Truckers work stoppage April 3rd ??

[Jumbo Jet]

Hammer - you seem to miss the point that we purchase 40% of our oil from foreign suppliers and are a major consumer of oil in the world. ANY provider that loses a major customer will have to react to find other customers.

There absolutely is NO shortage and prices will fall if we cut back on consumption.

The last time you saw fuel prices spike, you also saw stations that were low on product and had to limit how much you can buy.

Diesel fuel prices are an absolute result of greedy oil companies. We are over the proverbially barrel in our dependence on diesel to move our products.

Diesel comes off the still before regular gas - which BTW on the news this morning they said it could rise as much as . 75/gal before Memorial weekend - the official start of the Summer vacation season. Oh me, I wonder why - is there a shortage?

NO - because they can! and we will bend over and keep those credit cards busy.

I have no problem with $4/gal diesel when you compare it to $7/cup Starbucks coffee. I do have a problem with being raped by the oil monopolies when the rest of the Country is headed for a recession. BTW - Exxon/Mobil, Shell/Texaco, and Conoco/Phillips aren't paying $100+ per barrel for the oil they own.

 

[GIT-R-DONE]

We'll see what happens. Kudo's to those guys.



kdka.com - Truckers To Park In Protest Of Diesel Fuel Costs







FOXNews.com - Truckers to Strike Over Record Diesel Prices, Some Paying Up to $1,200 to Fill-Up - Local News | News Articles | National News | US News



FOXNews.com - Oil Executives to Take Heat From Congress Over Big Profits - Politics | Republican Party | Democratic Party | Political Spectrum

 

[dpuckett]

In regards to minimum wage- it is the employer's way of saying "I'd pay you less if I could. " I havent had a minimum wage job since a govt program in high school. Most of the time, I have started at $3-5 ABOVE minimum wage, even in southeast MO. I think the minimum wage should be zero. I threatened to leave my current employer drive a truck, and conned my employer into an axtra $4 an hour on the spot. But, I show up, and work my butt off just to make my co"workers" look bad, no other reason. I have literally outworked 2 of them (same style pit, I did it in the same time as 2), and I make almost twice as much as they do. Minimum wage is a moot point for me. I can drive a truck, turn wrenches, and in about 9mo, I'll be able to shoe horses. I'll never go hungry.



Forcing a small business to give their employees more money just hurts the employess. My girlfriend's mom's flower/plant shop is a good example. If you have 5 employees, and you are forced to give them 20% more per hour, the budget for payroll stays the same, but now you either fire one person, or cut everyone's hours 20%. They all have less money to spend in the long run, and to boot, the employer ends up doing more of the work. Of course, if they just paid GOOD workers more money, minimum wage would be a moot point for them, too.



I hate the high fuel prices, but what can I do but drive less? Which I have. I have averaged <15K mi per year the last 2 years, averaged 30K in 02-04. I walk to the grocery store more, and dont do much unnecessary driving if I dont have to. I agree, all the oil production and drilling in the world is stupid if you cant turn it into a useable end product- fuel. We need a refinery in every town, and tell the Arabs, and South Americans to stuff it where the sun dont shine. We have more oil under our soil and waters than the entire middle east.



Daniel

 

[Boomer II]

Didn't seem to do squat.

 

[GIT-R-DONE]

Didn't seem to do squat.

Unfortunately not. If they shut down the whole country for two weeks, I'll bet it would. But, that wont happen either, at least not in the near future.