Originally Posted by camar0corey

I might consider dating chicks going to UCF and driving to Tampa then and eating out and spoiling them.
Right now I see it as a two hour drive round trip that consumes my fuel.

Or maybe I might go to OSW more often instead of seeing that as a $60 tank of fuel seeing as its about a 2 hour drive both ways. Even though I have a company truck I drive all week, I'm still pissed when I have to go out, cause its usually a distance that empties the tank.

Originally Posted by chvycmaroz28

3.77 here in upstate ny

Originally Posted by JEB99TA

Bakken oil foundation in North Dakota holds 200,000-400,000 billion barrels of crude and we have just recently gained the technology to drill down away from the lake and then drill horizontally under the lake wher this formation is. It's supoosed to hold more crude oil than all of Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, and Saudi Arabia has to offer.

Originally Posted by The SSheriff

Well, there are a TON of factors that influence the way the economy is headed, and most of the signs don't look all too good.

First, you most certainly have to consider the tragedy of September 11th, 2001. Remember, it all started with the airline companies. Nobody wanted to fly anymore due to the attacks on the WTC, Pentagon, and 93 Pennsylvania flight until changes were made (or until they got over their fear of becoming a victim). So what happened? People jumped into their cars and started driving everywhere, even coast to coast. This put an increase on demand in the use of fuel, so in the basic economical sense, when demand is high, prices can be made higher to create the most revenue possible (of course, without being too insane about it).

Second, you have to look at the value of the dollar and it's worth before, during, and after 9/11, and who was in charge of preserving the delicate balance of inflation and spending. Before the attacks, the dollar was pretty strong and the economy was in an economical "boom". This is because we were seen as the "all powerful" and "indestructible", but when the other countries saw us take a serious blow, some of the trust that had been given to us in regards to our security almost vanished into thin air. To use a metaphor, picture a school bully get taken out by the quietest and shortest kid in school. What happens to the reputation of that bully, and how does it affect the way HE does business? Will kids continue to give him their lunch money? Possibly, but some will see the other kid as the new sheriff in town, and change the entire paradigm of the school.

Now, what did that 'bully' (and I use the term bully very lightly in comparison with the US) do? Well, the United States created a war economy, but without the desired affects. A war economy is generally a booming time, but this was not the case as we were not fighting a battle on the scale of WWI or WWII. We are fighting a Vietnam-like war, and just like in the 70's, the economy saw a dive. People weren't supporting the country, weren't supporting our country's goods, and the Government is trying to prevent the Modern Day 'communist' from spreading across a given area.

And what are we doing to try and quicken the end to that 'spread'? WE THREW BILLIONS OF U.S DOLLARS AT IT!! Which brings me back to my point above. We almost did what the Germans did in the 1920's by almost creating Hyperinflation (where so much paper money was produced that it debased the entire value of gold that was used to support it) and it began to form a social upheaval, which unfortunately, lead to the **** regime from 1933-1945. In a hyperinflation economy, people put their money elsewhere (like many are doing with the Euro now).

Guess what happened then? PEOPLE PROTESTED THE WAR, which is the ultimate blow in this Trifecta. When a country doesn't stand by its goods, what are other countries going to do? Sell their stuff here. This was the exact same deal as in the 70's. Gas got short, American cars weren't their 'top-notch' in quality, and Americans didn't necessarily NEED what Detroit was putting out.... so what did the American people do? They bought cars and products from overseas! They bought what they REALLY needed... good quality cars with better gas mileage. And who made all of the profits??? Foreign markets did!

So, now gas prices are on the rise. Unless you're sending something by e-mail, everything has to travel to its final destination by some means of transportation powered by an internal combustion engine at some stage in the process. What do those internal combustion engines need to run? FUEL! So what do the companies that have to ship products do in order to level that extra expense out? They raise the price of their goods! Now, when everyone raises the prices of their goods, what do people always demand? HIGHER WAGES!!!

This is a vicious cycle, and it must be stopped. Unfortunately, gas prices are going to continue an upward trend (take into account the seasons/etc...) AT LEAST until Bush gets out of office. Things will not SERIOUSLY change until 2010, when some Congressmen and Representatives of the House get their seats changed as well, and a TRUE reformation can begin.

THIS IS WHERE IT COUNTS!!!!!! YOU have the choice to determine who is going to fill those seats! YOU are going to determine who is going to be your voice for the next 4-6 years, so in essence, it is partially up to each of YOU to help restore our economy back to normal.

/post