Politics, Environment and Rising Fuel Costs

Quote:
JJ79

I'm no enviro-Nazi, but maybe we should be looking at renewable fuels instead of depleting all the fossil fuels. Create several new industries (and jobs), clean up the environment AND be less beholden to petroleum...

Jason, thinking out loud

That's a good idea, Jason, however it's also idealistic thinking. That's not a bad thing, but, the reality is that "change" is slow in the coming, so, on our way to changing over to an alternative fuel source from "fissil fuels", we need a way to get gas prices down to a SANE price, so that the lower to middle class income housholds of America can afford to drive to work, buy groceries, and every other necessity that fuel costs have an affect on, which is everything! We're already past the inflation adjusted cost of fuel during the peak of the fuel crisis in the late 70's and early 80's, and fuel costs are expected to climb from here.

Recently, I believe it was USA Today, had an article that stated that national average fuel costs could go as high as $7/gal. THIS SUMMER! That may not happen, but I'd be willing to bet that every single person reading this post would not be surprised to see it happen.

I refuse to believe that there's nothing we (the tax payers) and our government can do, except to sit back and take it! This garbage affects everything from our base needs to our zeal for life. There has to be something we can do. This is no different than the mobsters of the teens and twenties forcing people to pay for "protection"... this is just on a much more grandiose scale.



- Josh

---

[Post edited by Nachtkriechen on Apr 23, 2008 - CDT 11:58 AM]

Quote:
That's not a bad thing, but, the reality is that "change" is slow in the coming

Agreed. Way back in the fourth or fifth grade, I did a project on the greenhouse effect. Very rudimentary stuff designed to make the subject easy to understand. Back then, we knew we had problems. That was about 20 years ago now. And where have we gotten? Nowhere. Change IS slow to happen, no doubt, but if we had listened to the people telling us there WAS a problem then, we'd be farther along than we are now. Isn't the first step to solving a problem admitting there is one?

Quote:
we need a way to get gas prices down to a SANE price, so that the lower to middle class income housholds of America can afford to drive to work, buy groceries, and every other necessity that fuel costs have an affect on, which is everything!

Again agreed, with a caveat. We either need a way to get gas prices down OR prevalent public transportation so we don't have as many cars on the road using the gas. The cities may have metro lines, subways or buses...the suburbs don't. One of the things I liked the most about Washington DC was the metro. Convenient and affordable. However, getting public transportation to everyone is a decades long process. Had we started it years ago, we'd be there. (Add into that Americans need to have their own car as a status symbol...)

Quote:
I refuse to believe that there's nothing we (the tax payers) and our government can do, except to sit back and take it!

We had a chance back in 2000 and 2004 to stem the tide. But one election was taken from the public while the other one was distorted away from the real issues. Gas prices have tripled since George W. Bush got into the White House. That's seven years, roughly speaking. He is an oil man. We all knew that, yet this country voted for him. And now we're shocked when Exxon makes $3 billion in profits with crude oil going to $117 a barrel? Seriously, we're shocked? Every economist says we're in a recession, Bush calls it an "economic slowdown."

Our chance to do something other than sit back and take it was gone the minute we stepped foot into Iraq. (Remember Mission Accomplished and the like? How about everyone saying we were absolutely right to invade and anyone who disagreed was un-American and a traitor?) We had no idea what we were getting ourselves into and, all these years later, still have no clue what we're doing. All while gas prices continue to soar, homes are foreclosed on and the BEST thing the president can think of doing is give people $600. (And McCain thinks getting rid of the 18 cent federal gas tax over the summer is going to make a difference! .18 times 10 gallons-my tank-comes out to a whopping $1.80. You can't even get a load of bread with that...and it's going to help the economy?)

Jason, running for Supreme Chancellor of the Universe

According to Cnn:

"There is a massive bidding war going on Ebay over Obamas half eaten waffle"...uhhhhhhh

Could this be a problem?

Quote:
need a way to get gas prices down to a SANE price, so that the lower to middle class income housholds of America can afford to drive to work

True, because all those lower to middle class Americans need their gass guzzling SUVs and big block chevy status symbols. God help it if anyone down there had to take personal responsibility for their purchase and lifestyle decisions. The government must bail ya'll out ASAP.

Almost forgot.

Iraq was suppose to be a cakewalk like it was the first time. I think we are all a little "shocked" that it isnt. (That would be the shock part in "SHOCK AND AWE") The awe part is what we are feeling now as in "Awe man...What in the hell have we gotten ourselves into."

News update:

Solid Gold Mickey Mouse statue can be yours for $30,000.(plus shipping)

I like the way you think, Jason... and I'd vote for ya (MAGRATHEA!)

Quote:
Isn't the first step to solving a problem admitting there is one?

True, and maybe these gas prices are the "hurt" we need to feel, for the nation as a whole to change. Though, that still leaves China using as much or more fuel as we are, and one of the reasons we're paying what we are at the pump.

Quote:
...OR prevalent public transportation so we don't have as many cars on the road using the gas. The cities may have metro lines, subways or buses...the suburbs don't. One of the things I liked the most about Washington DC was the metro. Convenient and affordable. However, getting public transportation to everyone is a decades long process.

Also true. I was stationed in Germany when I was in the Army, and you would not believe what a brilliant public transit system they have there! You can catch a bus at one point, which will connect with a street car at some point, which will eventually connect with a train. Within that system you can get almost anywhere in Germany! Simply brilliant.

However, because of price gouging within government funded contractors, a simple "light rail" line that may only run a short distance, will cost multi-millions, let alone a line that would significantly reduce all or most of the congested areas of any given city, which would go into the hundreds of millions of dollars.

Quote:
We had a chance back in 2000 and 2004 to stem the tide. But one election was taken from the public while the other one was distorted away from the real issues.

I'll partially agree with you there, however, that election (and in my opinion the current election as well) was more "damage control" than anything else. I don't think anyone thought that GWB was/is the ideal president, and in my opinion, Kerry did NOT, by any means fit in the "Commander In Chief" role, whatsoever, and I think we might be in a worse position than we are now, had Kerry been elected! In the military we have a saying... "Keep peace by preparing for war". I know a lot of people that would take issue with that statement, but, the plain and simple truth of it is that it is true, and does work.

Regardless, we need to try and move forward from here, and "here" is the current election, but we're in a similar "damage control situation with the current candidates. Hopefully, we as a country can make the best decision for our country in the upcoming election.

Quote:
We had no idea what we were getting ourselves into and, all these years later, still have no clue what we're doing.

Unfortunately, "hindsight is 20/20", and we can only make decisions based not only upon the information we're given, but, we're assuming or hoping the information we're given is accurate. We, as the public, had to make decisions based upon the information we were given at the time. With the corruption thats going on in Federal government, and the news media, who were originally supposed to help keep the government in check and keep us informed with accurate information, are now as much of a corrupted source as the ones they report on. They're a group of ravenous wolves concerned only with the most sensational story, or twisting a story to sound more sensational, because that's what get's them the most ratings. Then you look at whom owns some of the most respected news sources "CNN", (owned by Turner Broadcasting, a subsidiary of Time Warner) and it really makes you wonder if there's someone at the top controlling what news goes out, how the information is disseminated, and for what purpose.

And, now that I've written a small book here, I digress.



- Josh

Quote:
True, because all those lower to middle class Americans need their gass guzzling SUVs and big block chevy status symbols. God help it if anyone down there had to take personal responsibility for their purchase and lifestyle decisions. The government must bail ya'll out ASAP.

Skyhawk,

I think you may need to redefine your definition of "low to middle" class Americans. The only people I know of that can AFFORD to drive gas guzzling SUVs like the Chevy Taho, GM Hummer, or Ford Expedition, are the upper middle to upper (and I use the term lightly) class Americans. The only reason those people care about fuel costs is because it affects their profit margin! It has nothing to do with them surviving, which is what I was talking about.



- Josh

Nachtkriechen, no offence but anyone who is so poor that gas takes such a high proportion of their total income that even a doubling of gas prices would cause then to starve shouldn't have their own vehicle to begin with. And last time I visited down there, I saw very few people with small fuel efficient cars there in proportion to EVERY other country I've ever visited. Heck, the poorer people were driving big honkers too - only they were old and rusty!

Skyhawk it's not like it's any different here in Canada...give the poor Yanks a break.

I had a Jeep sold it, and now drive a Neon. I could afford a very nice new car...but somehow I feel free now.