"Doug Kanter" wrote in message
...
"RCE" wrote in message
...
Again, stolen from another NG, the following is a portion of an article
published in the "Economist".

It seems to refute some of the Peak Oil doom and gloom arguments.

The hell with "the peak". How about just doing our part to lower prices?
Or,
are Americans too friggin' busy, lazy or stupid to make the effort?



Just like the tech bubble, the real and the estate bubble. The price of gas
is high right now because of speculators hoping to make money off of it.
Because Bush has threatened Iran, and Iran has said that they would block
the straight of Humus if attacked. Speculators on the commodity market are
driving up the price. Add to this artificial shortages due to the
implementation of "ethanol based" fuel.
If the Iran issue blows over, prices will plummet.

Why don't you buy a small fuel efficient car?

Doug Kanter wrote:


There was one from Ford which showed a lady driving an Explorer on
an unplowed highway it what looked like 3 feet of snow. THAT is what I
meant. Neither type of commercial conveys an accurate message, really.



Not accurate? I think they shot that footage of me, this winter. Not
accurate? Horse****.

Which, BTW was the big worry at the turn of the last century. Edwardian
alarmists fretted that we would all be up to our necks in horse**** by
now if nothing could be done about the proliferation of horses on city
streets. I guess, in a metaphorical way, they were right.

" JimH" jimh_osudad@yahooDOT comREMOVETHIS wrote in message
. ..

"Doug Kanter" wrote in message
...

"RCE" wrote in message
...

"Doug Kanter" wrote in message
...


So, in between an Escalade and a hybird, there are no in-between
solutions?


Yes, common sense. If hybrids and being politically correct floats
your boat, do so without preaching.

You are very defensive about all this. It's not absolutely NOTHING to
do
with being politically correct. Nada. Zip.

Not defensive at all. I have nothing to be defensive about. I don't
have to burn up fuel in low MPG autos to still enjoy them.

If an Escalade floats your boat, do so, responsibly. The same
applies
for everything in between.

Correct. It applies to everything in between. But, if your daily
routine
(work, shopping) can't be altered, and sometimes it can't, there is a
floor - a minimum below which you cannot go, in terms of using a
vehicle.


I have a question for you. Do you believe that to an extent, the
prices
of commodities are determined by demand?


Of course they are, as you say, "to an extent". But prices are also
determined by other factors as well, such as inflation, rising costs of
production, quality, etc.

RCE


If you personally have the ability to influence one of those factors,
and
you are bothered by rising prices, do you think it makes no sense at all
to do your part to effect a change? I'm curious, because I'll bet you
call
yourself patriotic.


*Effect* a change?

You start. Sell your boat, cars and other equipment powered by gasoline
engines. Let us know when are done with that simple task.



Of course you are being facetious. But it does not take a lot to effect
change - IF everyone just does a little bit.
I have driven a pickup truck for everything and everywhere since 1997 (prior
to that had one that sat most of the time) it gets about 18 MPG. I switched
to a car that I bought as a hobby (turbo convertible) that get 28 MPG.
Boating - well we have always drug the kids around doing what we call
"extreme tubing" for hours - now they go for a about half hour and are done.

"Gorf" wrote in message
...
"Doug Kanter" wrote in message
...
"RCE" wrote in message
...
Again, stolen from another NG, the following is a portion of an article
published in the "Economist".

It seems to refute some of the Peak Oil doom and gloom arguments.

The hell with "the peak". How about just doing our part to lower prices?
Or,
are Americans too friggin' busy, lazy or stupid to make the effort?



Just like the tech bubble, the real and the estate bubble. The price of
gas
is high right now because of speculators hoping to make money off of it.
Because Bush has threatened Iran, and Iran has said that they would block
the straight of Humus if attacked. Speculators on the commodity market
are
driving up the price. Add to this artificial shortages due to the
implementation of "ethanol based" fuel.
If the Iran issue blows over, prices will plummet.

Why don't you buy a small fuel efficient car?





Iran just said they intend to share their nuclear technology with Sudan.
This may not blow over.

"Doug Kanter" wrote in message
...

"Gorf" wrote in message
...
"Doug Kanter" wrote in message
...
"RCE" wrote in message
...
Again, stolen from another NG, the following is a portion of an
article
published in the "Economist".

It seems to refute some of the Peak Oil doom and gloom arguments.

The hell with "the peak". How about just doing our part to lower prices?
Or,
are Americans too friggin' busy, lazy or stupid to make the effort?



Just like the tech bubble, the real and the estate bubble. The price of
gas
is high right now because of speculators hoping to make money off of it.
Because Bush has threatened Iran, and Iran has said that they would block
the straight of Humus if attacked. Speculators on the commodity market
are
driving up the price. Add to this artificial shortages due to the
implementation of "ethanol based" fuel.
If the Iran issue blows over, prices will plummet.

Why don't you buy a small fuel efficient car?





Iran just said they intend to share their nuclear technology with Sudan.
This may not blow over.


Assume for a minute that political influences on the price of oil were
suddenly gone ... OPEC resumed setting reasonable oil prices and everything
is hunky-dorey with the world.

Then, assume everybody that drives a car in the world got a flash of insight
and traded in their current vehicles for replacements that got twice the
fuel mileage.

What would happen to the price of gas? Go up, down or stay the same?

I say it would double in price.

RCE

JohnH wrote:
On Tue, 25 Apr 2006 13:41:09 GMT, Ignatius Thistlewhite
wrote:

You wrote:

"While the oil companies deny any manipulation, public confidence was
eroded at the recent report that exiting Exxon Mobil executive Lee
Raymond was getting a 400 million dollar retirement package."

If you do not like the fact that ExxonMobil used part of its 9 cents per
gallon profit to compensate a retiring executive, patronize another
supplier of the company's products.

If you do not like the fact that government taxes account for 40 cents per
gallon, well, there's nothing you can do about that.

From where comes the 9 cents a gallon figure and the 49 cents a gallon
figure?
--
'Til next time,

John H

******************************************
***** Have a Spectacular Day! *****
******************************************

John,

The 40 cents a gallon tax figure is easy to find. Just google it. The
federal tax per gallon is $0.184, while the state taxes range from
$0.10 - $0.33 per gal, with an average of $0.22/gallon of gas. That
would make the total average tax in the US per gallon of gas
approximately $0.40.

The $0.09/gallon profit figure is a little more difficult to track
down. Doing a google, I found ranges from $0.09 to 0.99.

The one reasonably reliable source for the $0.09/gallon profit was from
the Heartland Institute's Environment and Climate News.

I did find ranges stating things like: Exxon made $0.49 or $0.99 in
profit for every gallon of gasonline the produce. When you take figures
like the $0.99 profit per gallon produces, what they appear to have
done there is take Exxon's gross profits and divide it by Exxon's
gasoline producing in gallons.

These gross profits consist not only of gasoline profits, but of
profits generated by other petroleum and chemical derivatives and
products. Additionally, gross profits are typically calculated as total
sales by cost of production and supply. These profits are typically
pre-tax profits and do not consider other overhead expenses such as
employee benefits, pensions, administrative costs, delivery and
distribution costs...

Now I'm not saying Exxon hasn't made a lot of money. Of course it has,
but:

1) The facts are being distorted by those with an anti-business agenda
2) People not liking the price of gas are buying into the hype eagerly
3) Businesses are in business to make a profit. (Now or course all you
socialist types out there won't like that fact).

Actually, we should consider ourselves lucky. In the UK, the tax on a
gallon of gasoline is in excess of $3.00/gallon (that's just the tax).

Till

"RCE" wrote in message
...

"Doug Kanter" wrote in message
...

"Gorf" wrote in message
...
"Doug Kanter" wrote in message
...
"RCE" wrote in message
...
Again, stolen from another NG, the following is a portion of an
article
published in the "Economist".

It seems to refute some of the Peak Oil doom and gloom arguments.

The hell with "the peak". How about just doing our part to lower
prices?
Or,
are Americans too friggin' busy, lazy or stupid to make the effort?



Just like the tech bubble, the real and the estate bubble. The price of
gas
is high right now because of speculators hoping to make money off of it.
Because Bush has threatened Iran, and Iran has said that they would
block
the straight of Humus if attacked. Speculators on the commodity market
are
driving up the price. Add to this artificial shortages due to the
implementation of "ethanol based" fuel.
If the Iran issue blows over, prices will plummet.

Why don't you buy a small fuel efficient car?





Iran just said they intend to share their nuclear technology with Sudan.
This may not blow over.


Assume for a minute that political influences on the price of oil were
suddenly gone ... OPEC resumed setting reasonable oil prices and
everything is hunky-dorey with the world.

Then, assume everybody that drives a car in the world got a flash of
insight and traded in their current vehicles for replacements that got
twice the fuel mileage.

What would happen to the price of gas? Go up, down or stay the same?

I say it would double in price.

RCE

The missing variable is that if the price dropped, I suspect people might
drive more. There are certainly trips I'm not taking lately, simply because
of the price of the fuel.

"Doug Kanter" wrote in message
...

"RCE" wrote in message
...

"Doug Kanter" wrote in message
...

"Gorf" wrote in message
...
"Doug Kanter" wrote in message
...
"RCE" wrote in message
...
Again, stolen from another NG, the following is a portion of an
article
published in the "Economist".

It seems to refute some of the Peak Oil doom and gloom arguments.

The hell with "the peak". How about just doing our part to lower
prices?
Or,
are Americans too friggin' busy, lazy or stupid to make the effort?



Just like the tech bubble, the real and the estate bubble. The price
of gas
is high right now because of speculators hoping to make money off of
it.
Because Bush has threatened Iran, and Iran has said that they would
block
the straight of Humus if attacked. Speculators on the commodity market
are
driving up the price. Add to this artificial shortages due to the
implementation of "ethanol based" fuel.
If the Iran issue blows over, prices will plummet.

Why don't you buy a small fuel efficient car?





Iran just said they intend to share their nuclear technology with Sudan.
This may not blow over.


Assume for a minute that political influences on the price of oil were
suddenly gone ... OPEC resumed setting reasonable oil prices and
everything is hunky-dorey with the world.

Then, assume everybody that drives a car in the world got a flash of
insight and traded in their current vehicles for replacements that got
twice the fuel mileage.

What would happen to the price of gas? Go up, down or stay the same?

I say it would double in price.

RCE

The missing variable is that if the price dropped, I suspect people might
drive more. There are certainly trips I'm not taking lately, simply
because of the price of the fuel.


Assume driving habits stay the same .....

RCE

Hugh wrote:
Doug Kanter wrote:

I drive a 6-cylinder Totota pickup, about 30 miles per week. My ex drives a
Subaru 4-cylinder.

I drive a Ford Excursion V10 (gas). When I'm driving it, I think of
Douglas Kanter, and all the fuel he is saving with his vehicles so I can
have enough fuel for my huge vehicle.

Tick tock, tick tock...

It takes a complete imbicile to actually, truly think like that.....

"basskisser" wrote in message
oups.com...

Hugh wrote:
Doug Kanter wrote:

I drive a 6-cylinder Totota pickup, about 30 miles per week. My ex
drives a
Subaru 4-cylinder.

I drive a Ford Excursion V10 (gas). When I'm driving it, I think of
Douglas Kanter, and all the fuel he is saving with his vehicles so I can
have enough fuel for my huge vehicle.

Tick tock, tick tock...

It takes a complete imbicile to actually, truly think like that.....


Back to your old ways Kevin?