crude jumps 49 cents now at 62.80 this morning

That brings back memories. Ah, those were the days!

I guess it really hasn't affected me much. I only fill up the Prius twice a month; and so I'm not feeling much pain. (I take a vanpool to work many days of the week.)

However, we filled the vanpool van's tank up yesterday. $73!!!

Must be fun to own a Hummer right now. :mrgreen:

 

All the esoteric technology that we hear of: hydrogen, fuel cells, atomic, flywheels, is all at least 10-20 years away from full fruition. Possibly even 50 years. However, A Diesel hybrid with lithium batteries and a plug in, preferably a turbo are all known technology right now and 100MPG is easily feasible. BUT, what would all those oil profiteers do when the oil demand is halved or even quartered? The solutions are not technological but political. A very large park-in one weekday morning, clogging all highways in all Americas large cities would certainly get every Senator and Congressman's attention. It is not just the middleeast producers that love the present price on a barrel of oil. And they all deserve the price they get, so it is necessary to make an end run and go around these oil sheiks, both middleeast and American Have you noticed that the States and the Federal Government have lowered or even eliminated the present taxes on gasoline??? See, sheiks everywhere! The limit of 60,000 vehicles for each companies hybrid(concerning the 2006 tax credit) is laughable, I wonder where they pulled that # out of? Even GW has many sheiks!

 

I know this is going to be an unpopular opinion, but I think the closer gas prices get to covering all the costs of its use, the better. The higher the prices go, the closer we are to developing healthful, sustainable energy sources.

 

i have to agree that no real work will be done to implement an alternative energy source until we are forced to dig a bit deeper into the pockets

 

Of course, but be under no delusions. Government is totally incompetent in the development of technology, the guiding hand of the free market will provide when the price gets high enough. Economists call this "product substitution". Innovation occurs where a profit motive exists for it. What government could have and should have done was raise the costs of fossil fuels via taxation, the market would have taken care of the rest.

 

<<What government could have and should have done was raise the costs of fossil fuels via taxation, the market would have taken care of the rest.>>

I happen to agree that this idea has merit. BUT, this is the United States and no politician can get (re)elected by taxing the snot out of fossil fuels. Americans seem to believe that there is a divine right to having cheap fuel (where "cheap" is relative). And woe unto anyone who is perceived to be causing those prices to rise.

No, I daresay the government of the US, as long as it's elected and not a kingdom, will always reflect the herdlike don't-tax-fuel mentality that has existed for so many years.

Heavy sigh.

Karl B.

 

Today's fearless prediction: The price will pass $80 in 2006 and fluctuate between $80 and $100 for some time; at those prices it limits itself by stalling economic growth until technology improvements and social change allow significant reductions in demand.

 

What can we expect with an oilman in the WhiteHouse? More of the same and much worse. Since the beginning of the Iraq war oil prices have climbed higher and higher. All Bush is doing is taking care of his base, the have's and the have more's.