Fuel Costs

[rostasi]

Got my gas bill today.

It has started...even tho record profits of over 300 percent

were made in this last quarter, we're gonna be paying BIG!.

On my bill there's always been a "Gas Cost Recovery" charge

which reflects decreases or, usually, increases in market value.

My increase since last month's bill has been: 59%

My increase since last year's bill has been: 82%

Robbery...

[Chuck Nessa]

When was the last time you poured gasoline in a beer bottle, stuffed in some cotton, lit it and threw the mf somewhere?

Recall that "warm feeling" and go to work!

[rostasi]

Very tempted, my friend...

[Free For All]

We just changed our billing to the year-round-same-rate plan. We'll be paying through the summer, but at least there will be no major shocks.

Fortunately, here in KC the winters are fairly mild. I feel for the extreme northern folk.

[Jim Alfredson]

I just spent $260 on three new, high quality replacement storm windows (custom made... our windows in this old house are 5 feet tall) for the north side of the house. I'm hoping that the investment will pay off this winter. I'm also going to insulate the space between the concrete brick foundation and the start of the wood in the basement, as I've read that can make a big difference. I also have to figure out something with my front door.

Last year, for the coldest month (probably February), our heating bill was $200 for that month. I've heard figures that it can go up anywhere from 40-75%. So it's time to get this old girl weatherized as much as possible.

[rostasi]

Yup, sometimes if you can only go the cheap route,

you can start rolling up those bathroom towels and

stick them up against the door and window bottoms.

It still pisses me off tho about these record profits.

Last night I saw that the major fuel companies made

enough profit to equal the GDP of a small country -

can't remember which one right now - Portugal or some place about that size -

but anyway, this profit is BEFORE we pay our inflated bills.

What will 4th Q look like?!

[rostasi]

Here's a quickly found story on these record profits.

Probably Johnny can find something else...

Refund Record Profits

Actually, here's a whole google of them:

Oil Profits

Edited October 28, 2005 by rostasi

[Jim Alfredson]

More than a month ago, Governor Doyle and seven other governors called on President Bush and Congress for an investigation into profiteering by oil companies in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.

Like that will ever go anywhere.

[Guest]

When was the last time you poured gasoline in a beer bottle, stuffed in some cotton, lit it and threw the mf somewhere?

Recall that "warm feeling" and go to work!

←

"America is at that awkward stage. It's too late to work within the system, but too early to shoot the bastards."

- Claire Wolfe, 101 Things to Do 'Til the Revolution http://www.clairewolfe.com/

[Guest]

Here's a quickly found story on these record profits.

Probably Johnny can find something else...

Refund Record Profits

Actually, here's a whole google of them:

Oil Profits

←

http://www.datanation.com/fallacies/index.htm

http://fee.org/in_brief/default.asp?id=52

http://fee.org/search/search.asp?k=gouging&button=Search

http://www.google.com/u/Mises?hl=en&lr=&ie...ing&btnG=Search

http://www.lewrockwell.com/rockwell/wal-mart-state.html

http://www.lewrockwell.com/rockwell/high-prices.html

http://www.lewrockwell.com/french/french15.html

[Jazzmoose]

http://www.clairewolfe.com/

←

Whoa. That site looks extremely subversive and highly questionable in taste. Thanks!

[ghost of miles]

When was the last time you poured gasoline in a beer bottle, stuffed in some cotton, lit it and threw the mf somewhere?

Recall that "warm feeling" and go to work!

←

"America is at that awkward stage. It's too late to work within the system, but too early to shoot the bastards."

- Claire Wolfe, 101 Things to Do 'Til the Revolution http://www.clairewolfe.com/

←

Hear, hear!

We're going the budget route--in fact, I'm tasking myself to do it online this afternoon, as we have only two more days before the deadline.

[A Lark Ascending]

It was only a matter of time before you all started regretting the extermination of the buffalo:

http://www.isu.edu/~trinmich/buffalo.html

[mind you, we exterminated the coal miners!]

Edited October 30, 2005 by Bev Stapleton

[BERIGAN]

When was the last time you poured gasoline in a beer bottle, stuffed in some cotton, lit it and threw the mf somewhere?

Recall that "warm feeling" and go to work!

←

Are you nuts??????

Gas is way too expensive to that!

[Peter Johnson]

Well, never let a crisis go to waste...saw the motherfuckers at the gas station by my office jacking the price from $3.72 to $3.80 this morning.

$4.00/gallon, here we come--again.

How's that reducing our dependency on foreign oil going?

Really concerned about the impact on this super shaky economic "recovery."

[papsrus]

How's that reducing our dependency on foreign oil going?

Was watching CNBC the other day cause I was curious about what the financial hucksters had to say about unrest in the Middle East and its effect on oil.

The general takeaway was that the United States gets relatively little -- about 10% -- of its oil from Saudi Arabia, and virtually none from Libya. Europe is another question. I think they are much more dependent on the Middle East. But most oil imported into the United States is from Canada, followed by South America and Russia, apparently. No uprisings reported in Canada.

But the real stunner (to me) was that with some huge oil find up in Montana and improvements in the technology needed to extract it (oil shale, or oil sands, or something), these financial gurus were saying that this country could be a net exporter of oil. (Let that thought roll around in the old noggin' for a minute). That we're basically awash in oil now, and that we are not dependent on Middle East supplies anywhere close to what we were in the '70s.

Take the whole thing with a grain of salt, but much of the price increases is probably due to hedging and speculation, I'd guess.

Glad I have my Prius, though.

[Rooster_Ties]

Interesting article about the impact of Libya's oil-production on the world oil market.

Spare Capacity Theory and the Libyan Disruption

[sidewinder]

Well, never let a crisis go to waste...saw the motherfuckers at the gas station by my office jacking the price from $3.72 to $3.80 this morning.

$4.00/gallon, here we come--again.

How's that reducing our dependency on foreign oil going?

Really concerned about the impact on this super shaky economic "recovery."

All feeling very 1981 to me. No doubt the vinyl LPs will be going from 180g to "waffer-thin" real soon..

[Guy Berger]

How's that reducing our dependency on foreign oil going?

Was watching CNBC the other day cause I was curious about what the financial hucksters had to say about unrest in the Middle East and its effect on oil.

The general takeaway was that the United States gets relatively little -- about 10% -- of its oil from Saudi Arabia, and virtually none from Libya. Europe is another question. I think they are much more dependent on the Middle East. But most oil imported into the United States is from Canada, followed by South America and Russia, apparently. No uprisings reported in Canada.

But the real stunner (to me) was that with some huge oil find up in Montana and improvements in the technology needed to extract it (oil shale, or oil sands, or something), these financial gurus were saying that this country could be a net exporter of oil. (Let that thought roll around in the old noggin' for a minute). That we're basically awash in oil now, and that we are not dependent on Middle East supplies anywhere close to what we were in the '70s.

Take the whole thing with a grain of salt, but much of the price increases is probably due to hedging and speculation, I'd guess.

Glad I have my Prius, though.

It doesn't matter very much where we get the oil from - a major oil producer going offline will raise energy prices worldwide even if we don't directly import from that country. And likewise, Europe can import from elsewhere if Libyan oil is no longer available.

This country also has tons of shale gas that has become economically feasible to extract.

That said, tar sand oil extraction is notoriously bad for the environment and shale gas extraction has issues as well.

My final thought is that in a world where emerging economies are growing very fast, a failure to increase energy supply will result in rising energy prices. That's true regardless of what happens in Libya. Barring alternate sources of energy or improved efficiency (both of which will eventually occur), ever-higher energy prices are in our future.

Guy

[Jazzmoose]

How's that reducing our dependency on foreign oil going?

Not well, I hope. Until the world pulls it's head out of it's ass and realizes that oil is too precious to waste by rampant burning, I'd rather burn up their oil than ours.

[Tim McG]

We just changed our billing to the year-round-same-rate plan. We'll be paying through the summer, but at least there will be no major shocks.

Fortunately, here in KC the winters are fairly mild. I feel for the extreme northern folk.

Same goes for us.

We in the San Joaquin Valley don't get the snow like many folks here do, but the winters can get pretty cold at night. It's the AC bills that kill us with the legendary summer heat we get around these parts. So, our gas and electricity are both on a level paying plan.

[Free For All]

We just changed our billing to the year-round-same-rate plan. We'll be paying through the summer, but at least there will be no major shocks.

Fortunately, here in KC the winters are fairly mild. I feel for the extreme northern folk.

Same goes for us.

We in the San Joaquin Valley don't get the snow like many folks here do, but the winters can get pretty cold at night. It's the AC bills that kill us with the legendary summer heat we get around these parts. So, our gas and electricity are both on a level paying plan.

That was weird seeing that post from six years ago.

Back when there was a "we" in KC. A lifetime ago!

Here in north Florida I hardly use any heat in the winter, but the hot steamy summers result in some killer utility bills.