SMC Discussion Areas

      Everybody in the U.S.has been affected by fuel cost this year in some way
or another. It's hitting us even in our soda machine hobby through shipping or
pickups.
       Are you also feeling helpless every time they increase your cost of a tank
of gas? Food and other necessities which are trucked to us, keep rising with
each hike in fuel prices. Are you happy that the money you spend for fuel is
going to foreign oil conglomerates?
       Alternative energy vehicles are a good idea in the future,but what about
keeping the vehicles we own today on the road until it's time to replace them?
      I got this link in an e-mail today and am doing what I can to get the word
out that there is something we can do as a group! Hope everyone does the same.
      Sign this petition and keep our fuel dollars at work right here at home!

 http://www.americansolutions.com/  (http://www.americansolutions.com/)

Its not only you guys that are feeling the pinch..

Food up by at least 20%
Energy in the home up by 30%
Gas - currently £1.34 (double it for dollars) and that is a litre not a gallon...

I am so pissed off with being held to ransom by the Middle East and Russia...
I just wish we could find an alternative to oil and then let the ba**ards that hold all the strings
fester in their deserts...

Sorry.... You've hit a very raw note with me... I'm poorer now than I was five years ago...

Vent away Dave, I've been told  on the hush I have about 8 months before I  lose my job.   Michigan  has the worst ecnomy  right now, but  moving isn't an option at this point, as  I am hleping take care pf elderly parents.
 The very small  pay increase I finally received  after 3 years  of   a thank you and  nothing was eaten up by the increase of medical insurance.
Lasst Sayturday I watched the corner pretrol station  raise there prices 3 times in one day.   No, there wass no  delivery.
I am fine with capitalism, I believe in  making a profit, but please don't think I am so  $#%@# gullible  as to believe  the 15 cent increase in a day is a result of a tropical storm. Please explain to me how the gas already in the underground tank  that has already been paid  is now costing more  because a storm MAY hit a refinery?

Ii'll get off my sdoapbox now . Sorry. carry on.

We should do (or should have done) several things...

1. Be getting oil for $1/barrel for the next umpteen years for saving both Kuwait and Saudi Arabia's collective keysters from Saddam.

2. Build refineries.  We are actually importing refined gasoline.  We haven't built a refinery in over 30 years, yet the population since 1978 has increased by 50%.  The ones we have are operating at near 100% capacity, so if one goes down (even for routine maintenance), the others cannot pick up the slack.

3.  Drill for more of our own stuff.

 :censored: :darn: :censored: :darn: :censored: :darn:

I've felt the increase in everything in my home bakery business.
Had to increase some on prices but that is the way it will be from now on.

Until Congress gets serious or we vote to convince them they we want them to get serious it will not change.  This is not the middle East it is GREED from the oil companies.  They still control how much oil is pumped in the U.S. and they refuse to build anymore refineries because they are getting money from us to build Ethanol and Bio Diesel refineries that we are paying for that as of right now we have so many ethanol refineries that we can not produce enough corn (because we pay the farmers not to produce the corn) that 5 of the ethanol refineries are just sitting unused.

The only thing that will ever change this is to first get crude oil off of the commidity market and replace every congressman or woman that votes against future drilling in the U.S. and then tell the oil companies the only tax credits that they get are for the new gasoline refineries that they build and the speed at which they get them going.

I don't think the oil companies are allowed to build any more refineries.  I thought that was controlled by the government.

I am not trying to defend the oil companies in any way, but if you divide their profits by the number of gallons of gas sold, it's pennies the gallon.  We have far fewer oil companies now then we had years ago due to all the mergers.

 :help:

They are prevented from building refineries due to goverment regulations (congress) but we give them subsidies for exploration and research (17 billion dollars of tax payer money).  As far as their profit margin look at the way their top executives live and even the gas distrubtors in your area live then you will have a better idea on their profit margin. Most of their real profits are hidden in other companies.  I believe in a return for your work but this is gouging by any method you want to measure it.  You are also right fewer oil companies mean less competition and higher prices.

My father worked for a small oil company in the 60's & 70s - died in 1986. I remember him saying that there was so much oil in the US, but the government made companies cap the wells. Don't know if that holds true today.

As far as gouging - that runs a wide path from sports figures to Hollywood to executives to entertainers. It is absolutely ludicrous when some High School athlete skips college because of a $30 million contract or an actor gets $20 million plus royalties for making a freakin' movie, yet somebody with an education (like a doctor) doesn't make near that amount of money in their whole life. Why does a $1 bottle of water cost $5 when you are at a sports or concert event? We, the public, allow it.
It is ridiculous! :very angry:

I had a large tree cut down in my yard last year - cost me about $1000. The same size tree fell near my friend's workplace (gov't), but since it was the city and the government was paying, it cost $5000 to remove it.

Thanks for posting Glen - I signed!

You hit one of my pet peeves dead on, Tom!  I still can't figure out why the teachers that teach the next generation of Americans make a very meager wage, or the firemen/policemen who protect us 24/7 are paid very little, yet someone whose only contribution to society is that they can catch or throw a ball well makes $10 million per year!!!  I think we as a whole society have our priorities completely in the wrong place.

I also agree that a $1 bottle of water should be $1 (or maybe $2) no matter what sort of event you are at.  I cringe everytime I pay $5 for a cup of soda!  As you know, it's about 5 cents worth of soda and maybe another nickel for the cup!!  Pure greed!!

Off my soap box...thanks!

      I've heard of a proposal to impose a windfall profits tax on oil companies who
show huge earnings!  What good is that going to do us, force them to lower their
prices? Duh :tounge: Anyone in buisness knows how not to show a profit. Oil
companies could just buy a few Carribean islands and claim they are exploring
for oil, but employees and shareholders can visit for free anytime they like !

      Talk about shifting driving habits........I sold a Vendo 63 to a guy who works
here but lives 100 miles away. He goes home on weekends only. We had to remove
the door and he will take it home next weekend. This has to equal or beat the
T-bird photo.... :biggrin:

I have heard while living here in Asia that the USA is sitting on more Oil than anywhere else in the world. They say that the Middle East has pumped themselves more that half empty. The USA is just waiting for them to dry up and then the US will have the power since we will hold all of the worlds oil. This may be untrue but it sounds like something we would do.

Also Americans complain about the prices of gas but It is much higher elsewhere in the world. I never paid attention until I bought a car three weeks ago. My new van is Diesel and luckily it gets about 35MPG but diesel is $6.50 USD/gallon and petrol is slightly more expensive. I couldn't believe how expensive it is. With not driving in the past and gas prices being per liter I never noticed how expensive it is. I attached a pic of my new van. This style is really popular here and several brands make a van in this style. Mine is made by Renault. It is like a half car hanf van. It is nice.

Hey Josh - a soda machine should fit in their right nicely when/if you find one!

It sure would however I have looked everywhere. This entire country is only 17 miles long at the longest point so trust me I have been about everywhere. Being that the country is so small and it is a tropical island everything rusts out quickly here.