This week, NBC Nightly News will be featuring a four-part series on rising gas prices -- an issue that has hit many Americans especially hard. Tuesday's report will cover how the American auto industry is responding with a shift in focus to develop more fuel-efficient hybrids; on Wednesday, we'll hear from farmers in Des Moines, Iowa, about how high trucking and delivery costs are killing their profits; on Thursday, we'll take a *short* trip with some RV couples who have had to cut-down on their cross-country lifestyle; and on Friday, we'll find out the cost-breakdown of a gallon of gas. MSNBC.com reporter Alex Johnson also details how gas thieves have grown more brazen as gas prices continue to soar.
We're interested in hearing your stories as well. Are you experiencing 'pain at the pump'? How are you handling it?
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Well actually no. Gas in this country is still a bargain. I see many in the west still driving 65-75 MPH. Anything above 55 and the wind resistance kills your mileage (MPG)
related to this discussion at 35.00 dollars a BBL domestic oil producers went around capping oil wells. Here in California for example 25 years ago with profits far behind costs, Standard Oil of California went around capping wells from Bakersfield to Los Angeles. Just think all these domestic oil wells capped with oil in them, while OPEC continues to cut production.
I manage a storage facility where tenants leave their work trucks on-site over night. Believe it or not, thieves have been coming in at night and emptying them of their fuel. I had every one install locking gas caps...They now just cut the gas lines! talk about crazy!
i think the hole ordeal is a scam. there is no need for gas to be this high. they need to open the Alaskan pipeline and keep oil coming through there. thee is so much oil in Alaska it aint funny. but those enviermentalists were able to shut it off. now the county's just digging hole. we need to raise the value of the dollar and use gas only when needed. such as traveling over 15 miles away. i mean think them guys in the civil war did just fine. witch all in time leads to the "lazy" (as i call i) or obesity epidemic. its all because we are all a bunch of lazy people. and ill admit it i am to but I'm trying to change and as all of you know its hard to change a life style. so get up and walk to ur destination and hopefully we an avoid a depression cuz that's were we are heading. and it will take every one of us to turn this problem a round so lets do some thing!
Oil companies had a study done on this, found that it would lower gas prices by less than 75 cents a barrel, and basically nothing at the pump.
its not just California that they capped producers. The did it in every oil producing state. I have an idea that our illustrious government while trying to Use oil from opec to drain their reserves and save all ours is getting what all greedy people desrve, A back fired plan that will destroy our economy.
Craig,
I was in Eorope last year, Sept Oct of 2007. Gas was $14.50 per gallon. Maybe the US will hit $15.00 a gallon. Curious, $15 a gallon, will that still be a bargain?
regards Mark
I have not been feeling the pain as of yet. I am in CA and we have been moving to telecommuting. I only go in to work 1 day a week and it is less than 10 miles away. Telecommuting has saved my family a ton of money. I have also invested in an Energy Fund that has more than offset the price of gas for my family at the pump. Its my way of hedging oil prices. Most of the country is not quite ready to telecommute but those parts of the country tend to be the areas hit hardest as they tend to catch trends a bit too late.
Example: Detroit - It is still trying to figure out how to build a hybrid vehicle. Everyone has known that oil prices were going up for years. Toyota is 5 years ahead of the U.S. automakers. I hope Ford and GM are thanking Toyota for allowing them to buy their hybrid engines...Gas prices aren't the problem. Backward U.S. companies are. I'll bet the number of workers at Ford telecommuting is quite low. I hope U.S. companies finally wake up and follow the lead of companies in CA like Cisco and Apple. These companies stay competitive no matter what.
Let's see the feds are saying 11 billion barrels of oil in ANWR...
That's how much? We use 20 billion barrels of oil a year, so that's a whopping half years supply..
Yup those damn econuts were trying to save the largest caribou calfing area in North America from turning into Houston North...
We cut back driving and started combining trips, such as doing shopping on the way back from work, as opposed to a separate trip.
If you want the price of gas to come down, you have to cut usage. The market is under too much demand right now.
Here in Seattle, people still rocket their SUV's and low-mileage monsters around, cutting in front of people, racing to gain some small traffic advantage, etc.
Even OPEC officials point to the per-capita use of gasoline in the USA and they say we are wasting fuel.
folks there is not that much oil in Alaska. A study revealed that oil in Alaska would supply us with about 90 days of relief. Try riding your bicycle!
I was in the United Kingdom in the year 2000 and was on a working holiday. The price of petrol at the time was aroun one pound fifty pence a litre. Much much more tha the US. People still seemed to drive around and clogg the roads okay !
One would think that this is affecting all of us. It seems that some do not care what the price is. I guess they have money to burn. Those large 4X4's seem to go just as fast as before. I have noticed that some of the Washington/California plates have slowed down a little bit, but not much.
The trucking industry has slowed most of their speeds and are using more triple trailers, but it is the independent who is having a hard go of it. All products being shipped by this industry affects the prices that we pay at the stores. So, I guess it does affect all of us. Those with the big 4X4's just have less money to spend at the stores. I guess they are on a diet.
i was just reading the comment on large 4X4's, you know i drive a dodge diesel and even as hard as i can push that engine i get 20 MPG in town, ans 30 MPG on the highway. the new cars all have an EPA estimate. when they perform those tests its in a lab with no tranny, or load on the engine, and when they test them in the vehicles the don't look at wind resistance, hills, or any other drag on the vehicle. so with a new car you burn just as much as an older car. and the ones that have good mileage are guttless. when you can get 500+ HP and still get 30 MPG on the highway you are doing good. you want a good gas conspiracy theory they make you computer dump so much gas every mile no matter what that is why with a chip you get better fuel economy. a car with a lot of power will do better then a guttless one on mileage because with all of those ponies under the hood the engine don't have to work as hard to carry you around.
What about those that seem to have oversized tires? You would be surprised at how many of those that I see.
What about the SUV's and their trade-in value now? People are trying to get rid of them, but they are paying a big price in their reduced trade value to get a more fuel economy vehicle.
As I stated earlier, some people have money to burn.
I hear ya, it does seem that some people are not even affected by the rise in gas prices.
I still see people driving really fast or at inconsistent speeds or even driving Hummers. The rich don't care what happens to the rest of us. They can afford the expensive gas and they'll keep buying it.
It is a strange way to spend one's money if you ask me. There is nothing substantial to show for it once it's gone.
I lived overseas for many years and people in other countries still pay far more for gas than we do. However, their cars get better gas mileage. Why can the French buy an affordable Mercedes (or other car) that gets more than 40mpg but we can't buy it here? Why is there hydrogen and LPG at filling stations in the middle of the desert in Australia but it's nearly impossible to get the same services here?
I'm dealing with the high prices here by putting cooking oil in my diesel Jeep. Not many people know that diesels were originally built to run on peanut oil.
Why, why, why didn't the president do something drastic like Pres Carter did during the first oil crisis? ...sigh... I dispair.
on top of the fact that their cars over seas get way better gas milage...they have a very good public tanrsit system ..second to none
Hooray!!!!! Chey Cobb hit the nail on the head!! I too ask WHY didn't the president cap gas prices like President Carter?????? I lived through that gas crisis and it was a lot easier than what we are going through now! I'd far rather be waiting in line. Also we are now paying almost double for many food products. President Carter took a lot of heat for what he did, but it was far better for the country's economy and we could afford to fill our tanks more than once a month!
Yeah, we all know that gas is more expensive in Europe. But please back up from there: where is my reliable public transportation system? I don't have a metro, El, or other means to get to/from work or sports practice. There's no bus that comes near my home. So, while pointing out that Europe pays more, please remember that they have great options for transportation and better built (and affordable) vehicles to purchase.
What we've done: selling husband's 68 Firebird and truck, getting a motorcycle. He bikes to work on good days now. Rainy, he jumps in the car with me and the kids.
I will conserve as much as possible by running errands all together. But telecommuting to work is not possible. I work at my kids' school, so we're, in essence, carpooling in my medium sized 4X4.
President Carter - Oh please! In 1976 we accidentally elected an honest man as president and obviously vowed never to make that mistake again.
It would be nice if the president would step up and help the economy for once but he won't do it with gas prices. Look at where his family money has come from, oil. Someone needs to step up and stop the oil companies from continuing to make extraordinary profits when Americans are struggling because of the economy. Yeah, maybe some of it was brought on by the poor choices people have made but its not helping that it is too expensive for some people to drive to work and that other people are steeling gas just to make a profit. Has anyone thought that the reason gas prices have risen as high and as fast as they have is that oil companies are trying to get congress to let them drill in places like Alaska and other areas? I was listening the the news a over Memorial Day weekend and they said that congress was thinking about allowing oil companies to drill in new places. High prices is their way of opening up new avenues for their future. Plus, there is a patent out there for a vehicle that can run on water but guess who bought it and shelfed it so that Americans would have to continue consuming their fuel? Oil companies are going to do anything possible to make a profit for as long as they can because they can see that there will be a time when we no longer depend on them to drive around. I'm hoping that comes much sooner than later.
have you ever actually reserched what the oil companies profit compared to what our gov. profits off the taxes????? guess who makes more.........not the oil company and they are the ones who fund the company. also instead of all the hype about hybrids why dont we access the oil here? not only in alaska but the midwest off the coast? china is doing it off our coast
I couldn't have said it better myself...for one we all know the presidents family has their hands in the oil industry and they are not going to cap it because they will be capping their profits too. Not to mention the higher the price the higher the taxes so essentially everyone but the already rich lose!!! I drive a little Saturn and I STILL feel the cost of the high gas prices esp because when Clinton was in office I could top off my little 10 gallon tank for less than $20 now I am lucky if I get half a tank. The only real way to cap gas prices is for us to take matters into our own hands. The entire country needs to top off at the beginning of one week and not touch the pumps for at least a week after...longer if at all possible, but with just one person doing it, the gas companies, OPEC, and the govt will not feel the full effect. My husband drives a truck (18 wheeler) at the beginning he was going to buy his own, man am I glad he didn't. Too many of the privately owned trucking companies are going under, companies with 1000+ trucks have declared bankruptcy because it cost almost $1000 to top off one truck. We are all feeling it in more than gas because trucking companies have to charge the shippers more to deliver, shippers have to raise the price of their products to make up for the increased cost of pick up and delivery...you get the picture.
So again you want to make these repubs hurt and put a little relief in our own pockets is to go on a gas strike...if you can ride a bike to the store, you get some family time in and it doesn't kill your pocket book, walking/riding if at all possible etc. It is time to take matters into our own hands at least until the government steps up and provides some relief for the little guy!!!
After Tuesday's Running on Empty, I am disappointed. While showcasing the Chevy Volt and other Detroit automakers' attempts at green technology, they ignore the genuine successes of other automakers. Sure, the Chevyvolt is impressive, but I've never seen one on the road (and it is fairly limited in its oil independence). At the same time, Honda is selling a hydrogen fuel cell car this summer to the public in parts of California. That's right, a real car on a real road that drives next to real cars, unlike anything showcased on Nightly News. My question is: Why has Honda not been showcased for its breakthrough?
Me too neither. i dont mind paying ~ $100 to fill up. to me its great fun. What would I do with my money anyhow?? buy groceries?? new clothes?? Mortgage payments??
No I don't need any of that.
And oh BTW I really dont mind spending $1500 to get a couple of months to (barely) heat my 1500 sqft mansion. you know it really is saving a lot of money cause i cant go anywhere. Actually this is quite good.
I can't believe the people griping about cutting back on the steaks for Memorial Day! There are people starving right now, as you read this, because they can't afford bread or rice. Starving..to death...we are sooo used to having so much in this country. We have forgotten that we live on one little green planet with limited resources. This is not just a minor glitch people, it is a wakeup call. We have to become conscious consumers of everything from gas to green beans. Stop whining, dump the urban assault vehicles, plant a garden.
Ditto
Absolutely. The American Dream is something we have sold ourselves on - bigger, better and faster. Bottom line, there is no need for 7 different varieties of A1 and 7 competitors each with their varieties.
In the United States, we are so complacent in our expectation of abundance that we cry when faced with the reality of a scarcity situation - like little kids at a party, we ate all the cake and want more to appear but the cake is all gone.
Interesting that no one has mentioned the electric cars that were on the road in CA a few years back. Ford made them but didn't like the reality of a clean, green machine so had them crushed. So sad for us. Consumer economics at it's finest.
Love it, love the cut to the chase attitude. It is a shock when the realisation hits home. It does require a 'change your life now' feature. We know that it will influence every part of life as we know it, but the quicker we can get on the bandwagon (pardon), the better for the future of life on our planet.
I couldn't agree more. I was so disappointed by the whining about staying home over the holidays and people "having" to eat burgers on Memorial Day... my husband and I were struck speechless.
As you and other respondents to your note mentioned, people around the world are starving, suffering from lack of drinking water, wondering how they will feed, clothe and shelter their children, dealing with diseases that we in the U.S. rarely need to consider. People on the other side of the globe live on a daily basis in fear of being terrorized, raped, robbed, sent away from their homes or even brutally murdered, with no one to protect them.
And we in the U.S. complain about not being able to afford steaks on a holiday or being forced to spend time at home with our families over a long weekend. How disheartening.
I can imagine those who feel sympathy for the victims of our world, but try to imagine that there will always be a world with pain and suffering, even amongst ourselves. So I don't think it's fair to downplay our struggles, because it's not in a third world economy. Life will go on for the able and barely able.
As for the gas prices, people can complain because it dosn't allow us to spend less for more, but you know ppl are going to improve on their efforts to get to work and to make sacrifices for the things we need. As for those cars in europe... NO ONE WANTS TO BUY THEM BECAUSE WE'VE HAD THE MISCONCEPTION THAT THEY DON'T OVER PERFORM WHICH I BELIEVE STILL LINGERS.
Plus I can imagine it's not so simple to tell others to buy a economy car just cause you have one. Europe might be cheaper then most if not all Japenese exports if you're just comparing economy size cars here. Now before I shutup I really do belive foreign cars are more economical then ours, but what about when we compare trucks? foreign or domestic?
My (old rusty) BMW gets 39 miles to the gallon if I'm driving down the freeway at 55 with the cruise on.
How am I handling the price of gas? Not well, right now I am having to make a difficult choice week by week.....do I eat or do I drive. Because I work 2 part-time jobs, driving is winning alot lately.
I identify with your dilemma in a few years prior, my dilemma was do I go or bring my kids to the Doctors, or do we eat...?
I can relate, I am also faced with having to choose gas to get to work or groceries. Every weekend I am home with my children, we can not afford any family outings in my efforts to conserve gas to get to work. I live in GA and public transportation is non-existant if you live outside of Atlanta. I am not complaining, just venting. I know it could be worse, but this is only affecting the working class poor, not the rich driving around in their fancy SUV's reaping all of the benefits including Bush's outrageous tax cuts for the wealthy!! What about the decent hard working people, what about us!!!!!!!
Tax cut for the wealthy.......what tax bracket do you fall in? I would be pissed if I were one of the "wealthy" and had to give my hard earned $ away in taxes ...just because i make more........just because they have worked hard and became successful doesnt mean they should have to pay a higher % in taxes WE SHOULD ALL HAVE TO PAY THE %
Agreed.
Why is it that "decent hard working people" who probably have total tax burdens (federal and state) of 15 - 20% complain so bitterly that people paying 45 - 50% are not paying enough???
I practically starved while paying my own way through a top engineering school.
Later I was a factory manager and made twice as much as the "decent hard working people", most of whom were neither very decent nor hard working.
However, being single (higher taxes) and ineligible for food stamps, fuel assistance, etc...., my after tax income was no more than their after tax income plus benefits.
Where is the fairness in that???
Gas prices are scary for sure. I reduce my travel and when I go out, I make as many errands together as possible to avoid wasting gas. The prices being passed on because of the cost of diesel and jet fuel is really scary - it affects us over and over. I think everyone needs to grow a Victory garden.
Note to Congress and Senate: allow more drilling.
"Note to Congress and Senate: allow more drilling."
In your back yard?
You bet no problem to me. My backyard would be fine with me.
This should be considered a crime. These filty rotten thieves that screwing the American people. The great scum oil companies. There so un- American it make my blood boil. Let see so far my rent gone up,gas,electricty,food,health ins. and taxes. And then you have the dummies that thinks gas is bargain wait till he looses his house or till his has to feed he's family peanut butter and jelly sandwichs for rest of life. I can't blieve how many looser we have in this country that think this is good buisness for America. And by the way, what are we leaving benind for are children, grandchildren a corrurpt nogood evil society. Has anybody thought about peaple on fix income.I don't know how the elderly are getting buy. But the hell with them they only payed there taxes all there lifes and this what get in the end. America wake up your being ripped off and any if anybody tell you different your just listening to a another American (maybe) idiot.
So far the rising prices have forced me to consolidate errands and to stop driving home for lunch. A year ago I would think nothing of hopping in the car and running a quick errand somewhere just to handle one piece of business. Now I get as many things done in one trip as possible. I used to drive home for lunch at least 3 times a week but now it's cheaper to eat out, at least for the moment.
Luckily I had a fuel efficient vehicle before this hit, it gets 40 mpg in town and between 60 to 70 mpg on highway, but lot of good it is doing now. I have always preferred to get the best fuel economy I could afford, also I watch how I drive, I do all I can to stretch gas mileage. For example, long red light coming up? Turn off ignition, coast to light and wait to turn green restart. I coast down the large overpasses in town, sometimes I can manage to coast a
I live on disability, my son and I get 647 a month to live off of. True, we get housing, food stamps, and medical coverage, but how are we suppose to get to the doctor or grocery store. The increase in food is greater than we get in food stamps, so it takes the very little money left after paying our bills at the first of the month.
We gave up movies, going out to eat etc years ago. I can't remember last time I saw a movie in theater. We don't rent movies, we don't do much of anything. Unless we have to go somewhere for his band classes, we do.
I have gotten to the point of trying to get around in my non-electric wheelchair, even when temps are -27 farenheit, which is difficult with all the ice on sidewalks or sidewalks not shoveled!! Try attempting to get around in a wheelchair, fighting frost bite! I have had to go several miles in it at those temps, took me days to warm up. Ask friends?? we don't have any friends in this town, since I don't get out or around to meet anyone, we have no family. In the winter, we keep the heat totally turned off in our bedrooms to save money, temps are around 40 in our bedroom, and heat is barely turned on, cost of heating apt is horrible, so drafty etc and landlord won't repair anything.
When I have the extra cash, I buy a few discounted bus rides, but bus stop is almost 1/2 mile away, real hard to get to.
I am concerned time may come when we won't even be able to afford rent!! I haven't filled my car in 7 weeks, and will have to come 1st of June. I dread it.. it will be a good hunk of our little cash.
I would give anything, if I could get a job, but with health issues, no way. I have no idea what we will do, but am really worried and scared. Should I give up my medical care and prescriptions to have enough money for food?? But then I would be in the hospital and having the co pays.. IT is a no win situation. Our diet consists alot of pasta, veggies, meat (when we can find some cheap cuts). Our snack is pop corn, I found a brand a $1.00 a bag, and we make it stretch for the month, forget about butter or stuff like that, can't afford it. We don't buy soda, chips or other junk like that, that is a luxury we aren't familiar with anymore. Steaks??? that is an item that has been off our list for years, and boy would I ever love one once in a while!
A vacation??? WHa'ts that... we haven't had one in over 12 years plus. We don't go over to the lakes, we don't go to the local fairs.. We don't go anywhere!!
I can't imagine how much more I can give up! But the battle to survive appears to be losing.
Im an American Living overseas in London,England. I'm fortunate to be able to see Nightly news at my end but maybe the producers and other Americans will read this.
Gas is even more expensive here. Almost double what the Average American pays. There are Toyotas, Citroen and several other companies where their cars burn 65 miles per gallon! They're not hybrid cars. They burn regular fuel. Even some automobiles here which are jointly produced by American companies are getting this great mileage. They're affordable. Under 12,000 dollars! In America if you want this mileage, its only a hybrid and Americans are forced to pay double the price of a car that gets 65 MPG and there's basically only on Company that does this, Toyota.
Why aren't those cars in America? Why are Americans forced to deal with this when there are cheap alternatives? Why cant Nightly News do a story on this and answer this question, instead of showing us whats coming as usual, and alternatives that will take years to get to knowing the Average American cant afford it. Uncover who's blocking the access to affordable and economical gas burning vehicles. INFORM other Americans. Make this country work for you. I bet the Oil industry had ribs and flew their private jets for memorial day! Wake up! Take whats yours! Follow the money and scrutinize every excuse. Demand accountability from the media and the Government. Please NBC. Lead this story.
There is a simple reason you have not seen this... yet. To have fuel economy you have several things that have to be traded off. Americans are not willing to budge on any of these things:
Safety - If you cut out most of the safety features (like the euro cars you are talking about) you save weight and therefore gain fuel economy. Reinforced doors and frames are very heavy.
Power - Americans like fast and powerful cars. Cant have that and fuel economy at the same time.
Size - Americans like big cars. There is a reason SUV's are so popular.
Cut these things out and you have a car that gets 60+ miles a gallon. Will we budge on this? Not yet. Who remembers the Geo Metro. It lacked all of the above features and got 50+ miles a gallon almost 20 years ago.
Asking NBC to help is a joke. Talk to a network that Cares. Talk to Bill Oriely @ fox. or Glenn Beck @CNN
It looks like NBC is the one that is producing this forum actually and not Fox nor CNN....
I agree with you Daymon K Seals, I hope NBC might lead with your observations. Why can't the US increase fuel mileage and at affordable costs? Seems to be a safety issue if we can not afford to survive.
Kindly keep in mind that a gallon in Great Britain is 5 quarts while a gallon in America is only 4.
The other, probably more important issue, is that when emissions regulations began in the USA, they targeted emissions as percentages of the exhaust.
In Britain they targeted emissions on a per mile basis.
The result was engines in the US incorporating lower compression ratios to reduce nitrous oxide emissions and catalytic converters to burn hydrocarbons not completely burned in the engine. Such engines are not efficient, and require large displacements toprovide adequate power.
Europe went the other direction, to smaller engines with higher compression ratios. They reduced total emissions by burning less fuel.
What comes out their exhaust is worse than what comes out of ours, but there is much less of it.
Now efficiency is important and America is in a bad spot.
I guess my post is not fair since I have been isolated in a way from the rising gas prices. An accident on October 29,2007 left me unable to drive due to a shattered right leg. I have been alarmed at the news about rising gas prices and see the increases for myself in goods and services. I especially feel for the people who derive their income from trucking or from vacation and holiday travel such as marinas. This accident will probably result in me losing everything I have worked for in my 39 year career. However, when I got behind the wheel on the day before Memorial Day this year, it wasn't the rising gas prices I thought about. I just remembered all the times over seven months when my orthopedic surgeon told me it looked as though I might lose my leg. Being able to drive, roll down the window, and feel the wind in my hair after seven months of being tied to the house was worth every penny of fuel.
My father grew up working on cars for 50+ years of his life from high school, to the front lines of Germany in W.W.II, and back home where he made it his career. I remember him saying often that Detroit could make an engine that would run on water-but it would surely tick off the big oil companies. He died on Fathers Day, 1976 from lung cancer, a result of his profession. Now, 32 years after his death, his vision may just become a reality. How I wish he was here to see it become a reality.
Brian.
Never mind how are we doing. Let's hear how the CEO's of EXXON/MOBIL and our president's oil friends are doing.
Would it really hurt them to be making millions in profit instead of BILLIONS? Maybe if they only made millions we could bring our lives back to some semblance of normalcy and not be worrying about everything we eat and everywhere we go. To me, this is the real immediate issue. He needs to rein in those oil cowboys and now!!!
Linda
Rome,NY
I agree with you 100%. I think if we all stopped buying gas for one day, we'd make the oil companies take a look at us, but, we would ALL have to do this.
Some say Bush isn't profitting from the "oil scam", the h- -l he's not! I live in a small town in WI and it's affecting a lot of people...including me.
I wish we could all do something, but...
And I'm sick of hearing about other countries...I'm concerned about ours!
Good luck!
As much as I'm worried about gas prices (I'm driving as less as possible), I'm even more worried about whats to come this winter to heat my house. It's pretty sad that Americans will struggle to stay warm this winter even more so than usual with home heating oil currently at $4.59 a gallon. What bothers me is that we elect government officials to serve our best interests. And instead of being proactive, they wait till it's a crisis to become reactive. Oil had quadrupled since Bush has been in office. You're telling me no one in our government saw this coming? It's a joke and its not long before our country loses all faith in our government if they havent already
Got to remember the oil prices went up AFTER the democrats took over congress because the oil companies fear them.
Thank you!!!!!macaw1
I am sick of everyone slamming BUSH do you really think he is the only person making choices????? guess what he is not that is our dem. congress and when they screw up just blame it on bush
I'm sorry, but I can't get overly distressed about someone having a "hardship" of not being able to buy RIBS for the holiday celebrations!! There are REAL hardships out here: not being able to get medications due to the cost going up; spending a lot of your minimal paycheck on gas to get to your job in a city with a limited public transit system; not even being able to buy the hamburger you are able to substitute!! You have the nerve to complain about the cost of filling the gas tank in your BOAT? A lot of people can't even go sit on a lake/river near their home!
Poor things, this is your complaint? Have you done anything to help the truly less fortunate, given anyone a ride with you or driven less? PLEASE!
Like many other immigrants I came to this country with the expectation of fulfilling my "American Dream". That was four years ago...I can remember, as soon as I landed in this country, somehow price of everything started going up. I came for my graduate school with a student loan to cover my international tuition and that started to go up every semester along with everything else.
Looking now, the gas prices are ridiculous. Today (5/27/2008) the crude oil finished $3.94 lower per barrel but the gas prices went up. That just sounds ridiculous...I am one of the fortunate who does not have to travel very far to get to work, but it still hurts...I make sure that I do not go any where far where I might end up using more than 1/2 tank of gas for the entire trip. I rather host events than go to any..and I only shop at my neighborhood grocery store even though I know they mark up their prices, because every time I spend $50 (which is not too hard these days) at the store I get 20 cents off per gallon. I would rather pay more for food than pay full price for gas, because I refuse to fill pockets of a few shareholders and CEOs.
I guess I will have to work harder longer to achieve the so called "American Dream"!!!!
I wonder why all American cant unite against the mean oil companies and show them they serve us and we cannot be their gas slaves....Refuse to pay these gas prices!! They only raise gas prices because we agree to pay for it...WE HAVE A CHOICE NOT TO!!!
Yes, the oil companies and the government is screwing the American public. I think it it time to fight back and give the oil companies what they deserve, lower profits. As for the government, a change is about to come in November. There are enough smart people in this country to come up with ways to get back at the oil companies by comming up with alternative fuels at a much lower cost. I have already started using my head other than a hat rack to help get out of this day of highway robbery. It is time for others to also get involved.
I am with you on this on Russell Hill. Perhaps we could form a group of some kind to network ideas to screw them and save our quality of life.
I'm in, thats 3.............. a movement.
I wish there were a way we could make it through our day to day lives without fuel, causing it to back up and overflow the entire Middle East. This entire thing is absurd! I will never be held hostage by rising gas prices. Over the Memorial Day weekend I rode in a charity motorcycle ride on Saturday and on Sunday I took my family out on our boat. I also drive an suv. My point to all of this is, yes it hurts at the pump, but I am still going to enjoy my family and the things I like to do. I do not live above my means in my day to day life, so I am not dying that gas prices are rising. Get a grip, tighten your belt if you have to. I have places to go. See you on the road!
I am sorry but I find it very difficult to feel sorry for any of these people. I am a divorced mother of 2 teenage girls (one of them is autistic.) I fight everyday with some of the things that you are now just STARTING to complain about. OR POOR BABIES you had to settle for lowly hamburger instead of steaK! Welcome to my world! I am a hard working mom and have worked 2 jobs while going to school! Grow up people ! this is what 50 to 75 % of America is living like today! we are not lazy poor people. we work our butts off and pay 2x what you think. when we are on welfare. a family of 4is expected to live off 450.00 a month. that does not cover rent. then they tell us to move to the drugged out side of town. Then we get a 7.00 and hour job that covers what they won't they take everything away. (food stamps medicaid...) I have been told by my caseworker it was best not to get a job. There is no training for work that will pay to raise a family. I try to give my kids HEALTHY food but it costs to much. I want veggies and fruit. I can live without meat! I have grown my own for years even if I have to use someone elses land and tools. I have never had a new car, I have never owned a house, (and contrary to the old myth) I do not own a fur coat. I have never seen 30,000,00 in my life even when I worked 2 jobs. I have no sympathy for you. everything I have I own. I have no credit cards. The only thing that kills me are medical bills and the great george bush head thinks the American public does not need anyhelp whith that. When just one of my LIFE SAVING MEDS is 385.00 per month. welcome to my side of the street. I hope my neighbors treat you better than you have treated them!
Green eyed lady that is a problem that this country has i think if people are able work i think that they all should have to be taken off welfare and forced to work. i do understand that people does have to have help once in awhile but to live off my tax money just so you won't have to work is not fair for the people that works their but off to feed their families.
If our government wasn't spending the money for the welfare system they do they would have more means to explorer other means of putting people back to work.like drilling for oil or building manufacturing plants.well just a thought maybe we all need to think how to help our situation out.
Congrats to you for not feeling sorry for me. I don't feel sorry for you either. My mother was a single mom before she met my dad but she managed to get a job paying $58,000 a year. She had no education past high school. All she had was a positive attitude, not a "the system is beating me down" attitude. I will never say you are lazy, but I do say get over it. The vast majority of people work for what they have, and you're not martyr for doing the same thing. If you want a better job, find one. It's all about what you want for yourself. Nobody can keep you from doing what you truly are capable of. Call me an elitist if you like, but I pay for my own college outright and have managed to find a job that pays $10.50 an hour. If I can do it at 20 years old, why can't you? Give the sob story a rest. Just try harder. People do it every day. You shouldn't be an exception.
Well said, Missy. I, too, came from a Welfare dependent single-mom upbringing. I put myself through school, and have managed to earn my good life. Attitude is very important. I do have empathy for those who are working hard and not moving along. I also say, pick another lane.
I am very disappointed on comments about people should be ashamed for wanting steak or any other nice thing. I am a mother of seven. My husband and I have never had any government assistance. We work hard and work harder if we want something and we do not think another family should eat hamburger instead of steak because we do. Your life and career was chosen by you, that is your responsibility. Don't attack you neighbor, it is big companies and the government that is suppose to be maintaining our way of life. Not your neighbor that worked hard and got a good job. Please believe we worked hard. We save every penny that was available, went to school whenever we could, and no we did not have good credit so no school loans here. We saved and then took a class. Going to school is something you have control of, getting a descent job is something you have control of, but government, taxes, insurance cost, inflation, and that list goes on is something you do not have control over. So yes I will complain because I did what I was suppose to, go to school, get a good job, and the one thing I can not do is save money because the government is in my pocket left and right. Yes I am upset because the government has us against each other, telling us that we should be ashamed for wanting more.
I was a little disappointed on the comments of people about having to give up steak and ribs and only have hamburgers for the Memorial Day weekend. Think about what our military have given up for generations. We have had four children and three in the military with two son-in-laws. That is what the weekend was about.
Over 13 years ago we were in Germany and the gas over there was about $5.00 a liter. Anyway if people really wanted to know the problem, and you really wanted to report on this. If the Oil people got the areas here that they want to drill, we would see a drastic reduction in gas prices. This country is being held hostage by Big Oil. No I am not a rabble rouser, just a great grandmother who is watching all of this play out. My husband and I feel so sorry for the young families having to make do as prices go up higher and higher for the basic esentials. I don't know who will be reading this, but I am glad that I am as old as I am. I have seen this country when it was about honesty, truth and working hard to get ahead. Thanks for letting me 'vent'.
Never mind how am I doing. What I would like to know is how are the CEO's of EXXON/MOBIL and the president's oil buds are doing AND what are they doing about this problem? This is the immediate problem. It's not about the Saudi's. That is just a distraction. How much gas does it take for Air Force One to visit them?he needs to visit those oil cowboys and rein them in pronto!!!
Instead of making billions in profit, maybe they could just make millions in profit and then we wouldn't have to be worrying about what we eat and where we go..or don't go.
i agree see yiu on the road
What would your viewers think if you told them that there is a vehicle already out there that is so technologically advanced that it requires no fuel, can be had for under $500 dollars, would curb our nation's health care crisis as well as end our involvement in the Middle East? Is this pure science fiction or a forlorn fantasy, nope. It's called a bicycle and it has been around for over a hundred years. Sometimes the answer to all our problems is right under our nose.
I'm with you Mike. I am using my car less (economical manual small vehicle) and walking more. I am talking to people about car pooling but the biggest push of the lot will be to get trucks off the road and use the rail services in Australia. Here's hoping common sense prevails.
I like the idea of walking to, but how do you tell ppl that live 10 or more miles outside of downtown that have be at work 8 everymorning? I made a post that said ppl whould find a way to make ends meet. This is not an answer for EVERYONE and you know that.
And for some of you city slickers out there who don't live in the county with a suitable commute system stop actin as if your residence has an answer for everyone. I live in DC and have Metro, but even I know it can't go everywhere, and that goes for metro rail, metro bus, the bus, Ride ON, DASH, Amtrak, MARC, and VRE, but I know better then to say they solve everyone's problem and not add another one.
Wow, what a bunch of whining spoiled people Americans seem to have become. "I'm upset because oil company executives are rich", "I've had to eat hamburger instead of ribs", "We can't go to the beach", "I have to choose between eating and going to work." Give me a break. Gas was US$6.75 per gallon in England 3 years ago!! Somehow they survive. OK, let me give all of you some lessons in how to do it. These won't solve all the problems, but it would certainly be a start for many of our whining, griping citizenry. First, suck it up: 80 percent of the world's population would love to have even the poorest person's lifestyle in the US. Second, get rid of the cell phones. We didn't have them 15 years ago and somehow survived.. What a waste of money. Third, drive 55 mph- it saves gas by extending your mileage. Fourth, carpool or even better ride a bike to work or walk. Fifth, all high schoolers- give up the car. Saves gas and insurance payments. Sixth, sell or don't buy the flat screen TV. Seventh, help reduce the waiting times at Olive Garden and the Macaroni Grill- stay home to eat and eat less. Eighth, sell the camper, boat, and Skidoo. Ninth, get rid of the cable TV. You lived without it growning up, you don't need it now.The days of us (US) leaving cheaply and using a majority of the world's resources are beginning to come to an end. Learn how to cope and find joy in your life by what counts. What a great way for us to reduce our addiction to the oil based economy by having to actually reduce our footprint on this world. Let the citizens relearn that which they have forgotten. How to save, act and buy prudently, and not expect or demand it all. My heavens what a spoiled bunch of entitled feeling citizens most of us have become.
You are a joke to me. The only phone I have is a cell, becuase I am a working man and never home. secondly I have to drive my truck in order to do my work. Can't haul materials in a small car.
Everyone has a different life style, I work hard for a living and some things are a necessity.
First you negate the strength of your argument by personally attacking me and telling me I am a joke. There was absolutely no need for that part of you comment. You could have stated your opinion or objection without doing that. You do not need a cell phone. Many folks work on the road and get by without a cell phone and do just fine with the pay phones that still are around for a true emergency. You could make between 60 and 100 pay phone calls for what a month of cell phone use costs most people. You choose to use a cell phone for the convenience of it. A simple home based fixed phone with an inexpensive answering machine would suffice for 99.99% of the American public, most likely including you. Yes, everyone has a different lifestyle. The privilege of you choosing to do that is becoming more expensive. You will have to decide for yourself if you can afford to continue with that choice. A necessity is food, water, and air: not your choice of lifestyle. And I don't consider you a joke. You are just a typical American on whom it is slowly dawning that things are changing and your life, the choices you have made, and your future choices are changing and will be limited.
The size of the United Kingdom is 94,526 sq miles (244,820 sq km) and the size of the United States is 3,794,066 sq miles (9,826,630 sq km). The things that work for the UK do not work for the US. Our gas prices have risen sharply not steadily, and our public transportation system is far less then adequate in the majority of the country. I stayed in England at a friend's home for a month and the concentration of cities and villages is much higher. You can easily walk to the next town. In the United States your closest neighbor may be three miles away and the closest town may be 20. The cities weren't built for walking convenience, they were built with car driving in mind. The thought of carrying groceries for your family of four from the grocery store that is a mile and a half away is insane. The truth is the Unites States is going through a painful transition stage where before it didn't matter where you lived, you could always drive 35 miles to work and still be wealthy. Now things are changing and people are working on shifting their lifestyles to compensate for expensive food and that expensive drive to work so they can pay for that food.
You negate the strength of your own argument by stating
and
Maybe more people would listen if you didn't talk down to them.
Andimia: Thank you for you comments on my post. I singled out no one person in my comments. However, it is striking how this turn of events, which has been a long time coming, has caused such an out rage and complaining by our citizenry. Gas prices in Australia have been more than double than here for years and are very much more now. That is a country not made for an easy commute. Gas in 1932 in the USA was $.14 per gallon. That translates to over $4.75 in today's dollars. Gas is actually cheaper than then and back in the late seventies. I don't see many folks in their comments starting to understand that the time is coming when it will not be possible to commute 180 miles daily economically without making changes. Renting DVD's each week or downloading the latest music will have to be done much less often as folks have to economise. We will have to drive slower, walk more, drive less, eat less, dress warmer in winter and cooler in summer, carpool, and in general reexamine our priorities. Our lifestyle must change. Our standard of living must change. What is important to us must change. What I see is whining, the it's not fair arguement, and blame the government (we have the government we deserve). The blame is with us- each and everyone one of us- including me. I have started to drive 55 mph this week. Everyone, and I mean everyone, was passing me except some of the truckers whom are also starting to slow down. Many comments seem spoiled and reek of an entitlement attitude. A few seem spirited and have an "We'll get by with some needed changes" type of flavor. All of this will have a positive effect on us as a culture, society, and on our environment.
That's a given and it's happening.
I see frustration, mostly a "this sucks" attitude. People are losing their jobs and the cost of living is skyrocketing while we've spent 2 Trillion dollars on a war that the people don't want. Americans are frustrated by the situation that has unfolded so suddenly under our feet. We need to stop policing the world and start investing in our own futures. We're heading towards a looming social security crash and a future of adults that graduate college with six figure debts. We can't fix all of these problems ourselves and that's why we have an organized government.
People are worried because times are tough as it is and they don't seem like they're going to be improving anytime soon.