Has anyones gas prices been going down a TON lately?

[CleanAzzE30z]

I think it's also important to remember that China is now having a large effect on oil prices. Never before have they consumed so much oil. Many are driving cars when they used to bike. Their industry, fueled by massive demand for low-cost goods, is not as efficient as it could be energy-wise.

For those of you who pejoratively use the term "tree hugger", you might do well to consider the fact that in spite of our industry, our air quality is light- years ahead of what the Chinese are currently dealing with due to fact that their industries are largely held unaccountable for pollution.

While I believe there are extremists on both sides of the environmental debate, I'm certainly not in favor of having businesses "self regulate" as the cons would suggest.

And Vedubin01, I assume this is what you're talking about. Before you blame the "libatards" for allowing this to happen, you should educate yourself! The Dream Act (part of CIRA 2006) is GOP approved!

(You might also enjoy this piece about how your favorite party plans to grant citizenship to over 10 million illegals. Or this piece. The CIRA is itself 796 pages long. I suggest you look it over before you blame the libs for the fact that we have too many people here illegally...)

If, in fact, this is what you're upset about, consider:

ALL the corporations listed are major Republican contributors/supporters.

The Conservatives NEED illegal immigrants. They WANT illegal immingrants. They FUND illegal immigrants. So they decide to grant them citizenship. Voila! "Look! We've reduced the number of illegals!" If our leaders saw fit, there could be mass deportations beginning tomorrow. But big business LOVES cheap labor that doesn't (can't) demand benefits. And the GOP LOVES big business, so the illegals are staying put. And you and I will continue to pay for this.

Finally, the current minimum wage is unconscionably low. One possible solution is to cut the payroll taxes businesses pay while raising the minimum amount a worker can be paid. I own a business. I pay a tax based on how large my payroll is. That's why many businesses want it kept low. Make that tax go away, and businesses will have more to pay and workers will have more to spend. This is a rising tide.

Besides, if you don't like poor people getting part of YOUR paycheck in the form of government relief, then we're gonna have to pay them more than $150 a week. Let's see you exist on that with rent, insurance, etc and not be sucking a federal or state tit....

The race to the bottom (prices/wages) is the real no-win scenario.

Some bloody sense in all this!! Everyone talks shit until its them who need the helping hand. Ive been on both sides of the rich/poor equation in extremes I speak from experience.

Mariano

[Old'n'Slow]

I think it's also important to remember that China is now having a large effect on oil prices. Never before have they consumed so much oil. Many are driving cars when they used to bike. Their industry, fueled by massive demand for low-cost goods, is not as efficient as it could be energy-wise.

For those of you who pejoratively use the term "tree hugger", you might do well to consider the fact that in spite of our industry, our air quality is light- years ahead of what the Chinese are currently dealing with due to fact that their industries are largely held unaccountable for pollution.

While I believe there are extremists on both sides of the environmental debate, I'm certainly not in favor of having businesses "self regulate" as the cons would suggest.

And Vedubin01, I assume this is what you're talking about. Before you blame the "libatards" for allowing this to happen, you should educate yourself! The Dream Act (part of CIRA 2006) is GOP approved!

(You might also enjoy this piece about how your favorite party plans to grant citizenship to over 10 million illegals. Or this piece. The CIRA is itself 796 pages long. I suggest you look it over before you blame the libs for the fact that we have too many people here illegally...)

If, in fact, this is what you're upset about, consider:

ALL the corporations listed are major Republican contributors/supporters.

The Conservatives NEED illegal immigrants. They WANT illegal immingrants. They FUND illegal immigrants. So they decide to grant them citizenship. Voila! "Look! We've reduced the number of illegals!" If our leaders saw fit, there could be mass deportations beginning tomorrow. But big business LOVES cheap labor that doesn't (can't) demand benefits. And the GOP LOVES big business, so the illegals are staying put. And you and I will continue to pay for this.

Finally, the current minimum wage is unconscionably low. One possible solution is to cut the payroll taxes businesses pay while raising the minimum amount a worker can be paid. I own a business. I pay a tax based on how large my payroll is. That's why many businesses want it kept low. Make that tax go away, and businesses will have more to pay and workers will have more to spend. This is a rising tide.

Besides, if you don't like poor people getting part of YOUR paycheck in the form of government relief, then we're gonna have to pay them more than $150 a week. Let's see you exist on that with rent, insurance, etc and not be sucking a federal or state tit....

The race to the bottom (prices/wages) is the real no-win scenario.

[Lair]

Here is something from a source I think the liberals can accept. NPR.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5365439

Two major things they state, crude is priced by the futures market, oil companies cannot dictate market price.

Oil companies cannot, but whose pocket are the traders in?

Why did the market not skyrocket BEFORE Dubya took over?

[kommissar]

Ot

Ryan,

This is off topic, but I see your blaring red signature here all the time and I always wonder, what does supporting Denmark and defending the free world have to do with one another?

Also, I see you live in Kansas. Do you have relatives in Denmark?

Thanks.

[Ryan Stewart]

Here is something from a source I think the liberals can accept. NPR.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5365439

Two major things they state, crude is priced by the futures market, oil companies cannot dictate market price.

[Ryan Stewart]

Forgive me for questioning your claim, but how can the tree huggers prevent the oil companies from opening new refineries?

You are aware that there's an oil administration in place in Washington, correct? The Dems are powerless. They have been for 8 years. If the oil companies wanted to open new refineries, they would. Instead, they inflate the price of gasoline to insane levels, then watch as the NeoCons blame it on the tree huggers, and of course, as Joe Public buys it hook, line, and sinker.

Pretty sweet deal for the oil companies and the Republicans.

Actually, a lot of the people who work for Bush were around when most of the policies that are currently effecting us were implemented, under Clinton.

[Ryan Stewart]

Raising gas prices to get rid of big vehicles is stupid. If someone can blow $130k on a hummer, they aren't going to sell it because gas costs too much.

Fords personal light truck sales slid 30%. That is a fucking HUGE change in a year, let alone a quarter. Those changes usually only happen when there is a big change in market perception (recall, legal battle, ect). That is a bigger single hit to them than the effects of sept 11th.

Yeah it wont get rid of those where its such a small part of their income but look at how many people in this country are making 100k+. Even those people are looking into better alternatives or dirving those vehicles less.

[Ryan Stewart]

Fascism at its finest.

A stoner at his finest.

See? No Point, just an idiot. You dont even know what fascism is if you think my description of economics has anything to do with it.

You didnt make a point the first time either.

And it really has nothing to do with me liking Bush, I think he is doing a shitty job. Its just that most of you are way to ignorant of how the world actually works to be talking.

If you actually know what you are talking about and I am wrong give me an example of something bush did in the past few weeks to make gas prices drop 40 cents. Ive given plenty of examples as to why it really happened.

[808BMW]

Raising gas prices to get rid of big vehicles is stupid. If someone can blow $130k on a hummer, they aren't going to sell it because gas costs too much.

If you want $4/gallon, I think I'll see that over here by the end of the year.


And trains can pull a larger amount of stuff a farther distance for cheaper, but it stops at the train station. Most companies don't get shipments large enough to fill a train, so that train has to be unpacked, and distributed from the station to a loading dock, which must be done by truck.

[Lair]

And if you would like gas to go down in the US to pre 2000 times then smack a tree hugger and overturn the bill that will allow new refineries in the us. There are only 7 facilities in the us that refine oil to non leaded octane for cars. There has not been a new one built since the 70's. Its not that there is not oil but the demand to refine it is greater than the output!

Forgive me for questioning your claim, but how can the tree huggers prevent the oil companies from opening new refineries?

You are aware that there's an oil administration in place in Washington, correct? The Dems are powerless. They have been for 8 years. If the oil companies wanted to open new refineries, they would. Instead, they inflate the price of gasoline to insane levels, then watch as the NeoCons blame it on the tree huggers, and of course, as Joe Public buys it hook, line, and sinker.

Pretty sweet deal for the oil companies and the Republicans.

[Vedubin01]

CSX is in the midst of a hiring boom. Why? More companies are shipping by rail. For cross country, having 2 or 3 large, but fuel efficient diesels pulling the same load as several hundred tractor trailer rigs makes a lot of sense on a lot of fronts.

Trucks don't even begin to pay their way when it comes to road use. That's one reason the Teamsters spend soooo much money lobbying DC.

Trains take way to long to to make destination. They stop at every switch and pick and dump. Then as you would say every store would need a rail head to be able to off load stuff. America does not work on the policy of stock and wait, they are usually on a 24 to 48 hour stocking policy. I own a shipping business I know first hand what it cost to operate a trucking company. And I am not teamster.

Sure in a perfect world it sounds great. I would love to see a way to ship things cheaper and faster. But at this time there is no way faster than a truck and be cost effective.

The problem is people live way above their means. Most are lazy and do not know what it is to put in a hard 8 hour day. People are looking for handouts and bribes. I live in Miami FL were every other car is an M3 or a Lambo. I drive a 20 year old car and could if wanted be able to afford the other. But I choose to live with in my means and do not feel I have to have everything the minute I want it. America has got to get a grip and understand that everyone is not going to make a $100k a year and have a house in the Hamptons.

I wish everyone was happy and no one was hungry, but again that is not the world we live in. Man only knows how to destroy and we will one day destroy ourselves. Its a given and history always repeats itself. As a kid growing up in this world I could not imagine what its like to walk into the real world not knowing. The world is cold and will swallow you up. But people have got to be fighters and make something for themselves. Its hard but its done everyday. I am self made and not one person helped me get where I am today. I got out and found a need a filled it and got paid for it.

[Old'n'Slow]

If your talking about 18 wheelers then that would only hurt you. 90% of all goods in the US travel on these trucks. You would see a 2 fold problem. Trucks would charge more per mile to cover the cost of gas. And if there is not enough trucks to pull product then you will see product paying more to get it to the stores. Thus you paying for demand higher than supply! There is a no win situation with gas.

CSX is in the midst of a hiring boom. Why? More companies are shipping by rail. For cross country, having 2 or 3 large, but fuel efficient diesels pulling the same load as several hundred tractor trailer rigs makes a lot of sense on a lot of fronts.

Trucks don't even begin to pay their way when it comes to road use. That's one reason the Teamsters spend soooo much money lobbying DC.

[Vedubin01]

Raising the minimum wage is also dumb. All that is going to do is cause the price or consumer products and labor to go up. How does that win? If you make more to pay more did you win?

Want to talk about waste of money? Talk about the Dream scholarship in CA. Gives illegals scholarships to collages in CA for being an Illegal and paid with federal funds "your tax money" that's a swell libatard way of helping out our own!

And if you would like gas to go down in the US to pre 2000 times then smack a tree hugger and overturn the bill that will allow new refineries in the us. There are only 7 facilities in the us that refine oil to non leaded octane for cars. There has not been a new one built since the 70's. Its not that there is not oil but the demand to refine it is greater than the output!

[Lair]

That's the part that most people don't understand. After Dubya and his pals skate off into the distance, we'll be left in a world of shit.

The housing market is cooling rapidly, and when it goes belly-up, it'll take the ATM/refi function that so many people have been abusing. I can't wait to see how many people are left holding the bag when their 5 year I/O comes due. Their houses will be worth less than they owe, and they'll probably lose their asses.

Does anybody care to guess how many 0's are in Dubya's budget deficit number? Can anyone even count that high? What comes after trillion?

At least the oil companies will have some cash surpluses.

[Old'n'Slow]

AMEN!

NOT!

The House Majority Leader John Boehner (my district) has flipped so many times on key issues....we've corresponded numerous times. As a business owner, I think the minimum wage should be higher. Keeping it low forces people to rely on other people's taxes AKA WELFARE and food stamps for support. You're paying either way! Congress has had 7 pay raises since the minimum wage was fixed where it is. Boehner stated he would "never" stand for raising it. Until last week, that is. His LD stated on CNN that Boehner was now in favor of a hike in the minimum wage as long as it was coupled to tax cuts for (large wealthy businesses). This was being done because it was now "politically expedient".

Election coming up indeed!

Come on guys. Anyone who thinks the GOP is even remotely in touch with the crap most lower-middle class Americans deal with on a daily basis is themselves out-of-touch. No, I don't think the Dems have all the answers, but we've had 8 years of Conservative Republican control in both sides of the Legislature, and from my seat things don't look any better. Time for change. As a small business owner I'd love a tax cut, but not at the expense of the next 3 generations! We're seriously in the hole as a country. Cutting taxes isn't going to fix it. It's like putting a bandaid on a punctured aorta.