Gas prices??? What are we to do??

[Gloryhound]

The most cost effective way of powering anything is Nuclear power. People just don't want to live near one cause they think their children will be born with 3 eyes or something. People don't realize that the average Nuclear worker recieves less radiation exposure in a YEAR than the average person will recieve on a sunny beach for a DAY!

Also as far as tapping our countries natural oil reserves goes, can I ask Why? Lets use up everyone elses first. It may cost a little now, but if we ever have to fuel an "all out war" against the middle eastern countries that supply our oil currently we have a reserve we can tap into. Also in the mean time if we were not buying our oil from the middle east then what relation would we have that would prevent them from declaring war on us!

As for depressed states and the revenues got from taxing oil goes, can you say the democrats in your state are giving it to all those unemployed people instead of giving it to industry so they can grow and hire more people!

[LadyOhh]

As for depressed states and the revenues got from taxing oil goes, can you say the democrats in your state are giving it to all those unemployed people instead of giving it to industry so they can grow and hire more people!

And yet the industry is showing record profits this year? Why would they need the money at all??


I live in So Cal. My gas prices are around $3.83 a gallon. It's sad, but true.

[Freakie_frog]

And yet the industry is showing record profits this year? Why would they need the money at all??

GREED! plain and simple. When they have the BALLS to stand before our congress begging for tax breaks cause they are loosing money but post 90 billion record PROFIT!!! Something is wrong. They wont build any more refineries to increase production because they know that we lazy American's are not about to give up our 15mpg SUV's for bikes or smaller compacts or walking. So they raise prices we keep buying and all the the while griping as we continue to swipe that card for pay at the pump.

[Gloryhound]

And yet the industry is showing record profits this year? Why would they need the money at all??


I live in So Cal. My gas prices are around $3.83 a gallon. It's sad, but true.

The origional person bringing this up is from Michigan! Major employers in Michigan are GM and Ford. Are they showing record profits? They have been in cut backs like crazy, laying people off, trying to get rid of the UAW overhead costs that Toyota does not have to deal with. If I remember correctly I think Ford lost the #2 spot to Toyota and Toyota is quickly closing in on taking the #1 spot from GM!

[elevatethis]

GREED! plain and simple. When they have the BALLS to stand before our congress begging for tax breaks cause they are loosing money but post 90 billion record PROFIT!!! Something is wrong. They wont build any more refineries to increase production because they know that we lazy American's are not about to give up our 15mpg SUV's for bikes or smaller compacts or walking. So they raise prices we keep buying and all the the while griping as we continue to swipe that card for pay at the pump.

Sure, CEOs make a disgusting amount of money for what they do but that's no different than many other industries.

We live in a capitalist economy, and while it sounds like GREED, its actually more like a REWARD for being the company that provides the fuel for which our economy runs on. Also, many oil companies are publically traded and some people's retirement funds are heavily invested in energy companies like Exxon Mobil. That's the livelyhood of your neighbors on the line when you say that we should "crack down" on high profits acheived by outstanding companies.

Moreover, when the government starts making it less profitable for companies to do business domestically (ie tax breaks, incentives, write-offs, etc), guess what? They move somewhere where they can make a profit. Poof! Now your job has moved to India! Still think that "cracking down" is a good idea?

The government needs to leave their hands out of it, and instead focus on things that it can have a positive impact on.

[Freakie_frog]

Well we've been giving them free rain and look where we are.

[elevatethis]

Here's a good article that CNN just posted:

http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/04/24/bec...ces/index.html

[ctrlfreq]

The problem here isn't consumer spending; people cutting down on buying needless things is good.

It most certainly is the problem when the economy is based on a skilled workforce that drives the production of developing nations.

Don't even get me started on consumer debt, credit cards, and how messed up our tax and banking systems are.

If it's an accurate cancer analogy you're looking for, then this is it. Our credit, tax, and banking systems are all in the condition they're in now because the general population has figured out they can vote themselves money out of the pockets of other people, and in response, the people who were losing the most started having money legislated into their own pockets. This leaves the average middle-class consumer, who actually produces goods and services, with less and less purchasing power.

The real reason cancer kills in nature is because it grows unrestricted, and consumes resources needed by the healthy cells, and our primary form of cancer at this point is political special interests on both sides of the aisle.

The problem is what our economy is based on. We no longer produce things in our country. ... With our current system, if we stop growing, we die; that's what's happening right now. But in nature, it's the other way around; if you don't STOP growing, you die.

Just like you can't simply decide to become a cow, and start eating grass, we can't wish ourselves into a different economic system. Our economy is largely service based, and as such, if we stop consuming services, or goods provided by those services, we starve financially. This isn't a problem, it's the way the economies of developed nations with skilled workforces work. As such, going back to the industrial revolution days of American manufacturing and minimalistic consumption wouldn't fix our problems, it would just put us on the same level with other developing nations, and seriously stagnate the innovation and invention we're known for, and enjoy the benefits of.

[kneepoles]

ok, so after having read all of the responses thus far, I've noticed that the one main problem that everybody can agree upon is that people are upset that they have to spend so much for gas, while the oil companies are reporting record profits. The problem boils down to money. What gives money value? The amount of it in circulation, the more of it that's in circulation, the less value it holds. Am I wrong? So, seems to me that if massive numbers of people stopped and said "this is worthless paper, I'm not using it for anything anymore" then the "rich" people would suddenly become as financially worthless as the money in their checking accounts. thoughts?

[daniel1983]

the "rich" people would suddenly become as financially worthless as the money in their checking accounts. thoughts?

The 'poor' people would suddenly become as financially worthless as the money in their checking accounts too.

The value of the dollar effects everyone. It is not a rich/poor issue. It is a big business and politics issue.