Posted by MikeC/NY on 5/23/08 5:22pm
Msg #248560

An interesting article on gasoline pricing...

This explains a lot of it in terms most of us can understand. The bottom line - it ain't gonna get any better any time soon, but at least now you know why...

http://tinyurl.com/4zz9fo

As an aside... regular grade was $4.09 in my area today, and that's for 10% ethanol - which actually results in less mileage per gallon. Diesel fuel here is approaching $5/gal. Honda is supposed to be releasing a car later this year or early next that uses hydrogen fuel cells - I can't wait...

Reply by Charles_Ca on 5/23/08 6:11pm
Msg #248563

Interesting article Mike and quite true but a lot of

people miss whyt he dollar is in the tank. A number of years ago our administration decided to go to a service economy and allowed the dollar to float. A service economoy has not tangible assets and so can not back up its currency olike an industrial economy can. So we gave up our industries and our technological edge to provide service to those countries who develop technology and have industries, Germany, Japan, Korea and now China (a rising star). As these other countries have tangible assets that they sell us they now dominate the world economic landscape.

Anyway, I'm not surprised that Honda is going for a new technology, after all we no longer can and so expect us to slip into a third-world backwater. We are now the largest third-world debtor nation according to some pundits.

Reply by jba/fl on 5/23/08 8:20pm
Msg #248578

Re: Interesting article Mike and quite true but a lot of

"We are now the largest third-world debtor nation according to some pundits."

That's enough to make me gag.

Charles, explain something to me please: If we are a 'service economy' and we outsource our servicing, or customer servicing anyway, aren't we again committing another form of suicide? I don't quite understand all this. Also, if we give our technological edge to others, won't they just continue to develop and then undercut us, again leaving us in the lurch? Why are we sharing so much (with our competion?)

Reply by Charles_Ca on 5/23/08 9:27pm
Msg #248589

Quite right jba but this should be a thread in the Political

Forum if there was any way to have an intelligent discussion there. Look at the treaties we are trying to agree to. Its politically correct to sign the Global Warming Agreements (Kyoto Accords) but they are designed to eviscerate the US fiscally while the worst polluters go about their business as usual. That is just one of the recent attacks on the US however there are plenty of people even on this site, who would tell you that we need to give and keep giving even though it makes us weak, vulnerable and poor. Its not about energy but about world domination. Go ahead and brand me a kook now!

Reply by jba/fl on 5/23/08 9:53pm
Msg #248594

Re: Quite right jba but this should be a thread in the Political

"Its not about energy but about world domination."

Since the Bible speaks of this, and this is how I grew up, learning about world domination. See WalMart discussion on politics...they are a main player in this endeavor.

2 stories:

I used to babysit when in my teens in Germany on an air base. The good Col. Smith (changed to protect the innocent) would walk me home at the end of the evening, and many times had things he would discuss. One of his stories was Biblical, and he spoke of the Bear (Russia), Eagle (USA) and (forgot) (China), saying that eventually the bear would be at great odds with China, and afraid. For China was very over populated, an agrarian culture, and those little chinamen were in their fields planting rice plants, day in and day out. All the while they were thinking: how to change the world. Just plugging along, thinking. This was back in 1961-63, and I think that he couldn't get past the world powers of the day, just wondering about prophesy and how it would come about. (Some 45 years later, easier to figure it out)

Second:
In the late 60's my husband had completed his military service, partaking of the GI bill and going to college. I don't know what class he was taking, but he came home and announced that there were going to be only 7 people running the world one day. I don't remember all the particulars - that was a bit far=fetched for me at the time, beginning to sound like we were in Berkeley or something and I couldn't wrap my mind about that. (Now, much easier)


PS: I thought about political, but started here, finish here. Hate PM - too cumbersome. No religion forum, and seeing the way pol. is going, good thing!

And no - I cannot brand you a kook - it has been foretold. Some we just cannot decipher. Huge leaps of faith.

Reply by Charles_Ca on 5/23/08 10:20pm
Msg #248596

I've heard that prophesy but for some reason thought it

was Nostradamus. I think a lot of times prophesies are seen with the clarity of hindsight because it is sometimes a convenient construct. I keep an open mind but I think that there are certain logical conclusions that can be drawn by many people who just observe ("1984" "Soylent Green" and many others). I remember a statement from one of our founding fathers and I'm too lazy to reach for my Bartletts but it was to the effect that if the Amnerican people are ever deprived of their freedom it will be at their own hands. I think we are doing a damn fine job of it! My thoughts about the world situation would not be popular here since I am a pragmatist and think more along the lines of Thomas Jefferson than any of the three running for the Executive office.

Reply by MikeC/NY on 5/23/08 11:47pm
Msg #248609

How did we go from gasoline pricing to Biblical prophecy? n/m