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OPEC
The international price for oil is quoted and traded in US dollars so the value of the dollar to other currencies does not directly affect the price of a barrel in the US (a weak dollar effectively makes oil cheaper elsewhere in the world). The US produces about a quarter of its own oil requirements, that makes us largely dependent on foreign oil, the majority of which come from OPEC countries. The amount of fuel used for transport which is not directly or indirectly dependent on oil is miniscule, that means that we have very limited capacity to switch energy sources. Drilling in ANWR will only produce (if any) oil in years time, long enough to make its contribution to supply/demand economics trivial. Oil is still relatively cheap here in the US, ask anyone in Eurpoe or Africa. People still complain but their actions dont match their words, we still buy hulking 8 cylinder vehicles. Gas (or diesel) generally does not hit the radar on the average family budget. When it comes to changing the price of oil OPEC have by far the strongest hand the rest is just political posturing on our part as we cant really do anything about oil production, and we are having an increasingly smaller say in the size of demand for oil. Our politicians talk and talk about the price of oil and the traders pay no attention, but you can bet they all know when the next meeting of OPEC is and any change on OPEC's part and the price of a barrel feels it. The US is a becomming a proportionally less important player in the world supply/demand scenario for oil, I think its time we stopped shouting and really did something about it - make your next car a hybrid etc - actually no why bother gas is cheap I will just get something a little bigger than I need - perhaps a 45 hp tractor as opposed to a 32 hp I currently have. Its all just talk we are paying spectators at this show.
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No matter what the reason, I filled up my truck to the tune of $57.25 for 87 octane at $2.09 per gallon. It is only going to get worse...everything will go up in price due to transportation price increases. Our country does need to find a fuel that we can self-support. Without this, we are letting the Middle East control us economically, which will lead to rough times in near future.
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All kidding aside, we as Americans are between a rock and a hard spot. Anything done in Alaska now is too late for the immediate future and that is only a ploy by oil companies to get it ok'd. The oil companies don't want to turn it on in the Gulf or anywhere unless they have to. We are short on refining capacity and the oil companies like it because it means hugh profits. They're pretending that it is too costly to build more refineries and too many regulations in the way in an attempt to get shortcuts and a free lunch. Lobbyist's are stopping anything from happening and the Republicans and Democrats are equally at fault. We're loosing some of our clout while others are getting oil cheaper because of the weak dollar as Ann has stated.
Hydrid cars/SUV don't do us rural people any good since they are designed for primarily city driving and do work better in warmer climates further adding to our problems as Northern country bumpkins.
Because I have three drivers in my family, we have an extra older vehicle which gets good mileage around 30mpg on the highway. We switch around using it and I attempt to particularly use it whenever possible in place of my F250. I've thought about the extra insurance and cost to own and operate an extra vehicle and figure if the other vehicles last longer I'm about even and can go anywhere I want at anytime. It is a way to feel that I'm not letting the system cramp my style.
Likewise, cars go in for service and loaners aren't always available. It is just plain convenient. When it is a nasty day with lots of salt on the road, I like to take my beater. We take it to shopping malls so people can crash carts into it, etc. If you drive the beater 24,000 miles per year in place of a 17 mpg average vehicle that would take 1411 gallons of gas, at 28 mpg the beater would only use 857 gallons. At $2.15 per gallon that's only just under $1,200.00 per year savings. But by stretching the use of my other 3 vehicles between one and five years each, particularly my F250 I figure that is a justification.
Hope nobody kills me while driving the Grand Am GT. I chose one that doesn't look to bad yet and is stylish to further make me feel good about the situation. So, I've also made it fun at the same time.
I generally attempt to never let problems get me down and turn the negatives into positives!
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"ask anyone in europe"
Ann, would you agree they have many more
benifits in some of those countries.
Pensions and medical care, not so many
homeless people wandering the streets.
My point is that they get something back
for the high tax,on gas, and alcohol,smokes.
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"My point is that they get something back
for the high tax,on gas, and alcohol,smokes."
Grinder, I think I can help you out, and I will cut you a much better deal than the government.
Just send me $1000 a month and after a year I will send $600 back to you every month. I can use the extra cash and you will "get something back".
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Thanks Ann
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There are those on this thread that seem to put all the blame on Bush-Cheney. It's like Bush went over to the "Oil Wall" in the White House and turned up the COST OF OIL DIAL like we'd turn up the thermostat in our home. I'm sure they're the same ones that said we went into Iraq just for oil. If that's the case I'm STILL waiting for the damn oil and it doesn't look like it's coming in my lifetime. Unlike others I'm not going to sit here and pretend to know all the answers. One thing I DO know however IS this isn't something that developed in the last 4 years and I'm sick to death of hearing everything blamed on Bush. Bush certainly has his faults but let someone tell me that Clinton and every president since Washington hasn't had their faults and I'll show you a real moron. AOL had a poll asking who you thought was responsible for the high oil prices; Bush, OPEC, oil companies and the majority felt it was Bush (SEE THE OIL DIAL ABOVE). One thing I will say for Bush is he has a "set" and he means what he says which is something that has been lacking in this country for some time. This world is pretty screwed up right now and it will be for a long time after Bush, and whoever the next 20 presidents are. It will be until we start to stick together, know the difference between right and wrong and do something about the wrong and those that would do us wrong. Buckle up folks, it's going to be a long bumpy ride, going to get a lot bumpier and I doubt any of us on this board right now will see the paved portion of this highway.
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"On this LAW we can set up a program that will aoutomatically throw 2 million dollars extra a month into a fund to help produce NON GAS using machines :IE cars, tractors etc.Every month that the price of oil is over $40 a barrel we put extra money into funds to help produce these types of engines?"
Good idea. I do see a flaw in your logic. Although tractors do not use gas, they do use diesel. Even hybrid cars depend on petroleum products (gas, just less of it) to go.
The only way to get out from under Opec's thumb is to find a way to survive without buying much from them. Buy from south america or drill domestically. Explore nuclear, solar, and wind power to make to more efficient.
Most importantly the Bush family needs to go against their oil-wealth roots and take a long-term stand on energy usage. Take funding research of alternative power (like solar) seriously. Start giving REAL tax incentives to those who conserve energy and/or get energy without using oil products. Ignore the powerful plastic lobby and push for more bio-plastics. Look into methanol and other renewable resources for heating and vehicles.
And this may sound totally counter intuitive, but RAISE the price of on-the-road fuels. If gas cost $4.50 a gallon like it does in Europe, suddenly carpooling, transit, and gasmileage would be "cool". (My only worry is if the goverment adds a $2/gal gas tax, you know they're going to pee the money away)
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I think somewhere along the lines here the trtain came off the tracks, I think it happened when the train was still in the station actually.
OPEC is a group of countries that export oil.
The oil itself is produced and sold by OIL COMPANIES.
If you look at the world-wide oil industry you will see who produces the majority of the world's petroleum products. A handfull of huge corporations produce & distribute the majority of the world's oil supply.
The OPEC member countries have become rich off their share, the royalties payable to the country in which the oil is produced, not from selling it themselves.
BTW, guess which country most of those big oil companies are based in?  .
Best of luck.
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It's really too bad that we as Americans did'nt take the first oil shortage more seriously in the 1970's. Perhaps by now we could by another energy source be less dependent on OPEC. Most everyone was upset by President Nixon when he put the 55 speed limit in force, but first of all id did save lives and also fuel. Even today with the high price of fuel you hear about people demanding higher speed limits and luxury gas guzzlers still seem to be the "Thing". I'm not excluding myself here because I like horsepower and the freedom to go places that I really could do without too. I won't get into the policys of politicians or oil co's, I have opinions yes, but not enough solid knowledge to discuss most of that. Maybe if we all just backed off the throttle by 10 MPH. that would be a little help. Frank.
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03-11-2005, 15:19 
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