THSCC Forums

Fair market economics already drive the cost of houses "close to work" to much higher levels than out in the country. That's another part of the reason why people live "out in the country." It isn't all about people wanting big tracts of land (like me), it's also a lot of people in trailer parks in the sticks (that are no longer allowed in urban-ish areas anyway!).

You give a tax break for folks living closer to work and that's just going to drive the price of housing in urban areas even higher. Only the real estate moguls win.


--Donnie

i live real close to work. my office is upstairs. how would such a tax break be fair to the self employed? i either move my store closer to my house or my house closer to the store. sounds kinda expensive to me.

Everything involved in this scenario is limited: The amount of remaining oil able to be recovered, the amount of CO2 and other pollutants that may yet be pumped into the atmosphere before some very detrimental climate change is unavoidable, the amount of time left to us as a species to effect some changes or remedies. I don't know what any of those amounts may be, and at this point I doubt anyone really does. It seems likely that some of them may be quite large, but some of them might also be pretty small.

It just seems to me that the prudent course would be to start trying to turn things around now, so "just in case", when we do eventually figure these things out, it's not an "oops" kind of moment. Turning things around, though, will require a nearly complete reversal of public perception, at least in this country. That's going to take time - generations, frankly - and we can take that lead time straight off of whatever "time we have left". I'd just as soon see us get started.

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Carl Fisher

Be Cool to the Pizza Dude:
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/stor ... Id=4651531

One can successfully argue that the reason why gas prices are so high now is that the capacity to refine crude into usable fuel is well below the demand for it. Abandoning current needs to focus on the future has the ability to hurt us longer and harder than simultaneously relieving the dearth of refinery capacity and increasing research into alternate fuels.

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Has no responsibility whatsoever.

Gas prices have risen due to the annual cycle of the industry, but it is still relatively cheap given inflation.

Whether or not the EPA puts the squeeze on GM and Ford need to start innovating a broadly appealing line up rather than focusing so much on badge engineering. GM has had some bright spots (magneto suspension, Solstice,...etc) , but often manages to drop the ball somewhere along the way. It exhibits the behavior of an indecision and internal conflict. Wagoner has proven pretty ineffective. Get a car guy in there.

Absolutely -- especially right now. Just look at where reformulated blend unleaded wholesale prices are in relation to crude oil. Right now we have a heck of a squeeze going on in RB compared to crude, and it is 100% due to demand for refined product versus the ability to meet that demand at the refinery level. Heating oil is in the same boat, just not nearly as bad as gasoline.

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Current stable:
2019 BMW M2 Competition slicktop 6MT
2011 BMW M3 sedan slicktop 6MT
2007 BMW 328i wagon (slushbox for now)
1975 CanAm 125MX2

There is NO WAY that the "story" the oil companies have fed to the american public can be successfully argued. I haven't seen a gas line since the 1970's when there was in fact a shortage of refined oil products. Every station thru out the country has copious supplies of RB. But big oil has found out that the public is gullible and will believe anything if you say it enough. and with that thought in mind has developed wind fall profits to the tune of 30 billion dollars per quarter, the largest profits ever seen on planet earth, by any corp or industry. Its price gouging pure and simple. Every consumer group in the country is screaming bloody murder about it and the government stands deaf and mute to their outcry. Lets see if the Democratic legislature will will even bother to investigate this. I bet not. Big oil has everyone in their back pocket.
Oh I was wrong I did see a gas line the other day at Miami Blvd and TW Alexander they were selling gas at 2.54/ gallon, the Shell station up the block was selling for 2.59.9 neither one ran out fuel. Shortage of refined products? Not hardly. On the other side of Durham fuel is selling for 2.70+ per gallon. Who's not getting gouged?

Well said Bernie. Well said.

Places in Chapel Hill are getting regular unleaded for $3.19 already. Now that is good old fashioned price gouging!

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Todd Breakey
STS 42 - 1992 Sunburst Miata
Dammit!
"You souldn't play leap frog with a porcupine. You might get hurt." - Eliza

diesel was over $3 the other day. 38 gallon tank, absolutely criminal.

i feel for independant truckers, profit margins must be for sheist.

Here's a thought...

If you dont like the price of petroleum products then just buy less.

It seems that people look at gas prices and think that the only thing made from crude oil is gasoline. That's hardly the case.

Do you own anything made from plastic? Yeah, crude oil.

How about that hydrogen powered car?
Yup, the likely source of the hydrogen gas is crude oil.

In the next column we will switch gears from chemistry and talk economics. In particular the lecture about capitalism.

Scott

I feel ya, It's painful to drop that C-note, but I gotta do it. I hate that I get excited to fill up in SC $2.69/gal (It's cheaper than GA Now)

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2003 F-250
2004 MINI Cooper S
1993 Bovine Beater
1988 325is

The early bird may get the worm, but the second mouse gets the cheese.

From What I've read, with current tech, It actually takes more crude to produce Hydrogen than if we just burn the petrol.

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2003 F-250
2004 MINI Cooper S
1993 Bovine Beater
1988 325is

The early bird may get the worm, but the second mouse gets the cheese.

While I generally agree that almost everything has a crude oil base to it, try to find something not encased in plastic. Capitalism is great, but like all economic systems when it is cheated, it has problems. I agree with Bernie that the damn oil companies are making windfall profits. They whine about having to save for the lean years, but I don't see them saving. They spend it on Executive bonus', buying up their competition, paying lobbyists and government officials, and doing everything they can to avoid spending the money on infrastructure. They whine about not being able to build more refineries cause the evil greenies will make us add expensive pollution equipment and we can't afford it - hold on while I bribe er......contribute to the campaign fund of my favorite politician. BULLSHIT. Now that they are rolling in dough, spend it on the clean refining technology. They are now saying that they are such good citizens because they are not going to build more coal plants - the only reason they are taking this stand is so they can build nuke plants. I have nothing against that but does anyone think they will spend an extra dime to worry about minor details as disposal, making sure the low bid contractor actually pours concrete to spec, making sure that the whole shebang is protected from terrorist attack? Oh yeah, we can trust good ole George and Dick and Nancy and Harry to protect us don't hold your breath.

2004 Exxon Mobil Posts Record Profits
http://www.forbes.com/markets/2005/01/3 ... ideo2.html

2005 Exxon Mobil posts record profit of $10.7 billion
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/11098458/

2006 Exxon and Shell Report Record Profits for 2006
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/02/02/busin ... yt&emc=rss

While gas really is all that expensive, it seems we make it all too easy.

i could actually drive a less fuel consuming vehicle on days when i don't need the truck. realistically that would be a 18k expenditure. how long does it take to recoup that cost over fuel savings? and then add in the fact that the current IRS deduction for business vehicles starts at 6600 GVWR. i could possibly claim mileage and pay myself an allowance but that still does not offset the original 18K for the commuter car. and with fuel prices rising will the allowable mileage figure offset fuel costs?

GW can say all he wants to about trying to keep fuel costs down, but i have to wonder what kind of mileage a Humvee gets.

as always the working man gets the high hard one.