Gas Prices

[Tye]

Originally Posted by jung_adore_ALIZEE

figured as much its just a motor that i dream of putting in something one of these days

what motor are you guys planning on putting in it if i may ask

I'm not entirely sure what my dad's planning. I know very little about engines so this will be a big learning experience for me. Right now the only thing I know is we are aiming for at least 600hp.

[tbailey]

ISSUE 1

i've heard that gas prices are slowly decreasing

although not sure if this is a long term trend

but some economists believe this is actually a bad thing

afterall if the market is going to be innovative and is forced to find alternatives to oil there has to be a demand for alternatives

if gas prices continue to fall then the market will not be forced to look for alternatives quickly b/c demand for it will be assuaged

ISSUE 2

I've heard from a supplier for major car maunfacturers that we have roughly 40 years left of oil (estimates vary of course)

not only that but in addition oil or more specifically petroleum is imbedded in many other commodities i.e. plastic

that means that once we run out of oil not only gas but many other commodities will cease to exist in their current form

i sincerely hope that the market and all of its positive facets will be able to prepare itself or at least endure the exhuastion of petroleum

everything from practically all forms of transportation to housing to anything made with plastic will be adversely affected

ISSUE 3

One of the reasons why oil is now so expensive is b/c of the expanding middle class in India and China. Afterall the more demand for a commodity the higher the price may go up

Now when we talk about India and China we are talking about a middle class that could easily out number the whole U.S.A. population

This is a bad thing for the U.S. if you enjoy cheap goods. Everything from ice cream to oil will substantially go up in price.

This could be a long term trend - the market will not cheapen goods via efficiency/mass production/innovation...

That's why the next presidential administration is so important - major decisions will have to be made and major changes too

ISSUE 4

I don't believe the market economy, during its 300 year existence, has been threatened by the exhuastion of one of its key resources if not its most important

Oil has always been in existences during the life of the market economy

The Depression was caused mainly in part by over speculation and then a scare which drove many to no longer invest in future ventures/take their money out of banks/buy their stocks back...

But in the in future it will be a different case - the exhuastion of a real resource that the market has been so dependent on for over a hundred years

Unfortunately the last two great depressions (1870s and 1930s) conincided with mass social social turmoil (mass riots and civilian casualties in the U.S. and of course WWII respectively)

hopefully we can avoid that this time around

[jung_adore_ALIZEE]

Originally Posted by tbailey

ISSUE 2

I've heard from a supplier for major car maunfacturers that we have roughly 40 years left of oil (estimates vary of course)

Theres estimates that there is that much untapped in just North Dakota

then there is always the untapped stuff that is in Alaska that no one can touch do to political reasons (supposedly the biggest reserve in the world thou)

[Señor Villa]

It's time to use solar and wind power. I think that we should pass a new tax to those who have big SUVS and other high gas usage cars. We could collect the tax either at car registration or through fedral income tax. Then we could use that money to plan and experiment other alternatives. Then to those who purchase fuel efficient cars there will be a tax credit in their income tax.

[jung_adore_ALIZEE]

so i would be taxed for this i suppose



10 MPG BABY

comes in rather handy thou

[Tchaikovsky]

Originally Posted by jung_adore_ALIZEE

so i would be taxed for this i suppose



10 MPG BABY

comes in rather handy thou

Lucky bastard...

[jung_adore_ALIZEE]

Originally Posted by Tchaikovsky

Lucky bastard...

yeah i know a lot of people who wished they could have it and the mileage is just a bonus

[Edcognito]

Originally Posted by Rev

Starting with your own. Right?



Times have changed.

You are right about the time it takes to even start to bring a new field online. And, once you talk about very remote areas, it can take much longer as a means of getting the oil out also has to be constructed.

By the way, I believe US consumption is about 20 million barrels a day. 81 million is the total world daily usage.

One area that needs a big push is oil shale. There are huge reserves of oil shale in North America, but the technology to get the oil out economically is lacking (prices were not high enough until recently to make it potentially profitable, so there has not been a lot of investment in research). This area has HUGE potential.

Yep - your right - my bad, I had two different pages open and caught the 81M....

still - 500,000 to 20M is only 1/40th..... I don't expect that even that would help us...

Ed

[Tye]

Originally Posted by Señor Villa

It's time to use solar and wind power. I think that we should pass a new tax to those who have big SUVS and other high gas usage cars. We could collect the tax either at car registration or through fedral income tax. Then we could use that money to plan and experiment other alternatives. Then to those who purchase fuel efficient cars there will be a tax credit in their income tax.

Or we could just drill in Alaska. Which is thought to be the biggest oil reserve in the world, and would last us a few centuries. I'm all for new fuels, but we have to make do for now, and we might as well use what we got.

[lefty12357]

Originally Posted by Tye

Or we could just drill in Alaska. Which is thought to be the biggest oil reserve in the world, and would last us a few centuries. I'm all for new fuels, but we have to make do for now, and we might as well use what we got.

I think that estimate of a few centuries is extremely optimistic. It will take years to get the oil flowing and it will not come just to the US. It will go up for sale on the world market and it wouldn't surprise me if much of it went elsewhere.

We really need to get serious about alternatives to oil. There is so much opportunity for entrepreneurship, new businesses and jobs. We should be at the forefront of this. There are no good short term solutions that I can see other than conserving where we can. I think this situation is a wakeup call and it’s time for us to wake up. In the meantime, the oil companies could always drill on the 68 million acres in the US that they already have leases and permits for, but haven't drilled yet.