Socialism Lives in the US!

[BigJon@Work]

Socialism still has not died its well-deserved death here in the US.
http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/energy/2005-08-24-hawaii-gas_x.htm
What’s next, price caps on ketchup?

[haggis]

...and when they came for my ketchup there was no one left to defend me....

[piqaboo]

, they were all too busy defending the ketchup!

[OperaTenor]

I hope you all realize we already have dreaded socialism at work in our fuel supply. Just take a look at all of the government fuel subsidies.

[BigJon@Work]

Do you mean tax breaks or alternate fuel subsidies?

[Avivaldi72]

Of course he must mean the tax breaks for the major corporations, who can then rape us at the pump and blame it on supply, when, in reality, the corporations are racking up RECORD profits.

We have collusion here among our gas stations, and we pay about 10 cents a gallon more than places about 20-30 miles away. It is not worth it to drive to pay less. I am not thrilled, but I'm not lobbying my state senator for a cap. Still, monopolies, collusion, etc., by companies to screw the consumer must be dealt with.

I'm not a socialist; I have a conscience.

[dai bread]

My heart bleeds for the Hawaiians. Their petrol price is less than half ours.

Those of us who live in places where trade is important have known about the corporate socialism of various U.S. governments for decades. Europe isn't any better, but at least their rank & file people get a look in.

[OperaTenor]

Hi *igJon,

No, oil companies receive federal subsidies for oil, to help keep the price artificially lowered. It's really stupid: We pay for it, one way(directly for the fuel) or the other(paying taxes whcih go to the subsidies), and the oil companies continue to post record profits.

And you guys gripe about socialized medicine!

It all goes back to the house of Bush legacy......

<small>[ 08-28-2005, 02:17 AM: Message edited by: OperaTenor ]</small>

[BigJon@Work]

I thought those died years ago. Are you sure they are ongoing?

[OperaTenor]

I'm pretty sure.

[piqaboo]

Yeah. Congress just voted more exploration and development subsidies. Even Bush gave a speach before the vote saying that the oil companies are making great profits and dont need the extra help, but Congress blew him off and voted them the money anyway.

[Schmeelkie]

The gas cap isn't going to help anything. Hell, the US has had lower gas prices than the rest of the world for quite some time - I really can't complain about recent rises. Someone in our local paper wrote something to the effect of - you spend $2.50 for a gallon of water, or worse, $2.50 for a cup of coffee - $2.50 a gallon for gas isn't so bad in those terms.

I've been trying to drive less - but I have to get groceries, I have to go to work, I have to pick up Pumpkin from daycare... I like to get Pumpkin out of the house every now and then when I'm not working...

And I'm in a little gas-friendly Saturn, not an SUV or the monstrosities that are Hummers...

Another suggestion from a editorial writer in our paper - let your kid take the bus to school. I've thought for a while that the urge to drive your kid to school has gotten out of hand lately. I lived just down the street from an elementary school when we were in Michigan - if you left for work at the wrong time, it was hell getting past it - at least 3x as many parents in cars than buses. Buses are at least partially funded by school taxes in most districts - don't know why parents don't let their kids use them. Heck - I walked to school for my 4 years in high school. Sorry for the rant...

[piqaboo]

Gas cap keeps the fuel from leaking out of the gas tank. :p


I walked to kindergarten and 1st grade, as the school was a long block away, with no streets to cross. In our current neighborhood, it takes me 15 min to walk to the local elementary school, so figure a bit longer for a short-legs. One street to cross; its a 4-way stop. I need to check if they place a crossing guard there.

[OperaTenor]

The failures of socialized medicine:

World's Oldest Person Dies in Netherlands

I'll bet if she'd been under our health care system, she'd still be alive......................................if she had enough money.

[Shapley]

You must have missed this part:

Guinness spokesman Sam Knights said the oldest authenticated person now is Elizabeth Bolden, 115, of Memphis, Tenn., born Aug. 15, 1890. The oldest man is Emiliano Mercado del Toro, 114, of Puerto Rico.

[dai bread]

They're mere youngsters. People died in the 1990's claiming to be over 120. One claimed to be 128. Western European records were pretty good in the late 19th C, so the claims may well be right.

[DavidS]

I seem to recall that the area reported as having the highest incidence of longevity is the (formerly Soviet) Republic of Georgia. Something to do with consuming yoghurt and honey, together with the unusual Caucasian mountain climate?

<small>[ 09-01-2005, 12:47 AM: Message edited by: DavidS ]</small>

[barfle]

I performed a short survey of regular gasoline for sale in the Virginia suburbs of Washington, DC. I found the price varied from as high as $3.59 to as low as $2.99. Admittedly, this was on a 20 odd mile trip up one street and down another, so I have no doubt there were both higher and lower prices being charged in our region.

What this survey does is point out that gasoline in the station's tank didn't suddenly become more expensive to store, it came under higher demand. Gasoline is a commodity, in spite of the companies' attemts to differentiate their gasoline from the other guys'. So it is subject to the laws of supply and demand. As a commodity, it is a low-profit item for the dealers, who make more from their convenience stores, car washes, and mechanics than they do from the pumps.

It also points out that some people still have too much money, because I personally witnessed people buying gas from a station that was charging 10¢ a gallon more than one across the street.

[Schmeelkie]

I think it's more a matter of a possible decrease in supply from the destruction of rigs and refineries by Katrina than an increase in demand. Heard on the radio that GWB is considering a national gas cap. Also heard that Steve Forbes believes there's a gas price bubble (like in housing, and internet companies in the late '90s) and this bubble will pop soon and we'll see prices back to just under $2/gallon. That'd be nice, but I really don't see it happening...

As to the low profitability of gas for station owners - my dad and his then partner stopped selling gas at their service station in the '80s - too much work for too little profit. Plus, it means he's out in the elements a lot less. Now that he's working by himself, he's even more happy he doesn't have gas anymore. Not that the auto repair business is that profitable on it's own (sunk money into getting a new lift instead of giving himself a raise), but not having gas meant that he didn't have to hire anyone else when his partner retired.