What's going on with gas prices.

[Danoinark]

People need to consider more public transportation...city busses, car pooling, van pooling, etc. I know this is mostly an urban thing, but if I could ride a bus to work, I would not hesitate. When I lived in a big city I always took the city bus. Got my paper, a cup of coffee and just enjoyed the ride for 50 cents.

Dano

[Wayne SW/MO]

Brian you're right, Ethanol is alcohol and anything that will ferment will make ethanol.

Bio diesel is even more versatile, it can be made from grass to turkey parts.

The key is in getting research done to allow producers to be versatile in what raw materials they require. Then cheap crops can be developed and adjusted to meet ideal growing conditions.

I agree with Dan that great strides toward easing the projected shortages, which cause the price spikes, could be had if people in urban areas used mass transit.

[Terry Beeson]

That reminds me of a story about a coworker when I worked in Hope, AR. Lou was raised and lived the first 55 years of his life in Boston. He moved to Texarkana from there into an apartment about half a block from the Greyhound bus station. He commuted 33 miles to Hope. One morning he got ready to come to work (he usually got to the office around 7am) and his car would not start. Having just moved in a few weeks prior, not knowing anyone, and having a stong work ethic, he decided - you guessed it - to take the bus to work. The girl at the ticket counter gave him a funny look when he said he needed a ticket to Hope, but sold him one for the 7am bus. After three stops between TXK and Hope and a two mile walk to the office, he got to work at around 11 am.......

But you're right, Dano... We get into heavy traffic in larger cities and complain, but there are very few cars that have more than one person in them. Many of these (including me) are in big, oversized rigs that burn way too much gas. I'm a bit "stuck" in my 4X4 and had to sell my Contour (wish I had it back) to pay some bills during my unemployment. But I can still question the lady who recently traded her Excursion for a Hummer.... No kids... just her... and she commutes 28 miles a day... one way.

Yep... memories of riding the bus from Cammack Village to downtown Little Rock with my grandfather for lunch and to visit my grandmother at Blass are pretty fond ones. I'd ride one to work myself as he did back in the 50s and 60s...

[Brian Sloss]

unfortunately for us, the US tore up so many rail lines over the years due to lack of use, we lack infrastucture for truly good mass transit now. I spent 6mths in England and buses, metros, and trains were running all the time. I don't think I ever had to wait more than 20 minutes for affordable transit to anywhere. I might have waited a little longer for some of the more remote places I traveled, but highly affordable and effective. I wish we had a system like that here.

[Thom]

It was voted down in St. Charles county (adjacent to St. Louis)

The #1 reason....We don't want the people from St. Louis coming out hear iand stealing from us. Yea I a their and I am going to steal a TV, put it under my arm and ride back to St. Louis.

It's grid lock on the highway to and from St. Louis morning and evening.

I often ride the nearest metro at UMCL to Ball games, Keil events and Hockey. It is a snap and I have never encountered a problem. I must drive the 18 miles to the UMSL campus to get to the nearest terminal. That's about six dollars for gas to the terminal and $2.50 round trip to any event down town. If I drove all the way to the stadium it would be $9.oo for gas and $10 to park. Fighting the crowd to the highway home.

I think "we have met the enemy and it is us".

Hey this is great I think we are all agreeing on something. Progress?

[MrsDucky]

I think we do all agree...using oil is bad...using ethanol is bad...mass transit systems can't be had...so let's all go fishing!

I agree that even carpooling would be helpful, but it's hard to find two people who are going the same direction at the same time, and back again at the same time. My sister, mom, and I tried it for awhile. We all worked within about 2 miles of each other, but we all worked slightly different hours. One started at 7:30, two at 8. We got off at 4, 4:30, and 5. The starting wasn't so bad-drop mom off first, then us. However, mom got off first, and couldn't do anything for an hour, depending on who was driving! I know people complain about the smell and nuisance of subways and elevated trains, but it really would be nicer than paying $45 per week just for the luxury of driving myself, with Pepsi and doughnut in hand, around in my little Escort!

So, who's up for the fishing? Hey, didn't the flux capacitor at the end of Back to the Future use garbage? Any headway on that invention???

[Wayne SW/MO]

I think we do all agree...using ethanol is bad...

We did?

Ethanol is not THE answer, no more more than hydroelectric is the only practical source of generating electricity. In fact I think most of the problems are highlighted here. Some don't want Ethanol, some don't want mass transportation, some don't want nuclear power, and the list goes on.

What needs to be done is a a realistic effort to incorporate all the sources of energy into that part of society they fit and benefit. People simply need to quit complaining about gas prices and start demanding alterantives.

driving myself, with Pepsi and doughnut in hand, around in my little Escort!

I think I've seen you, scary!

Thom, sounds like an idea. If we plow up I-44 and 65, we could probably get rid of the crowds on our locale waters.

[Thom]

No problem. My gas guzzling 4WD Tahoe could still make it through the mud. It has an E85 fuel efficient ethanol system that will burn the high ethanol but what they only tell you in the very very small print is that your gas mileage goes down 5 to 7 mpg. At least the profits stay in the USA ...I think?

I'm retired so I just go out to eat 2 or 3 less times a week and fill up my tank on the savings. The deer,quail, turkey and fish in my freezer only cost me roughly $75 dollars a pound. (thats including the overhead of $300 dollar fly rods, misc. firearms and a $20000 dollar boat.)

[Wayne SW/MO]

(thats including the overhead of $300 dollar fly rods, misc. firearms and a $20000 dollar boat.)

You're not suppose to count that in food cost Thom, thats under medical, Physiological Therapy.

[SilverMallard]

The better half and I noticed this week that several gas stations in Springfield are no longer updating their outdoor gas price signs. Some still read $2.19 for regular unleaded. Don't know if they just can't keep up, don't have enough of the higher numbers to like 5-9 to depict the prices, or if they're just so embarassed that they can't bring themselves to advertise honestly.

I'll tell you something we can ALL do to make them feel it like we are:

STOP BUYING ANYTHING ELSE WHEN YOU BUY GAS!

No soft drinks, beer, smokes, gum, mints, maps, coffee, snacks, etc. Just get your gas and GO! These retailers make about 70% of their profits on the C-store purchases, not the gas. They make about 4 cents/gallon on gas. Of course it's not their faults...we know that. But the wholesalers (refiners...oil co's) NEED them to distribute their product. And if they all start screaming bloody murder and/or closing their doors, defaulting on their leases, not ordering product for the stores, etc. the oil industry will realize PDQ that they have reached the point they are looking for: their max profit point. We just keep it up until gas gets back down to a realistic price for the average American family.

I have talked to dozens of gas station operators and the execs at QT about this over the years. And that's where this idea came from. It is the retailers' greatest fear whenever gas prices rise. And without retailers, the wholesalers are screwed.

P.S. We ALREADY have put this into practice ourselves for the past several weeks. But this is largely out of necessity. Gas prices have all but eliminated our "walking around money" for non-essentials...our "pocket change." And we have had to cut our driving down as much as possible to minimize the budgetary impact. And that means a LOT less fishing for me. And that torques me off!