Ultraviolet on 15/4/2006 at 23:10
StD: Please reconsider your position that "public transportation in the US rocks." It's too big a generalization. My town, like that of some poster above, does not provide adequate public transportation services. We've got enough to keep about half of the drunks from driving. Not enough for commuters, any distance. Even in my tiny little town, getting somewhere can take you about 45 minutes (while driving takes 5).
TBE on 15/4/2006 at 23:34
It costs about $1500 a week in fuel costs alone to keep one of my company trucks going. We bring you guys all the stuff you buy in stores. It's demand and supply simple as that. As long as people have money to buy fuel or products, the associated costs that go along with stocking shelves, etc. will continue to rise.
Bjossi on 15/4/2006 at 23:44
You guys would feel lucky if you would see the price per gallon of gas here in Iceland. :eww:
Printer's Devil on 15/4/2006 at 23:50
I suggest we create a TTLG pension fund and invest in petroleum companies, especially if they keep posting record profits. Then we dump the resulting proceeds into green energy research, which will one day become a viable competitor. I nominate Strontium Dog as our Executive Director Of Outrage. Essentially, we beat Big Oil with a stick they helped us buy. Beautiful, no?
JACKofTrades on 16/4/2006 at 00:08
That won't work because once the effort required exceeds flapping his gums he will prove ineffectual.
SD on 16/4/2006 at 01:16
Beside which, the hot air that JACKofTossers spouts is surely a more environmentally-friendly and limitless energy commodity.
RyushiBlade on 16/4/2006 at 01:33
Just to put in my two (five?) cents, oil companies are here to make a profit. So yes, they may rip you off, but look at it like this: They won't ever rise the price of oil to the point where they no longer make a profit. At some point the price of oil will stabalize at its max, regardless of supply. At this point, we'll probably be much less dependant on oil anyway, so supply/demand won't be as big of an issue.
Convict on 16/4/2006 at 02:38
Figure1 - In figure 1 please mentally replace Wages with Price of Oil and replace Employment with Quantity of Oil.
Inline Image:
http://www.ilo.org/public/english/employment/strat/images/etp261.gifIf local oil companies are artificially hiking up the price of oil (as Enchantermon suggested) then less oil will be sold. Since Australia (and most other countries) import nearly all their oil, then therefore less money transferred to the (Middle Eastern) oil producers. Therefore Australia's current account deficit is reduced (assuming other things stay the same).
JACKofTrades on 16/4/2006 at 02:50
Quote Posted by Strontium Dog
Beside which, the hot air that <strike>JACKofTossers</strike> Strontium Dog spouts is surely a more environmentally-friendly and limitless energy commodity.
There, fixed that for ya! :cool:
Convict on 16/4/2006 at 03:02
(
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/4897252.stm) Britain going into ecological debt. The rapid rise of China and India (combined population of 2.4 billion people representing 37% of the world's population) with the concomitant rise in use of cars (especially old crappy, polluting ones) will IMO pose the biggest environmental challenge in the medium term, rather than the UK/EU (and probably make America look reasonable!).
