far away from our jobs. My wife rides her bike to and from work on a regular basis. I've also walked to the grocery store several times.
Most people can't stop using there cars but it is pretty easy to reduce the amount of gas that you use by owning a more efficient car or using alternatives more often. Problem is that we Americans LOVE our big cars.
Try living in the UK - some petrol stations are charging just under one pound (Sterling) per LITRE! Most of which is taxation.
An American posted on the BBC site that if such prices were ever imposed in the USA, there would be a another revolution!
An American posted on the BBC site that if such prices were ever imposed in the USA, there would be a another revolution!
mrsmac
Head Chef
We pay about $1.15 per litre today but it changes all the time and from service station to service station. Our prices seem to go up on Wednesday and down at the weekend. Are other countries like that?
I need to go into money and measurement converters to see how your prices compare to ours but certainly Scotland sounds expensive since our dollar is worth about 40p.(i think)
I need to go into money and measurement converters to see how your prices compare to ours but certainly Scotland sounds expensive since our dollar is worth about 40p.(i think)
jennyema
Chef Extraordinaire
it cost me $50 to fill up today.
My friends on Wall Street say expect $3 gallon and higher everywhere very soon. It's already $3 in CA.
My friends on Wall Street say expect $3 gallon and higher everywhere very soon. It's already $3 in CA.
Chief Longwind Of The North
Certified/Certifiable
Mr_Dove said:
I wan'ted a small, economy car that was reliable. My wife wanted a Ford Explorer. I couldn't talk her out of it. Maybe when we have to pay so much for gas that we can't pay for the cable bill, she'll aquiess. Even now, she's beginning to see what a money pit that vehicle is, what with the price of gas, and maintenance costs that are comming up.
I hate Fords! I've had nothing but poor results with every Ford product I've ever owned.
Seeeeya; Goodweed of the North
mrsmac
Head Chef
I just did some conversions of volume and money and I worked out that in America your petrol is cheaper than ours, you pay about $3australian for nearly 4 litres of petrol whereas we pay about $1.15 per litre. Its still expensive though wherever you go. The UK seems to have the worst prices. Ours varies depending on where in Sydney you are which seems stupid.
licia
Executive Chef
My dh has a Dodge pickup and it isn't good on gas. Earlier this year when gas started it's climb it cost about $50 to fill it so he bought a used car to drive to the golf course and errands that don't require a truck bed. It costs about $25 to fill it and it will last him 2 weeks so he has already paid for the car in gas savings. It isn't possible for us to do without cars since we live in the country - but we do combine trips to lessen the expense.
college_cook
Head Chef
Someone asked why we pay higher prices now than we did back in the 70s, when oil was $80 a barrel, and the reason is inflation. Inflation occurs naturally in every economy, though not like it was back in the 60s and 70s where it was out of control. Over time, manufacturers find ways to lower their costs of production, to sell more goods at lower prices. Industries are revolutionized in this manner, and suddenly everyone can by all kinds of products for less money. Because of this, the value of our currency also decreases, so we're essentially still paying the same price. If we see oil hit $100 + per barrel.... i can only imagine the economic repercussions it could have.
My dad's been trying to find a way to use everyday waste, like grass clippings, etc. as fuel. When that type of stuff decomposes... it creates methane, which is what we're using when we pay for our gas bills every month (i think). So any venture capitalists out there that are worried about gas prices and want to be on the ground floor of our next big energy source, talk to follks like my dad, who realize that our massive oil consumption is a real problem, and we need reaal working solutions.
My dad's been trying to find a way to use everyday waste, like grass clippings, etc. as fuel. When that type of stuff decomposes... it creates methane, which is what we're using when we pay for our gas bills every month (i think). So any venture capitalists out there that are worried about gas prices and want to be on the ground floor of our next big energy source, talk to follks like my dad, who realize that our massive oil consumption is a real problem, and we need reaal working solutions.
well college_cook you can always use human poop fumes and cow poop fumes to run a car.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/topgear/series_4/prog_6/
http://www.bbc.co.uk/topgear/series_4/prog_6/
Raven
Sous Chef
Thank You President Ewing.
~ Raven ~
~ Raven ~
To be honest, I don't use a car during the week. Our public transport is excellent - and I tend to walk a lot of places, too. I walk to work and then walk to the shops. I do use the car when I do my once a week main shopping spree, simply because I wouldn't be able to carry everything I buy.
I think until Americans really feel the pinch re your petrol consumption, you will not 'trade down' to smaller, economical cars like MOST of the cars we use in Europe!
I think until Americans really feel the pinch re your petrol consumption, you will not 'trade down' to smaller, economical cars like MOST of the cars we use in Europe!
Similar threads
