and the oil companies, along with the government, are going to blame speculators or weather in Mississippi region, or banshees attacking some remote pipeline in Africa which accounted for spilling and theft of 10k barrels.. or something else.. we're stupid and they know it.

this is three industries, all closely related, that are putting the vise on the economy.. so long as we do nothing, they will continue to do it.. when the heat gets too hot, they will allow the prices to drop in increments as much as a quarter- and we will shut up about it.. because we're stupid..

re-elect no one... write your congressmen..

or take it up the back side and live your life in a box ignoring what's going on around you.. and hope that those people you vote into power (by either actually voting OR by not voting and allowing them into office through negligence) govern you with at least a little compassion or insight into your best interests...

the only way to get a grip on it is to vote.. regulations, enforcement, and due process is the only recourse we have.. I say this, but I firmly believe it's past the point of return in this country.. I really think we're about 10 years from being a country with the significance of France, or Spain, or Brazil.. we're on our way down, and the Lords are looting..

can you tell I'm tweaked about this crap?

 

I am in agreement with ya there Drew. I too hold out very little hope for this country. I see signs that there ARE folks out there that have a clue, and actually have ideas on how to fix what is wrong, however, they seem to be the minority, and even if they DO get elected, they are soon absorbed into the monster that is our federal government, and end up just like their predecessors. So long as Lobbyists, that are paid... are allowed in washington, and the supreme court thinks that 'corporations are people too', we might just as well bend over, and accept our fate.

I have also noticed, that while their ARE individual americans that have a clue, it seems that collectively, we got nothin' on a box of rocks. We vote in the same people, that have the same solutions, for the same problems, that have NEVER worked in the past. Doing the same thing, over and over again, yet expecting different results 'this time' is just stupid. Yet, every election cycle, we still seem to do so. Nice huh?

 

Well they do in my area between NY and County gas tax it's .30 extra per gallon.

 

That's pretty much standard everywhere. (well, ok, probably more than that in california...... ) Gas taxes supposedly pay for road repairs...... I am real curious where all that money is going though, as our roads here sure as hell don't look like the spend a lot of money on them....

 

and the current administration wants to put a 'vehicle usage tax' on every citizen.. they envision a wireless device on everyone's vehicle which reports your whereabouts and movement, in supposed effort to charge you per mile driven..

of course the program is to be used to collect taxes from drivers who use the roads more than others.. make the taxes more 'fair'.. never mind the two scariest things about it-

1. the larger portion of the country that supports the current administration will not be effected as they live mostly in large cities and use either public transport or hoof it wherever they go, so they won't be peeved by the thing (which means the current administration will retain the voting power of that group), so they aren't going to be opposed as most rural citizens will be.. and it has legs enough to pass because of this alone.

2. the parts will be in place to track movements and whereabouts of citizens on a daily basis, without regard or concern about taxes, but about state security..

we are on our way and the momentum is far too great to stop it.. this country isn't the country I grew up in, much less what my parents or theirs grew up in.

 

And here I thought that's what fuel taxes were all about. Folks that drive more, use more fuel, therefore, pay more taxes. Just another example of the government attempting to exert more control, in the guise of 'improving services'. Gee, the government LIED. I am stunned......

Trouble is, whatever agency is tasked with monitoring this, will be absolutely inundated with data, to the point that it will all become meaningless. Not to mention the amount of money they will have to spend on supporting it. Probably where most, if not all, of the revenue generated will end up going..... (and then some, no doubt...)

Some of this is already do-able though. On-Star can track your vehicle without any trouble at all. They can tell you exactly where you are, withing a few feet. Be a simple matter to continuously track that information.

And have a look at some of the info on OBDIII..... The car will transmit various tidbits of data, such as, vehicle speed, VIN number, if the MIL is on, etc..... CONTINUOUSLY. Speed traps will become MUCH easier..... just record the VIN, and speed, and mail off a ticket. Coordinate that with the aforementioned tracking system, and you won't even NEED anything in the 'speed trap' area. Just knowing what the speed limit is in any given location, and having the speed of the vehicle known.......

We are rapidly becoming a dictatorship. Here in michigan, the governor implemented legislation that would allow placing a "Emergency Financial Manager" in charge, that would have the authority to negate legal contracts, and displace duly elected officials. So much for due process, or, the will of the electorate eh?

We are becoming a stratified society, the rich, and the poor. The middle class is rapidly vanishing, government tax revenues are down, but, the rich are getting tax breaks, financed on the backs of what's left of the middle class. That isn't going to last long, as there will be NO middle class left.

And all this, while we have THREE wars going. Great strategy to destroy a country. Unfortunately, it is OURS that is getting the axe.

 

There's an old saying, I don't recall where it originated: Despots love elections. They have them all the time.

 

Must be nice.
Here in Fairbanks Alaska 4.50, in Attigan pass it was 8.90 a week ago.

 

OUCH.... And you guys have all the Oil!! I'll still whine

 

They may have the oil, but, no refinerys....