Gas Prices ..... So what???

[Guest zipperzone]

>The paycheck she makes is

>spent on paying bills as well as keeping her family afloat.

 

I don't think that is very different from millions of other families who work for a paycheck.

 

 

>I'm very sympathetic to her, at one point in my life I was in a

>similar situation. When I was fresh out of college, for the

>first two years, I struggled to save money. Like most people,

>I had to make those tough financial decisions, paying rent,

>having to choose as to how much I would be spending on

>groceries and gas on a weekly basis. I had to stand on my own

>two feet and at the time, I felt life was a bitter pill.

 

What's the big deal and what is your point. Probably 90% of the American public have to make these choices every day.

 

>A few years later, I'm now financially sound, but I've never

>forgotten those days.

 

Good on you - what a unique person you are.

 

>When I hear from co-workers or people

>that I grew up who cant afford to purchase a full tank of gas.

>It makes me sad because I know these people. Life is brutal.

 

For many, it's a matter of priorities. Perhaps she shouldn't have decided to have 2 children until the family was more financially established.

 

Some families don't have enough $$$ to put food on the table, or for a tank of gas, but they manage to go to McDonalds and drop $25 for food with little or no nutritional value. And a 24 pac of beer on a Sat night somehow mysteriously makes it's way into the fridge.

 

>One day you could be in

>that position financially, then you may not find it funny

>after all.

 

I never said it was funny - those were your words. But it is a fact of life and not at all unusual. Gays should not forget that we, generally speaking, have more disposable income and therefor a higher standard of living than families who have to pay for kids clothes, food and education etc not to mention the probability of two car payments. If we had these expenses, then perhaps we couldn't be jetting to Montreal and Rio several times a year.

[+ glutes]

So what? Read the following:

 

President Bush's inner circle has become preoccupied with soaring gas prices and its toll on the economy, a well-placed White House source said over the weekend.

 

Bush has quietly asked for a review of any and all economic fallout on the nation if gas prices continuing racing up and over the psychological line of $3 a gallon, as they have in recent weeks in some locations, the source explains.

 

Bush's top economic advisers have conveyed to the president that a "nightmare" scenario of $4 a gallon is extremely unlikely in the short term.

 

"The seasonal run-up of gas prices has been tough this year, but like every year in the past two decades, we expect we will will see some easing," the source claims from Washington.

[joel304]

"Bush has quietly asked for a review of any and all economic fallout on the nation if gas prices continuing racing up and over the psychological line of $3 a gallon, as they have in recent weeks in some locations, the source explains."

 

 

 

So? Bush was briefed on the economic fallout for war, outsourcing, tax refunds (based on current, not future worth), devaluation of the US $, and many other issues. What changes here? He's probably looking for more ammunition to support Alaska drilling.

[Guest Dan]

>So what? Read the following:

>

>President Bush's inner circle has become preoccupied with

>soaring gas prices and its toll on the economy, a well-placed

>White House source said over the weekend.

>

>Bush has quietly asked for a review of any and all economic

>fallout on the nation if gas prices continuing racing up and

>over the psychological line of $3 a gallon, as they have in

>recent weeks in some locations, the source explains.

>

It went over that 'line' last week in Pacific Palisades at a Unocal station on the Pacific Coast Highway. However, gas at a Chevron down the road was still under that mark.

 

I'm went back to school recently and due to the crazy parking situation, I just find it easier to take the train and bus. I find it very relaxing and I'm able to do a little studying and snoozing. Oh, and even occassional cruising!

 

Dan Dare

http://male4malescorts.com/reviews/dandarela.html

[+ glutes]

Good for you Dan! I have made some alterations in my driving, only driving a 'compact 4 banger' to begin with. I am waiting for the soccer moms driving their SUV's to start squawking, then it will be interesting for the great oil man from Harken Energy.

[joel304]

I would respond, but I can't stop crying :-)

[Fit In LA]

Was in Germany two months ago. Gas prices are a bargain in the US

[Guest rohale]

>>The paycheck she makes is

>>spent on paying bills as well as keeping her family afloat.

>

>I don't think that is very different from millions of other

>families who work for a paycheck.

 

You're right in the sense that she's no different from millions of other families. There is one slight difference. I don't know those millions, but I know her on a personal basis. That is where the dynamic changes.

 

>>I had to make those tough financial decisions, paying rent,

>>having to choose as to how much I would be spending on

>>groceries and gas on a weekly basis. I had to stand on my

>own

>>two feet and at the time, I felt life was a bitter pill.

>

>What's the big deal and what is your point. Probably 90% of

>the American public have to make these choices every day.

 

The big deal is this, for most people at one stage or another in life have to endure financial hardships. When a person goes through it, then one's perspective on life changes. Life is a bit more humbling.

>

>>A few years later, I'm now financially sound, but I've never

>>forgotten those days.

>

>Good on you - what a unique person you are.

 

No, I'm not unique, just a realist

 

>

>Some families don't have enough $$$ to put food on the table,

>or for a tank of gas, but they manage to go to McDonalds and

>drop $25 for food with little or no nutritional value. And a

>24 pac of beer on a Sat night somehow mysteriously makes it's

>way into the fridge.

 

Are you talking from experience or just general observation

>

>>One day you could be in

>>that position financially, then you may not find it funny

>>after all.

>

>I never said it was funny - those were your words. But it is a

>fact of life and not at all unusual.

 

It's funny you would say this. I'm not too sure who I'm replying to. Could I responding to Zipperzone, or Joel. Out of curiousity, do you suffer from an identification complex, let alone a split personality. I'm glad I'm not a betting man for this one. I know I wouldn't get my money's worth. It's kind of like having to deal with a person with multiple fake ID's. Just not quite sure which one will resurface the next time.

[Guest zipperzone]

>>Some families don't have enough $$$ to put food on the

>table,

>>or for a tank of gas, but they manage to go to McDonalds and

>>drop $25 for food with little or no nutritional value. And a

>>24 pac of beer on a Sat night somehow mysteriously makes

>it's

>>way into the fridge.

>

>Are you talking from experience or just general observation

 

If it was personal experience, I would have said so. However I imagine that everyone from time to time overspends in one area and subsequently has to cut back in others.

 

>>I never said it was funny - those were your words. But it is

>a

>>fact of life and not at all unusual.

>

>It's funny you would say this. I'm not too sure who I'm

>replying to. Could I responding to Zipperzone, or Joel. Out

>of curiousity, do you suffer from an identification complex,

>let alone a split personality. I'm glad I'm not a betting man

>for this one. I know I wouldn't get my money's worth. It's

>kind of like having to deal with a person with multiple fake

>ID's. Just not quite sure which one will resurface the next

>time.

 

Don't you think you're straining the bounds of credability here? There is nothing in what I said that would vaguely point to a split personality. Perhaps it's time for you to give up using tired cliches.

 

Face the fact - what is the norm for much of the civilized world is suddenly different just because YOU personally know the person?

 

I don't think so - such a Drama Queen

[joel304]

>It's funny you would say this. I'm not too sure who I'm replying to. Could I responding to Zipperzone, or Joel. Out of curiousity, do you suffer from an identification complex, let alone a split personality. I'm glad I'm not a betting man for this one. I know I wouldn't get my money's worth. It's kind of like having to deal with a person with multiple fake ID's. Just not quite sure which one will resurface the next time.<

 

 

Huh??? You're off base here my friend. Have you had many experiences with multiple fake i.d.'s? Was his name Daddy?

 

Regards,

 

bbpro

[Vincent_Michael]

I can’t stand the argument that in Europe they pay more for gas. Think about it, Europe is much smaller than the USA however they have alternative abilities to travel so it’s not that huge of a deal to the average person. If on the other hand you flip it and think of the people in Houston or in LA were you have to commute 45min to an hour to and from work then $2 gas to $3 gallon gas is devastating.

[Guest rohale]

>Face the fact - what is the norm for much of the civilized

>world is suddenly different just because YOU personally know

>the person?

 

Never once did I wasy the norm of civilized is different from myself. What I was trying to do was simply to refer from personal experience. It's very easy to make general observations. The big difference there is no emotional connection until a person is forced to experiences such things. I know people who have never had any financial problems in their lives. They have the intellectual ability to understand what it must be like for those who have to make those tough choices as to how much will be spent on gas and groceries. They dont have that emotional connection except maybe sympathy. This is the way of the world. That's the bottom line.

 

Let me ask you this question, have you at any point in your adult life where you were experiencing financial hardships and you had to make those choices in choosing how much you would spend on groceries as opposed to gas? If you did, how did you cope? How did you keep the balance between the two?

 

If there is one thing you and I have in common over this thread is that we both have gigantic egos, or other wise we wouldn't be responding time after time.

[Guest rohale]

>Huh??? You're off base here my friend. Have you had many

>experiences with multiple fake i.d.'s? Was his name Daddy?

>

>Regards,

>

>bbpro

>

 

Oh whoolly thinking on your part. Nope, never used fake ID's. Wouldn't even dream of it. Incidentily, talk about your last sentence. Are you sure you're not way off base either?

 

R

[splendidpup]

Fuel is costlier in Europe principally because of higher taxes that partially pay for the transportation alternatives that the Europeans enjoy. Would Americans willingly pay more for gas if the extra cost went towards better rail and bus service? God, I hope not. Our current gas taxes are supposed to be earmarked for transportation purposes and anyone can see that our $$ aren't getting us much in that regard. That said, higher gas taxes would make a hell of a lot more sense than the current CAFE regulations.

 

Ben

 

http://www.male4malescorts.com/reviews/benla.html

[+ deej]

>I can’t stand the argument that in Europe they pay more for

>gas. Think about it, Europe is much smaller than the USA

>however they have alternative abilities to travel so it’s not

>that huge of a deal to the average person. If on the other

>hand you flip it and think of the people in Houston or in LA

>were you have to commute 45min to an hour to and from work

>then $2 gas to $3 gallon gas is devastating.

 

You have it a little backwards, Michael.

 

Europeans have mass transit alternatives because they've made it a priority to avoid high gas prices. Americans have been enjoying subsidized gas prices for years, so haven't developed a culture where mass transit is a viable and desireable option.

 

The good (?) people of Los Angeles SHOULD have a public transit alternative to driving, but they don't and don't want it. They'll still get in their cars as long as gas prices allow. They (I) deserve to pay higher prices for gas. They use it needlessly.

 

The answer to high gas prices is to do what the Europeans did and develop great transit systems. Americans won't do that until it REALLY becomes painful not to do it.

[Vincent_Michael]

I agree with you deej that it will either take an act of God or we will wait till we absolutely need to give due to gas prices for Americans to give up there cars…but on the other hand I think our law makers are just damn cheep because of the idea of replacing or adding additional transit is to much for them.

 

But with that being said Europe is still much smaller than the US by far and though I think we would develop alternative methods of traveling I think it would be a huge project not only because we would have to network citys like Houston or LA but because we would need to find a way to link all these citys together..

 

I don’t argue with anyone here about the idea of using alternatives…I think its high time to get light rail in San Antonio but the people are so stupid they voted down the measure but then they will pass a measure to buy the Spurs a new stadium.

[Guest zipperzone]

>But with that being said Europe is still much smaller than the

>US by far and though I think we would develop alternative

>methods of traveling I think it would be a huge project not

>only because we would have to network citys like Houston or LA

>but because we would need to find a way to link all these

>citys together..

 

Inter-state travel is not the problem. The majority of gas is consumed by commuters who have to drive unreasonable distances within their own metropolitan area just to get to their place of employment. That's were the alternative transit systems are required - not on route 66.

[+ glutes]

Poll: Many Fear Financial Hit of Gas Prices

Email this Story

 

Aug 12, 12:55 PM (ET)

 

By WILL LESTER

 

(AP) A Chevron service station on Van Ness Avenue displays gas prices above $3 a gallon in San Francisco

 

 

WASHINGTON (AP) - The pinch at the pump is starting to feel more like a punch for a growing number of Americans.

 

With gas prices soaring, almost two-thirds of those surveyed for an AP-AOL poll expect fuel costs will cause them financial hardship in coming months. That was sharply higher than in April, when about half felt that way.

 

Crude oil prices reached a record high of more than $66 a barrel Friday. That's almost 50 percent higher than a year ago.

 

The average price of a gallon of regular gasoline was more than $2.40 per gallon at week's end, compared with $1.86 a year ago and about $2.21 in April, according to the auto club AAA.

 

The poll conducted for The Associated Press and America Online News found that 64 percent say gas prices will cause money problems for them in the next six months, while 35 percent did not think so. In April, 51 percent expressed concerns about the cost of gas.

 

Those most likely to be worried about the financial impact are people with low incomes, the unemployed and m

[+ friendofsheila]

I rarely vacuum unless I've just knocked over a plant*. I think Americans are much the same; we won't make real changes until it comes to a minor disaster.

 

*(or an escort is coming over)

[jackhammer91406]

Leading the retreat...

 

Glutes,

Thanks for the article. I guessed the figures would have climbed, but not to the degree that they have.

And of course the latest transportation bill really doesn't do much to offset this. We are always only offered Alaska and off-shore drilling as acceptable alternatives.

 

Things that make you go Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm x(

[dfw2sfo]

What makes me laugh is when you hear of someone driving all over to save 5 or 10 cents a gallon.

[timothyb]

>What makes me laugh is when you hear of someone driving all

>over to save 5 or 10 cents a gallon.

 

...Which usually happens when people use http://www.ahding.com/gasprices or http://www.gasbuddy.com

 

I drive almost 4 thousand miles every month to meet massage clients in my travels, so gas prices do matter for me. I'm about to switch from rental cars to buying either a diesel or a hybrid of some sort... Those miles do add up after a while... x(

[Trixie]

Not owning a car, I find myself fairly unconcerned about gas prices. I also am fairly unconcerned about the likely rise in the cost of most consumer goods as a result of rising gas prices. Prices rise no matter what, that is the very nature of our "unlimited growth" economic philosophy.

(Rising prices are almost always attributed to nebulous, far away causes that can neither be confirmed nor denied by you and I... Someday, I'd love to see the following banner hanging over a retail outlet: "WE ARE RAISING OUR PRICES! Because we want our employees to earn a livable wage, and have decent medical and dental care!"

I would shop at that store EVERY day!

 

But the Truth is that prices rise because the rich want to be richer.

 

America is living in denial about how it's luxury goods are obtained. Don't ask any questions about whose bones are crushed under the juggernaut that delivers those goods to the shelves of the Mega-chain stores.

 

$10.00 a pound for coffee? Outrageous! But what's even more outrageous is that the average owner of a coffee plantation in Guatemala gets about 70 cents per pound... in Guatemala, he's rich! Guess what his employees are getting... .

 

$5.99 for a gallon of orange juice? Inexcusable! What's more inexcusable are the slave labor camps in Florida exploiting illegal migrant workers.

 

$8000.00 for a hardwood floor? Unbelievable! But please, suspend your sense of disbelief for a moment, and take a gander at the indigenous peoples of Borneo, and the Congo Basin, who're being chased out of the forests they've lived in for millenia as corrupt government officials sell off the land to foreign logging concessions.

 

Meanwhile, gas might reach 3 dollars a gallon this year.

Boo hoo.

 

unsympathetically,

Trixie

[noviceny]

$2.97 in Yonkers for Super Unleaded

[Guest ReturnOfS]

"So what"??? The gas prices in my neighborhood went up 23 cents a gallon over night!! HOw can I look at that and say "So what"?! x(