My apologies to all, I didn?t seen the rule that says only the OP is allowed to use hyperbole and specious logic to make a point.
“same” While I understand the point you’re making, pharmcuticals are probebly not the best example.
While I think fundamentally we are in agreement, for profit drug companies are an example of the free market stifling worth while practices. FDA approval is only done on drugs tested and requested for approval by drug companies. These tests are only conducted and payed for on an expected for profit return basis. I can, with direct knowledge from doctors I work with and know, indicate three very beneficial drugs that save lives and promote good health that are kept from FDA approval and public consumption because of profit motivation.
I could also talk about poor drug taking compliance protocols based upon marketing practices that actually promote poor health regiments because to do differently would cut into the profit margin of these companies. I feel that when single payer, non profit health care is the norm, the life expectancy and quality of life improves. This is only done with govt. intervention. When for profit corporations don’t control our foreign policy, I feel we benefit; when they don’t control our health care, I believe we benefit.
It is the perfect analogy.
Corporations are amoral.
General MacArthur was fired by President Truman when he advocated the take over of China.
His timing was right.We paid a big price in Korea and Vietnam.China essentially defeated us in those conflicts.We saved China from the Japanese during WW 2.
We are always helping other nations and get nothing in return. We are all fat, rich, gullible Americans to them.Ripe for the picking.
Oil is prices are controlled by investors, not supply and demand.
"Oil is prices are controlled by investors, not supply and demand."
Yup !
Better get used to high prices. Crude prices per barrel are going up and up as the money guys drive up prices buying “futures” at ever higher prices. The last thing these guys want is prices to go down, they are betting on mid east unrest for the long haul.
Prices of oil don’t reflect supply and demand in current time anymore. It is about supply and demand at some future time that drives the market prices up and up. Market forces are now largely out of control, so all the average guy can do is reduce driving, or get more fuel efficient cars and trucks.
Perhaps if demand drops off fast enough the guys holding all the futures will find no one wants their high priced oil anymore. Like the housing market, the oil futures market is getting overheated and could lead to a big loss for those willing to play in this high stakes gamble.
It likely isn’t much of a gamble in that Americans have virtually no track record of successfully cutting back on oil demand. As soon as prices come down a bit, we head for the pumps ever more frequently to fill up once again.
The USA could take steps to change this by creating a long-term energy policy. But that hasn’t been done for 6 presidents and 19 congresses. Our policy is short term: let the market do whatever it will and react to it. Actually, the reaction is line up and pay up.
To answer the original question, if gas goes over $6/gal, I will actually consider trading in my V8 for a more efficient car. (though I won’t like it) I suppose I still wouldn’t have to, as I only fill up every 7-10 days usually, and the additional price hike would cost me around $30-40 more/week, which I can afford, albeit grudgingly, and which is still a lot cheaper than buying another car.
The price of gasoline isn’t changing…It’s the value of your dollar that is changing…
Stop and think of it. Would you rather sell 10 gallons of gas at $2 per gallon or 5 gallons @ $4 per. That’s a net increase with the reduction of overhead in the handling and distribution of less gasoline. So, oil companies are all for economical cars including hybrids. What they do not want to see, are electric cars in high numbers with an overall energy plan for the future that allows local production of energy based upon regional resources. Large power plants serving entire regions including nuclear where only present day energy corps have the resources to invest keeps them in the game.
Tidal power serving coastal communities, solar the sun belt and wind for the plains are all long term strategies
that you will continually see thwarted, even though they are all viable. Allowing these corporations total access
to our political system by unrestricted contribution and control has done more for corporate take over and the highjacking of our democracy than any contrived fear of “the communist” takeover at the hands of the dreaded
liberal.
It’s a joke how some of us vote into office the very institution who ultimately restrict our access to freedom of
choice…including the Dick Cheneys of this world. The American dream is now the acquisition of wealth and not the aqusition of health. Look around you. Obesity and over consumption of food and fuel now measures
success; both supported by profit motivated entities that you and I support; we are slowly becoming a third world nation of cattle. The biggest cost to health care is becoming the control of diabetes because of this epidemic supported by our own ignorance and the greed of those we worship.
If you wait until gas is $6/gallon to trade in your V8, you may be disappointed in what you get for it, and in what you have to pay for a fuel efficient car.
EDIT: As an afterthought, I am not really suggesting you get rid of your car. My main point is that fuel economy should be important to us even when fuel is cheap. Foresight can save you a lot of money in the long run.
Perhaps it’s the FDA approval protocols that are more responsible for stifling peoduction of worthwhile drugs. The cost of the studies is in “boatloads of money” and the years to market are…long term trial studies + infinity. If the drug companies don’t see a reasonable market ahead they simply make a business decision that the potential doesn’t justify the investment. Sadly, many people probably suffer from illnesses that drugs could be made available for, but their illness isn’t widespread enough to create a profitable market.
The issue is compounded by insurance companies not being willing to cover “experimental (trial)” drugs. This would not be solved by anything I see in the new healthcare legislation and I doubt of a “single source payer” government program would either. As I understand the systems in Canada and England, only the wealthey can access trial drugs because the healthcare systems don’t cover/provide them.
There has to be a better way. There has to be a way the FDA can allow new drugs to be approved for rare diseases without the expense involved in the current trial studies. If a man is dying of a rare disease and a drug exhibits even the slightest potential of reducing his suffering, what’s the point of putting the drug through “the mill” before he can access it and get it covered by insurance?
Oblivion, a V-6 Mustang has 300 HP and gets 30MPG. Unload your V-8 now unless its a hobby vehicle.
I have a Corvette, but my daily driver is a 4 cylinder , 5 speed Mustang.
The underlying base price of crude oil is driven by demand and supply and the marginal cost of producing oil from the highest cost source. That’s about $60 per barrel.
A “sustainable” market price would be $85 per barrel, and the Saudis are quite happy with that, since it will not cause an economic slowdown in the world economy. The difference between today’s price ($115 or so) and the $85 are the speculative and fear factors. If by magic all political unrest disappeared from Africa and the Middle East, prices would settle down to that $85 figure until China’s demand really starts growing.
If there were uprisings in Saudi Arabia, however, oil prices will likely go to $200 per barrel.
The US government has absolutely no control over the world price of oil; if any country had that, it would be China, with its incredible growth in car ownership. If the US went on a draconian gasoline policy to tax ghasoline, car engine size and gross vehicle weight, and the states put a high license fee on high horsepower cars, and CAFE stadards were tightened even more (all of which together would wipe out Detroit), it MAY affect the price of crude oil in the short term, until the Chinese and Indian market demand wiped out all these savings.
Based on what is going on now, and what the future will likely bring, better get used to high prices, as commented by various other posters.
Well, first, I'm not one of these people that says "If gas gets to $Y a gallon, I won't buy it." Cab prices are regulated and so are costly (although there's a lot of them -- somehow, in a town with 50,000 people we ended up with *22* -- yes, twenty-two -- cab companies as of a few months ago. Some new regulations have brought about some mergers recently.) Busses don't run frequently, and unless you're going straight downtown (where all the lines join up) it could take an hour to get from point A to point B, versus 10 minutes in a car.
This is a common sentiment around here (not cartalk, my physical locality), people INSIST the prices going up are terrible, and they will cut back on usage or stop driving entirely. But they don't. People around here that are short on cash (or misspend it) will be late on the rent or risk having the power shut off before they let the car run out of gas.
But, anyway... I don't think for a second any of this cash is supporting democracy in the middle east. But, I don't think it's influencing prices that much either, maybe 10-20 cents a gallon. The dollar is weak as hell, and we've passed peak oil, so that's just how it is, prices are high and are not going to go down (significantly, they could go down a bit every now and then.)
My plan 1) Suck it up and drive my current car for now. 2) Get a better MPG car when it's old enough to be affordable. I don't think I want a Prius, but there's many more 2011-2012 models that are no-compromise high-MPG vehicles (2012 LaCrosse, that 41MPG Lincoln, etc.) that maybe will be cheap enough to buy in 5 or 10 years. Spending $20,000 or even $30,000 on up to save on fuel is just not sensible to me.. even if gas hit $10 a gallon, getting 50MPG highway instead of 30, it'd take a bit over 150,000 miles to break even on a $20,000 car.Enjoy your trip. I suggest renting a Camaro SS, Mustang GT, or Hemi Challenger. And keep in mind that in the U.S. even a person of ordinary means can afford to own, insure, and maintain these cars. You won’t find too many 1.4L diesel hatchbacks around here 
, the Christian Right would make its move to usurp as much power as it could.
What a shallow thing to say.
Your baseless attack on me was not against the rules. In fact, around here, attacks like that are quite common. My defense of your baseless attack isn’t against the rules either.
Have a great day.
Why do you think it’s shallow? I think comparing fundamentalist Christians to the mullahs in Iran is appropriate. There are Christian Fundamentalists here in the USA who would be happy to see us become a theocracy. Forgive me if I see that as a threat to our liberty. I know this for a fact because some of them are acquaintances of mine. I believe in the separation of Church and State. I also think it is under attack and worth defending.
I don’t think for a second any of this cash is supporting democracy in the middle east.
Neither do I. I do think it is an effect of the current struggle, which I think we should support in spirit, even if it hurts us in the pocketbook. I think you are wrong about alternatives though. My current commute is about 25 miles each way. If things get bad enough, I might consider doing that commute on a bicycle. It’s going to be a hot summer, but I can use the exercise.
wow,i guess i’m a magician,ha ha.i’m just scraping by on a very good wage.
castironman–i’m in the same situation in PA.whodathunk that making a good $19+/hr would BARELY cover the bills?? food costs have definitely jumped in the past few years;every time gas spikes~restaraunts,food markets,pizza shops,etc bump up their prices.
it was six years ago was when gas prices first jumped up to around $4(in the Philly area),we’re right back there,again.luckily~it’s little comfort,but at least i don’t have a new car payment on top of the rising fuel cost this time around.whew!