Economic Effects (sales, crime, wedding)

[Northern Maine Land Man]

I stopped to speak with a man beside the road with 4 way flashers going on his car. He had run out of gas. I often have some gas in my vehicle, but did not today. The driver did not have a gas can. I offered to go to the general store and bring back a jug. The general store had no empty jugs. While I was talking with the guy that needed gas, a couple of cows came walking up the road. This was a busy paved road, not just a farm road. I recognized one of the cows and herded the cows back to where they belonged.

Traffic is very low. Gas sales are down. As a nation we are down to 24 days of Diesel. When we run out of Diesel there will be a calamity of the first order. I remember gas rationing back in 1973. Even number license plate vehicles could buy gas on even number days. I had to go to a family wedding in Vermont. I had two 5 gallon outboard motor gas cans on the roof of my Jeep Wagoneer. I coasted down hills and got the best mileage I had ever seen. I also had some gas prepositioned in Maine and NH, just in case.

We economists understand what is going on. When somebody takes off on some superstition about the petroleum industry. I quote the Hicks Hansen Model of Disaggregated Macroeconomic Demand. There is no valid rebuttal so the conversation turns to deer hunting. It has been a long time since I have seen three vehicles out of gas in one week.

[Submariner]

Dementia Joe is going to make this winter very exciting.

[Igor Blevin]

Originally Posted by Northern Maine Land Man

I stopped to speak with a man beside the road with 4 way flashers going on his car. He had run out of gas. I often have some gas in my vehicle, but did not today. The driver did not have a gas can. I offered to go to the general store and bring back a jug. The general store had no empty jugs. While I was talking with the guy that needed gas, a couple of cows came walking up the road. This was a busy paved road, not just a farm road. I recognized one of the cows and herded the cows back to where they belonged.

Traffic is very low. Gas sales are down. As a nation we are down to 24 days of Diesel. When we run out of Diesel there will be a calamity of the first order. I remember gas rationing back in 1973. Even number license plate vehicles could buy gas on even number days. I had to go to a family wedding in Vermont. I had two 5 gallon outboard motor gas cans on the roof of my Jeep Wagoneer. I coasted down hills and got the best mileage I had ever seen. I also had some gas prepositioned in Maine and NH, just in case.

We economists understand what is going on. When somebody takes off on some superstition about the petroleum industry. I quote the Hicks Hansen Model of Disaggregated Macroeconomic Demand. There is no valid rebuttal so the conversation turns to deer hunting. It has been a long time since I have seen three vehicles out of gas in one week.

Are you saying we have an issue with petroleum fuel, or are you saying we have an issue with the broader economy, or are you saying we have both?

If both, which is the greater contributor causing an increase in people stranded and out of gas?

[Northern Maine Land Man]

All freight runs on distillates. That's Diesel, jet fuel and plain old kerosene. We are not producing enough. Supply and demand are out the window. Demand has slowed somewhat because people can't afford to drive as much. When is the last time you saw a hitchhiker? They are coming back. Car pooling is coming back as people on shift work take turns driving their fellow employees to and from work.

People are letting their gas gauges get very low to avoid spending a lot on fuel instead of food. There are a lot often wallets in people's pockets. As the Fed prints only out of nothing, the values of our currency falls. It takes more dollars to buy the same things. That is the definition of inflation. We have all seen the famous photo of a baker after WWI in Germany with a wheelbarrow full of paper currency. The duitchmark was nearly worthless.

Here in the good old USA in 1955 you could buy gasoline for 18 cents a gallon. A loaf of bread cost 18 cents. Values don't change much in real terms. Today a loaf of bread is about $3.50 as is a gallon of gas. When ignorant city councils pass high minimum wages in their cities, employers go to where wages are realistic. A clerical employee can work from home, rather than in a big city office. A lot of people who worked in New York City now work in a country village in Vermont. They are much safer, have lower stress and can work in sweat pants and sweatshirts. They can walk down the road - safely. If a criminal does commit a crime, it is unlikely that he will commit the same crime the following day in Vermont. I just focus on Vermont because it is less than a day's drive from New York.