Here's what they could do about the high cost of gas......

For cheap gasOLINE. Many Americans should eat less not be so fat then their cars would burn less gas. Then cheaper premium :3gears:

 

There have been a few gas stations in the Twin Cities that have had their own gas out protests. They refused to sell gasoline for a day or two.
:TU:


I was talking to one station owner, and he told me that he only makes a penny a gallon of profit for himself.

 

All mine gets is is about 12-14 MPG, (closer to 9 or 10 around town) and I drove close to 50 miles round trip....hence, about 4 gallons of gas. ou:

 

If most everyone in the nation would cut consumption of everything, not just gas,this would send a message. Don't buy anything unless you really need it. Don't drive anywhere ,unless you really need to. I have enough stuff at home,other than food,to last a few months. At our house, we have just about stopped buying everything. We have enough TVs,clothes,shoes,computer stuff,household supplies, etc. to last a couple of months or so. When I drive now, I drive at or below the speed limit (this seems to piss other drivers off for some reason)and only drive when I have to. No more car shows-I've seen plenty,no more swap meeets-I've been to plenty. No more movies-seen them all.Just wait a month and any new flick will be on cable. We mostly eat at home.No more Olive garden,Outback Steak,Hooters and especially all of the fastfood joints.They won't get any of our business. I refuse to support the corporate greed and will buy what we only need. I wanted to go to Bowling Green this year, but with the gas pushing $3.-No way!! I'll stay home! In fact,we just got a nice food garden going to help make up the difference in the jacked up grocery store prices. I am beginning to think that the Amish are smarter than the rest of us!

 

I hear 'ya on that one.......if people would just slow down maybe our nationwide fuel consumption would also go down a little. I'm sick of people blowing past me even when I'm going 15MPH over the speed limit! ou:

 

I'll make every effort to keep my foot out of the secondaries (oh it will be hard to resist the temptation though )

 

Yeah, and did 'ya ever notice how much more expensive things get when minimum wage hikes up a bit?uzzled: Gas always increase gobs more when minimum wage ppl actually get a paid a dollar or so more. At least when the national average was around 5.15 an hour, gas was still fairly reasonable!o No: Oh well, life is life...

 

Stop the WAR.....Stop ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION

Invest our US $$$ in America and American's !

Stop CHEAP LABOR ....it's NOT CHEAP !

Tomatoes and Cheap Labor



From a California school teacher - - -"As you listen to the news about the student protests over illegal immigration, there are some things that you should be aware of:

I am in charge of the English-as-a-second-language department at a large southern California high school which is designated a Title 1 school, meaning that its students average lower socioeconomic and income levels.

Most of the schools you are hearing about, South Gate High, Bell Gardens, Huntington Park, etc., where these students are protesting, are also Title 1 schools.

Title 1 schools are on the free breakfast and free lunch program. When I say free breakfast, I'm not talking a glass of milk and roll -- but a full breakfast and cereal bar with fruits and juices that would make a Marriott proud. The waste of this food is monumental, with trays and trays of it being dumped in the trash uneaten. (OUR TAX DOLLARS AT WORK)

I estimate that well over 50% of these students are obese or at least moderately overweight. About 75% or more DO have cell phones. The school also provides day care centers for the unwed teenage pregnant girls (some as young as 13) so they can attend class without the inconvenience of having to arrange for babysitters or having family watch their kids. (OUR TAX DOLLARS AT WORK)

I was ordered to spend $700,000 on my department or risk losing funding for the upcoming year even though there was little need for anything; my budget was already substantial. I ended up buying new computers for the computer-learning center, half of which, one month later, have been carved with graffiti by the appreciative students who obviously feel humbled and grateful to have a free education in America. (OUR TAX DOLLARS AT WORK)

I have had to intervene several times for young and substitute teachers whose classes consist of m any illegal immigrant students here in the country less then 3 months who raised so much hell with the female teachers, calling them "Putas" whores and throwing things that the teachers were in tears.

Free medical, free education, free food, day care etc., etc., etc. Is it any wonder they feel entitled to not only be in this country but to demand rights, privileges and entitlements?

To those who want to point out how much these illegal immigrants contribute to our society because they LIKE their gardener and housekeeper and they like to pay less for tomatoes: spend some time in the real world of illegal immigration and see the TRUE costs.

Higher insurance, medical facilities closing, higher medical costs, more crime, lower standards of education in our schools, overcrowding, new diseases etc., etc, etc. For me, I'll pay more for tomatoes.

We need to wake up. The guest worker program will be a disaster because we won't have the guts to enforce it.
Does anyone in their right mind really think they will voluntarily leave and return?

There are many hardworking Hispanic/American citizens that contribute to our country and many that I consider my true friends. We should encourage and accept those Hispanics who have done it the right and legal way.

It does, however, have everything to do with culture: A third-world culture that does not value education, that accepts children getting pregnant and dropping out of school by 15 and that refuses to assimilate, and an American culture that has become so weak and worried about "politically correct" that we don't have the will to do anything about it.

If this makes your blood boil, as it did mine, forward this to everyone you know.

CHEAP LABOR?
Isn't that what the whole immigration issue is about?

Business doesn't want to pay a decent wage.

Consumers don't want expensive produce.

Government will tell you Americans don't want the jobs.

But the bottom line is cheap labor. The phrase "cheap labor" is a myth, a farce, and a lie. There is no such thing as "cheap labor."

Take, for example, an illegal alien with a wife and five children. He takes a job for $5.00 or $6.00/hour. At that wage, with six dependents, he pays no income tax, yet at the end of the year, if he files an Income Tax Return, he gets an "earned income credit" of up to $3,200 free.

He qualifies for Section 8 housing and subsidized rent.



He qualifies for food stamps.



He qualifies for free (no deductible, no co-pay) health care.



His children get free breakfasts and lunches at school.



He requires bilingual teachers and books.



He qualifies for relief from high energy bills.



If they are or become, aged, blind or disabled, they qualify for SSI. Once qualified for SSI they can qualify for Medicare. All of this at (our) taxpayer's expense.



He doesn't worry about car insurance, life insurance, or homeowners insurance.



Taxpayers provide Spanish language signs, bulletins and printed material.



He and his family receive the equivalent of $20.00 to $30.00 / hour in benefits.



Working Americans are lucky to have $5.00 or $6.00 / hour left after paying their bills and his.



The American taxpayers also pay for increased crime, graffiti and trash clean up.



Cheap labor? YEAH RIGHT! Wake up people!



THESE ARE THE QUESTIONS WE SHOULD BE ADDRESSING TO THE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES FOR EITHER PARTY. 'AND WHEN THEY LIE TO US AND DON'T DO AS THEY SAY, WE SHOULD REPLACE THEM AT ONCE'


Peace WildBill

p.s. we just had 10 illegal aliens hold a neighborhood hostage(Tipton,IN) last week when then did'nt like what thier smuggler was giong to charge to finish the deal to get them where they wanted to go.......:blast:

 

Amen, Bill! :beer

We have a full blown crisis in this country and nobody sems to care enough to try and change things. ou:

 

Except for Congressman RON PAUL!!

 

I put my family in one because it is safer in an accident vs most of the fuel efficient vehicles. I make the sacrifice to pay extra for fuel and insurance to stack the odds in our favor should the unthinkable happen.

I'm sorry to inconvienence your driving experience. But this being a country where I have the choice and so do you I think that you should look into adapting to the things that bother you. Maybe not driving at night if the headlights bother you that much. I like the fact that my vehicle sits up higher. I think it adds to the safety and enables the driver to see further down the road and avoid any things that detract from safe driving. I'm not trying to incite just stating my views.

I find this to be the statement that got me to post. NO one and I mean no one forces you to drive the vehicle you bought. No one held a gun to your head and made you buy it. You made to choice of your own free will. You did. No one forces you to live where you live or for her to go to that job no matter how far away.

I also beg to differ on your assessment that it is not possible to drive your Riv that you chose to purchase to Atlantic City. It is not only possible but can be done at any time of the day or night on any day you chose. You make tha choice not to go. Your budget set up by you may not be able to resonably handle the cost of the fuel and other expenses but that does not mean it is not possible.


Don't give me this is what I could afford or someone else got more and I didn't get a fair shake. You get as fair a shake as me. We all get the opportunity provided by our forefathers to live in a free country where you get to chose where to live, work, go to school, what to drive, where to shop, where and on what to spend the income you were free to generate. Again, I'm not trying to incite, just throwing out my views in a free country that I am glad to take part in.

I get the feeling by your post that you want to regulate others choices and that is not going to work for me. Who else has views on this? I'd love to read them.:beers2:

 

Ethanol, what a joke

http://www.cbc.ca/consumer/story/2007/05/22/corn.html

 

Tell that to some of the families of people whose children and other people have been killed when some careless driver with nothing to lose driving a "safe" oversized hunk of metal meant for military purposes came out from nowhere and totally obliterated the vehicle they were driving in! (and probably rolled over after that )

Case and point......Ford Excursion clocks a Crown Vic.......no damage to the Excursion, but the Crown Vic gets it bad. Regardless of who's at fault...why should everyone else on the road have to pay higher insurance premiums b/c of the extensive damage SUV's cause to other vehicles? Good thing I don't make the insurance laws now, isn't it. :Brow:

You have your freedom of choice.....and freedom of speach.......I'd rather walk than drive an SUV. I accept your opinion, please accept mine. :TU:

 

Around here , we have lots of people that run around in 4X4's and SUV's that are jacked up at least three or four feet over stock with huge 40 something inch tires. Their bumpers are at least 4 or 5 ft off of the ground. These people ,especially the high schoolers, put every performance enhancement on the running gear so they can drag race each other over 100 mph on the street. The most popular truck is the Ford Powerstroke crewcab. I don't know where these kids get the money to lay out on a $50,000. truck,but they sure are irresponsible with them. In the last couple of years,there have been some really bad wrecks with a few deaths. I see these running around town all the time, and everytime you see one take off from a traffic light,it is wide open. Drunk redneck+7500lb truck+1000 hp +very high center of gravity= DISASTER.

 

I drive a truck (which is the same as an SUV from the seat forward) because it has the most room inside it.

 

But is a newer, jacked up 4X4 with ABS, better headlights, etc, any more dangerous than a hopped up muscle car from the 60's? I don't think so. The best way to curb the problem you described is to get the judges to do more when offenders are caught.

My Suburban averages 14.5 mpg, but I knew the mileage would suck when I bought it, so I'm not going to complain over the fuel bill. I drive 7.5 miles to work, and average only about 8500 miles per year on my car, so the increases don't hurt me as much as others. It's wrong, however, to suggest that I should pay a tax for having a vehicle that gets poor milege; I already pay increased taxes per mile driven because of my low mpg. I also propose that some of those who drive a gas-sipping car are less resposible than me. When my wife and I picked our house, we considered the distance to work and other places we frequent. We also do what we can to limit our trips. I know several people who average over 25,000 miles per year on their car, making frequent frivilous trips.

 

my 89 suburban, with just over 190k, runs well, and averages 17mpg in town.
I got it because I needed something that was capable of towing a car trailer if needed, and haul things as well as daily transportation. I drive when I need to otherwise ,using my bicycle to carry small/lighter items

 

That reminds me of that episode of SOUTHPARK where Stan's dad said the "N" word on TV.......and those rednecks pulled up in that high 4WD monster truck with their shotguns....and the emblem on the truck said "CHEPY" LOL

Everytime I think of that I laugh. :laugh:

 

I take real offense to someone wanting to tax my SUV, but trying to protect his classic car. My SUV DOES drive over muddy mountains, and beaches and lonely dirt roads, and 80 mph down the interstate. It has Airbags, ABS, and other modern features that make it a safe vehicle to drive. My Buick, on the other hand, came with manual drum brakes, high HP, soft poor handling suspension, steel dash, no roof(conv.), lap belts, gets about half the MPG of the suv, and can only be driven on the paved streets.

Which seems more practical to you??? unbiased logic says drive the suv.

I love both, drive both and wouldn't give up either. I've put over 30k miles on the suv, and live 2 blocks from work! At the same time put about 15k miles combined on my other cars/bikes/trucks.

I "could" drive a little saturn SL1 that got 40 mpg when new, and bitch about the big trucks on the road being dangerous to me, but no one is forcing me to do so. I feel bad for you if someone MADE you buy a vehicle you don't like. Have you really looked at the cost of buying a new car, even a "gas-sipper." A new commuter car getting 35 highway mpg for example. TAke a new 07 focus, about $16k. Divide by the for year loan cost, plus a couple percent interest. thats about $4200 per year. Then I have to fuel and maintain it. a low lease friendly 10k miles of ONLY highway driving adds about $850 more per year for fuel. It's new so oil change and checkup, $200 for the first year, assuming you don't go to the dealer. Now that's $5250 to have a new "fuel efficient" car. Thats doesn't take into account the raw materials and resources needed for the car to be produced in the first place. We are trying to save the planet here, why are you being so greedy using those resources?

Compare my 14 yr old, mean, eco-bashing, death trap SUV given the same 10k miles. 23 mpg highway uses a little over $1300 fuel, round it up to 1350. I've spent $500 this year(triple the mileage though) on repairs/maintenence. I'm up to $1850 to operate my vehicle for the same miles driven. I'd be in the poor house if someone hade made me buy that commuter car. Oh, and through proper maintenance over the years, my truck looks and drives as close to new as you can get.






Onto the other subject of government/oil/war. The board doesn't have enough bandwidth to host my opinions on those subjects.




Here's a photo of my "horrible" suv and a couple friends on our way to the beach, could've driven the Buick, but it would still be stuck in the sand if we did that!

 

This may have been said earlier, but I'll say it again.

1. We aren't paying for the gas that's going into our tank now. We're paying for the oil that will be delivered three months from now.
2. Every time there's the slightest bit of unrest in an oil producing area, the price will go up because the people in the market panic.
3. Chavez and OPEC know they have us by the short hairs and are lovin' it.
4. SUVs are not the cause of this mess.
5. We have to drill for oil anywhere we can. That means in Alaska and off of the coast of California and Florida.
6. Until the Democrats and Republicans put their political differences aside and work for a solution, a real solution, we'll always be up **** creek without a paddle.