Again, my friend -- it's about perspective and individual circumstances. I swear, I wish I could trade the cares and responsibilities I had at 23 for the ones I have now at 43. Things do change.

When it suddenly (yes, SUDDENLY) costs as much monthly to put gas in a vehicle as it does to pay said vehicle's note, it is something to be distressed over.

Yes, as a nation America is richer and better off than much of the world. But, individually, a sudden and unavoidable addition to one's monthly budget of two or three hundred dollars is a lot to deal with. It's not like anybody's salary's increased that much or any other prices lowered. In fact, as was mentioned earlier, many prices have gone up because of the increased gas prices.

Remember, too -- not everyone can just go buy another, more fuel-efficient car. Have you seen how much Prius' are? IF you can even get one? And that's not an option for those who actually do NEED a truck to do their job.

I have a friend who works for a major food distributor here on the West Coast. The truckers they employ are desperately hurting trying to get their loads across the country. Trucks can take over $500-600 to fill up and what do they get, 12-15 miles to the gallon, if that much? These folks have to come up with that much cash before they can get reimbursed -- they have not gotten that kind of raise and not all have company gas cards. Some have had to simply leave their trucks on the side of the road. That's waste and associated costs right there.

So, yeah -- maybe the U.S. is in better shape than much of the world. But individually, now having to put the car payment in the tank, perhaps putting off paying the electricity in order to buy groceries 'cos it costs so much to feed the car -- it hurts.

And hurt people yell.

meow85 said:

a young college student, who thinks she knows what the world is all about but clearly hasn't a clue.

meow85 said:

this just proves you don't get it. You don't get how gas prices effect what's more important in our lives.

Shorty said:

With no dependents and very little responsibilities that make a huge impact financially.

Rent, food, clothes, school, fun.

If life only stayed that easy!

JustErin said:

wow, you just sounded kinda mature and shit...

roodboi said:

Eat poop, cocksucker.

There, did that bring me back down a few notches?

JustErin said:

Now there's a twist on words, and that's not quite what I meant.

However, I do stand corrected on the import ratio. Seems the US imports and exports more agriculture and agri-food exports than Canada. A huge chunk of Canada's imports are from the US and vice versa.

http://www4.agr.gc.ca/AAF...754&lang=e

I learned something today.

JustErin said:

no but I'm sure a hammer to your fucking teeth would....

JustErin said:

Because as far as this subject goes, Canadian gas prices really are high. American gas prices are only high in relation to what they were used to, which still doesn't make it actually all that expensive.

Shorty said:

You're reading a hell of a lot into what I've written here.


I said 40 dollars is nothing compared to what other people have to pay, and it isn't. And from that you gather I've got some superiority complex.....

Man, those are some fancy deductive skills.
[Edited 8/22/08 21:38pm]

JustErin said:

There's no reason it can't.

People are free to do whatever they want with their lives, but what's the use in saying "if only" when they made the decision to complicate things for themselves with said dependents and responsibilities?

meow85 said:

To be young, ignorant and immature again!

Love it.

JustErin said:

I'm 37, wife kids mortgage car payments, and I pretty much agree with her statement

meow85 said:

I haven't read the entire thread so this may have already been touched upon. One of the problems with increasing gas prices, means that other things are increasing as well. As the gas price increases, transport companies for goods (such as grocery items, clothing, etc) are charging manufacturers more to make up for the increase in gas prices, thus manufacturers and food suppliers are now charging more those items to consumers. Therefore, we're not just paying an increase in gas, but are paying for an increase all across the board.

In an economy in which minimum wage is $6.55 an hour and will be increasing to $7.25 on June 24, 2009, it means that many companies are also laying people off due to the rise in minimum wage, and the increase in the cost of production as well as the cost of transporting their goods, just to keep their profit.

In 1999, I drove to California from Missouri and the gas was .95 cents per gallon to .99 cents per gallon all the way to the California border. Once in California, gas was $1.50 per gallon (which to me at that time was high). So in less than 10 years, we've gone from essentially a dollar a gallon to $4.00 per gallon. In 1999, I was $1.99 to $2.25 for a gallon of milk. Today I am paying $4.00 per gallon of milk. When you add in the increase of food and other items, the increase in the price of gas really hurts many of our lower income citizens.

As a hospice social worker, I see people who have no income, or below poverty level on their income, and they have to pay for the rising cost of medical care, as well as an increase in the cost of their medication. (Many of my patients have no insurance whatsoever.) Therefore, with paying for the increasing cost of food, clothing, interest rates, gas, they barely have enough to survive. In fact many of them have to now rely on outside supporting agencies to help pay for their electric bills. Homelessness is increasing, unemployment is increasing. And the higher cost of gas is really hurting many Americans, not just because it costs more to fill up their tanks, but because it costs more just to live.

BTW, public transportation isn't always feasible when many Americans live in rural areas and must drive 20 to 30 miles to the nearest town just to purchase groceries and other items. Where I live, in order to get to the nearest bus route, I must walk almost 8 miles, since I live on the outskirts of town.

noonblueapples said:

Oh, I guess some people never change then.

Are you bitter about all that too?

JustErin said:

Not bitter at all, but I chose all this in my life

noonblueapples said:

I wouldn't necessarily say that its so much of a choice but rather a MATURING.

I know a few people in their mid-to-late 30's still living at home with mom & dad making close to minimum wage at the local 7-Eleven and bumming rides from friends since a car is out of the question.

Is that a choice? I guess so, ...if you could also call nicotine-induced lung cancer a "choice".

meow85 said:

Can't quit driving in the Motor City. Horrible mass transit. We don't even CARPOOL.

Anxiety said:

meow85 said:

Oh, lawd.

Has anybody mentioned WHY the prices have gone up, not only in America but in the whole world?

PANDURITO said:

Yeah, there've been plenty of discussions about that.

Ultimately, I think that it's a combination of factors; dwindling supplies, greater demand, and of course the nearly criminal allowance by the government to have oil supplies traded on Wall Street - so that every f*cking time a bomb goes off in Nigeria or a hurricane goes anywhere near the Gulf of Mexico, traders jack the price of oil UP-UP-UP and make a killing profit-wise...while we suffer the consequences.

Here in Thailand my brother in law just paid a couple of hundred dollars to sort the car out to run on that Gasohol stuff. Petrol is at over 40 baht a litre, I think, but the Gasahol is still at less than 20 baht (or around 55 cents a litre). Nearly all taxis use it too. This country would be fucked otherwise.

PurpleJedi said:

Are you omitting the Iraq War/occupation on purpose?

PANDURITO said:

Yeah...the Iraq was is now a constant, so I don't think that it contributes to the daily fluctuations that infuriate me.

PANDURITO said: