Summer gas prices

[sagebrush]

Don't know about the rest of you ,but $5,000,000 ($ 5 million) to poke a hole in the ground (oil well), is a HECK of a BIG pile of money. Then you need to get crude to refinery.($$$$$$) When was the last time a new refinery was built???????? Then you need to get your product to point of sale. (more $$$$) Then and only then will the consumer (you and me) pay the outragously high prices that are being complained about. Every step of the way there are VOLUMES of govt. regulations requiring MOUNTAINS of paperwork. Just my $.02 ( adjusted for inflation) Will

[Dan & Julie CO]

Smoke and mirrors which came first the oil or the refinery. If we don't have enough refinerys it slows production down which allows the oil companys to create a greater demand;sorry public we have to charge more $$$.
They fix the prices It's a little disingenuous We have to wake up!!!!
They have us where they want us Don't be fooled the oil company's
are gonna eat thier cake and have it too.
If things are that bad how come they are making record profits?

[Dan & Julie CO]

Don't know about the rest of you ,but $5,000,000 ($ 5 million) to poke a hole in the ground (oil well), is a HECK of a BIG pile of money. Then you need to get crude to refinery.($$$$$$) When was the last time a new refinery was built???????? Then you need to get your product to point of sale. (more $$$$) Then and only then will the consumer (you and me) pay the outragously high prices that are being complained about. Every step of the way there are VOLUMES of govt. regulations requiring MOUNTAINS of paperwork. Just my $.02 ( adjusted for inflation) Will

I agree with you the cost of getting the fuel to the consumer is really expensive govt regs state regs,how do we fix that? well a few more refinerys and not in hurricane country either,another excuse they use
to punch up the price bad weather.
I am self employed and I can't say it's hot cold rainy windy so I need to charge more. Maybe I'm over simplifying But I am Sick of it !!! they are full of bull huey!!!

[stumphugger]

Everyone is not out of work.

Things have picked up a little bit for folks around here because log prices went up a bit. This means that it is starting to be more lucrative to cut trees and start logging again. The lumber mills have started working people on overtime.

If fuel prices go up, the mills will have to pay more for logs to cover fuel expenses and they will bump up lumber prices. That's the way it works.

By the way, a lot of us have moved all over the country to keep working. You can't just stay in one place if there are no jobs there.

The country is not going down the tubes. Where are the soup lines? Where are the starving kids? My folks went through a real depression.

This is nothing.

As far as gas prices go? I noticed a lot less traffic during the last spike. If that happens again, it will make for better bike riding, which sure won't hurt some of us to start doing, again.

I'm lucky. I live where people go to camp and recreate. But that means I have to travel farther to shop. I'll cut back on those trips big time and get a veggie garden going.

[Shadow Catcher]

Just got through talking with a friend of mine who has one of the best understandings on what is likely to happen with fuel prices. His feeling is that prices will continue to rise for the next year and a half untill the Brazilian oil wells come on line and stabalize prices.

[caseydog]

Just got through talking with a friend of mine who has one of the best understandings on what is likely to happen with fuel prices. His feeling is that prices will continue to rise for the next year and a half untill the Brazilian oil wells come on line and stabalize prices.

Those Brazilian projects are not going smooth as silk. I hear there are lawsuits brewing over environmental issues and worker abuse. American oil companies are not causing the problems, but the contractors they deal with are not top-shelf operators.

My dad's company did a joint venture refinery project with PetroMex in Mexico. In countries like that, government regulations are nothing. The added cost down there is all the people you have to pay off, if you don't want your refinery to blow up. They finally bailed out. Where government is weak, organized crime is strong.

CD

[legojenn]

Everyone is not out of work.

Things have picked up a little bit for folks around here because log prices went up a bit. This means that it is starting to be more lucrative to cut trees and start logging again. The lumber mills have started working people on overtime.

If fuel prices go up, the mills will have to pay more for logs to cover fuel expenses and they will bump up lumber prices. That's the way it works.

By the way, a lot of us have moved all over the country to keep working. You can't just stay in one place if there are no jobs there.

The country is not going down the tubes. Where are the soup lines? Where are the starving kids? My folks went through a real depression.

This is nothing.

As far as gas prices go? I noticed a lot less traffic during the last spike. If that happens again, it will make for better bike riding, which sure won't hurt some of us to start doing, again.

I'm lucky. I live where people go to camp and recreate. But that means I have to travel farther to shop. I'll cut back on those trips big time and get a veggie garden going.

Thanks for writing what I was going to respond, but yours was written more succinctly. I was doing research on relative incomes, and costs of living etc. It's not relevant. Considering all the expenses involved with camping, If you can't afford to travel after the cost of gas going up 30%, then you really can't afford it now.

its simple folks with everyone out of work now the hole thing will go down in flames.

as for the guy who suggested I go to canada to look for work. How?

I have no money to look for work in canada or even get there? You got the money mister I have the time!

If I can't pay for the gas to get to canada there is no job there pure and simple.

NAFTA, in this case, is actually a good thing. Maybe someone from Alberta can provide more info on this. The oil patch in Fort Mac is booming right now. People are living in trailers because there is no sense building houses up there and the oil will either run out or prices will drop to make it uneconomical to extract it from there. I heard that the oil companies were flying workers in from the Maritimes and Newfoundland and importing workers from Asia. Work permits should be fairly easy to obtain. After University, I just needed to present a letter of offer from a place in Detroit, a copy of my degree and I got a work visa for the US.

[Mike-n-Britney]

The country is not going down the tubes. Where are the soup lines? Where are the starving kids? My folks went through a real depression.

The soup lines are FULL of people... As a result of FDRs great wisdom (sarcasm) we have ridiculous welfare programs that have replaced the soup lines with systems like food stamps. You just don't see the people in the soup lines because they are standing in line with you at the grocery store.

The starving kids? Almost 20% of Americans live under the poverty line. Those kids aren't starving because of the food stamp and welfare systems that provide food to those kids.

Yeah, the Depression in the 30's was bad. Historic. People lived differently and it affected the way they lived the rest of their lives. What happed to that way of living? You parents got it. You surely must have got it. But what about your children?

And don't talk about the Depression in the 30's as some great thing... The government led by your parents and your generation have driven us into a national debt and economy worse than during your great Depression.

It's sad how a peoples reaction to an over-inflated market (of the 30's) resulted in a 70-80 year trend of insuring oneself through government involvement. You all argue about what's the cause of high gas prices? Blame yourselves for giving the government so much power.

/rant

[Mukilteo]

It's probably time to lock this thread.

[legojenn]

apologies for provoking anyone

[Miriam C.]

Jen I don't think you need to worry about it. I am sure Mike didn't mean to aim that at you personally.

Locking this thread at the request of the originator. I don't see blood drawn but locking it.