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Across the Fence:  Are Gas Prices Affecting You?  |
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theherblady
True Blue Farmgirl
510 Posts
Jan
Glasford
Illinois
USA
510 Posts |
 Posted - Aug 15 2005 : 07:54:10 AM
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I think the US needs to find its own source ..And not rely on foreign oil so much..It scares me to think what would happen to our lives if we were ever without~~
Jan |
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bramble
True Blue Farmgirl
2044 Posts
2044 Posts |
Posted - Aug 15 2005 : 08:53:39 AM
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We have a 1992 Subaru wgn and a 1990 Chevy p/u. It now costs me 30.00 to fill up and my husband $70.00. What is wrong with this picture?!! I am no fan of this administration for many reasons but it seems to me that the brunt of big corporation profit always comes off the backs of the middle class when "they" are in office. I don't know about you but my money went a whole lot further with the "other" guys, not just at the pump but everywhere. Oil money is huge and there really is no reason for what we are experiencing except that people in power and with $$$ to gain know that we have little alternatives at this point. Environmental issues have been swept off the table, or we would have been investing in alternative energy sources. Why aren't there bio diesel pumps out there? We know it works, is clean , efficient and has a renewable source. Why? Power, profit and control, plain and simple.
There now, I've had my say and that's just what it is ...my opinion.
with a happy heart |
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LifeSmiles
Farmgirl in Training
37 Posts
Kathy
DeKalb
IL
USA
37 Posts |
Posted - Aug 15 2005 : 09:05:29 AM
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I'm one of the lucky ones: I work 2.5 blocks from my home and live 1 block from the "downtown" area of my town. I don't do much driving during the week. Of course, we just drove to Chicago (and all over Chicago) this weekend, but that's not the usual plan.
My fiance may get a job which will provide a company gas card, which will solve many many financial worries for us. <crosses fingers>
I was browsing a Newsweek last night and saw a blurb on a new truck with a V-10 engine (for hauling small towns, I assume). It gets 9 miles to the gallon city, and 12 highway. And I'm sure people will buy this truck (aaarrrgggh!), not because they need to haul small towns (although I'm sure there are people who need to haul enormous loads... but a V-10?) but because they want to have the truck with the most balls. (Sorry if that offends!) I'm amazed that Americans will continue to purchase vehicles with horrible gas mileage. Maybe these gas prices will wake us up.
http://getyourhookon.blogspot.com |
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MeadowLark
True Blue Farmgirl
2206 Posts
USA
2206 Posts |
Posted - Aug 15 2005 : 09:11:08 AM
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LOL Kathy! You gave me my laugh for the day! Maybe what they are trying to haul with those V-10's are their inflated egos!
Being is what it is. Jean Paul Sartre |
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PJJ
True Blue Farmgirl
95 Posts
Paula
Bristow
OK
USA
95 Posts |
Posted - Aug 15 2005 : 09:17:04 AM
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Okay, now I have to clean the computer screen from the coffee I spewed on it ...
Paula J.
(snip) I was browsing a Newsweek last night and saw a blurb on a new truck with a V-10 engine (for hauling small towns, I assume). (snip)but because they want to have the truck with the most balls.
Paula J., with Ty, Cara, Brody, Blue, and Fidget |
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Aunt Jenny
True Blue Farmgirl
11381 Posts
Jenny
middle of
Utah
USA
11381 Posts |
Posted - Aug 15 2005 : 09:26:33 AM
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cost me almost $40 to fill up my minivan (ford Windstar) yesterday...yikes! Husband drives an old 6 cylinder pickup...and mostly to work and back...7 miles each way. I use alot more gas than him..and gas was up to 2.34 yesterday. Highest it has been so far.
Jenny in Utah
The best things in life arn't things |
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Fabulous Farm Femmes
True Blue Farmgirl
792 Posts
Diane
Lakebay, Tacoma
WA
792 Posts |
Posted - Aug 15 2005 : 11:06:45 AM
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You gals are so funny! I love it when you all say the same things I think and am afraid to say out loud!
We live on a peninsula that was settled by turn of the century free thinkers-hippies- what ever you want to call them. The anarchists settled here during the war years-we actually had our post office decommishioned because of all the anarchist publications being sent thru it-and then of course the flower children of the 70's were drawn here and are still here.And the usual country people.
BUT..fly in the oil..we have WATERFRONT property all around the Peninsula...was fairly inexpensive until the last 10 years.So a common sight now is the Hummer whizzing down the highway on Friday nights...we are 40 some miles from the SMALL cities...so you can imagine how much gas THAT takes to drive out here in a Hummer. Not like you need one...we DO have paved roads for goodness sakes. I think who ever said they were hauling their big egos is SO right! |
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Susie Q
True Blue Farmgirl
122 Posts
Susan
So. California
USA
122 Posts |
Posted - Aug 15 2005 : 12:31:33 PM
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This from my local paper today.
Reader Sound Off
Oil Solution
Instead of sending corn and wheat to OPEC countries, let's keep it here so we can make ethanol. Let the OPEC countries eat their oil. |
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theherblady
True Blue Farmgirl
510 Posts
Jan
Glasford
Illinois
USA
510 Posts |
Posted - Aug 15 2005 : 12:41:43 PM
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| Amen Susan!!! |
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Susie Q
True Blue Farmgirl
122 Posts
Susan
So. California
USA
122 Posts |
Posted - Aug 15 2005 : 12:42:50 PM
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MaryJane drives a vehicle powered by used vegetable oil so does some other actress. In this month's National Geographic, in their oil article, they had a picture and blurb about a guy who runs his car on free used potato chip oil. It costs him $8 a year.
Sounds interesting. Does anybody know of any books or articles on the subject? My curiosity is peaked. |
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jpbluesky
True Blue Farmgirl
6066 Posts
Jeannie
Florida
USA
6066 Posts |
Posted - Aug 15 2005 : 12:58:19 PM
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I went to the bank this morning and gas was $2.55. I went to the post office (and to get gas) this afternoon and the price was $2.65. There were picketers at the gas pumps! We are almost at the point where I hope the American public is going to step in and show our clout. This is pure greed, and maybe also a plan to get us to agree to more offshore drilling near our beaches.
(Darn it, why didn't I get gas this morning?)
jpbluesky |
Edited by - jpbluesky on Aug 15 2005 12:59:16 PM |
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LifeSmiles
Farmgirl in Training
37 Posts
Kathy
DeKalb
IL
USA
37 Posts |
Posted - Aug 15 2005 : 1:05:27 PM
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Susan, I love it. I live in a town surrounded by corn. It's an ocean of corn. If we're not going to use it to feed our starving people (vegetarian soapbox alert!), why not use the stuff to make fuel??
I just want to shake the oil industry/government.
http://getyourhookon.blogspot.com |
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thehouseminder
True Blue Farmgirl
361 Posts
USA
361 Posts |
Posted - Aug 15 2005 : 7:24:24 PM
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Like most of you, I feel sort of helpless in the face of skyrocketing fuel prices. I already drive a very economical car. I plan my errands so that I do them all in an efficient loop which lands me back home with no back tracking. What else can we do? I haven't taken a road trip in over a year.
Well, there is one thing and if someone else mentioned it, I missed it.
Part of what is driving these crazy prices is competition from nations which are emerging as superpowers in our "global economy." There is a certain retailer in the United States (we'll call them "W"), who also has a large presence worldwide, which is the LARGEST Exporter of American Jobs and American Raw Materials and resources. They are driven by discounts. Everytime we chose cheap foreign goods over American made goods we are driving the foreign thirst for oil. China is the biggest manufacturer of these goods and I might add that they have a despicable human rights record. They are our largest competitor for OPEC's oil.
Having said this, BOY, is it ever hard to avoid Chinese made goods or W, for that matter. Try it for a week. You could go nuts. Last Christmas I vowed not to buy my nieces or nephews anything which was not made in the U.S. Well, all the games are made in China, most of the toys. I ended up buying catalog merchandise from some cottage businesses and getting wooden and cloth toys. I was actually shocked that the kids seemed to play with them longer than, say, their Gameboy. Maybe because these toys required using some imagination - a rare concept these days. Dan and I have decided not to buy new Christmas decorations because they are very frequently made by people enslaved in their particular country for their religious beliefs. Instead, we collect vintage decorations of all types. They are very charming and give a warm sense of nostalgia.
Even if you by something with a made in the USA label, it may have been made in a sweatshop in Samoa.
What I'm saying is, everytime we open or purses and checkbooks, we are affecting this whole vicious circle. I try to spend my money with local merchants if I can. Sometimes, the only place that has what I need is W because the manufacturer is so busy keeing the GIANT happy and catering to his needs that they now neglect to supply the other stores.
>Sigh< Well, we can try. One of the things which attracted me to Mary Janes book and this site is the dedication to being able to do things for yourself. To look at solving problems in a new way. To going against the mainstream if it's just the right thing to do.
Here's some good news. A plant, the first of many planned, to produce a clean, renewable fuel from soybeans is being built in Southwest Iowa. A good step to help the farmer and to make America less dependent on foreign oil.
Lucinda
Who loves a garden still his Eden keeps, Perennial pleasures plants, and wholesome harvest reaps. ---Bronson Alcott
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theherblady
True Blue Farmgirl
510 Posts
Jan
Glasford
Illinois
USA
510 Posts |
Posted - Aug 16 2005 : 05:11:49 AM
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| Ok-Just to let you know gas is up to $2.75 here in the midwest, central IL.....Is this ever going to stop!!!? |
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greyghost
True Blue Farmgirl
650 Posts
Lynn
Summerville
Georgia
USA
650 Posts |
Posted - Aug 16 2005 : 05:26:07 AM
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I'm with you Lucinda. I avoid W at all costs. After the first month I realized I didn't need that place at all, I could come up with a new solution or get things from other shops.
My hubby hates W as well, but hasn't quite managed to stop going there - even for groceries, when our grocery store is all of a mile away and W is 12 miles away. He always comes home griping about the place, the lines, lack of enough cashiers, the people milling and pushing, the screaming kids, the lack of parking...
And we don't buy our gas from W either! |
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Kathy A.
True Blue Farmgirl
116 Posts
Kathy
Utah
USA
116 Posts |
Posted - Aug 16 2005 : 07:51:06 AM
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Three cheers for you Lucinda!!! I too try to avoid the W-Monster even though it is hard at times. There are dozens of articles and websites that tell what W really stands for, does anyone else remember when the shopping bags actually said made in america they started out using this logo. It is so hard to find anything made in USA in the the big box stores. Clare, is right this is one way we can all make a difference by being conscious consumers, and simply consuming less. It is really shocking that the USA is in debt to China and also that we buy "W-stuff" that has so supported their ecomomy. I appreciate your reminder and suggestions. Christmas is coming lets do something different like -Don't go THERE-
~Kathy
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therusticcottage
True Blue Farmgirl
4439 Posts
Kay
Vancouver
WA
USA
4439 Posts |
Posted - Aug 16 2005 : 09:05:48 AM
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Just saw a segment on the news this AM talking about how the high fuel prices are going to have "trickle down" effect on goods we buy. A fuel surcharge is being added to items and the stores are going to pass the cost down to us. Even restaurants are going to do it. So not only do we get to pay at the pumps, we get to pay when we buy our groceries, etc. I totally agree about the W place -- I avoid it as much as possible. Don't like their bullying tactics or the fact that they are the largest importer of Chinese goods in the US.
"If you are lucky enough to have a garden, you are lucky enough!" |
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connio
True Blue Farmgirl
535 Posts
connie
springtown
texas
USA
535 Posts |
Posted - Aug 16 2005 : 09:28:24 AM
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Hey Farm Girls!
I attended a university lecture a few months ago, and the professor stated the the American economy would collapse if China stopped "propping up" our huge national debt by purchasing our bonds (Treasury??) each year. I am a librarian not an economist, but this is certainly frightening.
Connie
cozycottage |
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greyghost
True Blue Farmgirl
650 Posts
Lynn
Summerville
Georgia
USA
650 Posts |
Posted - Aug 16 2005 : 2:13:08 PM
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Connie, there are so many elements to our economy right now - I had expected it to collapse by now but certain things have been "delayed" by our government. Something I do believe is the constant "putting off" is going to make the fallout much worse. I do a lot of reading on the economy and follow Greenspan pretty closely. What you mention is but one element of nearly 10 that I have seen if poorly handled over the next few years, will have a devastating effect on the USA. And if we go down, a lot of other countries go with us.
I don't mean to be alarmist or pessimistic, but I decided to always expect the worst then all your surprises will be pleasant ones.
This is another reason why I am pushing for a small farm. If we go so badly as into a depression, I want to be fed... |
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mdotterer
True Blue Farmgirl
78 Posts
Marlene
Pleasant Hill
CA
USA
78 Posts |
Posted - Aug 16 2005 : 5:11:56 PM
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Wow, you women are amazing! Maybe it's because we all want to live simple and honest lives that so many of us are disturbed about consumerism and our oil-based economy. It is so true that we need to find better ways to "fuel" our lifestyle - all the way from things like buying smaller cars or using vegetable oil to make gas, to how we build and live in our cities and towns. And, we need to cut, cut, cut our purchases! We are so used to just throwing everything away when we're tired of it. That's one thing that really impressed me about Mary Jane and the magazine, and all of you - everyone really tries to "walk lightly on the earth" and the tips about reusing and repairing old clothes or other items are just priceless!
One thing that no one has mentioned is the new push to make more nuclear power. Now, I'm just a geologist, but I've worked in nuclear waste for several years, and let me tell you, this is NOT the answer! We STILL don't know what to do with all the waste, and we know that the waste we have will be toxic for hundreds of thousands of years! How dare they say we should make more? There are even environmentalists who are pushing this because they think it's "cleaner." How sad!
Marlene |
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bubblesnz
True Blue Farmgirl
291 Posts
helen
New Zealand
291 Posts |
Posted - Aug 16 2005 : 11:46:23 PM
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In New Zealand they said prices will rise more yet and expect it could be $2.00 a litre by christmas. Already people are buying smaller cars.
Freight charges have gone up 4 times already this year.
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bramble
True Blue Farmgirl
2044 Posts
2044 Posts |
Posted - Aug 17 2005 : 04:22:23 AM
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Marlene-- I was so infuriated the other day to hear that this is the direction our "leaders" feel is going to be the solution. Hasn't Chernobyl taught the world anything? Perhaps a little junket of all the people who think this Nuclear (not Nuculear!)option is viable should see what devastation this source causes. Cancer, leukemia, thyroid diseases, earth scourged for 1000 years plus, not to mention a lack of safe waste disposal seem to be very good reasons not to pursue this avenue. A fact finding mission is just what they need, seems to me the "facts" have been curiously overlooked. For what reason? A quick fix, a fast buck and a complete and total disregard for the long term effects that will be environmentally catastrophic.
with a happy heart |
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connio
True Blue Farmgirl
535 Posts
connie
springtown
texas
USA
535 Posts |
Posted - Aug 17 2005 : 12:32:11 PM
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Hey Farm Girls!!
Oil Gas Oil Gas!!! I am so sick of this situation. The average citizen is being crushed by all of this.
I work at a library in Fort Worth, Texas and about an hour ago we were impacted by gasoline in a very terrifying way. A Texaco gas tanker delivering to the neighborhood filling station tipped over, and gas is flowing down our streets accompanied by terrible fumes. The library is about 4 blocks away from the corner, but an elderly lady and her husband just came in and said that they lived right in front of the spill. Their lawn is soaked with gasoline, and they were told to evacuate. She said that the fumes were so bad that she felt ill. The fire dept folks told them to leave immediately and to be certain not to slam any doors as they were leaving because the risk of explosion was so great.
They don't know when they will be able to return. This is a very poor neighborhood, and I would guess that most of the people do not have insurance, especially the elderly. Also, few probably have health insurance to cover doctor visits for health problems connected to the fumes! This particular elderly couple (he is 86 yrs.) care for their 2 young grandsons so I feel certain that their budget must be very tight. I suggested that they take the bill for a motel, cleanup etc right over to the Texaco station.
Connie
cozycottage |
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MeadowLark
True Blue Farmgirl
2206 Posts
USA
2206 Posts |
Posted - Aug 17 2005 : 3:35:11 PM
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Connie, Texaco should be held liable for the mess created by their tanker accident! Those people I feel so bad for. The fumes could be very toxic to the elderly, chronically ill and infants! What a nightmare! Just to add "fuel to the fire" of this topic I read where gas is only a nickle a gallon in Iraq!!! What is wrong with this picture?
Being is what it is. Jean Paul Sartre |
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mdotterer
True Blue Farmgirl
78 Posts
Marlene
Pleasant Hill
CA
USA
78 Posts |
Posted - Aug 17 2005 : 4:30:00 PM
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Connie, those poor people! I hope the emergency crews are able to get it cleaned up without any further problems. An explosion would be awful. I think Meadowlark is right about Texaco paying for everything, but it may be necessary for people to carefully document all the damages, especially things that happen later. For instance, if gasoline has soaked into people's lawns and soil, that could damage the soil for years. Cleaning that up will be very important and very expensive! I think Texaco will expect to pay for it, but they will also try to pay as little as possible, that's why people should document damages. Of course, I'm sure the trial lawyers will be in touch with everyone! Then, the poor people will need to make sure THEY get money, not the lawyers (LOL)!
On the other topic, I also heard that gas is a nickle a gallon in Iraq, but it's created a huge black market, because the people who sell the gas can get a lot more money by selling it across the border! So, the poor Iraqis are not getting it! This is one of the things that really bothers me about our "rescue mission" there - the people we are supposedly helping are doing all the suffering!
Marlene |
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Across the Fence: Are Gas Prices Affecting You? |
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Are Gas Prices Affecting You?
