If Gasoline Hits 10 USD a Gallon

[Frank Lee]

What people don't understand is that slobs are going to force austerity onto conscientious consumers.

[Ladogaboy]

Originally Posted by Frank Lee

Hmm... preponderance of V8 4x4 commuter vehicles... extended idling... speeding... tires half flat... drive everywhere, even in walking distance... lots of recreational driving... I'd say there's room for a fuel price bump.

Hah! You just reminded me... As I was driving to work this morning, I saw at least three SUVs with one rear tire obviously under inflated. But then again, when you drive a $50,000 + SUV, why do you need to bother with simple things like tire pressure?

[Ladogaboy]

Originally Posted by merccom

does nobody understand the differance between chooseing to live a life of austarity and having it imposed upon you?

I think a greater sin would be the false sense of wealth.

[euromodder]

Originally Posted by NeilBlanchard

The prices in Europe are essentially this high now; and have been for a while. They survive, and they get much more fuel efficient cars.

In the US, 10 USD/gal would be 250% of the current price.
But for most of Europe, it's less than a 25% increase in price.

Though we won't have 10 USD/gal gas anymore when you finally get to pay that much in the US - we'd be paying well over 20 USD/gal by then.

[euromodder]

Originally Posted by Arragonis

Yep - I take in healthcare but I pay in taxes. It all works out.

Given the state of most EU countries' deficits, it looks like it isn't working out.

Then again, it doesn't work out in the US either - which has just as much debt/capita as Belgium - but without our system of healthcare for its citizens.

[Arragonis]

Originally Posted by Old Mechanic

Healthcare paid by gas taxes? Sounds good to me since we spend 3 times as much for health care as we do for gas.

I'll bet there are few Americans here who can even name all the taxes we pay.

regards
Mech

As I tapped its swings and roundabouts - it also removes the "freedom" to choose whether to pay for it or invest in a healthier lifestyle. For the UK the idea of a family going into poverty by temporary illness of the main breadwinner was considered unacceptable, so the NHS was designed to do that. It has grown too much since then though.

On the other hand uk.gov does take a lot of my cash and give it to others who could do better for themselves with a bit of effort.

Originally Posted by BBC

Raymond, a former educational software writer, has been jobless since 2001. His wife Katherine suffers from bipolar disorder with an anxiety disorder and is unable to work.

Ray says: "The market for my skills dried up 10 years ago - there's a total lack of work in my area of expertise."

Bollocks, I write software for a living and am paying for him.

Originally Posted by BBC

Weekly outgoings includes food and household goods, 24
cans of lager, 200 cigarettes and a large
pouch of tobacco and "Entertainment £20" and Sky TV £15

Stuff I can't afford...

Originally Posted by merccom

does nobody understand the differance between chooseing to live a life of austarity and having it imposed upon you?

I would make two points here - our system (state healthcare and other benefits) removes one cost and imposes another. Arguably the effect is not neutral but thats a lot of detail and analysis to get to. Secondly the price of gas in the US is more sensitive to world prices than in the EU so our higher prices kind of cushion us against the effects of changes. And world oil prices, like nature, don't negotiate.

[NeilBlanchard]

Higher fuel prices mean that shipping everything from overseas will no longer be cheaper than making those things in each country where they are needed, and this equals more jobs that pay what they are worth.

Lower fuel consumption means a lot less pollution, and that means healthier people and the environment that we all depend on for our food, water, and air will be a lot better off, too.

[Ladogaboy]

Originally Posted by NeilBlanchard

Higher fuel prices mean that shipping everything from overseas will no longer be cheaper than making those things in each country where they are needed, and this equals more jobs that pay what they are worth.

In some cases... I'm not disputing your point, Neil, but in some countries, the amount workers are paid won't sustain them. I think China is the greatest example of this: The average pay isn't anywhere near commensurate with the cost of living.

Now the jobs that would invariably return to someplace like the United States would pay (more or less) a living wage. But then again, this is getting into a workers' rights issue, which would also (hopefully) start changing as a result.

I still like the idea of modern sailing ships used to transport goods across continents.

[user removed]

Tax the Rich feed the poor until there are no Rich no more.

With US national net worth dropping and debt obligations rising, we are rapidly approaching the point where we have no real net worth. The fact that a disproportionate amount of it in concentrated in a few hands, while good political fodder, is just a smoke screen for the real problem, which is spending that can not be sustained.

Frank hit the nail on the head, as usual, profligate spending, without pain incurred for bad habits. Now we need to bail out the McMansion owners who used their equity to live above their means, until they became "rich no more".

They never were rich in the first place, they just imagined they were. Now we need to support them because they made bad choices.

Considered as a business the US is rapidly approaching the point where it's assets do not cover it's liabilities. I guess they could just do what they did to the bond holders when GM went bankrupt, pick the winners, the union, and the losers, the investors.
Problem with that is now the investors have been burned and they would rather bury their money than put it in any investment that offers govt the opportunity to screw them again.

I'm getting damn tired of living below MY means and being expected to pay for YOU living above yours. The whole govt of the US should be fired immediately. I'll take some semi competent amateurs over these "smart" professionals any time as Jefferson said.

regards
Mech

[user removed]

Higher fuel prices will turn the international shipping industry into what it was 200 years ago.

Wind propelled. Maybe some solar to boot, steam generators to drive turbines to supplement the wind. It's called the trade routes and they were known in the 1400s.

regards
Mech