$140 Oil going to $170

[74AMX304V8]

let's see, if I had a company that sold widgets, and another company produces whatsits, that uses 12 of my widgets a day.....would I want that company to redesign their product to use less or more of my widgets? being as how I make my highest profit ,the more widgets I sell.......Let's see, Cheney who had ties to Haliburton and his little buddy, whose has many friends(including the saudi type) and relatives in the oil industry decide "hey, let's start a war in the middle east.......there's money to be made !" We'll do it under the guise of "freedom and liberating a downtrodden people" ."Most of the public has been dumbed down with video games and salicious television and movies , they'll fall right in line." "We'll be able to siphon off most of the taxpayers hard earned money from the economy , and they won't even be able to do anything about it." "We can even use national guard troops to protect and escort oil tankers thru Iraq carrying oil destined for foreighn nations, sweet!" "If they don't like it too bad! " we'll just tell 'em "they gotta conserve more.....that will free up even more to sell overseas at a better profit margin, driving down supply here, so we can drive up prices locally even higher" " a win win sitcheeation all around, yee haw!"

[theguywiththelongestname]

Originally Posted by Dunerunner

Fishing??? Since when is the US a bully. This country has defended freedom all over the world and has never sought one acre of additional territory other than space to bury our fallen. Would you live in Venezuela?
Chaves has only temporary autonomy in OPEC, a cooperative established long before he came to power.

I personally do not characterize Uncle Sam as a bully, I think Uncle Sam is a cool dude...what I was attempting to say is that many people around the World don't care for US policy...

in other words, the US has many detractors around this globe. Mr Chavez is but one of these detractors.

ps: and you are correct, the US has had a long and distinguished history of supporting the ideals of liberty, freedom, justice, representative democracy and free enterprise around the globe. Many US citizens have sacrificed their lives in support of these ideals, many still do.

[theguywiththelongestname]

Originally Posted by Dunerunner

...has never sought one acre of additional territory other than space to bury our fallen...

It was a while ago, but the US did accquire the Mexican territories of California, Arizona, New Mexico, and most of Texas following the Mexican American War.

The US also won the island of Puerto Rico, the island of Guam, as well as Guantanamo Bay from Spain following the Spanish American War.

The US won American Samoa from Germany following World War I.

The Hawaiian Islands were an independent nation with their own Queen, until the US helped Mr Dole's militia conquer the islands.

At one time, Oklahoma territory belonged (by treaty) to several independent Indian Nations...until the US intervened militarily...same for large parts of the Dakota and Montana territories.

I realise these events occured a while back, but, I think you get the point...

[mmmeat]

Originally Posted by WickedMessenger

I realize this is going to go over like a turd in the punchbowl, but gas SHOULD be $5 per gallon or even more.

I agree. In fact, I believe that you're too low. Gas should be $10,000 a gallon. No, $50,000. Because it's important that we teach people their place. Even better than simply raising the price artificially: let's wall in the cities so they can't get out. And we should categorize them by race, creed, culture and religion as well. That way we can track them and make sure they don't don't do anything we don't think they should do.

Your pal,
Meat.

[bull8042]

Originally Posted by 74AMX304V8

let's see, if I had a company that sold widgets, and another company produces whatsits, that uses 12 of my widgets a day.....would I want that company to redesign their product to use less or more of my widgets? being as how I make my highest profit ,the more widgets I sell.......Let's see, Cheney who had ties to Haliburton and his little buddy, whose has many friends(including the saudi type) and relatives in the oil industry decide "hey, let's start a war in the middle east.......there's money to be made !" We'll do it under the guise of "freedom and liberating a downtrodden people" ."Most of the public has been dumbed down with video games and salicious television and movies , they'll fall right in line." "We'll be able to siphon off most of the taxpayers hard earned money from the economy , and they won't even be able to do anything about it." "We can even use national guard troops to protect and escort oil tankers thru Iraq carrying oil destined for foreighn nations, sweet!" "If they don't like it too bad! " we'll just tell 'em "they gotta conserve more.....that will free up even more to sell overseas at a better profit margin, driving down supply here, so we can drive up prices locally even higher" " a win win sitcheeation all around, yee haw!"

Dude, you listen to too much talk radio!

[jwight]

As usual, mmeat takes the logical to an absurd extreme. And the best part is it doesn't matter if gas "should" be $5 a gallon or not. It soon will be $5 a gallon, possibly even higher, and all the things our auto industry, our elected officials and yes, even our poor downtrodden masses, should have started doing years ago to avoid the energy crisis still won't get done. So, who's to blame (if anyone needs to be blamed) - the guy selling the crack, or the addicts that make up his market? Remember, "we're addicted to oil."

[vwW12]

Originally Posted by theguywiththelongestname

anyway, getting into a smart seems to be a step in the right direction: anything that helps diminish our gluttunous appetite for petroleum-based mobility is a positive thing in my book.

Actually, I was looking at our toll and gas bills yesterday. We got our smart two months ago. We've spent more gas and more tolls than we used to.

We've gone more places, carpooled less, run more miles, gone out on more fun drives! Yipee!

Because the smart increases our gluttunous appetite for petroleum-based mobility, the smart car is a positive thing in my book.

[MPrice2984]

No matter your political or philosophical outlook there will be very few winners in what is going on. Since it appears the average smart buyer has higher than average income, this group may have a lot of people who are out of touch with the reality of today's economics. The income tax cuts have been replaced by much higher taxes at state levels to make up for the lack of federal revenue sharing. People keep whining about what the unions have done to America, the unions have 1/3 the members they had 30 years ago when they were a problem. The US car makers failed to allocate enough of the huge profits they made the last few years in to their underfunded liabilities. Now they want to pay 12.75 an hour to workers to do what they used to pay a living wage to. As for oil, I would love to know how much Dick Cheney's retirement (in blind trust) has gone up since he took office. How many Americans know that Exxon/Mobil pumps more oil in to the open market than all of the OPEC countries than the Saudi's and Iraq? Until recently I was a card carrying conservative. I've finally been lied to enough, it's time for us to get our country back from all of the special interests.

[vwW12]

Originally Posted by WickedMessenger

I realize this is going to go over like a turd in the punchbowl, but gas SHOULD be $5 per gallon or even more.

Originally Posted by MPrice2984

Since it appears the average smart buyer has higher than average income, this group may have a lot of people who are out of touch with the reality of today's economics.

No further comment required.

[mmmeat]

Originally Posted by jwight

As usual, mmeat takes the logical to an absurd extreme.

Yeah ... in 1920, gas was $.20 a gallon - $5 a gallon was an "absurd extreme." And yet - here we are - looking at prices northward of a fin for a gallon of gas.

It's insanity to believe that gas should be $5 a gallon here, when we have plenty of it and it's a renewable - not finite - resource.

'Absurd' is a knucklehead like Obama saying there's no point in drilling for oil now because we won't see any benefit for 10 years. Not to get into the "oil companies could be pumping out oil within one year from all but the most remote continental location ... that might take an extra six months" argument, but - following Obama's argument to it's extreme (as I get accused of from time to time, jwight) if we don't drill for oil starting now, we won't have any in 10 years. If we don't start drilling next year, we won't have oil for 11 years. This is the same argument made by the worst president the U.S. has had in recent history (Jimmy Carter - Obama is just Carter with bigger ears).

Originally Posted by jwight

So, who's to blame

Lyndon Johnson, the EPA, the democrats, the liberals.

Republicans will drill for oil because they like money. democrats won't drill for oil because they want power.

Your pal,
Meat.