Is there anyone NOT bothered by the price of gas?

[Tinkerbelle32]

I find it sad that folks trying to sell their cars was "entertaining". Maybe these people were having hard times. You honestly think that ONLY SUV drivers want their cars sold over the blue book price. You, yourself wouldn't want the best amount of money that you could get for your car? I have a hard time believing that. And to think that the people who feel that drilling is a viable option only care about now, and that we don't care about our children's children is assinine! I thought these boards were for giving advice and opinions and not finger pointing and name calling.

 

[CarolA]

I find it sad that folks trying to sell their cars was "entertaining". Maybe these people were having hard times. You honestly think that ONLY SUV drivers want their cars sold over the blue book price. You, yourself wouldn't want the best amount of money that you could get for your car? I have a hard time believing that. And to think that the people who feel that drilling is a viable option only care about now, and that we don't care about our children's children is assinine! I thought these boards were for giving advice and opinions and not finger pointing and name calling.

WOW!!! Using the word "assinine" and saying "these boards were for giving advice and opinion and not finger pointing and name calling in the same post" (What would you call this post??????? ) Sounds like to me what you are really saying is only opinions that agree with yours should be posted and any that don't are "assinine". Sorry it doesn't work that way on a message board.

I think that these folks need to face facts. It's very rare that someone will pay MORE then the value of a car for it. Why should they expect that? I am sorry that reality is tough, but..... I also find it entertaining that everyone in America thought they NEEDED an SUV. WHY???? Apparently these same families who NEEDED an SUV have not discovered that they could live without them... hmmm...

I will be selling my car in a year or so. I don't think that I am expecting to get paid more then it's worthe.

 

[Tinkerbelle32]

These boards are for giving advice and opinions! I have no problem with anyone sharing their views, ways of solving issues, etc. But, when you start making assumptions and generalizations about other peoples views and feelings that is crossing a line to me. You do not know me. Therefore, how can you possibly state how I feel about my children or their childrens children etc. Please, feel free to give your opinion, but at the same time allow me to make mine without all the additional negative comments!

 

[Lizzybear]

From a UK perspective, it does bother me yes but realistically there is nothing I can do so since I choose to drive a car then I pay the costs. My dad is a small business owner (roofing supplies) and is feeling the increase too: They have several trucks which of course run on diesel. He hasn't increased the prices to account for it yet but it'll be a possibility if the price continues to rise. It's currently £1 ($2) a litre, diesel is around £1.20. I'm lucky in that I live in a city where the public transport is pretty good (public transport isn't consistent in the UK, if you live in a rural area it's usually not a viable option for your sole method of transport) so I don't need to use my car for every little journey. The point about SUVs is interesting though: Definitely true for continental Europe but i've actually seen an increase in them here in recent years, despite how much they cost to run. I suppose at the end of the day people enjoy the comfort and convenience of having their own vehicle so petrol would have to become truly unaffordable for them to give up their cars completely, even if the option of public transport is there.

 

[CarolA]

These boards are for giving advice and opinions! I have no problem with anyone sharing their views, ways of solving issues, etc. But, when you start making assumptions and generalizations about other peoples views and feelings that is crossing a line to me. You do not know me. Therefore, how can you possibly state how I feel about my children or their childrens children etc. Please, feel free to give your opinion, but at the same time allow me to make mine without all the additional negative comments!

WAIT!!!

My intial post that you decided to ATTACK and call names was not in response to anything you posted. But you decided to that you were going to tell me how WRONG I was. And apparently at that point I am suppose to agree and allow you to trash me?

I have a solution for you. You can put me on ignore.

 

[fkj2]

This thread--and some of the responses--is interesting.

Newton postulated that for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. I believe we'll see that in this economy.

To believe that high gasoline prices aren't impacting us individually does not consider their impact on the country as a whole. There are people who are hungry. Maybe they're not really visible, yet. The elderly, who have their pride, won't want to have to admit they don't have enough money to eat as well as they should. And they're a segment of society that NEEDS to eat well; the immune system doesn't function as well as we age and requires adequate nutrition. Then consider the children and teenagers who need adequate calcium intake to build their bone levels of calcium. For those of us who "haven't felt the effects of higher gas prices yet," take a look at your children, grandchildren, nieces and nephews...are you still "not feeling it?"

For those who utilize mass transit, it's good that you have that availability. I'm sure it's something we'd all like to have access to. And hopefully, your transportation won't suffer when local governments have to make budget cuts.

I do think there is something to the theory of Peak Oil, but even if that proved not to be true, we have allowed OPEC to hold us hostage to oil for decades and we've done nothing to prepare ourselves. We had plenty of warning: that's on US. What's our response? We send Bush to Saudi Arabia, begging, hat in hand.

As for natural gas, the June contract just closed short of $12/btu...and we're just heading into hurricane season. For those not following, it doesn't seem like producers are injecting large amounts into storage for the coming winter...yet. Really, why should they? Last fall, NG was less than $5/btu and supply was ample. The country drew down the storage and now the price has more than doubled.

As to the idea that oil shouldn't be traded on the open market, why not? It's like any other good or service. If anyone has a skill, they sell it to the highest bidder, right? Food's sold on the open market, and it's a HUGE industry for the United States.

Some will undoubtedly fare better than others, but I don't know how anyone can see the strain on the faces of their fellow Americans who have to choose between fuel, housing, food, or prescriptions and "not feel it."

 

[PatriciaH]

People are saying how much in taxes they pay in Europe to have health care and great transportation but I think we pay quite a lot here. Property taxes are crazy now. I am also shocked what some people on these boards pay for health insurance. We pay $800/month for my health insurance (DH's contract company pays for his.) I am 37, healthy and do not smoke. In France they also have help for new parents like a nanny that will come to the home to help with laundry, child care, etc. The daycares are great and cost about $2 a week. New parents get a lot of time off not to mention they have more vacation time in general 5-6 weeks or so.

 

[happygirl]

I believe we are all hurt by gas prices but we can budget around it. I meant the people MOST hurt as in the ones who can't afford food or internet access anymore. As in the poorest people in the country. No disrespect was intended.

No Biggie Welcome to the board have fun

 

[Tinkerbelle32]

CarolA- I never once said that your opinion was wrong, incorrect, etc. Nor, did I ever trash you. I said that the statement made was assinine. I didn't agree with your statement when you said that these people who think drilling, or getting oil from Alaska can't care about the future the environment etc. Since I was the poster suggesting the drilling I took this as a reference pointed towards me. Enough said.

 

[luvsJack]

In all honesty, most people have some "fat" in thier budgets, which can be trimmed.QUOTE]

I agree that there are many Americans who have way to much "fat" in their budgets and trully need to begin trimming. But, the ones who really will have to decide between food and gas don't have the fat to trim. The community college I work at has many single parents enrolled in our two year allied health programs. They have to do their clinicals (working at medical sites as part of their education) and can't always work during this time. They don't have cell phones (or even land lines), cable television or any other such "luxury". They have to drive to school and to their clinicals (which can be a 1-2 hour drive), we do not live in an area where public transportation is feasible. So, yes they may have to make the hard choice of paying for some necessity or buying gas for their car; at least until they graduate.

I also agree that Americans use way too much of most things. We tend to think we are entitled to "bigger and supposedly better". We buy large homes and larger vehicles and then complain at the cost of using them. We have to stop and see where we can cut back. Regardless of what we have all been made to believe, we really can do without a lot of what we have or make do with a smaller version. I don't wish to get into the "do you need an SUV the size of Montana" discussion, but I do know that it is costing my niece $160 a week to go to work in her SUV and it would cost her, at the most, $60 in my car (for the same commute). $400 a month more in gas--thats a chunk out of a paycheck! She works for 1 week a month just to pay for gas to get to work!

I don't think it an either/or situation on drilling more/alternative fuels/consume less. We need all of the above so that we can become self sufficient and stop depending on other countries.

 

[DawnM]

Well, since it cost $7 to get to Costco and back yesterday, I do get bothered by it, but we do have the resources to pay.

I just am being much more careful about how much we drive and how far we drive and am making sure to cosolidate trips/errands as much as possible.

DH takes his 40mpg car to the nearest light rail stop and takes the train in to work. His work subsidizes that so it is very economical.

We are working hard to keep our gas cost per month the same as it was when we just drove as much as we wanted.....and we CAN do that with some extra planning.

Dawn

 

[DawnM]

The biggest problem I see with this is that most people are so in over their heads right now with large houses they can no longer afford and they can't sell for anywhere near what they paid for it and they have no savings or reserve to pay the difference anyway.

Dawn

I agree with these thoughts. We as a country are going to have to scale life back to something more like a 50s-60s mentality: Yes, kids can share bedrooms; most kids' clothing comes from friends or cousins' hand-me-downs; one car per family; eating out is a treat, not an everyday affair. If we adopted this attitude towards spending/living, the vast majority of Americans would have enough money for their needs, and they'd be able to save for thier wants.

 

[Maliki2]

Of course I'm bothered by it. Here in Vermont there is pretty much no public transportation or I would take it. My car gets 32MPG my wifes about 27 MPG. So we don't have huge gas guzzlers. The problem is we each commute 62 miles a day (roundtrip), and we can't commute in together due to 2 different shifts. The cost a month is about 2/3rds our mortgage. Add in the heating cost in the winter, and we pay more per month than our mortgage just between those two. That I find appaling!

 

[GrowingUpDisney]

Honestly, it doesn't really bother me. I don't sit and dwell on it. I don't mumble and grumble about it. I don't speculate where it will be 6 months - 10 years from now. Anyone else?

I wouldn't say I let it "bother" me so much as it worries me for those who were already living on limited means and struggling to pay their bills as it was. For instance, my grandparents. They worked hard their whole lives - my grandfather did not even retire until he was over 70 years old. He is the type of man that believes if you CAN work - you should, so he did. Now, he is retired and his health is deteriorating (he is 76). Although he was extremely good with his money and was NEVER frivilous - living on retirement is not easy. They have to be very careful about where their money goes.

The price gauge in gas has affected EVERYTHING. Groceries are almost double what they were a year ago. I saw a gallon of Barbers milk yesterday for $6.09! I almost fell out. We are fine for now - but if it goes much higher, it will be tough for us. When I bought groceries yesterday, I bought VERY limited things - just what we needed and almost NO name brand items and it was double what I normally spend.

We live in a garden home, drive reasonable cars (Camry and 01 Town and Country) and work very hard for our money....it is a shame that OPEC and the oil companies are rolling in the profits they are making while people like us (considered "middle class") are struggling. It is ridiculous....

My husband works for a company that test oil/gas wells. They DO NOT PROFIT FROM GAS or OIL - let me make that perfectly clear. They are hired by companies to see if the oil or gas wells are leaking into the soil or ground water. The man who is over him forcasts gas rising to over $5.00 a gallon here before summer is over. That is assinine. There is NO excuse for it...GREED, MONEY and POWER will be (and already is) America's downfall.

 

[a1tinkfans]

Honestly, it doesn't really bother me. I don't sit and dwell on it. I don't mumble and grumble about it. I don't speculate where it will be 6 months - 10 years from now. Anyone else?

UGH, all I know is this morning it was 4.29 by me this morning and personally, I am CUTTING down on driving BIG TIME, IT IS CRAZY!!!

 

[DVC Sadie]

No, it affects ALL OF US. Even those of us who drive small cars and who aren't forced to drive long distances for work are still paying higher prices at the grocery store (and other places). And when the lowest-paid people in our country are squeezed even more, that's going to affect us all too.

I can say that the gas prices haven't hurt me nearly as much as they're hurting other people, but I don't think any of us are genuinely unaffected.

I do agree with the people who say that the best outcome of this situation could be a greater awareness of our habits (and an understand of the fact that we cannot continue in the way we've been living for the past few decades); however, this isn't JUST about gas -- that's the tip of the iceburg and the obvious thing of which everyone's aware . . . but we Americans also have to stop our rampant consumption of, well, everything: driving oversized vehicles, eating out multiple times a week, buying big gifts for small holidays, using shopping as a hobby.

The other side of this coin is that we're concerned about the economy -- if we genuinely embrace the "less is more" idea in America, if we cut back on our consumption . . . the economy will spiral downhill fast. It's inevitable.

You must have missed the rest of my post or just chose to ignore it?

I posted that it didn't just concern some of us but all of us. Please reread, then post.

Sincerely, Sadie

 

[T. Lynn]

Not real worried about it but I do think it's insane. I live about 4-6 miles from work and for DH, they are considering a gas card along with his next payroll increase.

That would be great since he drives 30 minutes to work. He does a great job at work so they definately make the increases & perks well worth it. As of January they gave him 3 weeks paid vacation (he's salary so he actually gets 3 extra paychecks) and at that time, he was only there 7 months.

 

[MrsPete]

The biggest problem I see with this is that most people are so in over their heads right now with large houses they can no longer afford and they can't sell for anywhere near what they paid for it and they have no savings or reserve to pay the difference anyway.

Dawn

You're absolutley right -- perhaps these people could be categorized as "willing to make changes, but realistically unable to do so". I think many of us can see options in our lives that'd be good financially, but they aren't really viable given the circumstances in which we live. For example, I would be perfectly willing to walk or bike to work -- it's only a tad over a mile, which is perfectly do-able in good weather -- but the roads are very busy, I'd have to cross a major intersection, and we have no sidewalks, so even though it looks like something I could (and should) do, it just isn't safe. That's not quite the same as a person who wants to get rid of the gas guzzler but can't . . . but the theme is similar.

 

[MrsPete]

People are saying how much in taxes they pay in Europe to have health care and great transportation but I think we pay quite a lot here. Property taxes are crazy now. I am also shocked what some people on these boards pay for health insurance. We pay $800/month for my health insurance (DH's contract company pays for his.) I am 37, healthy and do not smoke. In France they also have help for new parents like a nanny that will come to the home to help with laundry, child care, etc. The daycares are great and cost about $2 a week. New parents get a lot of time off not to mention they have more vacation time in general 5-6 weeks or so.

I've always kept good records of our medical expenses, and in all the years we've been married we only "saved money" by having insurance in three years: the two years when our two children were born and the year our oldest had a really bad broken bone.

We made a calculated choice to scale back our health insurance two years ago, and we have not regretted it. DH pays, I think, $40 every two weeks for our family of four. I now pay cash when the kids have something like strep throat, but if we were really sick or if we were to be in an accident we'd be covered. It's been a good choice for our family. It's not a forever choice, of course -- as DH and I grow older, we'll need to go back to a higher level of coverage; also, it wouldn't have been good when our girls were young and needed all those well-visits, etc. But it's "just right" for this point in our lives. I should also add that we have two incomes and enough in savings to make this feasible. No one should make this type of choice without investigating it carefully.

As for France's baby-help, vacation time, etc, remember that it isn't free -- nothing's really free. They're paying for it through taxes.

 

[MrsPete]

If our high school students all decided to ride the buses, the district would be in BIG trouble! All of the buses are already filled with 2-3 students per seat and with all the budget cuts going on in the education industry I don't think they have the funds to upgrade. I have noticed in my area that more teens are carpooling to school with their friends (less for gas!).

You're absolutley right that more bus riders would put a dent in the school's budget -- especially since the school busses use diesel fuel, which is even more expensive than the gas we use in our cars! And by law (in my area anyway), they MUST provide transportation to all students.

However, I wasn't really thinking about the school's budget. I was looking at it from the point of view of individual families. People complain about prices, but things must not be too bad if they have the option to get their kids to school FOR FREE, but they continue to let them make the more expensive choice instead.

Looking at it from the school's point of view, I wonder how long it'll be before we have four 10-hour days instead of five 8-hour days. It'd cut transportation costs by 20%, which is a significant savings. It'd be horrible for the elementary children, of course; it wouldn't be too bad for high schoolers. I know we have strict laws on just how many hours each class must meet in order for the children to be given credit for passing -- I wonder if five days per week is actually mandated. I predict some sort of change within a couple years.