fuel prices

By the way OPEC's web site claims that there is enough oil for the next 81 years.

OK I'm done!!!

But, prices are determined by what people will pay.

My Grandfather thought a $1.00/Acre was a fair price for land in Reynolds County MO once, now folks pay $1,000 & up per acre.

My Uncle thought $0.75/day was a fair wage once, now folks expect $100.00 & up per day.

I remember gas at $0.19/gallon, but I see more cars/trucks/4x4s/motorcycles/ATVs/power boats/RVs/tractors/go-carts/power lawn equipment/etc. on the roads, fields, yards and waterways. Gas @ $3.00+/gallon & diesel @ $4.00+/gallon has not markedly reduced what people will pay for their transportation or their playthings.

And, I for one, may cut back a little, but I am not ready to forego my car, truck, tractors or lawn mower.

Now at $15/gallon, I might have to move to the city.

The US has a history of getting too comfortable, falling behind, and then recovering at the last minute. It's worked so far, but can't work forever. We were totally unprepared at the outset of World War II with a weak military. We were unprepared with badly engineered autos when the Japanesse invasion took hold in the late 60s. We were caught off guard during the two fuel crunches during the 70s, but that lead to some quick innovation. We were collectively clueless when the World Trade Center, et. al. got hit - and we started playing catch up for awhile (which seems to be stagnating now with an impatient public), and here we are with high fuel prices. This has been envitable - but the "new" American spirit seems more-and-more - to be whining, instead of innovating.

The US has sat back and done virtually nothing to achieve energy independence. We could of done it much easier while oil was cheap. I add, there are many things individuals can do - yet very few have done it. To do so as a country, we would - and hopefully will - make changes in infrastructure along with many other things that enable us to use less energy. But, long term fixes require short-term sacrifices - and again - is leading to whining instead of fixing.

If somehow the USA, or Canada was able to tap into a cheap oil resource - all it would do is delay us from pursuing a real fix with a long-term goal. Seems many individuals I know think only in short-term. So, why would a group of those people - grouped together to make a government - do any better?

But, a few futile comments anyway:

You stated about me: " you are fat and sassy,good food"

Just for the record, I'm 5'9" and weigh 155 lbs. Not exactly fat. And, any good food I eat I attribute to my wife and/or the insight we had to grow it.

You also said: "See how you eat when trucks cant haul your food to you."

It would take a while before me or my family starved. We have food put up to last a year. Same with fuel, ammo, spare truck and tractor parts, etc. and we make our own electricity. But, a slow-down on trucking would certainly hurt since it would jack up prices. The truth is - we in the USA should not rely on over-the-road trucking. I live 1 mile from the railyard and 50 miles from a deep-water port.

You mentioned:
"they have been trying to build an ethanol plant not far from here.Not done yet."

Anybody with a working head on their shoulders knows there is no net-yield in producing ethanol and using it for a motor-fuel. It's a waste of time and resources.

You say: "Theres not enough vegetable oil to run all these trucks.Mine uses 200 gallons a day.Where am I going to get it?"

The reality is, this country relies way too much on highway trucks for moving goods. It's is extremely wasteful when compared to rail or water shipping. Relying on trucking is a big problem in the U.S. Maybe you ought to look ahead for a different career. Maybe you can be a Op.Ed. columnist for the New York Times.

You pontificate further with: "Or wise one,should we all put windmills on our cars?Everybody cant afford to go buy a couple of Jettas"

Why not? Have you tried to do anything useful? My wife and I make less than 50K a year total.
We've been saving for years but most of our investments are in the properties we own. We've raised four children who are now adults, and now have a new 4 year old who we are home-schooling. We have wind and solar power - mostly self-installed. And, the two diesel Jettas you mention? I paid $750 for the pair of them - and spent two winters fixing them up for my wife to use. If you can't afford $750 for two cars - maybe you ought to drive your truck more. Considering this in an old tractor forum, I assume there some people here that aren't afraid to fix up old stuff and use it.

You go on: "Sure you make it sound real good."

It's not my intention to make it sound good. Working all the time on these things, and trying to scrounge stuff cheap is not all fun - nowhere close. It's not a hobby, it's a lifestyle that we've gotten used to.

I will also add that our way is not for everyone and I'm not trying to make it sound that way. I do, however, do my best to stay informed, look at the big picture, and plan ahead the best I can. It seems, you do not.

Maybe I need to call up Willy Nelson, roll a big joint, get stoned, and say the heck with it all. That is likely to be more fun.

You stated:

". . . go out in the snow,and rain,tornados,hurricanes,and take 20
years off of your life to haul food to keep things working and so maybe you can save a few
bucks and work on stuff in your spare time to keep your sanity,then you can talk about
trucking.Until then you need to shut your mouth about it . . ."

Well, I don't like talking about myself ad nauseum - but just to comment specifically - I will. I drove a big-rig in the late 60s for a garbage hauler and a moving company. I drove all over the county and our trucks were gas and diesel. Beside our Mack Thermodynes, we had one Autocar, and a few old Brockway and Ford gassers. I drove in all weather, and if I got a flat- I had to fix it myself - right there, on the spot. Split rims and tire-irons. None of the trucks had AC, some barely had any heat, and I kept my lunch or dinner on the engine to get it warm. I also had to carry tire chains, and put them on and off quite a bit in the winter. The seats were rock hard - especially the Brockway "Adjust and Enjoy" seat that was like sitting on a milk crate (the Brockway seat has s decal on it that read Adjust and Enjoy). The "sleeper cab" was a six pack of beer and an old blanket and an unheated cab. We were a non-union shop and got paid cash, off the books. Early 70s, the Teamster's Union took over and I quit. Don't you tell me I don't know what it's like to drive a truck.

You also stated:

"What Willie Nelson does in his personal life is no problem to me.He might just know a little bit
more than you do about what he is saying,I know its hard for you to admit,but true."

The truth is NO, Willy is pretty much clueless - either that or he's an overt liar tryng to market his Willy-fuel. He's a great song-writer and I've been a long-time fan. My dad had a country-western band, and I used to play guitar in it. I don't care one iota what Willy does for fun - I had plenty of my own. But - I watched many of his video-commercials he's made along with Daryl Hannah (blonde from Splash the mermaid movie). All BS. Daryl says she drives an 83 El Camino with an Olds diesel 350 and gets 60 MPG with Willy-fuel. She says it, so it must be true. I spent many years as a diesel mechanic, and also spent a lot time getting educated - with hands-on trades and in academic settings. I don't know everything, but I do know a lot. Unlike you, I am pretty much aware of the many things I don't know.

You say:
"Maybe if you did some reading about what Brazil has done,cleaner air,30% ethanol,bio
diesel,thats where we should be as well.If we have to grow sugar cane to get there,so be it.We
have sugar cane now,its the waste that they use to make ethanol."

I suspect I know a heck of lot more about Brazil and their fuel program than you do. They've destroyed much of thier farm land and eco-system which will hurt them later. And, there is nowhere in the U.S. where sugar cane can be grown with enough net-yield to be worthwhile except in a few small areas of Flordia and Hawaii. In case you haven't noticed, out climate and soil overall is a bit different than Brazil. I worked on several research projects related to the Brazil project and stay pretty current on exactly what they are doing.

You also say:

"Nobody in their right mind would want to be a trucker in todays world.You need to be a
Mexican to be a trucker nowdays"

Hey now - maybe we almost agree. I quit many years ago, and learned new skills to make a living. That being said, nothing wrong with driving a truck now if you can make money at it. Just take responsibility for being ready to do something else when necessary.

Have you been watching the tar sands development. Seems a major oil company is developing the technology and now China wants to take over and build a pipeline to the West coast to supply China with their needs. Lot of fun ahead with that one.

But there is no law against putting the more expensive and higher taxed fuel - off-road dyed, or on-road ULSD into your heating oil tank. The laws are very easy to check.

What IS coming soon is the end of high-sulfur heating oil. At some point, all there will be is two versions - off-road dyed, and on-road clear - and both will be low sulfur.

My understanding is that New York now taxes all ROAD and OFF ROAD fuel, to get your road tax back you have to file for a refund. New York is counting on people to NOT file for refunds and keep the taxes on fuel used off road. Buying it tax free as home heating fuel messes up their scheme.

Rod

You wouldn't be as interested in taxing everything so heavily if you actually made money and had to pay taxes yourself.

If you ever get arrested don't request a jury trial. They are full of idiots that don't want to be there.