5 Dollar Gas?

[Philip T]

Originally Posted by newenglandgirl

Alternative energy sources will not supply anywhere near what the current level of American consumption needs, granted. I would not suggest that. It is however a start for smaller and innovative models of organized living (being designed in places here and abroad) and small scale businesses within sustainable communities.

Not disputed: Nothing will take the place of oil, natural gas and nuclear on the scale that America "needs" energy sources in order to survive. As we shall probably see, the concept of "sustainable" will soon come into serious play with these mainstay sources.

Actually they could -- crazy as that is.

But for the sake of cost and the philosophy of "live simply, that others may simply live," I usually encourage folks to dial down the consumption, first.

[piyf]

The more options the better everyone is. I welcome different ways to power cars and homes. And if refined fuels get to expensive I'll be more than happy to go straight electric in my DD and on wind power for my home.

[ilovemycomputer90]

Originally Posted by newenglandgirl

If you rent, you may want to find a place closer to your job asap.
If you own, perhaps you can find a carpool.
"Diet for a Small Planet" is the 1970s classic by Frances Moore Lappe. I think her daughter may have carried on her work. Even raw sources of food (rice, beans, flour, oil, etc) will rise much higher, however. It's important for those who can do so to start growing some of their own food, and teaching their children to do so. This BTW is NOT "sky is falling" thinking. Things are simply playing out as many have predicted.

Unfortunately that isn't an option at the moment since I'm going to community college. Despite the gas, it's still cheaper than a four year school (for now at least ).

I don't think the "sky is falling" either, but I am very concerned with energy prices, the fragile state of our economy, and the living situations many of us are stuck in (by that I mean those of us who are living in rural and suburban areas where you have to drive everywhere). Definitely time to stock up on food and rethink our living arrangements.

[Lincolnian]

2 people, 2 cars, $2 increase from $3 to $5:

Avg miles driven 15,000
Avg mpg 20
Increased cost per driver $1500
Increased cost per family with 2 drivers $3000
Median Dual-Earner Household Income $67348
Increased cost as % of Gross Income 4.5%
Net Income (12% assumed tax rate net of deductions) $59,266
Increased cost as % of Net Income 5.1%

This just the cost for fuel for the cars. Many people have heating oil costs as well. Here in the Northeast the average annual usage is 822 gallons. That's another $1644 for heating oil.

Add the pass through costs on everything else oil affects and a $2 increase could easily eat 10 to 15% of the average household's net income.

There is just no way that will not have a negative impact on the economy and people's ability to pay their bills in an already tough economic environment.

[Mathguy]

I'm going to do 1 push up today.
I'm going to do 2 push ups tomorrow.

At that rate I will be doing a million push ups a day in a month or so.

Price projections with no consideration for demand, supply or various other adjustments are fatally flawed....heck, any projections like that are.

It's generally why some people work jobs where they pay you to make actual projections (and be acountable for them) and other jobs where you install plumbing, teach art, make cakes or whatnot....but you can still come onto forums and make projections.

[jazzlover]

There is another good blog from James Kunstler ( Reality Optional Nation - Cluster**** Nation ) today about our collective denial about the dire energy situation we are about to confront. Contained within the blog is this reply, quoted below. It talks about our only real and plausible solution to our festering transportation crisis. I did not write this but I wish I had:

I think the future of passenger rail is in plain, old, conventional rail, not high speed given the latter's astronomical price tag.

When the sheer impossibility of maintaining the intercity/interstate highways manifests itself in the coming decade, given our broke governments and hot mix asphalt and diesel prices that will go up 3 to 5 times the present, governments will be partnering with the likes of Warren Buffet and the other rail owners to get some bare-bones passenger rail, back on the tracks, literally.

Maybe bus operators, who will be enjoying increased ridership, but having to deal increasingly with broken pavement and closed and rerouted bridges, will jump into rail as well.

It won't happen overnight, because, even with much diminished maintenance on the highways, it's going to take some years for them to really start falling apart, but time is not on the interstate/car model's side and fall apart they will.

This is something that the electric car crowd really just doesn't get either. That is, the roads are still built with much oil, diesel, and in the case of concrete roads, natural gas. There will be rebellion at the various schemes to tax and provide revenue for road repair in light of the rapidly declining gas and diesel per gallon taxes. That is, electric car owners will want to plug in, unplug, and drive on roads sans taxes, and the roads, given much increased construction costs, and the lack of fuel taxes, just will never be what, up to now, they have been.

People will start pulling coaches from the tourist railroads to run on the remaining rails, one way or the other. There will be no $$$ for high speed rail.

Notice that we don't even have to talk about air service at all anymore in these future travel discussions.

There is a great set of articles in the current issue of "Trains" magazine about the prospects (dim, in my view) for high-speed rail, but also about how our PRIVATE freight railroads are now profitable and thriving--and are poised to benefit substantially as the trucking industry slowly chokes to death on high fuel prices combined with their energy inefficiency. Also talked about is that the railroads' freight-hauling infrastructure--nearly all self-funded by the railroads themselves--is now in excellent condition, better shape than it has been in decades. (Funny, how our only un-socialized transportation network--that of the freight railroads--is efficient and thriving, while our socialist experiments in roads and air travel are choking.) Interesting reading.

For the record, I'm invested in railroad stocks and they are chugging along--excuse the pun--quite nicely, thank you.

[CosmicWizard]

The price of Gas compared to some other fluids.

All these examples do NOT imply that gasoline is cheap; it just illustrates how outrageous some prices are....

Think a gallon of gas is expensive? The prices below makes one think, and also puts things in perspective.

Diet Snapple 16 oz $1.29 ... $10.32 per gallon

Lipton Ice Tea 16 oz $1.19 ..........$9.52 per gallon

Gatorade 20 oz $1.59 ..... $10.17 per gallon

Ocean Spray 16 oz $1.25 ......... $10.00 per gallon

Brake Fluid 12 oz $3.15 ...... $33.60 per gallon

Vick's Nyquil 6 oz $8.35 ... $178.13 per gallon

Pepto Bismol 4 oz $3.85 .. $123.20 per gallon

Whiteout 7 oz $1.39 ....... . $25.42 per gallon

Scope 1.5 oz $0.99 .....$84.48 per gallon


And this is the REAL KICKER...Evian water 9 oz $1.49..$21.19 per gallon! $21.19 for WATER and the buyers don't even know the source. (Evian spelled backwards is Naive.)


Ever wonder why printers are so cheap? So they have you hooked for the ink. Someone calculated the cost of the ink at...............( you won't believe it....but it is true........ )

$5,200 a gal. (five thousand two hundred dollars)

So, the next time you're at the pump, be glad your car doesn't run on water, Scope, or Whiteout, Pepto Bismol, Nyquil or God forbid, Printer Ink!

Just a little humor to help ease the pain of your next trip to the pump...