What's going on with gas prices.

[hooked79]

Ok I know that this is a little off the imediate topic but I wanted to share this.

Has everyone by now recieved the "Don't buy gas on May 15th" email?

Here's my responce and I think that a lot of people are thinking the exact same thing.

No offense but this is the dumbest idea in the world. If nobody buys gas on the 15th then there would be twice as many people filling up on the 16th. If I was the gas industry I would lower gas prices on the 15th and then triple them on the 16th when twice as many people have to fill up. People should just make a habit of driving less and only buying cars that get better gas mileage or better yet walk or ride a bike. If we walked more and rode bikes then not only would we be sticking it to the gas companies but we might actually put a dent in the obesity epidemic which in my opinion is a much greater problem in today’s society.

I don't mean to sound all preachy and stuff but I think this should be pretty obvious.

[Phil Lilley]

I agree on the 5/15 no gas thing... it's something people have to try to think they're doing something.

As for our rates... our base rate is set pretty low. I feel we're doing alot of people a service keeping them as low as they are. I feel like we could raise our rate 50% in the 'season' and fill up just as fast cause again, they aren't building resorts on this lake anymore, they're tearing them down. But it's not my desire to do that. We make a very good living and so do the people who work for us. I'm not in this life to see how many toys I can accumulate, actually I like giving them away (where needed).

[am4mu]

Here in Independence $3.25 a gallon for regular unleaded, $3.35 for mid grade and here is the strange one. Some stations are offering premium for the same price as unleaded. Supply and demand must rule.

Doug

[Terry Beeson]

OK... just got off the phone with a friend from Jonesboro who said it was $2.999 there. It's $2.199 and better here in Springfield. It's usually 20 to 40 cents HIGHER in Jonesboro....

WHUT UP WID DAT?

[Danoinark]

3.09 in Mountain Home and Flippin

3.20 in Harrison....

Dano

[Terry Beeson]

...I feel like we could raise our rate 50% in the 'season' and fill up just as fast... But it's not my desire to do that. We make a very good living and so do the people who work for us. I'm not in this life to see how many toys I can accumulate, actually I like giving them away (where needed).

I think you really hit the nail on the head, Phil. If more of our business leaders and investors would have the same philosophy, we would all be much better off. But pure greed is driving investors and business leaders in today's society. And it is the quick dollar that everyone is after. Quarterly earnings are the barometer of every business and if there is a bad quarter, the business is in deeeeep doo-doo.

It is also very sad on society's part that investors take a "knee jerk" reaction to any tidbit of news or information. If Alan Greenspan was overheard at a cocktail party saying prime rates would rise to 25% this year, just think what would happen the next day. And he's not even chairman of the FRS anymore...

Remember when Katrina hit and what happened to gas then? Remember how people almost went to war at the gas pumps trying to fill up before the shortage hit? I kicked back, laughed at the ones lined up at the stations that afternoon, and never had a problem getting gas. What would one tank get you anyway? It was a panic caused by pure rumor. It was like every drop of gasoline in the US came from New Orleans. One lady even asked a group of us to pray for her hubby who was a tanker driver and would not have a job because there was no gas coming from New Orleans. I just shook my head. The simply diverted him to Texas and Oklahoma and he kept right on working.

A man I worked for once told the story of his dad who in the 60s told his sons about a great investment they should look at. He wanted to invest a huge amount of their money in a building that would "pay US back in about thirty years" and thereafter, make them a good profit. The building was the Superdome in New Orleans and the dad was 79 years old at the time. He wasn't worried about quarterly profits. He saw a potential for a very long term investment to make good money.

I doubt very seriously there are very many if any people willing to invest that kind of capital on a 30 year payback.

I think I'm going to go put my $99 deposit down on an '08 "Smart Car."

[gonefishin]

No doubt our national philosophy has changed. Used to be if a person could become a millionaire in 20 or 30 years they were happy. Now they want to do it if 5 years and retire in 20 years. Nobody is in it for the long haul anymore. Problem with this philosophy is nothing is sacred anymore, everything is for sale; even our tomorrows. Eventually there will be nothing left to sell, nothing to build on and our tomorrows will all be sold....then what.

[Wayne SW/MO]

Now they want to do it if 5 years and retire in 20 years.

GF I think much of it is how they do it, there have been billionaires made that did no labor, no planning, and made virtually no investment.

It seems that luck has replaced smarts and hard work.

[Terry Beeson]

Wayne, you have a great point there...

It was very refreshing to see on the news the other day a story about a national science fair and all the great young (16-18 year old) minds there. And they were AMERICAN!

However, when they go to work for corporate America, they will be forced to sign an agreement on "intellectual property" and anything they invent, will be patented and owned by the corporation. I know a couple of guys who could be making a LOT of money on royalties, but don't have any rights under their patented processes and products. The corporations they work for are raking in the dollars instead.

[Quillback]

I read an interesting story in Business Week today about Exxon. Basically they are rolling about 60% of their profits into a stock buyback program. By reducing the number of shares outstanding they increase revenue per share. In other words their stock looks attractive as earning per share are going up, but they're not getting those earnings by producing more product. Many corportations are adopting this strategy. Not a very good long term strategy in my opinion.

Exxon also said they weren't building any more refineries in the US, and they weren't going to increase spending on trying to find new oil deposits. They are very happy with the way things are now.