Open Thread
By bluegal Monday Apr 28, 2008 10:30pm
Anyone want to take odds on just how low gas prices will drop by Election Day? After all, the day before Election Day 2006 saw the lowest gas prices of that entire year, with prices dropping an average of EIGHTY CENTS a gallon between August and early November. Coincidence?
Open thread below.
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I'm just sick of it all
We need a Summer Holiday from Media Gas Bags.
Btw, Speaking of Travel, Who Says Obama Threw Wright Under the Bus?
I am converting my car to run on bullshit and then voting Republican.
And that's all I heard from my Republican friends is that gas was down. So it was OKKY DOKKY to vote Republian.
Guaranteed, but the real question is how high will they go first?
I'm guessing $3.50 election day, $3.99 peak.
Of course, anything could happen in the middle east to push them higher.
Don from Canada @ 3:
ROFLMAO
Don from Canada @ 3:
Bumper sticker
$3.75.
It's already over $4 here in Chicago ($4.25 for super premium high octane ultra clean gas) and it's gone up at least a nickel daily for a week.
I'm ready to bet we hit $5 by the end of July. Then we'll get the lie about how "summer gas" production has "caught up" to demand and prices will start to come down to match the rest of the country.
62 days after he declared himself "very proud" and "honored" to the have the endorsement of the End Times Pastor John Hagee, Republican John McCain still has not answered - or even been asked - the question that should concern all Americans:
Does John McCain agree with Pastor John Hagee that war with Iran is the fulfillment of the biblical prophecy of Armageddon?
For the details, see:
"Obama Disavows Wright; McCain Still Silent on Hagee, Armageddon and Iran."
One thing to keep in mind is that gas prices were also lower during the fall of 2005 as well, and that was not a presidential or congressional election season. It might be in large part a seasonal thing, as prices are higher during the summer with people driving more to vacation destinations and such.
I say they go way up. With OPEC warning of $200/barrel and the Fed cutting interest rates like le crazy, I'm thinking the stars are the limit.
Mccain and Clinton think we should get excited about suspending the gas tax. For every 20 gallon fill up you won't save enough to buy 1 extra gallon of gas. Obama figures the savings over 3 months will average $25 to 30 over a period of 3 months. He did the math, McCain and Clinton think you're stupid.
Just think chimpy can't complete a sentence but that's all fine and dandy to these nasty repugs. chimpy looks like a lying idiot monkey. To repugs we are mere puppets in the repug's world.
repugs are rejoicing because they think Sen. Obama "threw his pastor under the bus." (I wouldn't use that analogy, but wtf.)
Listen carefully repugs, Sen. Obama doesn't agree with some of Rev. Wright's idealism. Sen. Obama didn't denounce the man. I hope the stupid assholes are satisfied. Total, full of corn, bullshit.
I can't believe decent folks are allowing turdism. Meaningless bullshit to go on and on. Lapel Pins are bullshit, Rev. Wright does what he does nobody is forcing anyone to listen to his sermons.
repugs forget Obama has an unique background and he is white too.
BTW -- Not one of the 24/7 lapel wearers has allegiance to the United States of America. The phony assholes.
Obama has morals and is too sophisticated for the below average repug (caveman mentality.) Sen. Obama has the will of the people in mind first and foremost; he wants the United States to catch up to the 21st century. I want a brighter tomorrow for all, not just for the greedy repugs.
I can't retain any more turdism! AHHHHHHH!!
Go Obama!
Go USA!
Ron @ 12:
The entire McCain and Clinton campaigns are based on the assumption that the voters are stupid.
The other thing that kills me about the gas tax holiday is it forces more U.S. government borrowing. More U.S. borrowing puts more downward pressure on the dollar, which will inevitably push the price of gas even higher.
unfrozencaveman @ 14:
Yeah, we're not the stupid ones.
Gas prices also fell before the congressional elections, but the American people weren't fooled. The American people have this thing figured out by now. As Bill Maher said, "if Colonel Sanders was elected President and the price of fried chicken tripled...I think i'd be a little suspicious. Here is another good article on the election:
http://jviz.blogspot.com/2008/04/jeremiah-wright-and-barack-obama.html
the fed cutting interest rates makes a decrease in gas prices unlikely.
YourMom @ 5:
Watch what happens tomorrow with the fed interest rate decision. Tomorrow the fed chooses their poison - let the banking system buckle or get inflation under some semblance of control. They can't do both. It used to be that the Dollar was so dominate that oil producers didn't care. Now producers like Iran adjust to dollar devaluation by proxy. The fed has more power over the price of gas now than anyone else. This is not 2006.
what do you mean low gas prices?
with bush/cheney positioning another battle cruiser in
the persian gulf, what makes you think we will be getting
any oil when they bomb iran or someone returns this
act with one of their own?
at bush's press conference today, he was not making a lot
of sense. this bastard is seriously delusional.
Falling gas prices prior to the election: It's called an in-kind corporate campaign donation to the Republicans.
oh just horse puke wheres it say any of these goobers are going to win!
That reminds me of that commercial where an enraged caveman with a club is just about to strike a badger(?) when it states "I love you" to the caveman, who is freezes with confusion mid-swing. Is the public like that stupid caveman falling for stupid Bush tricks?
YourMom @ 5:
where do you live? i am in seattle and reg is already 3.66/gal
What if we make oil from coal?
Ash"Hussy"Williams @ 24:
it takes too much water.
Touchy subject, but since Black Liberation theology is being spoken of because of the Wright controversy, I cannot help feeling the hypocrisy of the Black church which says it wants unity for the races but overwhelmingly uses the Bible to condemn homosexuality to the point of homophobia, while at the same time not acknowledging the Old Testament advocation of slavery(Canaan, Ham). Cherry picking is what I resent and it's hypocritical. P.S. I am an atheist, but that's not relevant to my argument.
dadams @ 23:
I'm in Renton and I paid $3.69 the other day and I've seen it higher at some stations.
Ash"Hussy"Williams @ 24:
it would cost fifty five dollars a for a barrel of oil made from coal , ant no profit in that!
I just want to see even one attempt to justify the outrageous price hikes coupled with the even more obscene profits the oil companies are reporting.
I force myself to check in with the MSM and I'm astonished at the lack of even the most trivial attempt to explain or propose a reason.
It just gets reported like the weather.
The disconnect is mind-boggling.
dadams @ 23:
I'm in Jersey and it's $3.50 a gallon, up 40 cents in the last 2 weeks, and this is the cheapest in the country. This is fucking unbelievable.
katsiskats @ 29:
It's mostly the speculators betting on higher prices that are driving prices up. I heard today that even the oil company CEOs thought the real price should be around $60 a barrel.
tr @ 25:
Agh, if only we had these saltwater to freshwater plants figured out already.
Anyway, today I figured out that reality is depressing, so I'm gonna buy me some Grand Theft Auto 4 and bury my head in the sand.
lets all vote republican..... how about that gas-hole john "the republican" mccain.
or hillary for republican lite.....
then we can all be happy when 'day invite us up to 'da big house for 'de BBQ...
just like W did for the $300 handout... or john "de republican" mccain...
because we got 'de memory of a tick... show us 'dat shiny thing and we forgets 'da beatings and 'de minimum wages......
So what made the "speculators" go on a betting frenzy?
Big Dick Cheney @ 33:
Yeah, the problem with that is, we would be the main coarse roasted on a spit.
katsiskats @ 34:
The Iran invasion.
And don't be surprised when the violence in Iraq drops dramatically between Oct. 1 and Election Day, i.e.
"The surge is working!!"
Ron @ 31:
I disagree a bit. It's not so much speculation on oil, but the realization that the dollar is now a poor store of value. That's why all commodity prices are up. Too many dollars chasing too few goods.
Oil companies are making the most of the final days of the Bush disaster/presidency.
The fat cat oil execs see their days as numbered.
They're enjoying their days at the Bush trough as much as they can.
In 2008, say hello to the windfall profit tax.
I puke a little in my mouth every time I fill up, and I have a small 11 gallon tank. What used to cost under $10 to fill is now getting close to $30. A guy who works with me spends $40 every three days. How can you live off of what is left over?
unfrozencaveman @ 38:
I'm sorry but you are incorrect, that is one of the things causing the dollar to devalue.
I'm thinking we REALLY want to think about boycotting this jerk's products.
unfrozencaveman @ 38:
Well I think both of you are correct, but I think they're two separate problems. Before the economy blew a gasket, you'd hear of "speculator betting" as the cause of high oil prices. Now you hear of the latter but also of the economy and the poor dollar as a reason for high prices.
katsiskats @ 29:
My understanding is that the real price of oil isn't changing much. What we're seeing is the dollar falling. If you look at the price of oil vs. gold, it's pretty steady. This was a while ago, so maybe it's changed recently.
So what made the "speculators" go on a betting frenzy?
The Iran invasion.
Who invaded Iran and when did this happen? I'll admit I've been on vacation but I haven't been that out of touch!
Well I think both of you are correct, but I think they're two separate problems. Before the economy blew a gasket, you'd hear of "speculator betting" as the cause of high oil prices. Now you hear of the latter but also of the economy and the poor dollar as a reason for high prices.
But neither explains the record profits the oil companies are raking in.
As an aside, I don't understand why my is stripped in my posts.
katsiskats @ 45:
The Iran invasion.
Who invaded Iran and when did this happen? I'll admit I've been on vacation but I haven't been that out of touch!
I've seen even the most minute of excuses used for speculators pricing it up.
Pretty much any unrest in the area of a pipeline will do it.
And I'm pretty sure he's talking about the incursion of US warships in the area.
katsiskats @ 45:
The Iran invasion.
Who invaded Iran and when did this happen? I'll admit I've been on vacation but I haven't been that out of touch!
The administration has been trying to do anything it can to convince us that Iran is the cause of all the violence that keeps going on in iraq. There have been accusation galore trying to excite us, the public. I even got into an argument with one of my friends this afternoon because he is starting to believe the propaganda.
katsiskats @ 46:
Well I think both of you are correct, but I think they're two separate problems. Before the economy blew a gasket, you'd hear of "speculator betting" as the cause of high oil prices. Now you hear of the latter but also of the economy and the poor dollar as a reason for high prices.
But neither explains the record profits the oil companies are raking in.
Very true, Watson. Therein lies the mystery.
Dang html.
Ron @ 36:
Eyes wide open. Time is running out.
Ash"Hussy"Williams @ 50:
But neither explains the record profits the oil companies are raking in.
Very true, Watson. Therein lies the mystery.
It's not just the oil producers that get the profits, it's the middlemen, therefore the major oil corporations. It doesn't cost any more to get the oil out of the ground.
"Expelled" likens Darwin to Hitler. Is McCain the real loser in Pennsylvania? Stocks continue to slide. Is
Hillary's camp working with Wright? Bloggers think Obama is throwing them under the bus. [I personally think Faux News is the one with the white flag, since they probably had to pull the real punches to get him on the show. Not to mention that racist white people can only help your ratings for so long...]
Invading Iran is another topic altogether but it still doesn't address the issue at hand which is why no one even bothers to justify the gas gouging that is coupled with record profits for the oil companies.
Are we all so fed up and worn down that we simply don't have the energy or will to even question the outrage du jour?
Gates claims a new carrier in the Persian Gulf is just an idle threat. The Senate continues to try its hand at banning waterboarding.
katsiskats @ 55:
Don't try to depend on the MSM to bring all of this out into the open. They're are simply lame in their reporting.
And since that is true, I submit that we citizens are even lamer considering we have not even questioned the lack of explanation, much less demanded one.
Again, where is the outrage? Anyone?
They're driving the prices up so we get angry now, then when they lower them leading up to the elections we'll be pacified and content. They believe this will help repubs get elected.
In 2004 the price of a gallon of gas at my local station was $1.80 for a long time before the election, maybe Sept. thru the end of the year. No variation, which was strange. Until Jan 2005, when the price started going up again, that is. Staying at one price for months? That's not normal. The price of oil wasn't stable then either.
I have no clue why the html tags are not working in my replies but I trust anyone who cares to read them can figure it out. Geez.
[Your beginning tag was a closing tag, that's why it didn't work-Sitemonitor]
katsiskats @ 58:
We are outraged and we are "BITTER!"
Just in time for the wiley bastards to claim that it was the early checks Americans recieved that are the cause of "lower" gas prices...
Albert Hofmann, Rest In Peace, and let your Freak Flag, (gotten when I used to work at the Stanford Human Genome Center in Palo Alto from the abandoned items left by the lab's previous tenant), Fly.
Though while LSD may have given us Sgt. Pepper's, and all, but if there's a psychedelic that can be considered landmark in human evolution, then I'd put Ibogaine, from the West African coast country of Gabon, where it has been used for *centuries* as part of the Bwiti Tribe's coming of age rituals, slightly ahead of LSD.
That's because in the last 45 years it has been found and documented, to have properties, that with *a one time* use effectively interrupt substance addictions, be they heroin, methadone cocaine, speed, alcohol, et al, in no less than 50% of all people that use it with no relapses, no need for to sit in perpetual meetings, etc, etc.
LSD is fun, but after it wears off, while it may have been a SENSATIONAL experience, it's not the life-changer that Ibogaine has been for tens of thousands of people.
Considering the fraud that is Drug Rehab in the US that has *a 90% FAIL* rate, Ibogaine should get anybody that has, or knows someone that has a problem with addiction, or alcoholism, their complete, and undivided, attention.
Since this effectively solves one of the greatest scourges and afflictions that mankind has faced since we crawled out of the ooze and started walking upright the guys that figured this out should be on the short list for the Nobel Prize in Medicine.
Background here, and here.
The Bwiti
~Nyc
PS: This is only a rumor, but word on the street is that Rush Limpballs took the Ibogaine cure for his opiate addiction, (the one thing I hold him blameless for, because nobody plans to get sick and then addicted), and considering the sheer depth of his daily habit, and the fact that he didn't relapse, it seems not only likely but possible and probable that this is the route he took.
If this is the case, then it's a crime he didn't share this with millions of suffering people.
PPS: Gasoline in the USA needs to be the same price it is nearly everywhere else, $10 a gallon.
What makes us Americans so special that we don't pay what the rest of the world, (save Venezuela, where it's less than 50 cents a gallon), does?
The Other WA @ 59:
But that's my point exactly--we aren't getting angry and we aren't demanding a reason or a rollback, even though the record profits for oil companies, not just speculators, are daily news.
Ron @ 53:
LOL. I threw that in because I didn't know what the hell I was talking about.
Thanks for knowing! :)
katsiskats @ 64:
We are outraged and we are “BITTER!”
Are you new here? We are angry.
This motherfucker! He fucked up the:
Nation's economy with his China policy.
World economy with his spendind policy.
Middle East politics
Armed Forces
Hundred fo American families with their dead and wounded children.
Consumer's pockets with his oil politics, to his minions advantage.
Justice system.
Environment.
Dollars rate worldwide
Now he blames Congress because they are not fixing what he fucked up.
Have you Americans learned something from experience? No!!!! No, of course not. You are about to embark in another sorry ass journey by voting for the most inept candidate. What else is new!
Arnie is giving us more black-outs this summer-conveniently around the same time we try to vote against them taking away our rent control.
Dubya thinks cutting funding to Iraq will prolong
the war.
Early to bed tonight, early to rise tomorrow.
Night all.
Tequila @ 69:
Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. He didn't fool me the first time.
If anyone IS thinking of coming to Canada this summer be WARNED. The average price per US gallon of gas is $5. Depending on where you travel it can be higher.
We need to have an independent audit of the Strategic Petroleum Reserve before Bush and Cheney flee the country. I wouldn't put it past the SOBs to have skimmed tons of it and sold it to their oil company buddies.
Don't worry, be happy, Dubya's in charge and so shut and take it like a good little merican!
No, I'm not new here. I've been posting for several years, albeit sporadically. I'm not questioning the anger or frustration or any other emotion we're probably all feeling.
What really strikes me is our seemingly collective act of resignation and believe me, I feel the same all too often.
I've been increasingly alarmed since 2000 and with each new assault on our liberties and our common sense, not to mention our sensibilities (being forced to suffer a functional illiterate illegally appointed not once, but twice, to the post of the most powerful person on the planet) I'm in the same bizarro world.
What I want to know is why did we stop demanding answers?
Mike the Canuck @ 72:
That's easier than putting a "No Trespassing" sign at the border.
katsiskats @ 75:
Believe me, we haven't.
Hey friends I'm now smiling I'm free and yes mad as hell because these turds of the media are scared of me ,but wait the fun will now start nobody locks me away because they don't know the truth and they wanted me to join them,but I refused to lie to you like they do everyday .Join me to shut these lying turds down and stand as one for America own by us ,we the people.God I love mad people why? because they are destorying our nation and the world and all for a dollar...
Something weird going on here. Let me know C&L what is going on. Maybe not a good night to post comments?
[As far as I know, nothing is going on-Sitemonitor]
Ron @ 78:
What are you experiencing, Ron?
Nicole Belle @ 79:
There was a comment that was posted and it disappeared. It wasn't mine and it wasn't deleted.
[I did that-Sitemonitor]
Ron @ 80:
OK good night.
A woman sells her engagement ring to stay afloat!
rip albert hoffman at 102....what a long strange trip it was
When everyone is freezing in the dark, and you have no food left, you can gather round, wrapped in flags (for heat), and tell proud tales of your stunning military "victories", and then pray to god. Won't it be grand?
uncle joe hussein mccarthy @ 83:
I had some of his Sandoz product back in the 60s, changed my life! R.I.P.
In June/July 2006, Bush and Cheney held a press conference at which Bush announced his new, improved "energy" program.
About two-thirds of the way through his speech (per transcript), Bush off-handedly stated that he was temporarily discontinuing his depositing of oil into the Strategic Oil Reserve (SOR). Gas prices immediately started dropping to the price you mentioned just before election day 2006. Coincidence? Hardly.
Very few people even noticed what Bush said. Bush never clarified how much crude oil he was actually depositing into the SOR. The DOE's SOR website didn't say either. Presumably, Bush started depositing crude oil into the SOR soon after the November 2006 elections were over, thus diverting crude oil being imported from refining to storage in the Gulf Coast salt domes. This upward pressure on domestic energy prices continues to this day.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi the other day called for Bush to once again temporarily suspend his oil depositing program (which apparently once again few people noticed). The word from the Bush White House...silence...crickets. Bush and Cheney will never do anything to hurt the profit margins and profit making of their crude buddies in the oil business, both domestic and foreign (i.e. Saudis).
So, you see, Bush and Cheney could immediately do something (or in this case, stop doing something) that would have an immediate downward impact on gasoline prices at the pump in the United States...but they won't...especially now that Speaker Pelosi has asked them to do it.
I'm glad she did. But Bush and Cheney are so pathologically anti-Democratic Party that they'll stubbornly stick to any one of their crazy, insane policies...no matter how many U.S. citizens have to suffer.
lafin gas @ 85:
I just re-purposed my post @ 63 to here, (complete with the obligatory NYT obit link), if you like it, then please pass it along, thanks!
~Nyc
Nyc La Brets @ 87:
The article said:
"PS: Dr. Hofmann was 102 when he died, just imagine how long he would have lived if he never did drugs."
Maybe he lived that long because he took drugs! We may never know!
Nyc La Brets @ 87:
i just wish they had been able to continue with the studies of lsd and its effects on mental illness, specifically schizophrenia
and goddamit....its time to legalize pot already....totally insane that a plant is an illegal drug
same with cocaine
legalize, regulate, tax
empty out the prisons of drug offenders
and fill them with republican perverts
Boycott FOX and all of its programs. When FOX has no audience they will have no sponsors.
More scumbag oil thieves.
Hill shills for the other Bill.[O'Reilly, that is.]
It costs Saudi Arabia 2-3 dollars a barrel to bring oil to market. The rest is pure profit.
Candidate Bush Called on Clinton to “Jawbone OPEC” to “Open the Spigots.” Bush on how to handle OPEC: “What I think the president ought to do is he ought to get on the phone with the OPEC cartel and say we expect you to open your spigots. One reason why the price is so high is because the price of crude oil has been driven up. OPEC has gotten its supply act together, and it's driving the price, like it did in the past. And the president of the United States must jawbone OPEC members to lower the price.” [The New York Times, 9/29/00; George Bush, Republican Primary Debate, Manchester, NH, 1/26/00]
I hang the criminalization of LSD on Timothy Leary's shoulders, that Kentucky stir fired egomaniacal idjit set all that research back, going on 50 years now.
As far as marijuana goes, I buy my cigarette tobacco, (a plant that is much more challenging to grow), in bulk for $12 a pound, whereas the street price for marijuana is rapidly approaching $10,000 a pound, almost a 1 to 1,000 difference, so it's no wonder that it's illegal, and will remain so, given such an insane profit margin. More on this here.
If I were a street drug dealer I'd get down on my knees and thank the US Govt everyday for keeping it illegal and allowing me to charge such high prices.
One thing that has bothered of me of late about street drugs is that if they're so bad, like speed, for example, then how is it that millions, of millions of Americans, including upwards of 6 million school kids a day on Ritalin, and millions more adults on Adderal, do legal speed to no ill, but beneficial, effect?
Could it be because they are legal, prescribed, regulated, and monitored by health officials instead of the police?
~Nyc
unfrozencaveman @ 14:
Welcome to the bizarro world. Me am so happy.
Don from Canada @ 3:
If that doesn't get you to the polls consider converting your car to run on blood and oil then go vote Republican
Cheney knew: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6BEsZMvrq-I
But that was back before he could start the war and funnel the no bid government contracts to his former company and watch his stock increase over 3000%. http://rawstory.com/news/2005/Cheneys_stock_options_rose_3281_last_1011....
War monger.
War criminal.
War profiteer.
Murderer.
ruthless be carefull about talking about the obvious, They have probably got your phone tapped, The war will be over as soon as the right wing cant make anymore money over it, I am telling all my friends to please vote for McSame so the profitering can continue into the next decade, He believes we can still make huge profits for Cheneys Company Haliburton for another hundred years. Christians believe that lieing cheating murder and extortion is part of the lords word. there must be a book in the bible called Capone that I have never read, I used to be a church goer until George Bush was elected when I found the church supporting hate, lies and criminal activity such as everything the Bush administration does I have lost all faith and spend my time just wondering what the fuck is wrong with these people. Now I see the Democrats destroying each other so we can have more wars of stupidity, How could anyone support Hillary she is as dishonest as any republican ( yes even George Bush) she is as dirty a politician as any republican including Tom Delay. She is going to be the president or destroy any Democrat who would challenge her. Your first clue should be that she has recieved more donations from lobbyist then even the republicans which just means that they would be if elected the new crooks in Washington. WAKE UP AMERICA
Of course Bushie is now out on the stump trying to blame the Democrats for all the problems he's created. His shamelessness never ceases to amaze me, nor does the gullibility of the American people. If a Democrat had been running the country the last 8 years, there'd be hell to pay for all the corruption and incompetence.
89 uncle joe hussein mccarthy Says: Nyc La Brets @ 87:
lafin gas @ 85:
uncle joe hussein mccarthy @ 83:
rip albert hoffman at 102….what a long strange trip it was
=====================================
It's a shame how the establishment freaked out on drugs and banned them. The rest of the world followed the US lead.
It's alright to numb your mind, and suck back as much cheap booze as you like, but hands of nature's bounty. We can thank Dupont (see nylon vs. hemp), the Pharmaceuticals, and the Distilleries, for keeping this a taboo subject. And also for spreading false propaganda about it.
I was watching parts of "Go Ask Alice" at YouTube, this week. I remembered it cuz I was 13 then, and wanted to see what it was like (had forgotten). They had been showing us anti-drug propaganda, at school, at the it came out-- (remember those 'drug films' in health class??? Ha ha ha.) Far from discouraging me, I couldn't wait to start my own experimenting: it looked awesome. Was that wrong? (hee hee)
PS I did, too. NO regrets. Not a one. I met a guy in Japan that summed it up nicely for me: "drinking is boring." We made eye contact and understood each other 100%.
WTF???
Florida's 'I Believe' plates hit roadblock
A license plate that would have become the first in the nation to prominently feature a religious symbol is unlikely to be on the road any time soon after state lawmakers did not include it in a bill Tuesday. full story.
For a picture: http://edition.cnn.com/US/
I would not want this on my car. I am not a Christian. WTF is wrong with Florida????
OK, this might sound tinfoil but here goes: Gas prices rise, rebates go to the gas companies. Let me ask you all: What companies have had the highest profits of any corporation in world history? What industry do our current President and Vice-President come from? Why are there so many large American military bases in the Middle East?
i was going to start a biofuel business.... but im afraid.... after the criminally insane bush administration is out of office, that suddenly, oil production will start again.... oil will go back to 31 dollars a barrel as it was before bush took office and cheney had the secret energy meeting where he told the oil companies "WE ARE GOING TO MAKE YOU RICH, but we want our cut on the back end"...."oh yeah, and enron...you guys are going to gouge california for power so we can dislodge a weak governor and put in a republican".
we will find out of peak oil is a lie after the election, unless john mccain is elected to continue the republican perpetration of the 1984 scenario on our society.
war is peace...we are fighting them there so we wont have to fight them here.
ignorance is strength....anyone who questions this administration is unpatriotic! we need good christian americans who dont question their god or their republican president. we dont like INTELLECTUAL LIBERALS.. always asking questions. for the good of what??? the common man?? thats why we are gutting education...GET RID OF THE D.O.E., we dont want a bunch of concerned informed citizens making trouble for our profits... america will be great again, when we have a society of people who are just smart enough to turn the crank and push the buttons. no manual laborer left behind.
freedom is slavery THEY HATE US FOR OUR FREEDOM...and its our liberties that make us vulnerable to their terror tactics. a free and open society cant protect itself. LET US PROTECT YOU WITH THE PATRIOT ACT. if you have nothing to hide.... why are you afraid of having your phone tapped and your life investigated...we need to watch you.... to watch OVER YOU... we will protect you with our color codes and the patriot act. you are free to do what we tell you...
so ill wait to see if the oil goes down before i do anything rash. this may all have been a mindfuck to get money for oil companies and the military industrial complex.
Ash"Hussy"Williams @ 50:
But neither explains the record profits the oil companies are raking in.
Very true, Watson. Therein lies the mystery.
On to the next Wall Street bubble? The oil-bubble market manipulation scheme? Sounds rather republican don't you think? All you need are "friends" in high places.
Since history suggests price manipulation is likely, perhaps there is a window of investment opportunity. Too bad most Americans don't have enough devalued dollars to profit from the upcoming Republican ruse. Could buying on margin be the answer? Profiting with borrowed investment house funds would be sweet. Besides, if the whole thing goes sour and you can't repay the investment house, the government will bail them out.
Recall when JimmyCarter(PEENUT FARMER) got to be Pressnuts? Peanut butter went from a 39 cents a jar to $3.00. 80% of all foriegn oil to USA comes from Canada. Americans own most of the oil fields in Canada.20% of all Iraq's oil comes into Canada and backdoor into US of A. If america owns oil field companies--why the increase?
Now,once Trooper McGoo gets in--his business is war,killings.If Hillary gets in--- Business crook and liar.Now if Obama gets in ?
Ron @ 12:
And all of this assumes of course that the entire 18 cent savings is passed on to the consumer. A huge assumption.
There is no mafic wand..
Wait a minute !! Wait A minute , Let me finish !!!
If we had a magic wand, we'd use it. There IS NO MAGIC WAND !! So no, gas prices will not be going down before the election because there is no magic wand.
We can drill in ANWR or extend the tax cuts, but there is no magic... ummm... wand.
vrk @ 104:
Gas prices have gone up an average of 18cents/gallon since the proposal was first brought up a couple of weeks ago.
It's like the Macy's White Sale where they raise all prices by 70% on Sunday night and on Monday they have a HUUUUGE sale, everything is 50-60% off !!!!
It's time for my fellow Dems and Progressives to grow up about gas prices. Politicians do not control them. NOBODY does. The market does collectively. The big American oil companies control only 5 percent of the world's oil. How the hell do you control the price of a global commodity with only 5 percent?
Gas prices routinely rise in the spring and drop in the fall due to refinery and demand factors.
Got to theoildrum.com to get informed.
Mighk @ 107:
the weak US dollar has more to do with gas price hikes than most anything else.
Sure gas prices rise in the spring, but never before by this much.
The cost of regular in WV(Pocahontas) is already 3.75. Now OPEC is pushing to assess crude prices based on the EURO which is a more stable currency at over 66 cents above DOLLAR value.
Isn't it time for bush to stop kissing the Saudi Prince on the cheeks of his face and plant one right on his ass?
Even if it didn't lower gas prices it would show his true color.
I saw a gas prices graph a little over a year ago in the WSJ that illustrated a direct link between gas price at the pump and election day. Indeed for the past 10 years gas prices dropped dramatically in the 2 weeks preceding every election except one. That one election where gas prices started to rise a month before and right through the election was 2000, Bush Gore.
You're probably scratching your head and calling BS on me, really you saw this in the WSJ?
You'd be partly right there.
The graph was very clear what was going on if you ignored the BS text that went with it. The WSJ didn't mention elections at all, instead they inserted explanations throughout the graph as to why the prices spiked here and there. eg. a tanker sank, rebel actions, refinery fire, bad weather etc...
AH...an open thread after my own heart....and what a coincidence...I have 3 articles that are all about this...
Daily Reading pt 1...
Why staying on an 'Oil economy' will destroy the U.S. and the world economy - http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentators/hamish-mcrae/hamish-mc...
In the short-term there may well be some shading back in the price, but our economic structure is determined by long-term prices, not short, and the present surge seems likely to hasten us along the path to a less oil-dependent world.
Oil is still being found but the really big opportunities are in non-conventional sources, such as shale oil and tar sands, and these are expensive to exploit and may carry high environmental costs.
... So supply will remain tight for the foreseeable future. It may become very tight indeed if the "peak oil" advocates are right.
OPEC and Peak Oil - http://www.aspo-usa.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=362&It...
Given these factors as well as the rapid increase in oil demand in developing economies, one should expect continued increases in oil prices; US motorists should plan for gasoline prices much more equal to European prices, or between $5 -$10 per gallon over the next two to three years. These price increases will be camouflaged by large price fluctuations, but with a very strong upward bias.
OPEC has every intention of obtaining more of the real value of its exports for producer nations in the near term.
This could provoke or be used to justify military action against OPEC member states. Much higher prices serve a further useful objective of reducing demand and thus the call on finite OPEC resources.
THIS IS WHY YOU MUST VOTE DEMOCRATIC IN NOVEMBER....
The unbearable tightness of oil markets, America is ill equipped to handle expensive oil - http://gristmill.grist.org/story/2008/4/29/19711/7819
Investments in appropriate infrastructure are vital. Zoning changes are necessary. And a shift in perspective is key. It won't do to have our leaders pretending that something like a summer gas tax holiday will put things right.
Those leaders need to be saying that it's time to focus on long-term solutions and long-term adjustments. And those leaders need to be saying that they're ready to put the government to good use in facilitating the transition.
The nation's top climate scientist, James Hansen, has just published a general-audience article, "Tipping Point", in State of the Wild 2008-2009 from Island Press. It is well worth sending to folks who don't like all the climate science math.
- http://gristmill.grist.org/story/2008/4/29/134019/300
Outrage in the Climate Science Community Continues Over the "500 Scientist" List - http://www.desmogblog.com/outrage-in-the-climate-science-community-conti...
The letters are pouring in from angry scientists, with over 45 scientists now demanding that there names be stricken from the list, some are going much further and threatening legal action.
Man...Deniers/'skeptics' are easily the dumbest MFers on this planet....check out the examples in the article...
Another definition of waste: 18.6 Million Empty Houses in America - http://www.treehugger.com/files/2008/04/186-million-empty-houses.php
I'd love to do a documentary on wasted/empty office space in this country, I'm sure it would dwarf the number above...by a magnitude of at least 3X
Deleted Pro-Clinton Blog Entry from National Press Club Rev. Wright Appearance Organizer - http://www.buzzflash.com/articles/alerts/349
Was Jeremiah Wright's speech set up by a Clinton supporter? Looks like it - http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/washington/2008/04/wrightsetup.html
Clinton Supporter Was Sponsor of Wright's National Press Club Appearance: As it turns out, the minister and journalist "who organized" the Jeremiah Wright National Press Club event is big Hillary booster. - http://www.nydailynews.com/opinions/columnists/louis/index.html
Sen. Barack Obama wants everyone to know that he is not the Rev. Jeremiah Wright and that the talkative Wright does not speak for him. - http://blog.washingtonpost.com/the-trail/2008/04/28/obama_on_wright_he_d...
Caren Says:
I’m ready to bet we hit $5 by the end of July. Then we’ll get the lie about how “summer gas” production has “caught up” to demand and prices will start to come down to match the rest of the country.
For a multi-gazillion dollar "business" these stupid fu(ks STILL cannot fogure out how to keep the flow of "product" to the consumer. Is this REALLY that hard to figure out? Total bullshit about demand and production, and refining, blah, blah, blah fucking blah.
KILL ALL CORPORATIONS!
Daily Reading pt 2...
The Best Thing NOT to Have Happened During the Bush Administration: by Robert B. Reich - http://www.commondreams.org/archive/2008/04/29/8594/
The best thing to not to have happen during the Bush administration is we did not privatize Social Security, as Bush wanted. Had we done so, boomers facing retirement over the next few years would be even worse off than they are now.
Now they’re struggling with pension plans worth less than they counted on, and home values that are tanking. At least they can rely on a monthly Social Security check. But if we had privatized, prospective retirees would be totally reliant on the stock market. And look what’s happened to the market.
Judge Orders Bush Administration to Stop Delaying Polar Bear Protection - http://www.enn.com/press_releases/2463
A federal judge has found the Bush administration guilty of violating the Endangered Species Act and ordered the administration to issue a final listing decision for the polar bear by May 15, 2008. The polar bear, suffering as its Arctic sea-ice habitat melts, is one of the world’s most imperiled animals due to global warming.
Free Market Occupation/GOP-how 'they do war' Update: U.S. Military Contractor "Used Armored Cars To Transport Prostitutes" - http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/04/29/us-military-contractor-us_n_991...
Over at Muckraked, we get news that "a panel of whistleblowers" testifying before a Senate committee yesterday dropped a dime on their employer, military contractor DynCorp (among others). The most explosive part of the testimony involved a contract manager, a misappropriated armored car, and prostitutes: A contractor died when a DynCorp manager used an employee's armored car to transport prostitutes, according to Barry Halley, a Worldwide Network Services employee working under a DynCorp subcontract.
Nope...nothing wrong with corporate privatization....no accountability, no answering for malfeasance, no conscience, no stake in anything except profit....yep...lets run the world like that!
To the selfish, idiotic folks out there that still don't 'get it': U.S. population to hit 1 billion in 2100, prof says - http://www.scholarsandrogues.com/2008/04/29/us-population-to-hit-1-billi...
My college students will have to unplug the cell phones and iPods from their ears and figure out to live, survive, even prosper in a nation that at least one researcher says will triple in population in their lifetimes. Unbridled growth is unlikely to serve my young students well.
Not condemning those who already have them....but condemn those who still seek to have more then one or two children....
Attytood: Obama: Let's Talk Better Mileage - http://www.philly.com/philly/blogs/attytood/Obama_Lets_Talk_Better_Milea...
Election 2008 is a redux of 1980..... (the Onion) Responding to a question about America's reliance on fuel from OPEC nations, President Carter said "We have an opportunity to use American technology and know-how to develop our own alternate, renewable energy sources, such as solar and wind power, freeing us from reliance on foreign oil. This is sound policy, not just for America, but for Planet Earth".
Republican challenger Ronald Reagan said "Mr Carter is missing one very important point. That is, if American is to continue to prosper in the 1980s and beyond, we must join together and kill the bastards. Kill them! Kill them!"
Paul Krugman: McCain the destroyer - http://krugman.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/04/26/mccain-the-destroyer/?8ty&em...
John Nichols: Dems must call out racists in North Carolina GOP - http://www.madison.com/tct/opinion/column/283714
Con-servatives want the world to be wrapped up in the 1950s (with science from the 1300s, at least that's what they want their followers to believe)....sorry...that goes against everything that it is to be human...change is inevitable, you're fighting the essence of the universe...good luck with that...
Daily Reading pt 3...
Election 2008: The Senate: More Open Seats Hurt GOP Chances - http://www.cqpolitics.com/wmspage.cfm?docid=weeklyreport-000002712175
And Obama can bring a larger majority in the house & senate with him....then we can take this country into the 21st century...
GOP/Republican Culture of Corrpution Update: Jack Abramoff's Ties Ran Deep at the DOJ; Abramoff crew looked to lobby Ashcroft - http://www.law.com/jsp/article.jsp?id=1209114346968&rss=newswire
A brilliant satirist couldn't write black humor like the GOP can: Another McCain mistake: McCain's Health Insurance Plan Would Not Cover Child Featured At Campaign Event - http://thinkprogress.org/wonkroom/2008/04/28/mccain-jake/
If there is any 'moderate' or 'independent' out there still planning on voting for this idiot....may I suggest you enter into a breath holding competition with David Blaine first thing in the morning on November 4th...
Tune in TODAY at 9 PM ET: Michael Moore is Back on CNN Live With Larry King!
Will talk about his endorsement of Obama
Bitter for Hussein Obama (aka right wing hater) @ 114:
Are you the guy who lives over this way?
Of course it's a coincidence; it's two incidents that happened cojointly
The question is was theire intent, mens rea or a causal relationship?
I prefer casual relationships.
Gas prices can be graphed at http://www.gasbuddy.com/gb_retail_price_chart.aspx?time=24
Chico Hussein @ 108:
The ridiculous thing was a former Clinton official wrote an op-ed that appeared in Sunday's (?) Dallas Morning Nudes, arguing that the Iraqi occupation has nothing to do witih the cost of gas. He kept insisting it was supply and demand, although to be accurate he should've said quantity supply and quantity demand.
However, when oil prices spike what are the corporations excuse, disruption of the oil line. This can be labor strikes, sabotauge, natural disasters, and WAR.
Additionally, we're financing this occupation not by raising taxes, but by borrowing money thus devaluating the currency, making oil more expensive (your point). But what caused this devaluation, financing our OCCUPATION.
So this op-ed piece made no sense.
Above is for 24 months, this is for 6 years (72 months) clearly lows at at election days.
http://www.gasbuddy.com/gb_retail_price_chart.aspx?time=72
Gas prices wont fall this time. Bush is in his last term and hes gonna let the oil companies stick it up our butts. And the dems are loving it because its pissing everyone off. Its a free for all for big oil. Sad part is when the dems get in office aint nothing going to change.
I should mention he was a former official in Bill Clinton's adminisitration, not Hillary's campaign.
Lest we forget. On the day that shrub raised his soiled hand to swear an oath in support of the Constitution, gas went up 25c/gal. and has been going up ever since. Payback isn't always a bitch. Sometimes you get rich. Just ask Big Oil.
This little cuties sings Hey Jude while this one sings the National Anthem.
#118 ysbadden:
That is exactly right. Like I've said before, this WAR is the root of nearly ALL of America's current ills.
Chico Hussein @ 105:
bitter Edwin Hussein @ 84:
We need an independent audit of the Strategic Petroleum Reserve before Bush and Cheney flee the country. I wouldn't put it past the SOBs to skim tons of oil from the reserve and sell it to their oil company buddies.
I'm buying a flag pin and going to wear it upside down, the universal distress symbol, 'cause this country is goin' down.
The gas tax "holiday" is a big, fat red herring. The federal tax is roughly 18 cents/gallon. Clearly that is not what has caused gasoline pump prices to rise and, therefore, will not have the impact that we need.
The fact that the tax is only 18 cents/gallon is pathetic. Think about how much better our infrastructure would be by merely doubling it to 36 cents/gallon -- IF the Feds would actually spend the funds as they are meant to be.
I went to a mall on Monday and noticed a Pacific Sun and Foot Locker next to each other closed down. I'm guessing by the end of the year Wal-Mart will be the only place to shop.
Prices will go down from their summertime high, but I'm expecting this summer for prices to go up to about USD$4.25/gal. In October, it will go down, my guess: to about USD$3.80/gal. as inflation really starts kicking in, people will have less money for discretionary BS, and this will create a case of demand destruction in the USA, resulting in lower prices. However, the prices aren't going to drop too much because oil production peaked in may 2005, and has been declining ever since, and will continue to decline, forever.
for all the "nonsense" in his talk yesterday, this is one of the few speeches where, if you read between the lines, he was actually telling the truth, for once. Basically: the oil age is over. All the rst of the oil production will come from ever more difficult and liminal sources (like ANWR), but the production totals are not going to increase. That's the whole "magic wand" thing - and he's absolutely correct. There is no "magic wand" to put more oil in the ground, and America's dependence on oil has left it completely vulnerable. Has he been deeply responsible for this state of affairs? Of course. And once you discount all his blathering ideological pferdenscheiss, he was giving you the straight dope, probably for the first time in his career.
1. Oil production is going down and will continue to do so.
2. The demand is high and will continue to increase, thanks to china and India seeking to emulate Euro/American signfiers of wealth (cars, vacations, meaty diets)
3. There is no "magic wand" to fix this - this is a permanent crisis.
4. Cars run on oil, and if you want to continue the SUV powered Suburban Happy Motoring Society, you are going to have to drill it out of every nook, cranny and crevice on the planet, including ANWR.
5. If you don't like it, TOUGH.
I can guarantee you that a President Gore would be doing the same thing (except drilling ANWR) only not so desperately, as we would have started on alternative energy funding 7 years ago, and would have a leg up on it by now.
By the way: you wanna be stupid rich in 10 years? Start a home drilled geoThermal HVAC company NOW, and start building your business NOW, and do a great job NOW, because with a good reputation and 10 years of experience, you will be the go-to guy in your area for that technology. Think you're gonna heat your home with gas in 10 years? Nope. Oil? Nope. That leaves what, electricity? Sh'yeah - that's a smart use of energy - NOT. Sorry - it's going to be geothermal or nothing. I'm NOT kidding about this. Get in on this NOW before the johnny come lately's start popping up. The people who are doing it now have more work than they can handle...
danger hussein al-malak @ 30:
In L.A. we have been paying ove $3.75 for a long time - many stations now list $4.15 and $3.92 is the lowest I saw yesterday.
tHeHusseinGaMeOfLiFe @ 13:
Um, yes, he did. Really.
http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/04/30/america/29textobama.php
Which I guess means he's of the same mind as the idiots who say 'they hate us for our freedom' and 'the US is the most peaceful nation in history' and 'you are either with us, or with the terrists'. Great. Nothing will change. What's the point of even having an election if the result is we're still as fucked as if Dubya suspends the Constitution and declares himself Emperor for life?
IT'S THE FOREIGN POLICY, STUPID!
that's just crazy talk!! i mean... to think that politicians will use their influence on foreign gummints and corporations in order to decrease gas prices... all in order to win elections... i bet you also think they use redrawing of districts and stuff in order to win elections... or that they use pork spending in order to build goodwill with voters...
incredible crazy talk...
Congressional Hearings!
And a national ad campaign about how scared big oil is of a Democratic takeover.
Let everyone knows that Big Oil is terrified of losing their record profits.
Every chance you get, tell people, "If you vote McCain, prepare for everything to get worse. More layoffs. More inflation. Higher bills. More foreclosures. Harder work for less pay. Unless you are a millionaire. In which case, you will be getting a raise, a tax cut, the opportunity to buy cheap foreclosures, and the chance to send more jobs to sweatshops."
Did you know that the extreme luxury market in commodities like custom jets, yachts, cars, watches, restaurants, clothing, etc is booming?
It's going to come down to each and every person campaigning for a Progressive Democratic sweep in November. The billionaires are going to pour lots of money into talk radio, television, and direct mail. We have to make sure that we drown out their money with truth, passion, and enthusiasm.
William Ayers Tried to Kill My Family
John Murtaugh
NY Daily News
n February 1970, my father, a New York State Supreme Court justice, was presiding over the trial of the so-called "Panther 21," members of the Black Panther Party indicted in a plot to bomb New York landmarks and department stores. Early on the morning of Feb. 21, as my family slept, three gasoline-filled firebombs exploded at our home on the northern tip of Manhattan, two at the front door and the third tucked neatly under the gas tank of the family car......
Nobody should hold the junior senator from Illinois responsible for his friends' and supporters' violent terrorist acts. But it is fair to hold him responsible for a startling lack of judgment in his choice of mentors, associates and friends, and for showing a callous disregard for the lives they damaged and the hatred they have demonstrated for this country.
It is fair, too, to ask what those choices say about Obama's own beliefs, his philosophy and the direction he would take our nation.
At the conclusion of his 2001 Times interview, Ayers said of his upbringing and subsequent radicalization: "I was a child of privilege and I woke up to a world on fire."
Funny thing, Bill: One night, so did I.
I've already seen some "experts" predicting that oil price could be cut in half "for a short time", due to, "influences in the market". Nope, no bet, you can count on it.
Gene Vincent @ 128:
NPR radio show this morning--some economist arguing that according to his research, we currently have 19,000 sq. ft of retail space per person and what we really need is somewhere around 10,000. So expect huge numbers of stores to go out of business, small and chain. He listed a few that were iffy -- Ann Taylor, Linens n Things, can't remember what else.
All of this will snowball.... Sales tax, banking, jobs directly at the stores, maintenance, security, all the small and big things that all those former workers spent on..... It's pretty ugly. We're goin' down.
dennis @ 135:
So now Bill Ayers was a Black Panther? Oh no, wait... Murtaugh "just knows" who it was, despite having no evidence. From the article:
Though no one was ever caught or tried for the attempt on my family's life, there was never any doubt who was behind it.
"Never any doubt" in Murtaugh's mind. Huh. Wonder why that ironclad evidence didn't result in a conviction, or at least an arrest. Why was that, d? Conspiracy?
Rusty Shackleford @ 143:
C'mon Rusty. It's so easy these days to look up stuff like that. Why do you continue to try to bait me by asking me questions you either already know the answers to, or at least should know the answers to?
Ayers managed to avoid prosecution in large part due to illegal activities by the FBI during the investigation of the Weathermen.
The point of the article is that Obama should've known better than to pal around with this guy, and he's right about that.
dennis @ 144:
Nice dancing, d, but still no evidence that Ayers personally, or even the Weathermen, were involved in the attack on Murtaugh's family.
In fact, I'd be interested in any proof you have that Ayers personally committed any violent acts. I mean, since he's so well known to be such a notorious terrorist, there must be a lot of proof, right? Or do you "just know," like Murtaugh?
Tommykey @ 10:
Hey! This is very true!
But then it is also true that monkeys MIGHT fly out of my ass.
Hmmm...well, where I live a full "Eighty Cents Drop" in gasoline prices today would make a gallon cost a low low $3.47. Hardly a number to win any votes.
"Fool me and can't get fooled again" Arrgggghhhh!!! I can't take this place anymore......corruption abounds everywhere i turn. Hungry, starving ppl w/o anything to eat, or anyone to turn to.
SAVE OUR COUNTRY......SOMEONE!!!
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