High fuel prices are good for us??

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dburt
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High fuel prices are good for us??

Post by dburt »

Four years ago, the media and many politicians said that high fuel prices were destroying the economy, jobs, people's lives. Now many of the same folks are saying high fuel prices are good for us! How do they figure that? :roll: Why such a turn around from what was said four years ago? Could it be that we have to take what the media and politicians say with a grain of salt? :shock:

http://www.youtube.com/watch_popup?v=qK ... &vg=medium
Sharkey
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Post by Sharkey »

It's 1984 newspeak as fine-tuned by the G.W. Bush era:

War = Peace
Lies = Truth
Hate = Love
Poverty = Wealth
Bank bailouts = Economic recovery
Oil speculation = Consumer joy

Anyone who believes anything they hear in "mainstream news media" is the perfect dupe for the corporatrocracy that those in power have in store for us all.
tamangel
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1984

Post by tamangel »

time to re-rent:

1984
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0087803/

and

Orwell Rolls in His Grave
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0410407/

others...?

Mike
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Post by Jesper The Dane »

Sure! We had the same discussion in Europe when gasprices reached what you would call 7$/gallon. And now they are staying at 9$/gallon. Here it's just 250 lives that have been spared, and also the "experts" calculated that coummunities has saved on not having to build new roads! So the money saved on having the high gasprices was extreme!!! :wink:

I think there's a point to what they say, as less driving courses less people killed in traffic - but you could say the same about trafficjams! And then argue for more cars on the roads, as the speed drops during jams, and that may save lives!!! :D :D :D

But back to the subject, who is to blame?! The president or the former president?! None of them is to blame! Gasprices are set on the free market were it's demand and availability that controls the prices... And no president can do anything about it - not even in US.

So the media is full of S¤%& as always. Now they got tired of blaming the president, so who is next in line? :D :D
Sharkey
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Post by Sharkey »

My understanding of the current fuel price rise is that it is caused nearly entirely by oil futures speculation. That is, investors/traders are purchasing options on oil production, then "flipping" them quickly for a fast profit. Each time the futures are sold, the price of fuel at the pump bumps up a notch. It has nothing to do with oil supply, production capacity, refinery output, seasonal demand by consumers, etc. It's strictly a Wall Street driven inflation.

As for whose fault this it, it's squarely on the previous several Republican administrations which removed restrictions on the percentage of oil production that could be used as a stock market speculation commodity. It used to be limited to 30% of the total production capacity, now, if I remember correctly, there is either no limit or a very high limit.

Simple answer is that a bunch of millionaire greed-heads are playing with our energy supplies in order to become even richer greed-heads. These scum-bags are picking the pockets of American consumers stictly for thier own enrichment. Period. There is no national benefit to what they are doing, and the government is turning a blind eye to the practice.

I used to think that all politicians should be the first ones lined up against the wall when the revolution comes, but now I've changed my thinking. I don't think we should wait for the revolution.
Griff
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Post by Griff »

Couldn't agree with you more, Sharkey, except for one thing: unfortunately, the government isn't turning a blind eye...they're in on it! :evil:
~(G)Q Arduously Avoiding Assimilation
tamangel
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Post by tamangel »

I was watching a clip from the EXXON-MOBILE CEO testifying before congress who was asked, if the speculators were out of the loop, how much would oil cost. He said $60-$70 a barrel. Todays price is change under $100. Soooo, that says that oil prices today are 30-40% higher due to speculators on Wall Street. I just got gas 30 minutes ago at Costco and regular was $4.19 per gallon.. So at 30-40% off, that would make it either $2.51 or $2.93 per gallon USD... nothing personal, just business? And the majority in the House of Reps (plus 3 oil state demo's) just voted to continue subsidies for oil companies..

this country is DUMB...Not all the blame goes to politico's..

check out these few videos on the current situations in the news in the USA:
Bill Maher with Chris Mathews on Hardball 17 May.. 8:50 min each..

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3036697/#43068499

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3036697/#43068396

on my viewing, Exxon-Mobile had the commercial...
sorry, I know some of you won't be able to view due to video streaming access situations..

Mike
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Post by Headache »

As much as I'd love to put complete blame on the government, big business or both, I can't. Sheeple have just as much responsibility in this as anyone else does. This country has become so arrogant(in regards to national and foreign anything) and so apathetic in regards to taking care of our own and what's going on in our own backyard it gives me little hope for the future.

Weve created so many laws about everything that we can't do anything anymore. A perfect example is the way our current policies are put in effect by one president but you don't feel the real impact of it until the next one. Then we "blame" the currently sitting president for what was put in place years ago. Rather than fix it up right, no one is willing or has that kind of time, thanks to the political and legal structure that gets worse each day.

The way things are right now, it would be political suicide for someone to come in and rock the boat to make vast, sweeping and super fast changes to over ride this nonsense. People are resistant to change. They grumble while living in the rut they've entrenched themselves in and avoiding taking some sort of responsibility.

And while people sit idly by with attitudes that run from they don't want to miss their favorite tv program to the "Not in my backyard!" types, Big Corporate plays "Build A Bigger Bankroll" with only the occasional wrist slap.

It's not just the government and business sleeping together. They wouldn't be able to get away with it if the majority of the citizenry wasn't in a voluntary stupor.

This makes Sharkey's signature all the more poignant. I don't know who Mark Stanley is but I'd express my gratitude to him for that statement.
tamangel
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Post by tamangel »

I know, I know...just info this time..no rant.. :)

High Gas Prices: Supply and Demand
Efficiency and Better Cars Will Fuel America Faster than Drilling

http://www.nrdc.org/energy/gasprices/

Mike

went back to Costco today, $4.14 USD per gallon... 5 cents less than yesterday.. :shock:
Stealth Camper
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Post by Stealth Camper »

Sharkey,
It is wide open - no restrictions on trading. (Very stupid thing to allow that.)

All,
I worked in oil related industries from about 1975 to 2006 (services and equipment). It is dirty and corrupt. We are also stuck with it. Unfortunately, since the House and Senate have both been bought and paid for by oil and various other industries.

If you listen to their sniveling about "drilling here" - well, the FACT is that they currently average drilling/production in only about 25% of the area that is currently available for same - with proven reserves. How is opening ANWR or anywhere else gonna help that? It won't. They could drill and produce 4 times what they are doing now before they need "new" places to drill.

And the costs are such that the North Sea is one of the most expensive places (North slope is pretty high, too) but still only in the teens - $15 to 20 per barrel cost. States, on land, like Oklahoma, oil production costs run anywhere from $2 or 3 per barrel to 10 or so per barrel, depending on well. So, when they "cry" and wring hands that they can't afford to drill - well, I won't inflict the tender ears here with my comment about that!!

Problem is, oil is such a fungible commodity (can come from almost anywhere and it won't make a big difference to the refining process and making fuel.) that you really can't separate it out into where it is produced. "Theirs" and "ours" just doesn't make any sense.

One thing I realized early on (an old grit explained it to me) is that maybe importing all the oil we use may not be all that bad, as long as we keep enough production here to keep in practice. Use up all the oil in the rest of the world, then we still have our reserves as a "savings account". Not sure that really applies at $100 a barrel, but at $2.50 it made perfect sense!
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