Gas keeping you from some travel

Nowindknots,
Amen to that one! Well, after a beautiful sunny day, yesterday, we now have 3 inches of new snow! Its coming down hard but with a little luck we'll get the stocking done. There hasn't been a "year without a summer" for a long time so we may as well sit back and enjoy the scenery.

Ol Bill

If the Petro-Scalpers raise the prices any more, I may have to start walking to work.
I wonder how our government is helping us. Or IF they are helping us.
Sorry, should have been posted in Sound Off.


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A free gift waits for those who ask.
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Lotech Joe

[Austinite]

Not at all--heading to the Grand Canyon early summer....come hell or high water...

[Rev Rob]

I am seriously thinking about getting a motorcycle ~~ 50 + mpg sounds pretty good compared to the 20 + of my compact SUV. But as of now the answer is yes ~~ the price of gas has limited my trips to the river. The price of oil dropped yesterday and today the price of gas increased 4-6 cents a gallon. Go figure.

[Royal Wulff]

Allan, RW here

I don't care how high the gas prices go....I'll be there, wherever "there" is.
My wife and I remember when bread was .17 cents a loaf. Now white bread is $2.39 a loaf and whole wheat is $2.79 a loaf. Prices didn't stop me from eating bread and I don't suppose they'll stop me from buying gas and going on trips.

Later, RW

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"We fish for pleasure; I for mine, you for yours." -James Leisenring on fishing the wet fly-

[joekrz]

Not at all. Can't put a price on fun. The extra $10 per week that it cost me to fill the tank isn't going to make or break a trip. It just means one or two less trips to McDonalds or eating out with the family.

The truth is that gas prices are not increasing, instead it is that the value of the dollar is decreasing.

The US Dollar, is the World's Reserve Currency, which means it is the benchmark for all commodities, that are traded in the International Market. The US Dollars (USD) value in trade, depends on it?s apparent strength, and the balance of trade (things we purchase from overseas - vs. - things we sell over seas).

The USA has for years, had monthly Trade Deficits of 50 Billion or more. That the same as you always buying more than you are selling. To reduce the balance of money already owed for past purchases, you have to reduce your purchases and increase your sales. Otherwise, sooner or later you will go broke.

So with the dollars value decreasing, you need more dollars to purchase the same gallon of gasoline. I suggest that (wherever possible) Americans buy American Products, made in America.

Postscript: As a reference of where things use to be in the value of the US Dollar in the 1990's - vs - Today. 3/24/1990 it was 1 USD vs: 4.73 Chinese Yuan (CYN). 3/24/2005 it is, 1 USD vs: 8.27 CYN. So you would need to spend double USD, to purchase the same Chinese products. Prices are not going up, the value of the dollar is going down. The water is not rising, but the ground you are standing on is sinking. It is all depends on were you are standing, on a ship off shore looking at the beach, or standing on the beach looking at the ship on floating on the water.




[This message has been edited by Steven H. McGarthwaite (edited 24 March 2005).]

[Jtaylor]

We're not letting gas prices keep us from pulling the camper to the Black Hills later this summer. However, I'm riding my Harley instead of driving the pickup to work. I think my truck will be taking it easy this summer until it's time to pull the camper and boat. 48 mpg vs. 16 mpg--the Harley wins the job of runabout.

I could get a litte better MPG from the bike if I didn't like to crack that throttle open so much. I did some performance work on it during Christmas and increased the HP about 10 ponies. I carry travel fly rods on the bike so gas prices won't slow down my fishing very much.



[This message has been edited by Jtaylor (edited 24 March 2005).]

We're presently on a 4500 mile trip. Driving a Volvo V70 with a cargo carrier on top and get about 28 mpg on the open road This trip takes about 160 gallons (more or less)which at $2.25/gal figures out to $400. Gas today is somewhere between $0.50 and $1.00 per gallon more this year than last. Oh wow, does that mean that we should not go because the trip will cost up to $160 more this year? Of course not.

Of course, if I was driving an SUV gashog that got 14 mpg, I might change my tune. Actually, it would be better for everyone if we parked our SUV's in the garage for a while (my Explorer sits patiently waiting for us to return).

Now my question is: Are there many folks out there who will end up driving 4500 miles for fishing the upcoming season?

While I do deplore the rising cost in gasoline here in America, I can't blame only the Chinese (who have increased their demand expodentially), the Arabs (who aren't the only ones producing crude y'know) or the Politicians (who probably are blamed for everything bad). We have to take a large share of blame ourselves. Go to the nearest elementary school when school lets out in the afternoon and see what a large percentage of Moms are driving 4WD 200 h.p. SUV's to pick up Junior. Tsk, tsk.

And as some posters have already mentioned, try living in Europe and paying the big Euros for gasoline.


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Snow on the roof with fire in the hearth

Steve...I think your math is a little backwards...but then again, it's early and I haven't had my coffee yet so I could be thinking poorly.

If the US Dollar in the 1990's (3/24/1990) was 1 USD to 4.73 Chinese Yuan (CYN). And on 3/24/2005 it is, 1 USD vs: 8.27 CYN, then the dollar is now stronger and the yuan is weaker (the dollar buys more yuan and hence more chinese products). I haven't checked your figures(maybe they're just backwards?), but the dollar is losing strength in many international markets.

The weaker dollar makes imported products(oil for example)more expensive for american consumers. However, the weaker dollar is good for american companies that do business internationally. Let's say Kraft foods earned 150 billion Euros in european sales. When the dollar is strong, say 1US$=2 Euros, Kraft's earnings are 75 billion US$. Assume they do the same sales the next year, but now the dollar is weaker 1US$=1 Euro - now Kraft has doubled their sales when converted to US$ - from 75bil US$ to 150bil US$. The other reason that the weaker dollar is good for american companies that do business abroad is that our exports now become cheaper to the buying country.

Buying american is a good practice. But it's the notion that americans should buy american products and the rest of the world should too that ticks off a lot of the rest of the world. Maybe the notion shold be,"keep american companies in America" rather than just "buy American." Perhaps in an ideal world, every country would produce everything they need. But they don't, and the fact is, that we are now part of a global economy. If you want reasonably priced products, you have to allow for ALL competitors - foreign or otherwise. Can you imagine how much gas would be if we had to rely only on American oil? Can you say OUTRAGEOUS? Can you say "Goodbye Alaskan wilderness?"

Getting back to oil, American automakers have repeatedly refused to include better technology- technology that is already available - in their cars that would increase mileage or utilize alternative fuels. Diesel engines are quite popular in some areas of the world. Many small diesel engines get great mileage - 50 plus to the gal. Diesel may cost ten percent more but you get double the mileage of the average american car. Toyota makes diesel four cylinders for their pickups in other parts of the world - I'd love to have a toyota with a 4cyl diesel! The Brasilians have been using alcohol in cars for years. Yeah, they make it from sugar cane, but the US sure grows a heck of a lot of corn that can make alcohol...The technology is out there, and when American consumers *demand* it, the automakers will come along.

I always wonder why, when everybody starts complaining about oil prices, nobody EVER recommends decreasing our use of plastics, which are made from petroleum...


Charlie

A little aside...everybody rips on SUVS - my 96 ford explorer(loaded, 8cyl) gets 22mpg on the highway - my 4cyl 97 ford ranger gets 19 mpg on the highway...