Yikes...$6 Gas? Could Happen if Dollar Keeps Getting Weaker

[giovonni]

http://d.yimg.com/a/p/ap/20110420/capt.b11c64ab3478485e8766aaf7eb41ec13-b11c64ab3478485e8766aaf7eb41ec13-0.jpg?x=400&y=272&q=85&sig=ugKCr5nE6QWxnrWIg8Dl_w--
footnote ~ the building just behind this little historic gas station is
the infamous Watergate Complex in Washington D.C.

Yikes...$6 Gas? Could Happen if Dollar Keeps Getting Weaker :(
http://www.cnbc.com/id/42683030

[conk]

Those who are living on the edge will really be hurt financially. Some can barely afford a $30 tank of gas. Now they will have to pay $60-$75 for a tank? Of course everything else is going up in price or going down in quantiy. So many will go broke, some of them not so honest or integreous. Beware and prepare.

[crosby]

ouch my check book hurts......... i have tried to accommodate my purse with my needs. if i only have 30 dollars to put in the tank, then i cut out more unnecessary trips here and there. i'm thinking MOPED........ if i could find a cheap one, that's the way i would travel back and forth to work. i live to far away to walk the distance and i have to be there at 5:30 in the morning...... i would have to leave at 2:30 to make it on foot..... and i know that i wouldn't be happy with that.... i'm thinking general strike against purchasing full tanks of gas. it will cut their revenue bit by bit. it would be almost impossible to quit buying fuel completely, but shaving away at their revenues is a good way too start.
regards, corson

[gardunk]

or stop buying the big boyz gas and go as local as you can

[Dick]

Here in the Netherlands, the price for 1 liter fuel is 1,74 euro, thats 6,44 euro a gallon, and if i'm right, the euro is 1,41 dollar, so that makes it 9,07 us dollar for 1 gallon here in europe (Holland), and it's a record here also.
Dick.:confused:

[EsmaEverheart]

I have certainly stopped making unnecessary trips. I also piggy-back errands when I go out. I have a feeling its going to get worse before it gets better.

[norman]

We've been paying that sort of money for gas here in Europe for a long time. The only difference, so far, is that we seem to not have to put so many miles on the clock to keep our lives together.

When I was on my one and only trip to USA ( Arizona - in the late 80s ) I was shocked by the scale of everything, and the cheap gas was all that was holding the system together. I wanted to walk to the shops etc but that was impossible. Huge culture shock.

At least I could get on a plane and return home after 3 months.

[giovonni]

Thanks Avalonian's for the post...your comments are very insightful-informative and and helpful coming from so many diverse perspectives...

i'm hoping you all will continue to share your individual (local) experiences here >as we continue into in what looks like another big squeeze into our pockets :wacko2:

[giovonni]

i will continue to keep tabs on all this :thumb:

[jjl]

http://projectavalon.net/forum4/attachment.php?attachmentid=5299&d=1299011020
80 miles to the gallon

[dddanieljjjamesss]

or stop buying the big boyz gas and go as local as you can

Local gas near me is perhaps 5c cheaper on the dollar.

Also this doesn't stop all the futures trading that happens before gas even gets bought by ANYONE who will use it... for plastic, for shipping, for filling at the tank... I learned yesterday that almost $2 of what you pay at the pump is being produced just by those who are speculating on the future value of gas and driving the price up.

Better to put your money into effective sustainable technology. Where I live on the coast of MA (where the wind is whipping by me as we speak) a few small wind turbines would be greatly effective. If I can save money on home electricity, then I can spend more on gas. I don't see any way of really boycotting oil unless you REALLY BOYCOTT OIL.

[crosby]

http://projectavalon.net/forum4/attachment.php?attachmentid=5299&d=1299011020
80 miles to the gallon

right on.....jjl, now that's what i'm talken 'bout....
corson

[dddanieljjjamesss]

I think a better way to think about this issue is less in the vein of, "how can I reduce the impact on myself?"
and more of "how can I change this to impact everyone positively."
Though I'm all for mopeds, they are not a solution for everyone (don't get me wrong!) I drive 30-40 minutes each day to my job, and I consider my car fuel efficient and I try to carpool as much as possible and I still fear having to move back in with my parents, and then because they are not of the mindset to be preparing at this time, what will happen when the three of us cannot afford to go to work.

Trying to get them on the idea of a dome greenhouse built to golden ratio vortex math ;) Wish me luck!

[giovonni]

Note - even though this was just reported today...the local pump prices are already much higher in the U.S. :rant:

Apr 21, 6:18 PM EDT

No break this spring at the gas pump http://www.grandforksherald.com/media/thumb/jpg/2011/03/07/gas-pump-photo.jpg

By MICHELLE R. SMITH
Associated Press

With gas prices above $4 in some states, Americans are canceling spring break plans and rethinking summer vacation, and some tourist destinations are offering gas vouchers of as much as $50 to talk people out of giving up and staying home.

At Mount Rushmore, only about 37,000 people decided in March that seeing the four granite-etched presidential sculptures was worth the trip, down from about 43,000 a year before.

At the Grand Canyon, a marketing executive for one company that offers sweeping helicopter vistas says 10 percent fewer people than last year are driving up and booking tours. The company is counting on international tourists to make up the rest.

And along the Rhode Island coast, where 800,000 people a year show up to gawk at the opulence of Gilded Age mansions, it's even worse - business is off 30 percent just since the beginning of March.

Memorial Day is still five weeks away, and summer doesn't officially start for two months. This year, anxiety over high gas prices - and whether the family vacation will bust the family budget - has come early.

"I can't go anywhere because I can't afford it," said Greg Sensing, who works in admissions for the University of Maryland. "It's kind of nice to take a road trip, to get in the car, you see the country, and now why bother doing it?"

The gas jitters have much broader implications than how many people show up to take pictures of Bryce Canyon, Mount Rainier or the Everglades. Gas prices are closely tied to the health of the overall economy.

A gallon of gas costs an average of $3.84 in the United States, almost a full dollar more than a year ago. The average is above $4 in six states: $4.52 in Hawaii, $4.21 in California, $4.18 in Alaska, $4.11 in Connecticut, $4.08 in Illinois and $4.05 in New York.

It's too early to tell how much of a toll gas prices will take on the summer travel season. The jitters have come so early that AAA hasn't even put out its summer travel forecast yet.

But there are already signs that the eye-popping prices at the pump are changing Americans' behavior. In Oklahoma, where gas is a relatively cheap $3.69 per gallon, AAA says it's getting a lot more calls from people who are out of gas on the highway. National demand for gasoline, which should be rising this time of year, is falling instead.

Some tourist destinations are worried people won't bother piling the family into the car at all.

Branson, Mo., the Ozark Mountains hotspot that draws people from hundreds of miles away to tour caverns, frolic in amusement parks and see live entertainment, is offering a discount card worth $50 in gas starting in June.

The Preservation Society of Newport County, R.I., which runs several of the Rhode Island mansions, is offering $5 back to anyone who buys two $24.50 tickets to two mansions and shows their car registration.

Lake George, a resort village in the New York Adirondacks, hopes to capitalize on being an easy drive away from New York and Montreal. "We're in a good position for a `staycation' when people don't want to drive farther," said Luisa Craige-Sherman, head of the visitors bureau.

Among the deals available there: A "Spring Gas Buster" package at the Fort William Henry Hotel, which includes a $20 gas card and buy-one-get-one dinner.

Bill Pott, owner of Jellystone Park Camp Resort in Cave City, Ky., near Mammoth Cave National Park, says he's had a strong spring season so far, but he's offering an informal discount to help folks cover their travel costs: Stay three nights in a $70-a-night cabin, and he'll discount your bill $40 to pay for a tank of gas.

"Most people are driving three or four hours to get here, and I can't do a thing about national fuel prices or the economy, but I can help the kids have a good spring break," he said.

All that still may not be enough, especially if - as analysts fear - the price of gas keeps climbing.

"In my mind, if gas goes to $5 a gallon here, all bets are off," said Linda Schmitt, executive director of the Kansas Underground Salt Museum, which offers a 650-foot descent to see a vintage locomotive, train tracks and ore carts.

Already, economists say, most of this year's two-percentage-point cut in the Social Security payroll tax, which should bring in an extra $1,000 to $2,000 per household this year, is going straight into the gas tank.

If gas were to go to $5 a gallon and stay there, some analysts believe, it could erase the steady gains the economy is making and tip the nation back into recession because Americans would sharply curtail their spending elsewhere.

For now, though, destinations hope offering gas rebates will be enough to calm would-be travelers. Kalahari Resorts, in Wisconsin Dells, Wis., is bringing back a promotion from last year that offered customers a $40 gas card.

Sarah McPeek is going a step further. She made reservations at Kalahari two months ago, when the average price of gas was about 70 cents lower than it is today. She had planned to drive to the park with her 13-year-old son and meet friends there. Instead, the group of seven will carpool.

"It's going to be pretty tight," she said.

And in Fairmont, Minn., Jennifer Brookens is parking the minivan she calls the Mom-Mobile. She, her husband and their two children had hoped to drive the eight hours to visit family in the Black Hills of South Dakota for Easter weekend.

Flying is out of the question - after all, airlines have to buy fuel, too, and fares are going up fast. And Brookens has fresh memories of 2008, during the last gas spike, when filling up the minivan cost $100.

"At this rate," Brookens said, "there's no way."

Source;
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_GAS_PRICES_TRAVEL?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2011-04-21-17-07-57

[crosby]

I think a better way to think about this issue is less in the vein of, "how can I reduce the impact on myself?"
and more of "how can I change this to impact everyone positively."
Though I'm all for mopeds, they are not a solution for everyone (don't get me wrong!) I drive 30-40 minutes each day to my job, and I consider my car fuel efficient and I try to carpool as much as possible and I still fear having to move back in with my parents, and then because they are not of the mindset to be preparing at this time, what will happen when the three of us cannot afford to go to work.

Trying to get them on the idea of a dome greenhouse built to golden ratio vortex math ;) Wish me luck!

your greenhouse idea sounds like a plan. i'd truly like to be in the mindset of "how can i change this to impact everyone positively", but to be honest, i have to figure out what the heck works on a simple level, for myself and my family, before i can struggle with larger numbers. it is indeed a multi-faceted problem. but i like your ideas. it helps me to begin to start thinking bigger picture.
regards, corson

[jjl]

It's only my summer ride, I get 41 to the gallon in my toyota echo. Always been a cheapskate with gas, with everything I guess. Also, the scooter is only for local driving.

[Lost Soul]

Gas is going higher and with it, food prices.

The dollar is dying. Buy precious metals to protect your wealth.

[giovonni]

its quickening...:eek:

More Drivers Running Out Of Gas
Story/video
http://pittsburgh.cbslocal.com/2011/04/21/more-drivers-running-out-of-gas/

*******Also

Orlando gas station charges $5.69 a gallon
Gas prices are on the rise nationwide, but one filling station in Florida
has earned the dubious distinction of having the highest prices in the country.
http://money.cnn.com/2011/04/22/news/economy/highest_gas_prices_in_the_nation/index.htm?hpt=T2

[Calz]

the "PLAN" is to go much higher.

what better way to collapse the world "economy"???

The question is what can we do to RESPOND???

why have all the free energy engineers been killed???

ummm ... shall I go on?

[Flash]

In Quebec we have been paying around $1 a litre (X4 = $4 a gallon approximately) for a while, meaning few years - from 93 cents to $1.25$. Lately we are at 1.38$ a litre (X4 = 5.42$ a gallon approx) and we do cover the same distances than in US. It has been very expensive for a good while - by the way our dollar is about at par with US currency right now. Some of the gaz price is to cover government taxes, most of it has to do with oil companies.

And it is true that the whole North American economy is based on cheap gas prices. Just thinking of my salads coming from California in winter, that i do not want to eat anylonger because of radiation anyhow. The food prices have raised about 20% this year, thanks to gaz price.

[Calz]

It's only my summer ride, I get 41 to the gallon in my toyota echo. Always been a cheapskate with gas, with everything I guess. Also, the scooter is only for local driving.

I keep picturing the "park ranger" rolling around on his/her two wheeler.

Sorry ... just what comes to mind here :)

[Calz]

Bilderberg wants gas prices at 7$ a gallon.

In a follow-up to his original article, veteran newspaper reporter and Bilderberg sleuth Jim Tucker told Alex Jones today that the globalists fully intend to launch a ground invasion of Libya and also jack up the price of gas to $7 per gallon. (See also: Kissinger Calls For US Ground Invasion Of Libya.)

http://www.infowars.com/report-bilderberg-wants-gas-prices-at-7-a-gallon/

[Ross]

Those who are living on the edge will really be hurt financially. Some can barely afford a $30 tank of gas. Now they will have to pay $60-$75 for a tank? Of course everything else is going up in price or going down in quantiy. So many will go broke, some of them not so honest or integreous. Beware and prepare.


Sadly that seems the plan...make em broke slowly but surely... one could move to Libya...under $1.00 a gallon...:p...ok bad joke.

Ross

[Humble Janitor]

Those who are living on the edge will really be hurt financially. Some can barely afford a $30 tank of gas. Now they will have to pay $60-$75 for a tank? Of course everything else is going up in price or going down in quantiy. So many will go broke, some of them not so honest or integreous. Beware and prepare.

Well, if they're driving an inefficient vehicle, then they are to blame.

The powers that never were will use anything in their arsenal to rip off the people.

[Snowbird]

Here in the northern region of the U.S., I just today paid $3.99 per gallon for unleaded. Last week, I paid $3.85 per gallon. I'll be interested to see how it has climbed up by Memorial Day at the end of May. And then of course, Summer is just around the corner.

[giovonni]

In the United States it's a...
Killer Combo of High Gas, Food Prices at Key Tipping Point
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-U5irOWIwu3U/TYjKMLqiGwI/AAAAAAAADNc/1RczeeT_zHs/tippingpoint.jpg
http://www.cnbc.com/id/42704213

[Hybrid5226]

Nothing wrong with hitchhiking or walking . I noticed lately it happening more an more an I'm actually looking forward to walks more now to meet the distant neighbors an to shop local more often .

Erin

[Ross]

Here in OZ:

$1.00 AU buys $1.07 US

currently we pay around $1.45 per litre or $6.52 per Gallon...not so bad in the USA, I would say.

Ross.

[Hughe]

50 cc scooter has 20-30 times better fuel mileage.

You need to have 250cc+ motorcycle for highway/freeway by law in most countries.

It's so stupid people drain huge money to drive old junks. Why?
Late 1980s to early 1990s civic has almost same fuel mileage like most cutting-edge brand new spanking cars nowadays.

[joelmags]

Am reconditioning my old 1983 BJ40 land cruiser, old 1991 nissan patrol (pre-ecu models) and old assembled jeep (1979 isuzu diesel engine) to tip top shape. Am running them on 100% biodiesel made fron used fast food cooking oil. I havent been to a gas station in years.

[jjl]

I try to stay off the highways. I am a nervous driver. That's how I can afford cheap little cars that get great mileage. it's the Gas holes and Pass holes that waste fuel and needlessly pollute!

[Ross]

50 cc scooter has 20-30 times better fuel mileage.

You need to have 250cc+ motorcycle for highway/freeway by law in most countries.

It's so stupid people drain huge money to drive old junks. Why?
Late 1980s to early 1990s civic has almost same fuel mileage like most cutting-edge brand new spanking cars nowadays.

I own a 50cc Scooter, also own a car, I fill the car once a month on average at a cost of around $20.00 per week. The Scooter, my main transport, costs me $8.00 per week. I can live with that quite well and I love my Scooter:crazy_pilot:

Ross

¤=[Post Update]=¤


Am reconditioning my old 1983 BJ40 land cruiser, old 1991 nissan patrol (pre-ecu models) and old assembled jeep (1979 isuzu diesel engine) to tip top shape. Am running them on 100% biodiesel made fron used fast food cooking oil. I havent been to a gas station in years.

And if all Electronics get fried...you will still be driving!

Ross

[joelmags]

Yes, Ross. But driving where?

Scrounging around for food and supplies, i guess. But this will be short term. Until we can grow the bulk of our food. This is where heirloom seeds would be priceless.

100% Biodiesel or B100 has been great for my antique, low speed, genset. Been running on it for years.

[giovonni]

Yikes :lol:

23 April 2011 Last updated at 19:44 ET


New York cabbie picks up $5,000 fare to California http://news.bbcimg.co.uk/media/images/52322000/jpg/_52322141_001022974-1.jpg

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-13179413

[giovonni]

Note: For the Americans that still have jobs, you soon might not be able to afford to get there and back home again !



http://www.menwithfoilhats.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/sad-face.jpg
Wal-Mart: Our shoppers are 'running out of money
***********
***********




NEW YORK (CNNMoney) -- Wal-Mart's core shoppers are running out of money much faster than a year ago due to rising gasoline prices, and the retail giant is worried, CEO Mike Duke said Wednesday.

"We're seeing core consumers under a lot of pressure," Duke said at an event in New York. "There's no doubt that rising fuel prices are having an impact."

Wal-Mart shoppers, many of whom live paycheck to paycheck, typically shop in bulk at the beginning of the month when their paychecks come in.

Lately, they're "running out of money" at a faster clip, he said.

"Purchases are really dropping off by the end of the month even more than last year," Duke said. "This end-of-month [purchases] cycle is growing to be a concern.

Wal-Mart brings guns back :(

Wal-Mart (WMT, Fortune 500), which averages 140 million shoppers weekly to its stores in the United States, is considered a barometer of the health of the consumer and the economy.

To that end, Duke said he's not seeing signs of a recovery yet.

With food prices rising, Duke said Wal-Mart is charging customers more for some fresh groceries while reducing prices on other merchandise such as electronics.

Wal-Mart has struggled with seven straight quarters of sales declines in its stores.

Addressing that challenge, Duke said the company made mistakes by shrinking product variety and not being more aggressive on prices compared to its competitors.

Wal-Mart's ready to do battle on prices

"What's made Wal-Mart great over the decades is 'every day low prices' and our [product] assortment," he said. "We got away from it."

Now, with its strategy of low prices all the time back in place, Duke said making Wal-Mart a "one-stop shopping stop" is a critical response to dealing with the rising price of fuel.

Americans don't have the luxury of driving all over town to do their shopping.

Other than competing on prices and products, Duke said Wal-Mart is focused on leveraging technology -- especially social networking -- more aggressively to drive sales.

"Social networking is much more a part of the purchasing decision," he said. "Consumers are communicating with each other on Facebook about how they spend their money and what they're buying."

Elsewhere, Duke said Wal-Mart is exploring a number of e-commerce initiatives to grow the business such as testing an online groceries delivery business in San Jose.

Source;
http://money.cnn.com/2011/04/27/news/companies/walmart_ceo_consumers_under_pressure/index.htm

[giovonni]

"isn't it ironic" :rolleyes:

President's men fill up 'The Beast' in surprise visit to BP garage


http://i.thisislondon.co.uk/i/pix/2011/05/beastlimo_415.jpg
The Beast limo -
Refuelling: Barack Obama's entourage fill his limousine at a Pimlico garage


Miranda Bryant
25 May 2011

He maybe the president of the most powerful nation in the world, but his car still needs filling up with petrol.

Workers at a garage in Pimlico today told of their astonishment after Barack Obama's car and the presidential entourage pulled up for refuelling.

The armoured limousine, nicknamed "The Beast", arrived with six other vehicles and police escort at a BP petrol station on Vauxhall Bridge Road during the president's state visit to London.

Onlookers said the cars took up the entire forecourt when they arrived yesterday at around 3pm.

They also told how the Cadillac - which is fitted with bullet-proof glass and has an armoured body, its own oxygen supply and even samples of the President's blood - took up a bay and a half while Mr Obama's driver filled it up with £50 worth of unleaded.

Workers at the station, who at first did not realise who the car belonged to, said the presidential entourage spent £350 in total between seven cars at the station, where a litre of unleaded costs 136.9p.

The station manager, who served the driver but said President Obama did not appear to be in the car, said: "They spent £350 on unleaded petrol with £50 for each car. I didn't realise whose car it was until some guys outside pointed it out.

"The Beast was really impressive. When the driver opened the door it was 1ft thick. It was the driver who came in to pay. He was wearing a black suit, he was nice but he just paid and left.

"It was really exciting because it's the president's car."

One passer-by said it was ironic that the president's motorcade had to fill up at a BP garage.

The company was attacke d over the Gulf of Mexico oil spill by the president who vowed to make "British Petroleum" pay for the vast leak, which was caused by an oil rig explosion in April last year.

Source;
http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/standard/article-23953562-presidents-men-fill-up-the-beast-in-surprise-visit-to-bp-garage.do

[Calz]

And yet, my friend, as you know from passing along information from James ... in a few short months time we will have "other" issues to deal with.

Where ... may I be so bold to inquire ... does that leave the price of gas in the "big picture"???

:hail: respectfully and always appreciative of the news you bring forth from eceti :thank_you2:

[Maia Gabrial]

I'm waiting for the anti-gravity cars to come out. No gas prices then...!

[giovonni]

:bs:

http://fastcache.gawkerassets.com/assets/images/12/2011/05/suburb.jpg

U.S. Transportation Secretary rolls up in SUV to unveil new fuel economy stickers

From Justin Hyde —U.S. Transportation Secretary rolls up in SUV to unveil new fuel economy stickersU.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood unveiled new fuel-economy window stickers for cars and trucks, saying "we're not just sitting around waiting for high gasoline prices to come down." His ride of choice to the unveiling: This 12-mpg SUV.

Source;
http://jalopnik.com/5805503/us-transportation-secretary-rolls-up-in-suv-to-unveil-new-fuel-economy-stickers