diesel strike april 1st-5th-dont buy diesel

[bushpilot]

As far as drilling on our own turf, I wouldn't hold my breath. Just my .02

im w/ 'cha...cause the SAME folks that complain about the
price per gallon <and the profit the companies are making> are
the same ones that scream like a baby when they talk about
exploring for NEW oil or building higher capacity refineries, or
nuke plants even.

americans are SPOILED...the having your cake and eating it TOO
days are OVER...its time to SHUT UP or PUT UP ! The problem didnt
arrive over night & its gonna take a few years to resolve...in 6months
after we start theyll be whinin' about how much its costing and how
long its taking !

 

[BIG JOE]

im w/ 'cha...cause the SAME folks that complain about the
price per gallon <and the profit the companies are making> are
the same ones that scream like a baby when they talk about
exploring for NEW oil or building higher capacity refineries, or
nuke plants even.

americans are SPOILED...the having your cake and eating it TOO
days are OVER...its time to SHUT UP or PUT UP ! The problem didnt
arrive over night & its gonna take a few years to resolve...in 6months
after we start theyll be whinin' about how much its costing and how
long its taking !

Right On BP, Right On.

But I still think we, as American Consumers, need to Stand Up & Be Heard. Just maybe.. if we could get this some attention (like the Mortgage debacle), things would could and would, get started.

The Environmentalist's are the biggest hurdle. They have a Death Grip, Choke Hold on The United States Of America.

 

[bling821]

If we don't buy it, someone else will. There are plenty of growing countries (i.e. China) that could make good use of the oil we don't buy while in the mean time we are driving up the cost of everything else that is shipped around the country. You can't effectively boycott a product that will be purchased by another party while you refuse it.

The ONLY way to drive down the cost is to increase the supply. The ONLY way to increase the supply is to DRILL our own reserves.

I've said it before in another thread a few weeks ago, oil companies sell the hottest product on the market. Of course they make the most profits. The demand for oil has done nothing but increase. What if all of a sudden the demand for socks started to increase. Sock manufacturing companies then starting having trouble keeping up with the demand. On the same note, environmentalists started whining about the worms were not getting enough food because the cotton plants were taking all of the food from the dirt so farmers could only plant on a field every other season. Then the government started forcing the farmers to buy 1 acre of forest preserve land for every acre of farm land. As a result, Hanes and Fruit of the Loom would start to import cotton because it cost too much to buy it from the farmers here. Too keep the same percentage profit margin, Big Sock would start to raise the price of socks while the demand continued to rise. Would there be such a big outcry? Should we start to boycott Big Sock because they sell the hottest product in the world and they shouldn't make the most money of any other company? How is this fair? This analogy is similar to what everyone is saying about Big Oil.

I'm sick of high prices at the pump but, don't forget, oil IS NOT a utility like electricity and water. It is a product like anything else you buy. You have to pay market price. That's just the way it is.

If you want to solve the problem, speak louder than the environmentalist wakos. The lack of supply and our dependence on other countries is their fault. We must be allowed to drill OUR OWN OIL. These alternative fuels are a pipe dream. THIS COUNTRY RUNS ON OIL!

P.S. Sorry for the long post.

 

[bling821]

im w/ 'cha...cause the SAME folks that complain about the
price per gallon <and the profit the companies are making> are
the same ones that scream like a baby when they talk about
exploring for NEW oil or building higher capacity refineries, or
nuke plants even.

I'm sorry if this post is a little off topic but...

Its the "not in my backyard" problem with the nuke plants. Anytime you hear something about a nuke plant on the news, you are reminded about 3 mile island and Chernobyl. Then they go on about the nuclear waste disposal and all of that alrarmist hype. The reason why we haven't built a nuke plant in 20 years is ignorance. Most people don't understand reactors and how they operate so they don't understand how far we have come over the years and how safe they are. I know, I work on one. They safety features on these things are more redundant than any system on an airplane. The amount of analysis that goes on before the first bolt is machined is amazing. They have thought of things and engineered the plants for situations that I still haven't thought of. Not to mention the amount of supervision and control of maintenance and nuclear material. Even the slightest mistake (like forgetting to shut a valve) has the ability to shut the plant down until every operator and supervisor has been trained and passes an exam. Trust me, its painful. We have let the press keep us from being the leader in the world for nuclear technologies while many other countries have been building and operating these plants for years.

But the way, for those of you who believe in global warming, these plant emit ZERO emissions. None whatsoever. What you see coming out of those cooling towers is water vapor. The same thing clouds are made of.

 

[iracemine]

we haven't built a nuke plant in 20 years

Really???? I think I ride my bike over the first ever nuk power plant in Palos Hights IL all the time. its more less a ghost forest.

 

[02SilverStroke]

OK, here's my dollar's worth: some have mentioned the huge Exxon profits. Yes that's a huge amount of profit, but we are supposed to be a free country with no limits on corporate income. Since many on this forum are current/former/retired military folks, the rest of us thank you for your service in doing your part to keep this country free and allow individuals and corporations to make as much money as we are allowed without government intevention. If you had stock in Exxon, you'd be smiling because the stock value and dividend payouts would be climbing. Recently I heard Mark Levin say on his talk show that actually we (the USA) actually have a "quasi-state run" oil industry. He said that practically every phase of oil production, from drilling to the fuel pump is highly regulated by the feds and has been for years. The companies have to go through all sorts of "red tape" to do anything. That's why there hasn't been any new refineries in the US in over 30 years. He also said that even for a refinery to "upgrade" their facilities, they still have to get all types of permits in order to complete their projects. Another factor (that has also been mentioned on an earlier post) is the value of the dollar. If the dollar could rebound a bit, then the oil prices (and eventually pump prices) would drop, along with other items. Another problem (in my opinion) are the companies who are merging which reduces competition. Of course, on the other hand, we consumers are paying through the nose for the prices. I once worked for a geophysical crew with ARCO and was laid off in 1986 when the oil prices dropped from $30 to $12 per barrel and ARCO slashed their exploration budget by 80%. Naturally with us being the "front line" of exploration we were gone. I have had extemely little contact with anyone in that industry since then, but I wouldn't be surprised to see the exploration business picking up now. Regarding the strike, a reporter from WBAP 820 was talking to some truckers the other day and some of them were not going to participate because (like Bama and others) they could not afford to park their trucks, even for one day. Some had not heard about it. The reporter also said he had been monitoring Channel 19 and there was some talk about the strike and some arguments for and against it. Overall, his report seemed to indicate there wasn't too much interest in the strike in the DFW area.

Sorry for the long rant (ala Hoss 350), but again it's my "dollar's worth" instead of two cents.

 

[Maxtor]

The bottom line here, is that most of us can afford the current fuel prices and if they go to $5 or $6 per gallon, we will still buy fuel and not effect our life styles.
But for the poor and the people just getting by, they will have to make choices on what is more important, fuel or other things. Independent truckers are also hit hard, because their profits are shrinking. Who knows, maybe something good will come out of this, like renewed interest in other types of energy. We as a nation have always enjoyed the freedom of movement throughout the USA via automobile. Maybe this will change for some people. The other countries can increase production of oil exports, but I think they are smiling at our country's dilemma.
I think we all agree that we as taxpaying citizens of the good ole USA need to be independent of foreign energy. How we get there is the million dollar question.

 

[Buffs F-350]

Since we are over there helping Iraq, they should be giving us free fuel. Also they should be paying all our costs of being there. If not money then free oil. This is BS that we must pay in money and lives to keep their country safe, and they get a free ride.

Im glad someone said it

 

[bushpilot]

The Associated Press: Military Feels Fuel-Cost Gouge in Iraq

 

[kenholl]

Hey, Kenholl, whats your beef with truckers? I own a couple of trucks, as do others on here. When fuel goes up 35-40% and your bottom line doesn't, it stings a little. Owner-operators in your opinion don't grasp the situation? So simple, even a truck driver can do it? Dummies stayed in hotels? Maybe the situation has gotten out of hand, and as there's no end in sight they are trying to preserve their business. Maybe to pay mortgages, put food on the table, and care for their families. Maybe stop one day and realize that truckers aren't all neanderthals. Thats quite the dim view you have of a large population of hard working, regular folks. Your opinions on the fuel situation are interesting. Your blanket remarks against truckers? You should be ashamed of yourself.

Point well taken, but I think I probably did a poor job of explaining myself, and after re-reading my posts, I don't blame any of you who are drivers for being offended! In no way did I intend to offend truck drivers. I was one for many years, then I was an owner/operator for over a decade, driving a late-model Peterbilt 379, pulling a reefer. I gave up driving in the mid 90's because there was no money in it, and there still isn't. But, I could slide right back in the seat today and get it done. In fact, I occasionally miss it!

"So simple even a truck driver can do it": Ths statement was very tongue-in-cheek, and was shamelessly borrowed from the Geico "Caveman" commercials.. If market commodities are so simple to manipulate, why is it that truck drivers are the only ones who realize it? The point is, you don't hear any educated economists suggesting that a boycott by a handful of O/O's will change the price of a barrell of crude oil!

"Neanderthal in it's conception": My point is that the concept of boycotting a market commodity in a vengence is an extremely simplistic mentality. In our capitalistic society, if it were that simple, shouldn't we be boycotting everything that has increased in value? How about real estate, gold, milk, and electricity? Consider this, for every person that wants the price of real estate to drop so they can afford it, there is an owner who wants his asset to maintain it's value. The price of diesel fuel is a multi-layered formula. It starts with the price of crude, and ends with taxes. The refineries are making their record profits on record VOLUME, not on price gouging! We Americans go through more than our fair share of petro!

I take no offense at your remarks, as I don't believe that any was intended. From time to time a topic hits my hot-button, and this one did. While I appreciate the hard-working professionals that push our frieght across the country, I also have an appreciation for facts, and the need to educate ones self before making a rash decision.

The decision to boycott a market commodity was uneducated and emotional. It may have sounded like a good idea to some, but it will never accomplish it's intended purpose. The "Do something, even if it's wrong" mentality doesn't accomplish much. It was a waste of time by many, and needless lost revenue. Yeah, Congress held a matador hearing with the big oil companies, to make sure they weren't price gouging, but that was just a bunch of politicians thinking about the next election. They weren't going to do fix anything, because there is nothing they can fix.

In my opinion, if a concept isn't going to work, find a solution that will.