The imminent gas crunch of the new millenia

[Steve P.]

Here-Here...   I hate Wall-to-China-Mart.. Sometimes you are otherwise very limited. Then again, isn't that what WALLS AROUND YOU MART is all about?

Bottom line is, we let this happen to us. NOW WE need to do something to repair the damage and make our kids future bright...

[Troy]

This thread is certainly nowhere near where it started....

I'll try to comment on things that caught my eye: If people would stop shopping at Wal-Mart then they would go out of business. I am pretty sure they are not run by the government nor would the government step in to save them if they went bankrupt. Therefore, no one is to blame for making the company so powerful except the people who support them. FYI - Wal-Mart was blaming gas prices for their drop in sales but many of their competitors in the same industry posted higher profits. Figure it out. The unions (their leadership mainly) have made some very, very poor decisions which put them where they are now. Unfortunately, it is very difficult to disagree with the leadership once you are in the union so I don't see any changes on the horizon. CEOs are generally paid based on performance. If the companies they run aren't profitable then they are out on the street but if they understand how to manage then they can become very successful. I fail to see where the government is responsible for the ability of it's citizens to own and drive cars - owning a vehicle has always been a privilege and a major expense.

In the early 1900s only the rich could afford train rides, boat trips, automobiles, and airplanes (or even more than one horse!). Technology and ingenuity made mass production possible which lowered prices and made more products available/affordable for the "average" person. Telephones put the telegraph industry out of commission and, later on, automated switchboards cost the jobs of many people. In the early-to-mid 1990s a 486 powered PC cost about $4500, color monitors were for the elite, rediculously slow modems were the size of shoe boxes and very few people understood the technology or could afford to use it. They give laptops to school children now and I couldn't live without high speed internet access (nor could several million other people). Things change - people learn to adapt. One major factor that has always driven technology (and change) has been money. When costs get too high it is a catalyst for change to bring prices (costs) back in line. When costs go up on "necessities" people have to find other ways to balance the budget OR find ways to lower their dependence on those "necessities". It's worked this way for thousands of years and the best solution so far has been to shut up and act (do something to create change). Complaining and relying on others to solve the problem only makes the problem solvers rich.

Troy

[hemihead]

I guess it just comes down to what side of the fence you live on. 

[Troy]

I guess it just comes down to what side of the fence you live on.

Climb the fence...

Troy

[FastbackJon]

I remember when regular hit $1.90, and it doesn't seem like too long ago. I saw that price up on a gas station sign and thought no way it would go higher than that. I would never pay more than $1.90 for a gallon of gas, and if I had to, I would record or keep a mental number in my mind to how many times I did it.

And boy did that plan go down the drain. Today I just put in $38 worth of 92 octane at $2.87 in my '68 R/T. Plus $6.50 for octane booster. I got a steal of a deal considering the other stations in town had the same octane for up to $2.99.

Best thing I can hope for is to get a good job out of college, so I don't have to worry so much about little things like gas money. Might even buy a motorcycle for the 15 minute trip to work in the future, who knows.

[hemihead]

Jump off the fence lol

[Brock Samson]

yeah, the grass is greener, due to all the manure... 

[6pkrunner]

Fossil fuels are a finite resource. Given China's and lately India's massive increase in demand for fuel the writing is on the wall. Alternative fuels are going to emerge. The influence of big business will put this off as long as possible. It should have been in the works many moons ago. Well it was, but the increase in demand from China and India wasn't factored in. Clock's ticking. Maybe 10 years, maybe 30 - but its coming.

[derailed]

Steve i agree with you 110 percent. I saw alot of industry when i was in the trucking business and since ive been railroading close down in this state and its scary. The GE plant that builds turbines here once employed 20000 people and is now down less than 5000.They are only planning on building 17 turbines there for next year and theres talk of shutting it down all together. I have 2 young kids and would like to think there will be a place here in this country somewhere for them to work when they grow up. I dispise companies like wal mart for what they represent. There motto bring it home to america is just that because they bring the crap they sell here from 3rd world countries.