You know what kills me? It's these democrates in Washington that keep saying it's the "Profit Rich Oil Companies" fault for high gas prices. Well, the truth is Exxon/Mobile the oil company that makes the most money only makes $0.09 a gallon. The remaining majority of the cost is TAXES. Yes it's not BIG OIL it's BIG GOVERNMENT that really jacks the prices up. So it's the " Profit Rich Government " that has caused our gas prices to soar. The Government is going to investigate for price gouging. That's so hypocritical when it's the Government that has been doing the price gouging. Lower the Gas Tax and we will be fine.
Gas in the UAE is cheap. I was filling up my rental (04 Caprice) with high test for $23...
It's not as much as the federal government made off the gas tax. Now that's excessive.
You would not say that it's excessive if it were your own company.
Also consider the fact that the $4 billion is across the board for all oil companies. I guess people will start complaining that Microsoft needs regulating considering that they made 10 times that amount and it's just one company.
It is a political issue. The democrates have blocked the building of new refineries and always block the republicans from passing a law allowing the U.S. from drilling in ANWR ( Alaska ). This not only will make us more self dependent but will cause the gas prices set by OPEC to drop due to supply and demand. If the middle east can't sell as much they will have to drop prices to sell. Simple economics.
But what about all those cute, fluffy animals in Alaska? We can't disturb them! Unless you use a high powered hunting rifle...then its fine. Unless the Dems decide to take away out guns too. Or tax the hell out of them. Today, gas prices, tomorrow, our freedom!
you said it.
Firstly, most gas taxes are imposed by the state and not the Federal Govt. Secondly, profits for Exxon/Mobil 40 Billion with "B" not 4 Billion and it was not across the big 4 it was strictly Exxon/Mobil (if you don't believe me then just google EXXON/MOBIL Profits). Thirdly, all of the major oil companies have a documented track record of collusion and price fixing. I can vouch for that because my father owned a service station for over 30 years and received an $185000 payment from a class-action suit against them for price fixing from 1964-1969. Total payout in the seventies was half a billion.......that would probably equate to somewhere between 5-10 billion in today's dollars. If you remember the gas prices then....around $00.39/gallon.........that means they were really taking the american public to the house! My father only made 1-2 cents/gal!
BTW-Where did you get the information on the oil companies getting only $00.09/gal? And 9 cents/gallon profit is okay with you when 50% of the world's gas is blown through our pipes!
As for ANWR.......................BS!!!!! We have privately held mineral rights sitting on top of untapped oil basins in the lower 48. Check with the Minot folks..............they're within 100 miles of one of the largest untapped oil basin. Don't believe everything you read.......check the facts.
The real problem is allowing the crooked folks to trade on futures. This is not a commodity, gasoline is a utility and should be regulated by the govt so these slimy companies can't do what they're doing to us right now. This is not a political partisan issue.............and if you insist that it is then you must realize that the republican philosophy of "zero tolerance for regulation on business" has allowed this to take place. Based on your comments I would say you're actually believing the propaganda spewed by corporate america and the current culture of criminals in Washington DC.
I'm sorry I was wrong and checked. It's 9% profit. Still less than most industries. Government Regulation? The government can't regulate themselves. It sounds like we have a big government libral on the board. Are you saying that the government should regulate Microsoft too? ANWR has tons of untapped oil more than the lower 48. Who is going to regulate the govenment since they make more profit off the oil than the oil companies? We still pay less than the European Union. You have the Government now investigating the Big Oil companies and I bet they won't find anything. Gas prices would be more affordable if there were more money left in your check. When we spend 1 million on researching why some worm in the south pacific crawls backward when there is a full moon we need to be investigating the government spending habits. Why do you think corporate America is evil? Your lifestyle in this country is partly do to the EVIL corporations. Your not in corporate America because you think 9% profit as too much. How would you like the government regulate your 401K and say you can't profit more than 9%. Oh, that's different because it's you. When has government regulation worked? Please I want to know.
I guess you want the government to investigate the company I work for too. We have a profit margin of 35%. That's almost 4 times more than BIG OIL. I guess we are price gouging. Big Oil makes more money because of the amount of product not profit margins. So do you want to regulate the amount of product? Then we will have a gas shortage. Let me guess, you think they should lower their profit margin. What company other than Big Oil has a profit margin as low as 9%? They make their money by volume. When we import most of the oil use. So the price that OPEC sets is what we pay. Right now it's OPEC that is controlling the price per barrel not American owned oil companies. Drilling in ANWR and other states would relieve our dependence on OPEC causing the prices to go down. It's basic supply and demand. That won't happen though because the Democrates stop the building of new refineries and drilling in ANWR. That's a fact. So it is a political issue to a large extent.
So I suggest you take your mouth off the libral tit and get real. You can be libral minded or realistic. You obviously don't know anything about capitalism or economics. You imply that corporations are evil, well it sounds like someone is just jealous. Why are corporations so evil? The idea that all or majority of corporations are evil is just plain stupid. Do you really think that corporations are evil? You might want to get checked out ( mentally ). No one is out to get you. Corporations are not out for your blood. They just want to be successful. Just because you think those who are successful are evil does not make them evil. I find most people who are not successful blame the successful. Are you really that miserable with your life that you have to hate those who are successful. Grow up and Get over it. " oh no, they are successful and I'm not. That's not fair." This mentallity will only make you more miserable. I can't believe you think 9% profit margin is to high. You would be the first fired on the Apprentice. Get REAL.
Here you go strraight from the WasingtonPost-
"Most financial institutions, such as commercial banks, are routinely more profitable than Exxon Mobil was in its third quarter. For example, Exxon Mobil's gross margin of 9.8 cents of profit for every dollar of revenue ."
Now that 9.8 cents is taxed at a higher rate than you or I. Your 401K should do better than 9.8 cents per dollar. If you company matches then you are making over 100% profit on your investment. You are a FCKING idiot.
First and foremost, we need to cut our dependence on the Middle East for our oil. And I believe that ethanol is the answer to that.
Forget the damn hydrogen! It's dangerous and using current methods, takes as much or more energy to produce than it provides.
Ethanol can now be produced using just about any cellulose material. That pretty much means that you can make it from any plant or plant by-product. Grass clippings, hay, wood pulp, whatever. And it burns clean. Not to mention, there are already 4 million cars already on the road that can burn it. The bonus is, that it is relatively inexpensive to retrofit all the others.
Sure, it's not perfect. It's not as efficient as gasoline, meaning you get less mpg (somewhere around 10% I think). And right now, it costs as much or more than a gallon of gas. But that would change dramatically if there were more supply. So if the big oil companies want to keep making those record profits, now would be a perfect time for them to start investing in this technology and build a few refineries.
The tax has been there forever and it doesn't change daily. It's that damn price per barrel of oil thats screwing us. (I don't know if that stance makes me a liberal or a conservative, just my 2 cents)
The metro busses here in Cincinnati are burning what I think is called "biodiesel," a 50/50 mix of diesel fuel and vegetable oil, which I think they get from Ohio farm products and recycled frying grease from McDonald's and the like...
The reports say they are saving beau coup dollars on their fuel, and it burns clean, and doesn't have any detrimental impact on power, fuel economy, and such...
I'm of a mind to build some additional refinery capacity here, and tap in to our domestic supply (ANWAR, and anywhere else). The hybrid engine technology is improving, so if we can cut our demand and usage, plus increase our refining capacity, the price will drop, and that's good for everybody.
Another point is that after living in Europe for 6 years, where gas prices are high, it's interesting that we Americans complain about the price of fuel. If you look at it in relation to inflation, we ought to be paying $3 to $4/gallon. Compare the price of motor fuel to a loaf of bread, a gallon of milk, a pack of cigarettes, and the current price may be a little easier to swallow. Oh sure, we live in a capitalist society, and yeah, the oil companies are getting rich, and I hope that will be dealt with. I don't mind if Exxon makes a profit- that's what being in business is all about. But please don't screw the consumers by raising the price of gas because of "fears of Iranian war," or the impact the hurricanes had on Gulf shore production... Federal and state fuel taxes help pay for our roads, which in most areas of the country are all pretty good.
Should the feds regulate the price of fuel? Maybe- it's such a key component of our national economy that some control would be nice. BUT, I look at AMTRAK, and some of the other areas where the government has gotten involved, and I'm awfully nervous about Uncle Sam sticking his fingers into areas where they have no expertise, or common sense. Usually when you mess with the laws of supply and demand, it turns to crap. Look at farm subsidies- pay a farmer NOT to grow a crop on his land? When there are people starving all over the world? If people can't afford a loaf of bread because the government controls how much wheat we grow strikes me as silly. Let's improve getting the wheat to a global market, and sell our surplus at a good price overseas, and keep the prices low here at home. Mr. wheat farmer makes a buck, and we can have cheap bread for the masses...
Well said Doc...
I guess that mjoeng1 thinks Harrah's Entertainment needs regulation since they reported 75% net profit last year. I mean they are evil so they should be ran by the government.
Most unfortunate, I did not want to provoke a personal attack from you. I just pointed out inaccuracies in what you posted and tried to state my position on this important topic, apparently I needed to do that a little more astutely. Now I am forced to defend myself personally which I will only do once because I don't have the time for trivialities such as that. I would much rather have thought provoking discourse. Personal attacks accomplish nothing and provoke zero thought. Well, here goes:
F da C reply#9
Government regulation is a necessary evil. An example is Electricity and it works very well, at least for me. I'm not put into a position to choose between paying my electric bill in the winter or putting food on the table for my family. I like that and I prefer cheaper electricity. An example of no govt regulation would be the Enron debacle. A perfect example of business run amok with no check and balance. Now all of the former Enron employees are in a position to receive 25-40% on THEIR dollar from the Pension Guaranty Corporation (poor example of govt regulation and is a govt entity). This was their money not the corporations. A pension is an employee's dollar promised by the corporation to be paid out at some future date, a part of employment law(an implied contract). Guess who pays for the underfunded Pension Guaranty Corporation (currently running an 18 billion + annual deficit), that would be the taxpayer/american worker. I am not a proponent of govt regulation in general, only on industry that can bring this country to it's knees or when business is allowed to exploit people. I am a big people person, I will fight to the end of time for the people that work for me as I would fight for someone's right to hold a far right-wing ideology. Another point; 9% profit on a utility (not a commodity) seems unreasonable to me and it's outright obscene when you examine their books covering up bonuses in the 7 figures and individual pensions in the mid-9 figure zone. These are considered operating expenses and are written off pre-tax. The 8.4 Billion that Exxon/Mobil reported was net. I didn't examine their financial report but I would suspect they took care of the obligatory one-time charges in the quarter that added up to 1 billion +. That's why a figure of 40 Billion for the year was being expressed in the media. Last point; ANWR Oil Field has an estimated 10 billion barrels of oil per the National Geological Survey...........this was considered the last real large oil field on American soil. That is until somewhere in the mid-nineties. In eastern Montana, western North Dakota, and part of Alberta they've re-evaluated after some wildcat oil drilling and now suggest that it is approximately 150% larger than ANWR. I could care less if anyone drills in ANWR, we have the technology to keep the environment clean as long as we keep the company doing the extraction in-check. The problem with ANWR is that the oil wouldn't get to our market.............everyone in the industry knows it would be shipped to Japan or near there. It's the most profitable route for the oil companies.
Here's a good link for an article concerning US oil fields; http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/06095/679602-28.stm You should be able to find a link to the US Geological Survey from that site after reading about the oil field across Montana, ND, and Alberta.
F da C Reply# 10
Good for your company, I wish you the best in those regards as long as it's honest business and they're not exploiting people. BTW-my company operates on 80-90% margins in the healthcare industry and yes, I don't think that's reasonable even at the expense of my 401k. We're a part of the Health Care crisis that is affecting all of us that don't make 1million+/yr. All I ask for is a level playing field. This might give you some insight into my position on Big Business; my father was run out of business by big Oil Companies. They were allowed to sell gasoline way below cost which drove my father and thousands of independent operators out of business. This is not a level playing field by anyone's measure. Another example of this would be a major airline in my locale. NWA and the other Big 5 Airlines have been allowed to enter into bankruptcy with the sole intent of dumping their pensions..........again you and I will be paying for these poor folks that have gotten screwed by Big Business (25-40% on their dollar........let's rack up the deficit). I have many friends here that worked for NWA as Aircraft Maintenance workers, Pilots, Ground Support, and Flight Attendants that are now out of a job because their's was outsourced to a developing 3rd world country with the workers earning 10% or less of the jobs they replaced. Again, not a level playing field by anyone's measure. Last point; definitely wrong on this one.....OPEC does not set our current prices. Current pricing is based strictly on Futures Trading. You should educate yourself on this one. The futures are being driven up by China's pending energy needs and speculation that India is right on their heels. My position is that a utility (not a commodity as I define it) should not be gambled on. Let's allow the free market system in real-time to take care of the pricing (this would be a capitalist philosophy). This particular utility is crucial to the near-term survival of our economy until we can develop some viable alternatives.
F da C Reply# 11
This post and the next are where you really lost me. I must reiterate that personal attacks provoke zero thought and my personal opinion is that they demonstrate an angry attitude which reflects poorly on the attacker. I will not attack you but I will get personal.....about myself. I don't consider myself a democrat nor republican, I vote for intelligence and common sense. I consider myself a centrist for this reason. I would never vote for someone associated with the New American Project (very far right-wing ideology) nor would I vote for the likes of Ted Kennedy or Hillary. They're much too far left for me. I didn't vote for Bush because I deem him galactically stupid! It's really unfortunate he's being controlled by the likes of Cheney/Ashcroft and the entire Carlisle Group (if you don't know who and what the Carlisle Group are then I suggest you google them). Their ideology is too far right for me. I would consider voting for McCain but all he's done this year is suck-up to get the nomination.....example; Speaking at Jerry Falwell's freakish university because he has to get the religious right vote. Still a better option than Hillary. The one thing that will never influence my decison-making are the social issues the far-right likes to whip-up the masses on (3Gs-god, guns, and gays). They are not relevant in the political arena. It's just a tool to control the masses. As for a measure of success, I personally don't measure it in terms of monetary value or material items. My success is based in my beautiful relationship I have with my wife, my 4 fabulous children, all of my family and friends, and my ability to keep my integrity intact. If you must, I manage metrology for a fortune 500 company and make way too much money for the job. I am the benefactor of 6 splits in 12 yrs at the company I work for and my 401k recently surpassed the 7 figure mark. My work success is not measured in that either...........it's measured by the people who work for me. I don't need to drive no stinking beamer, merc, or any other luxury car, currently driving a 2001 impala with broken off side view mirror and cracked windshield. Call me stupid, cheap, whatever...............that's the type of person I am. If you still deem me miserable I can assure you that I've never been happier in my life.
F da C Reply #12
I think I've answered your (point ????) comments on this one already. Maybe I'm an idiot..............maybe not. But I'm quite certain I understand the very simplistic capitalist theory of Supply and Demand. In fact, I think I have a firm grasp on micro and macro economics since econ was my minor. Anyway, I think I've said enough. I wish you will reconsider making personal attacks on myself or anyone else that were to post on this site. I came here looking for some technical info and possibly hooking up with some of my old PMEL buddies from Lowry and Minot AFB. I was not anticipating this but felt compelled to chime in as I do anytime I read inaccuracies and misrepresentations. I certainly will lay off making any comments if you'd like but still would like to get some technical assist from some of the other posters on this site because I know most PMEL folks are pretty bright. In fact, it might be a good location to recruit if I need.
Well, take care Flew da Coup and I do wish you the best! Greg
mjoeng1,
You've made valid points here, and I'm sure the Coupman will take them in the spirit in which they're offered. I love debating a difference of opinion, either to prove I'm right, or to learn something new that I didn't know before.
This website may be a technically-oriented place, but we're all pretty smart here, and generally don't come to our opinions frivolously or without a great deal of thought, so I respect all the views expressed here (I don't like Coby Chuck's music tastes, but he's free to listen to whatever he wants; Freezer lives in Minot, while I prefer a more temperate climate).
Keep chiming in with your opinions, whether you agree with someone or not. ...and I don't think the Coupster meant anything personally derisive towards you. He's just a passionate guy who speaks his mind.
Your right Doc. Don't take my comments personally. Flynn and Thraxas knows how I am. I love debate. It's what makes our coutry great. You Fckng Idiot. Just kidding. When I say that I don't mean it like it sounds. We are all friends here. Thanks Doc for reminding me that I am typing and people may misread me. :-D
It's hard to hear the sarcastic inflection in your voice just reading the words on the screen... 8-)
Yeah, well I will be more cautious. Not everyone knows me.
fair enough...............I'm also very passionate about my views, otherwise I wouldn't waste so much time telling everyone about them. I need to work on that. I'll look forward to discussing more topics in the future then.
Greg
Quote from: flew-da-coup on 04-28-2006 -- 05:36:58
Your right Doc. Don't take my comments personally. Flynn and Thraxas knows how I am. I love debate. It's what makes our coutry great. You Fckng Idiot. Just kidding. When I say that I don't mean it like it sounds. We are all friends here. Thanks Doc for reminding me that I am typing and people may misread me. :-D
That was sarcasm??? Ooohhh boy. I didn't know what I was doing I told you about this forum. I've created a MONSTER!!! :-o
Quote from: flew-da-coup on 04-26-2006 -- 05:07:02
It is a political issue. The democrates have blocked the building of new refineries and always block the republicans from passing a law allowing the U.S. from drilling in ANWR ( Alaska ). This not only will make us more self dependent but will cause the gas prices set by OPEC to drop due to supply and demand. If the middle east can't sell as much they will have to drop prices to sell. Simple economics.
The whole gas price issue revolves around the age old law of supply and demand. The U.S. refining capacity is maxed out, and the demand for gasoline is higher than what the refineries can produce. If we built more refineries, more supply would hit the market, and the price would drop (some). We still have the problem of importing more crude oil than we produce here at home, so the price of the imported oil will have its effect on the price of the refined end product. That's why we should tap in to the Gulf of Mexico, the Caribbean, and ANWAR for more domestic supply of crude oil. That would lower the overall price the refineries pay for crude, and consequently lower the price of refined gasoline. FDC is right - it's simple economics.
Drilling in Alaska Is Biggest Religious Issue of Our Time
by Rabbi Aryeh Spero
Posted May 10, 2006
What political debate more than any other today tests one's belief in God and the Bible? Reciting "under God" in the Pledge of Allegiance? No. The display of nativity scenes during Christmas season? Still, no. It is our drilling for oil in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska. For this issue boils down to whether we place real human needs over the lifestyle patterns of animals, in this case, the caribou. It revolves around the fundamental biblical assertion of where God placed human in His cosmic design.
There is no question that at this immediate point in time, living, breathing people in America need oil to power their hospitals, provide feasible antidotes to cold and heat, provide the fuel for transport to work and for cooking. Not to mention how we need oil to guarantee our national defense and local safety. Today, oil makes possible a healthy and long life, often life itself. The greater the supply, the cheaper the cost. The cheaper the cost, the less people have to choose what necessaries they must do without.
Yet even with this knowledge, "fashionists" have chosen the migrating patterns of the caribou over the essential needs of human beings. Consequently, no drilling. Tough luck, humans! The implication is that animals -- in fact, all of nature -- is on a par with the human being. I suppose that makes sense if one subscribes to the notion that human is nothing more than an evolved entity from animal antecedents, perhaps from great granddaddy caribou himself.
But to those of us who look to the Bible, the opposite is quite clear. In Genesis, God assigns a hierarchy to human over animal, to mankind over fern and fauna. Though human is warned not to be rapacious, God makes it clear that all that He created prior to Human is to be used in the service of mankind, for mankind's health and necessity.
Anticipating that there would be those who would bestow on all creatures an across-the-board equivalence, God numerous times warns that nature is not to be worshiped, nor assigned a position above human as if animal and plant life were gods in themselves. Man's place in the cosmos is not simply "relative" to the environment.
We are to be, God says, stewards of our surroundings, not victims of it. As stewards, we are to act wisely and judiciously, however, when necessary "You are to subdue it" and "Reign over the fish, the fowl, the animals, even the earth itself." Hundreds of millions around the world are grateful that the Bible already answered the controversial question of whether man's stewardship over the environment means that mankind is secondary to it and must even suffer in behalf of it. The answer given is No. Any other answer is preposterous.
THe same EcoNuts said the Alaska PipeLine back in the 70's would kill off migrating caribou. Look at what actually happened. The heat from the Pipeline increased survival of the young and some of the higher parts of the pipeline became breeding grounds for the caribou. As usual the EcoNuts are ignorant and make crap up for no reason at all. I think they need to go extinct. We have more caribou than we did before the pipeline. They seem to forget that they have never been right about anything. Not only are they wrong they are 180 Deg. out of phase. I learned that if the Sierra Club says something is a bad thing , we know it's a good thing. What is real funny is that people still buy into their bull$hit. Those must be the people who continue to send out those stupid chain e-mails and give their personal info out on the web. Gullable idiots.
Blame the Democrats for High Gas Prices
The Senate plans to vote on an offshore drilling bill next week that would open more than 8 million acres to energy development in the Gulf of Mexico. Although the bill's passage appears to be safe, Democrats are already lining up to oppose it.
Even though the Senate bill is only a modest step in comparison with a much stronger House equivalent, Democrats opposed to it will once again prove they have a greater interest in keeping gas prices high than letting Americans drill our own oil to reduce the need from the Middle East.
Shortly after yesterday's procedural vote in the Senate, for instance, Energy and Natural Resources Ranking Member Jeff Bingaman (D.-N.M.) said the bill was "seriously flawed," according to the New York Times. Another Democrat, Sen. Ron Wyden (Ore.), wants to add amendments addressing fuel efficiency for cars, targeting oil companies' profits and promoting environmentalist-friendly energy sources.
As Sen. Jim DeMint (R.-S.C.) said today, "Some say that there has been no coherent Democrat energy strategy since early in the Clinton Administration. Well, I disagree. They have a strategy. It's just the wrong one."
With the November midterm elections approaching—and gas prices at more than $3 per gallon—President Bush should pin America's energy problems on the Democratic Party.
For years Democrats have blocked common-sense energy solutions. As the Heritage Foundation's Ben Lieberman writes today on Human Events Online, Democrats have thwarted drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, construction of new refineries and opposed measures to simplify the complex gasoline formula.
Now, even with gas prices on voters' minds, Democrats are threatening to do it again. The U.S. Senate should pass the Gulf of Mexico Energy Security Act (S. 3711) next week, but House Republicans should demand the Senate compromise and agree to a bill that resembles the Deep Ocean Energy Resources Act (H.R. 4761). That plan, sponsored by Resources Chairman Richard Pombo (R.-Calif.), could provide up to 10 times more energy than the Senate proposal.
Republicans wanting an advantage at the polls in November should trumpet Democrats' obstructionism on energy. And as the leader of his party, President Bush should make his voice the loudest.
One good thing about high gas prices is that only cars that are road worthy will be on the road. These people that drive the clunkers real slow in the left hand lane won't be able to afford to slow traffic down anymore.
Honestly, Detroit needs a good kick up the backside for the way they are mis-managing automotive development. We (and our main manufacturers down here are the same - GM and Ford) don't really need paleozoic V8's with stone-age technology and ridiculous fuel consumption. Even the sixes are a sad and hungry joke...Those days are regrettably...very gone...
I just got rid of my lease semi-gas-guzzler (and gas is about $4.20 US a gallon) for a Mitsubishi smaller one (sold as the Colt here) that the Japanese cleverly installed with a very efficient 1500cc and a CVT transmission. Pulls nearly the same fuel consumption as a Toyota Prius...and costs half as much...
Most vehicles would run well enough with high-tech 4-cylinders and appropriate gearing....and probably knock America's fuel bill in half if widely adopted....Unfortunately the Japanese and Koreans are/or will be offering the right cars - long before Detroit pulls its thumb out...
The foreign manufacturers beat the big U.S. firms to the market on quality and fuel efficiency back in the 70's and 80's- I guess Detroit didn't learn its lesson back then...
Back in the late 70's my shop teacher in school had a VW Rabbit diesel that got 50mpg- where in heck are they these days? I understand fuel was $1/gallon back then, so the consumer demand wasn't all it could be, so VW decided not to make them anymore because they just didn't sell that well. Now, I think they would sell just fine, and diesel is more readily available at the local fuel stations than it was 30 years ago... Give me a Bunny!
I am a road hog and like my pick-up truck that get's 13-15 mpg. My wife can't see going without her SUV that sucks gas like a vacuum. I hate paying high prices, but it beats walking. I might buy me a motorcycle to go back and forth from work on to save money. The less cars on the road is better. Not because of pollution, but because I don't like slow people in my way.
Well, ya gotta have a truck for those mulch runs, hauling plywood/lumber, or hauling that sofa you bought at a garage sale... My Ranger gets 20-25 miles/gallon, and is just big enough for my hauling needs. Bonus-it's paid for. My son-in-law's Ford Sport-Trac is a beautiful truck, with all the bells and whistles, but the bed's too short to be practical, and he whines about the gas mileage, so naturally he wants to buy my truck if I ever get anything else. He has the 4x4 version, which is all well and good the 3 times a year you need it around here. The rest of the time the 4x4 gearing sucks your gas right through the tranny and out the tailpipe. He added a K&N air filter, which helps, but still, 15mpg aint too hot for a year-old vehicle...
Do you have the 3.0l Ranger. I never had that kind of gas mileage and I owned 3 of them. I still have a 2001 edge and it gets like 18 mpg. Man I need a tune up. I don't ever drive it much anyway.
Mine is a 1996 model with the 4-cylinder- not a lot of power, but sufficient for the tasks I use it for. The 5-speed might be helping my mileage too... I wouldn't tow much of anything larger than a garden tractor, and it's fine for a short trip with a full load of wood or mulch. My Home Depot is 2 miles away, so short trips are about all I take...
Okay. I have a 3.0L with an automatic trans. The gas milage stinks for a small truck. However, I will always own a Ranger even if it is not my primary vehicle. I have had 3 in the past 11 years. I like my Edge the best. I still like my FX4 though. Bigger and plenty of room.
If it's an automatic, you must be 'shiftless' (pun intended)
It's automatic because my wife cannot ( Refuses to learn ) drive stick. When we were married she made me get rid of my Z71 4X4 because it was stick. :cry:
Damn. I had a pretty high opinion of her just because she married you- 'bout ready for sainthood, and all that. But refusing to drive a stick just dropped her half a notch from her standings...
When I met my wife she was tooling around in a Miata with a 5-speed...
hahaha. I never could get her to learn. She would say " why?, when I could just get an automatic". She just doesn't know the fun of driving a stick. MG is coming back out sith the Midget and I told her I was getting one and that it will be a stick.
I heard the MG was coming back. Also heard the Chinese bought the brand. A Chinese MG? I don't think so.
My Harley gets 43 to the gallon. And at 3.50 a gallon, it comes in handy.
I heard that the ChiComms bought it too. It still will be cool to have an MG.
If your MG comes from China you may be able to get it at Wal-Mart...
That's true I can pick up my MG and a pack of skittles and be happy knowing I can return it even without a reciept.
Especially since the "unknown policy" at Wally World and Sam's Club is.. NEVER say NO to the customer... Now that I'm a Teamster, I can't shop at Wally World. That's okay, I never could stand the smell of the place anyway
Why can't Teamsters shop at Wal-Mart?
Wally is non union and won't allow a Union. Lots of political b.s. I just don't like going there period.
No offense but I refused to join the union when I worked at Georgia Power. If I owned a company I wouldn't let a union in either. I just can't see paying a guy $20 an hour to mop floors. Besides I can negotiate my own salary and if I don't like what the job offers I just go somewhere else. How do you guys buy cars if none of the car dealerships are union? How do you guys buy houses when none of the realtors are union? I'm just wondering how the union decides who to do business with and who not to?
Hey.. I just got in.. I don't do politics... or Wally's. :mrgreen:
But the bennies are top shelf!
hahaha. I hear you. I am just poking at you. :mrgreen:
yeah I know.. and I'm just a grumpy ol IM1 :-D hahahahahaha
I'm an ex ET & IM. I was in the first graduating class from the IM school in Pensacola 1990.
I wish BP could make the repairs in Alaska out of their record profits with no cost impact to the consumers, but, the laws of supply and demand think there will be a shortage of crude oil while repairs are being made, so the price goes up. With China and India buying more and more oil, the global supply gets tighter (which drives prices up), compounded by conflicts in the Middle East (which drives prices up), compounded by Iran's reluctance to play the game by everyone else's rules (which drives prices up). Everyone blames Bush for high gas prices, while in reality he has very little influence on it at all. "He's in bed with all those big oil guys in Texas!" No, he's not. ...and the "big oil guys in Texas" aren't the main movers and shakers when it comes to the price of crude in the world; in Texas, maybe, but no where else...
Whoa! You mean that Bush isn't soley responsible for the price of gas!? But, how can that be? The media says that he is, so it must be. After all, they must be right.
Doc, it's amazing how simple the whole process is yet it all gets ignored by the "media". My biggest question, and one that will probably never be answered, is why anyone takes them at their word anymore. After the Bush scandal with...that one guy, I wouldn't trust them to report on a fender bender without blaming it on Bush. (he causes everything else, why not that) I give up.
I've realized lately that I don't even watch network news anymore. Never. I read some stuff on the Internet, I listen to the local AM radio station on the way to work, and avoid the papers like the plague (except for the Sports section)...
These idiots want me to believe that Bush controls gas prices, hurricanes, and my aunt's gout... The press have apparently never heard of the law of supply and demand, and think global warming causes hurricanes (all credible scientific data says otherwise, mainly because 'global warming' doesn't exist anyway). My problem is how offended I am that they think I'm an idiot for being foolish enough to believe them. Anyone with an IQ over 100 can figure out the truth, and us PMEL troops are no dummies...
Hey Doc, anyone with any sense knows that the president does not control the issues that you mentioned. Let's look at gas prices. Bush has no control over the cost of oil. Matter of fact the petrolium companies don't either. Oil is a traded commodity and the prices are directed by the commodity traders. The media knows that there is a small group of Americans that are ignorant enough to listen and believe without checking it out themselves. The people that bite the media bull are the same ones who believe the National Enquirer and horoscopes.
You mean the National Enquirer isn't a legitimate source of news and information?!? Damn... I thought their article about the 300lb. 2-headed baby whose mother was an extraterrestrial and the father was Elvis was pretty interesting. They had pictures and everything...! :-D
I found AlligatorBoy in my pond.
Bat Boy was at the Vons gas station yesterday here in Lompoc..
I had lunch with Elvis at a diner in Dearborn Mich. :|
Quote from: flew-da-coup on 08-10-2006 -- 05:44:32
I had lunch with Elvis at a diner in Dearborn Mich. :|
Did he show you pictures of the baby?
Yes, It was little and green with big bug eyes. He had his dad's hair.
I've been telling my staff that Elvis was in Michigan. You know he's the night manager in a Denny's, Big Foot runs the grill, Martin Borman is on the cash register and those aliens who were after Hillary wait and bus tables. I've been meaning to send the photo in, just haven't gotten around to it.
Yeah, it's easy to forget little things like that. :|