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online at http://www.theFrankes.com
while ( !( succeed = try() ) ) ;
"Life is short, Art long, Occasion sudden and dangerous, Experience deceitful, and Judgment difficult." -Hippocrates -
My Uncle works for an oil co. a small one, but says that these high prices are nothing more than Male Bovine Excrement...It's Like I've always said, it's amazing what an agnostic can't do if he dosent know whether he believes in anything or not
Monty Python's Flying Circus
Dan in Harrisburg, NCComment
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I'm not much for conspiracy theories either. OPEC can, if they wish, take enough oil off the market to send prices back up. "Friends" like Russia, Iran and Venezuela are probably in a tizzy right now over the drastic reduction in their oil revenues. If they're smart, they'll stick with the OPEC quotas because any volume loss can easily be made up with increases in price. If they're really dumb, and I would not doubt this for a second, they'll attempt to boost revenues in the short term by pumping as much oil as they can, which will drive prices down further and hurt producers much more than it will help them.I am VERY hopeful that private industry would get their collective heads out of their backsides and develop sustainable, cheap alternatives to oil, so we can simply stop doing business with OPEC.
I'd love to have cheap gas, especially for my SUV with wings that uses extra extra extra premium fuel. But not nearly as much as I'd like to take away the control over our economy that we've handed these wonderful "friends" of ours by being so addicted to their oil.
Alternatives to oil are mostly about national security. Global warming is an entertaining side show by comparison.Comment
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So within 2 pages on this forum, I've read everything from $1.94 to 'over $3.00'. Personally, i'm in the 'over $3.00 in NY' category, not happy!
How does anybody justify a spread like that??
This reminds me of when I went to Maine and the price was about 30 cents less. I asked why and was told 'different taxes'. Fair enough.
I came home and NY taxes were the same as Maines, down to the tenth of a cent!
Can you say 'price fixing'?!You don't need a parachute to skydive, you only need a parachute to skydive twice.Comment
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Or price discrimination. Drive five miles either direction from where we live and the price can differ by up to 20 cents. Lower in the less affluent neighborhood and higher in the more affluent area. It's much worse with avgas. I'll pay about $5/gallon at Hawthorne, which is almost on top of LAX but caters exclusively to small airplanes. If I refueled 15 miles away at Long Beach, I'd be paying between $6.29 and $6.79/gallon.Can you say 'price fixing'?!
If you're selling something, you probably engage in price discrimination all the time (lik discounts for "friends and family"). Buyers hate price discrimination unless they're the ones getting preferential deals.Comment
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when people mention government conspiracy that implies a certain level of collusion and subterfuge. I always shake my head because in my experience government is not smart enough to run a successful conspiracy.
As for cheap alternatives to petroleum based fuels, its going to be very difficult. Gasoline and diesel and to a lesser extent natural gas (the big three petroleum products) have very high power to weight, power to volume and cost per unit power, and storage cost, and relative safety compared to all other comers. No other presently known alternatives come even close, and people have been looking for alternatives for at least 60 years of the 100 years the internal combustion engine has been in use for autos and trucks. A major technological breakthrough is required, involving materials we have not yet learned the properties of.
As much joy as you and I may be experienceing in $2/gallon gasoline, it would be better for the country to have a stable price. Wild swings in price inhibit the belief that energy costs will be high in the future, and prevent oil companies from seeking new reserves, prevent the research into alternatives, prevent the development of smaller, more fuel efficient autos, etc. on both the consumer side and the commercial/government side.
I personally believe that the high prices were a result of supply fears e.g. speculation: we have very tight supply chains where the refining capacity was full, combined with international tension in oil-producing countries, plus fears of storm damage plus significant rising demand in China and India as well as still rising demand in the US. When the global recession came on then perceived business drops, consumer cutbacks worldwide reduced demand and caused the fall.
my 2 cents worth anyway.
Loring in Katy, TX USA
If your only tool is a hammer, you tend to treat all problems as if they were nails.
BT3 FAQ - https://www.sawdustzone.org/forum/di...sked-questionsComment
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lowest i seen in long island NY is 2.75 (freeport,ny)
of course, it doesnt affect me nearly as much now that i'm working from home,
no more daily hour commute!
checked this site now. $2.59 is the lowest in all long island... seems $1.90 may be lowest nationwide (ok,tx,few others)Last edited by tribalwind; 10-28-2008, 03:55 PM.namaste, matthew http://www.tribalwind.comComment
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I think you got it just about right, Loring.
Boone Pickens believes the successful strategy to energy independence is through natgas to wind generation. One presumes he has natgas market cornered.
The problem with electricity is that it doesn't provide the kind of portable energy you refer to. Driving 200 miles on batteries, then stopping for eight hours to "re-fuel" doesn't cut it for me.
I still like hydrogen fuel cells. This presumes the large amount of electricity to necessary to produce hydrogen can be acomplished through clean means.
JRJRComment
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Nah there is a difference in taxes
But of the $3.00 you are paying almost $0.66 in Taxes
The Federal Tax of 18.4 cents per gallon is collected in all states in addition to any state or local taxes on gasoline sales.
Maine 25.2 Plus for gasoline: .07 cpg for Coastal and Inland Water fund, 1.38 cpg for Groundwater Fund and 40 cpg/10,000 gallons for Petroleum Market Share Act Plus for diesel: .07 cpg for Coastal and Inland Water Fund and .6 cpg for Groundwater Fund. Governor signed legislation in 2002 to index gasoline tax beginning 7/03. Tax increased .6 cpg 7/1/04.
New York 31.9 Includes 8 cents per gallon excise tax, Petroleum Business Tax of 15.2 cents per gallon for gasoline. Statewide volume weighted average sales tax increased 6/1/04 to 8.3 for per gallon for gasoline and 7.1 cents per gallon for diesel. Also a spill tax of 0.3 cent per gallon is collected on gasoline and diesel and a petroleum testing fee of 0.05 cent per gallon is levied on gasoline. Does not include an estimated 7.9 cents per gallon for gasoline and 6.7 cents per gallon for diesel from weighted county average sales taxes that range from 3.25% to 4.75%.Often in error - Never in doubt
MikeComment
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Wierd.. When I left Indianapolis on Sunday is was $2.34William's Law--
There is no mechanical problem so difficult that it
cannot be solved by brute strength and ignorance.Comment
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Lowest price that I have seen in Santa Clarita, Calif. last night was $2.85, still too high for me!Comment
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Enjoy it while you can. I see that OPEC is cutting production, under the publicized pretense of "stabilizing pricing" (translation: halt the price drop and get them back up where possible).
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LCHIEN
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