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Old 05-04-2008, 06:22 AM   #101
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My sister, who lives in Italy, pays $7.50 a gallon.
And this is about 4.8 Euros to the dollar. When launched, the Euro was at 1:1 with the dollar. Not sure what the gasoline tax is in Italy, but I bet it isn't less than in the US. So maybe not so different after all.
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Old 05-04-2008, 06:36 AM   #102
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Exchange rate:Exchange Rates Graph (American Dollar, Euro)

Current rate is approx. 0.65 Euro's to a dallar. OUR dollar is worth less than their dollar.
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Old 05-04-2008, 06:56 AM   #103
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Exchange rate:Exchange Rates Graph (American Dollar, Euro)

Current rate is approx. 0.65 Euro's to a dallar. OUR dollar is worth less than their dollar.
Precisely. That's why, if you lived in Italy when they adopted the Euro, and converted $4.80 to Euros then, you could buy one US gallon (or its equivalent in liters) with that same 4.80 Euros.

If the dollar goes all Reagan again, say the Pound Sterling sinks to about a buck 20, you'd find it would have been better to keep your money in dollars because $4.80 would buy more than 4.8 Euros (assuming the Euro and Pound maintain some sort of parity - the Pound used as an example because the Euro didn't exist the last time the US Dollar was a real powerhouse).
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Old 05-04-2008, 09:24 AM   #104
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Originally Posted by ROBERTSUNRUS
Hi, the rising fuel costs are just a wake up call for your life style. I don't like it either, but some of us eat too much, causing us to weigh too much, and have the need to park three feet from the front door of the mall. We need to walk more. [I park farther from the entrances so I can walk some more and it's usually safer for your car, like in door dings.] I eat better foods now and lost about 20 lbs. We take bike rides almost daily. [better for you and cheaper than a gym membership] Less body weight means better fuel economy. We buy more at Wal-Mart and Costco to save money and try not to buy things [food items] that will be thrown away. We won't help you get Bio-fuel either because we don't frequent the greasy food places for that 15 lb bag of french fries. I like my coffee at home; That $7.50 a day Star-bucks, or whatever daily fancy treat your addicted to will buy plenty of fuel to tow your Airstream. When you buy something, Do I want it? or, Do I need it? Just this thought will save you lots of money. We need to rethink our priorities and maybe the gas prices will help us in the long run.

These are my opinions and not meant to hurt anyones feelings. But fuel costs, for me, will be compensated elsewhere in my life style.
Good post Robert. Our life style changed dramatically 3 years ago with my disability and eventual retirement, then, Lynn's, stroke. Our income eased up but was dramatically compensated by the end of a 120 mile a day commute. Suddenly we were 'rich'. But now the rise in prices has us adjusting again. Rallies are still the priority . But we do the ones close to home and fortunately our favorite campgrounds are within 2 hours drive. We told our daughter and son that we intend to enjoy their inheiritance. Our daughter replied, "That's okey, Dad, we are only expecting to recieve a big bunch of camping equipment anyway."
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Old 05-04-2008, 10:58 PM   #105
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I think that we are all forgetting that gas/diesel is just a small percentage of oil in our lives. Look at your homes and realize that just about all of the materials used in modern building comes from some form of petroleum. Plastics are used in everything from saran wrap to just about all of the medical supplies used every day in our hospitals. I believe in conservation, but to believe that we are going to be able to get rid of our dependence on oil in the next 50 to 100 years is not being realistic. Finding alternatives will evolve just as humanity and this wonderous planet has for the millenium. So in the meantime I plan to do all I can in moderation...

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Old 05-04-2008, 11:24 PM   #106
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Originally Posted by Reganzo
I think that we are all forgetting that gas/diesel is just a small percentage of oil in our lives. Look at your homes and realize that just about all of the materials used in modern building comes from some form of petroleum. Plastics are used in everything from saran wrap to just about all of the medical supplies used every day in our hospitals...
So in the meantime I plan to do all I can in moderation...

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Old 05-05-2008, 02:13 PM   #107
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Reganzo
I think that we are all forgetting that gas/diesel is just a small percentage of oil in our lives. Look at your homes and realize that just about all of the materials used in modern building comes from some form of petroleum. Plastics are used in everything from saran wrap to just about all of the medical supplies used every day in our hospitals. I believe in conservation, but to believe that we are going to be able to get rid of our dependence on oil in the next 50 to 100 years is not being realistic. Finding alternatives will evolve just as humanity and this wonderous planet has for the millenium. So in the meantime I plan to do all I can in moderation...

Respectfully,

Reganzo
Exactly, it took us 100 years to develop the petrochemical industry to what it is today and it will take us another 100 years (probably) to find economical alternative for all those chemicals.
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Old 05-05-2008, 04:11 PM   #108
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In regards to fuel prices, there is no end in sight.
I just switched employers, but i was working for a fuel company. On one of my first days there, i asked one of the head honchos why we are paying so much. And he made it quite simple, supply and demand. He stated that the public needs 125k gallons, when only 100 are available (numbers made up for arguement sake). So until the demand changes, the price wont. What also hurts us are all the laws that pass. For example, anyone in the socal area has seen all the oil rigs off of huntington beach and some nearby beaches, well none of those are even being used. There was a law passed that prohibits pumping within so many miles on land. so all those offshore rigs are 'too close'.
We have access to more fuel but they just dont use them.
As the saying goes, the rich gets richer.
its sad too, because so many people are being effected. gas goes up, so does food and clothing. And being that i drive classic cars, i have to budget in the gas just to plan any sort of trip, with or without trailer.

one last thing, and this is what bothers me most. My wife and I have a dream of one day retiring and taking the 59 cadi and 59 airstream across country. Problem is i am only 28 and wont retire anytime soon. It truely scares me to think what gas prices will be when that time comes
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Old 05-05-2008, 05:07 PM   #109
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Gas/diesel for our tow vehicles is a minor problem compared to the cost of heating homes in the northern areas of the U. S.! I'm personally looking at a minimum of $4,000 for fuel oil next winter - and that's for a very well insulated, and well-built modern home of modest size (under 2,000 sf heated!) Northern Maine is, for the most part, composed of hard-working families that have to use all of their skills and resourcefulness to get by in the best of times. Many will switch to wood and wood pellets - but that switch still comes at a cost. There is also a disproportionate number of retirees living in the State that couldn't afford to move to warmer climates if they had to - and probably wouldn't, even if they could, because they rely heavily on their families for support in times of crisis. Spending winters in warmer climates is nothing but a dream for many of them. Even for me, taking the Airstream to Florida for the Winter isn't a break-even arrangement. I may save $1,500 in fuel for the home in Maine - but the cost of fuel for the round-trip, plus the cost of a place to park for the winter, offsets any possible savings.
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Old 05-09-2008, 08:37 PM   #110
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Thanks to all of you for your input. I've enjoyed reading all of the pros and cons and back and forth banter about using alternative fuels, etc. But more than anything, I've enjoyed reading the over-all optimism amongst Airstreamers that no matter how bad "it" gets or how high the fuel costs become most of you will just tighten your belts and will always be Airstreamers. You (we) will take one less trip a year or take a shorter trip or drive slower or eat beans and cornbread instead of going out to eat but will never stop camping and never stop sharing that enthusiasm with our kids and grandkids. There is nothing that we have now or have ever owned that has brought us together with such nice people and brought us so much pleasure as our Airstream.
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Old 05-10-2008, 02:12 AM   #111
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Originally Posted by cooperhawk
I like Glen Beck and watch his TV show from time to time, but his stock and trade is fear mongering. He has us all living as savages in an anarchist world, or so one would think. He makes some good points however.
This is still the best and greatest country in the world to live in. Any of you want to live elsewhere?

The recent problem in the Mortgage Markets has left those investers with no place to invest their money, so guess what, they are investing in "Oil Futures". And now they compete with the capitolists that were already in the market driving the prices up. I hope a lot of them lose their a**s!

You hear very little about the new Bakke Oil Field being developed in North Dakota, Wyoming, and Montana. Proven reserves already announced at 3 billion by the USGS, and predicted to grow to 300 billion. They are drilling like mad right now. At 300 billion it would exceed all the oil that Saudi Arabia has.

For years now the cheap oil importation has shut down a lot of production here in the states. Friends, we have a LOT of oil. We just didn't have the need to go get it. Many wells were shut down because they couldn't pump it out of the ground and compete with the prices offered by OPEC. Well, guess what? We now have the incentive. Don't be surprised if the American people rise up against the "Green Weenies" and demand that we drill for our own oil! Modern methods disrupt the environment very little.

We are the Mideast of Coal. New technologies allow us to burn coal cleanly and economically. It makes very little sense to not use what we have.

The high price of oil is not really new. In the seventies we had the Arab Oil Embargo. I sat in gas lines on alternate days just so I could get to work. Just when our own oil industry was gearing up the Arabs saw what was happening and dropped the price right out from under them. I hope that doesn't happen again.

Why you ask? Well, I would like to be free of the Mideast clutches. I would like our own industry to supply us. Yes, it can be done. If the price stays up just sit back and watch. We can and will kick their butts.

With the falling dollar people will vacation here in the states. Better value for the money. Yep, they'll come from overseas too. It's happened this way before. Our products will compete better as well. More for the dollar.

I want to see new fuels come on line as much as anyone else. I just don't think there is anything ready as of yet. I like hydrogen. The problem is that we really don't have a cheap way to manufacture it yet. Until then we have all we need right here at home. We only need the incentive to go get it.

The Bakken ol field is now believed to probably yield 400 billion barrels. There is a lot more oil out there than most people realize, now it's time to go get it.
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Old 05-10-2008, 03:02 AM   #112
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Even though I think we should go get the oil that is out there, it is not the demand for crude that has outstripped the supply but the amount of refined petroleum products that can't keep up with demands. We need more refineries, period.
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Old 05-13-2008, 03:27 PM   #113
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Senator Bingamon (NM) speech

A couple of days ago, Senator Jeff Bingaman (NM), chair of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources, gave a very interesting speech about the current state of affairs. The ABQ Journal got a copy of the complete speech. It is somewhat long, but very well worth the read.

I'll link to the ABQ Journal version here, but I'll go ahead and attach a Word copy (scanned), too.

ABQNews - Bingaman Talks on Gasoline Prices


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Old 05-13-2008, 04:17 PM   #114
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Old 05-13-2008, 04:58 PM   #115
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Fuel Prices

I couldn't help but respond again to this subject. I too read the Senator's letter and his solution does nothing to fix the problem. His two main points:
  1. Reduce the incentives for speculation in the oil market, and;
  2. Strengthen the dollar by showing some commitment to getting our own fiscal house in order.

WILL NOT PRODUCE ONE MORE OUNCE OF OIL TO OUR SUPPLY.

If he really wants to effect commodity market speculation to bring down the price of oil all he has to do is to have a majority in congress in both houses to immediately agree to eliminate all barriers to allow new refineries to be built and agree to drill in ANWR. The oil on the commodities market would see the prices drop off a cliff. As long as the markets really believed our government was serious about getting out the way.

However, this does not immediately produce one more ounce of oil but it will send an appropriate signal to the market right now that our government will institute changes that will affect the price of oil.

On the dollar: The only way to strengthen the dollar is to eliminate the Federal Reserve and tie our currency something other than thin air. BTW, if you don't know it, the Federal Reserve is a privately owned bank that our government borrows from. The Feds creates money from thin air and you and are paying taxes that enable our government to pay the interest on the that debt created from thin air. But it would help if all of our government entities would only spend what they take in.

This gentleman has a series of articles pertaining to the Federal Reserve system:

The Money Changers, Part I: The US Federal Reserve

-----

I found this article very interesting from a different oil company viewpoint:

In Defense of 'Big Oil'

A couple snipits from it:

"Peter Robertson, vice chairman of Chevron, told me it’s a myth that oil companies are not investing in new energy sources. He says last year alone, Chevron spent $20 billion exploring new sources of energy. "

"The last refinery built in America was in 1976. Tighter government regulations are the main reason."

"Robertson said there would be plenty of oil available to the United States if the oil companies were allowed to get it: “Eighty-five percent of offshore oil is off-limits.” "

"The technology has become so good, he said, that during Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, “one thousand offshore wells were destroyed (in the Gulf of Mexico), but not one leaked.” Australia, he said, has allowed offshore drilling for 40 years without any environmental damage."

"In addition to the sinking value of the dollar, here is the main problem: According to the Department of Energy, U.S. oil production has fallen approximately 40 percent since 1985, while the consumption of oil has grown by more than 30 percent."

"According to government estimates, there is enough oil in areas accessible to America — 112 billion barrels — to power more than 60 million cars for 60 years."

Here's another article on our oil trouble: OVER A BARREL

-------

And then a couple of recent cartoons that hit the nail on the head.
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Old 05-13-2008, 05:10 PM   #116
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Quote: "We told our daughter and son that we intend to enjoy their inheiritance. Our daughter replied, "That's okay, Dad, we are only expecting to receive a big bunch of camping equipment anyway."
Neil."


Camping, in the old-fashioned sense of minimal accouterments, may make a comeback, folks traveling by rail or air then by bus or what-have-you to their destinations. I'm certain we'll all find a way to use these trailers to our advantage and privacy, even if it means putting them and the tow vehicles on diets that get us above 20 mpg at, say, 55 mph.

The value inherent in a well-used trailer of this quality will transcend the problems of this period. There will be a use. I've already said it elsewhere: if bad weather makes my home un-inhabitable, then my trailer makes it possible for me to live comfortably until the right contractor with the right supplies, etc., make it possible to move in. And that may take a year to three years judging by the Katrina mess.

Plus, what a great thing to "inherit" if that's how it works out in the above quote! I'd have loved to have inherited my grandparents Streamline, but I'm about 30-years late on that one.
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Old 05-13-2008, 05:48 PM   #117
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Quote:
Originally Posted by DFord79
uebank:
Well, I guess maybe Germans might pronounce my name as Übank (ue being an orthographic alternate for Ü), but most folk here use Eubank. (Ü also sounds a whole bunch different from U or Eu.)

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Old 05-14-2008, 08:50 AM   #118
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I watch who wants to be a millionare with my wife. One of the questions was how much would each American have contribute to pay off the national debt The answer turned out to be $30,000.00 from each of us would retire the debt.

I found that surprising as I had thought it would have been more than that...

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Old 05-14-2008, 09:06 AM   #119
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I heard something interesting on tv about farming and fuel. It takes a lot to keep cattle and then process meat and get it to the consumer these days. If everyone ate 20% less beef it would amount to savings as much as fuel consumtion on the road, or some such thing. (aka I don't like to get bogged down with facts or origins ) I take that with a grain of salt (and pepper) But I could do that. Just food for thought...
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