How then, do we move backwards? How does a society, with most of the people having no clue of future events, move from being dependent on a vast and intertwined network of goods and services produced by the indigenous people of whereever, to a local resource and renewable energy based society, and do so in the timeframe available (20-30 years using the most liberal extimates, 10-20 with resonable estimates, 5-10 with worst case scenarios), all the while prices on everything increasing, world politics getting more militaristic, governments continuously reducing civil liberties, shortages of goods on the market and weather patterns resembling bad Hollywood movies?
Gas Will Stay Aout Where It Is Now. Somewhere Between $2 and $2.50
5%
[ 4 ]
Modest Increase. Between $2.50 and $3.
25%
[ 19 ]
Big Increase But No New Record. Gas $3 to $3.50
40%
[ 30 ]
New Record! Gas between $3.50 and $5.
27%
[ 20 ]
Oil Madness! Gas goes to $5 and Beyond.
1%
[ 1 ]
Total Votes : 74
Author
Message
bulletproof Tar Sands
Joined: Mar 05, 2006 Posts: 30 Location: Venezuela
Posted: Thu Mar 30, 2006 10:55 am Post subject: Re: Summer gas Prices
I actually expect to see oil prices drop this summer due to the excess inventory, but how much of that reaches the pump is anyones guess.
Now is probably not the time to buy oil futures, unless you've got an inside scoop on a major event that would sent the price skyward.
Of course, it doesn't matter to us in Venezuela because we're paying 12 cents per gallon for 95 octane gas, and roughly 8 cents per gallon for diesel. _________________ Strategic Relocation to Margarita Island
http://bulletproofretirement.com
Posted: Wed Apr 19, 2006 2:58 pm Post subject: THE Gas Price Thread (merged)
CNN
The economy is going to be destroyed some say, but that won't happen for awhile. We can have people dig ditches, then fill those ditches up obviously.. but there's also some more practical ways of conserving... for example:
Quote:
Our business has had to consolidate daily car trips for delivery and pick up of our product (aircraft parts) to 3 days a week versus every day due to the increased price of fuel.
Steve Fogler, Milford, Connecticut
Obviously, this will ruin the economy.
Quote:
Biking to work most days, gas prices have not affected my routine at all. Even on the days when I must drive, it's a 3-mile round-trip, so the $2.79 price at the pump makes little difference. By choosing to live close to work and commute by bike, I daily and proudly assert my energy near-independence.
Michael Godsey, Portland, Oregon
We'll just ignore him, because he's a Portland, Oregon Hippie...
Quote:
It has change my whole daily routine. I bring lunch & snack, so I don't have to go out. If I need to go to a store,and it's not on my route home, I won't stop. I have to map out my weekend shopping stops. I really don't see it getting better any time soon. I'm currently paying $3.00 a gallon. I use to fill up on high grade for about $20, now it's about $35 for the cheapest I can find, which runs out quicker.
Nikki, Miami, Florida
Obviously, people having to plan and think about spending money is going to ripple throughout the economy. It will surely doom us.
Quote:
Due to the increase in gas prices I now carpool ($2.899 for regular unleaded). This decreases my daily costs and eliminates shopping after work. I'm saving money all the way around, but if more people are doing the same, that will have an effect on the economy. I will also do more recreation that I can walk or bike to. I have canceled my summer road trip this year because of the gas increase. I fear that gas could go as high as $4.00 per gallon. If so, I will be eliminating more from my life: land-line phone, cable etc.
Kathryn, Liverpool, New York
Obviously, she won't be stopping her cell phone or internet services. Some industries may be failing not because of Peak Oil, but because other technologies are replacing them in needs/wants. (See studies where kids now spend less time on the TV and more time on the internet...)
Quote:
I'm one of the many people that have to drive to work each day, my trip is 128 miles each day, I stop for gas every two days so it never gets too low. At this writing I'm paying $2.69 a gallon. The trouble is that price goes up every day. The Exxon 3 blocks from my home went from $2.59 to $2.73 in one night. I'm now going for $80.00 to $85.00 a week just for five days. I don't use the car on weekends if I don't have to. When is GEORGE going to do something about it????
Bill, Clifton, New Jersey
There's some more blather about how we only have ourselves to blame (we have specific groups of people and companies to blame obviously - if it were up to me, I'd ban SUVs - I'm not taking responsibility for our horrendous fleet mileage).
Overall, it seems like people are doing OK. And since savings is negative, it's obvious the economy is doing well for now (but definitely not later). Conservation is good. But it's probably 1523x better to be using the oil to build a sustainable-super-tech society than burning it in SUVs and Airliners. So, in effect, conservation in areas of waste is GOOD. Conservation in building sustainable cities is BAD.
(I'm drunk with cynical sarcasm. Half of what you read is sarcastic, the other isn't. You figure it out.) _________________ https://www.videogamevoters.org/http://www.savetheinternet.com/http://www.votersforpeace.us/index.jsp www.911myths.com - To the 9/11-ers, give it some thought.
Posted: Wed Apr 19, 2006 3:58 pm Post subject: Re: How are you dealing with rising gas pirces?
On my grad school salary last year (19K) these prices would be killing me. On my current salary (60K) it's not so bad. Still, I drive as little possible: to and from work (5.5 miles each way), and once a week trip to get mcdonalds, movies, random shopping, food for the week, and fillup on gas. Of course I sometimes have to make other trips too, but if I do I try to put it together with something else. I also take the slow way to work because it saves 1.5 miles of driving. I guess I'm doing this mostly as preparation, in addition to saving for a hybrid. I could handle the prices if I was still clueless.
Posted: Wed Apr 19, 2006 10:11 pm Post subject: Re: How are you dealing with rising gas pirces?
I'm testing the batteries in my solar powered electric car. I have a few weak ones. I'm going to replace/recycle them and drive it more often to offset the rising cost of gas. I can save the battery cost back by not driving the gasoline car as much. Simple as that, once you have the alternative infrastructure, the old oil-based transportation is irrelevant.
Posted: Thu Apr 20, 2006 4:31 am Post subject: Re: How are you dealing with rising gas pirces?
SolarDave - how about posting some details on your car?
Basically, we've become a society of spoiled slobs who think the world is ending if we're forced to (gasp) compromise our lifestyles a bit and change our plans. You won't find any of The Greatest Generation complaining!
Joined: Mar 02, 2006 Posts: 1191 Location: England
Posted: Thu Apr 20, 2006 6:24 am Post subject: Re: How are you dealing with rising gas pirces?
>> I remember they had tons of those cons and shams in the 70's during the oil embargo. Funny how little things have changed.
That Teflon oil additive worked! I out it in a small 1.8 liter car, and the idle revs shot up amazingly due to the reduced friction.
It may have reduced fuel consumption ... but sadly the PTFE articles tended to damage engines- especially old ones - by lodging in metal pores and then expanding sometimes causing cracks.
Joined: Dec 27, 2004 Posts: 11857 Location: zombie horde wonderland
Posted: Thu Apr 20, 2006 11:34 am Post subject: Re: How are you dealing with rising gas pirces?
It's not affecting me significantly, because we drive so little and have a very fuel efficient vehicle. _________________ "...powerdown so soft and fluffy you'll think you're living in a pillow..." - jboogy
Joined: Feb 26, 2006 Posts: 99 Location: outside of consensus reality
Posted: Thu Apr 20, 2006 10:14 pm Post subject: Re: How are you dealing with rising gas pirces?
the girl and i moved off the east coast (richmond va) to a economically depressed area (huntington wv), sold our van, got bikes and started making most of our own crap (medicine, ect). we got jobs in restauraunts and I was makeing like 9-20$/hr bartendingfor about a year and a half. we funneled it all into survival gear, tools, bike equipment/clothing, food store, ect. the high gas prices after katrina cut my income down to barely above minimum. we downshifted to 6.00/hr jobs in small business grocery/ veterinarian respectively. retail sucks (she loves vet teching regardless of the money) but going local versus corperate restaurants gives us the comfort of being in industries that dont rely on peoples disposable income. (and the chicken restaurant I was working in is suffering from peoples fears of bird flu)
So because we dont drive these prices dont affect us directly, but because of disposable income drop in others budgets, our lives have changed significantly. now we are gardening voraciously with all our spare money and energy. its tight but we have cushioning everywhere. stocks of food, herbal medicine, bike parts, ect. our income combined is 1500 a month wheras our expenses are about 900 a month so we are able to keep up the stocks and expand some into new sustainability projects.
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