A nation goes to war, largely for oil and irredentist imperialism, and the Stop The War crowd is silent. Go figure.
Let's see here ... Russia storms into Georgia, an independent country to which it never had any claim — Russia annexed it in 1801 — and lays waste to entire communities of innocent civilians.…
Article comments
26 - Baronius
Ruvy, let's say I understand the context of the invasion of Georgia, even better than I understand the only thing Americans really care about, American Idol. I squandered an hour (which equals 360x the American attention span of 10 seconds) studying the issues and parties involved. And now I'm supposed to do...what?
27 - Ruvy
Baronius,
If you honestly understand the implications of what is occurring around here (not just the fighting in the Caucasus, but additional events closer to Israel that are related to all of this) start by explaining them to your friends. When you've bent all the ears you can, PRAY. You have plenty to pray about.
28 - Baronius
Ruvy, consider your audience. We're the sort of people who talk about politics and geopolitics with our friends. We're already doing that. I'd speculate that most of the theists on this site already pray regularly as well, although there aren't many of us on BC.
I hate to keep harping on the same point, but I haven't gotten a decent answer yet: what is an American citizen supposed to do about the Russian invasion of Georgia?
29 - Ruvy
You really do not comprehend me at all, Baronius. If this merely was about a Russian invasion of Georgia (Georgians call their own country Gruzia), or about an oil pipeline, this wouldn't be worth talking about. Even the resurrection of the Russian Empire as a militant force is not worth talking about - two mad dogs will keep each other in line. One mad dog will run and bite everybody uncontrollably.
This is about a major shift in events that could lead to an attack on the United States. It will lead to an Iranian/Arab attack on us as well, but that is not your problem - it is ours to deal with. Go read both of my articles on this and figure out what I'm getting at. YOUR ASS IS ON THE LINE!
Once you understand that, then you'll begin to understand what to do. Hint: start by checking out prices for mechanical generators for electricity. Second hint: check out old motorcycles, (one without computer chips in them) and if you find one, start buying gas and motor oil to keep it running.
Heck, get better acquainted with our good old troll. Considering his line of work, he might be a good feller to know.
30 - Cassandra
I hate to keep harping on the same point, but I haven't gotten a decent answer yet: what is an American citizen supposed to do about the Russian invasion of Georgia?
I have a crazy answer to this. Why don't we start a movement to raise private money to start a non-profit NGO with the specific mission of hiring Blackwater or Aegis or another PMC to go to selected trouble spots in the world and defend innocent people who just want to be free from oppression?
How does that sound?
31 - Baronius
Ruvy - This is my third or fourth try at a response, and I'm really no closer to figuring out what I want to say.
I respect the prophecies of scripture, and I respect the fact that you respect them. (Hey, like I said, I'm piecing this together as I go.) I think that some of your interpretation is valid, and some of it will come to pass. But a lot of things that you're anticipating have already happened. Not just the arrival of the Annointed One, but so many of the other prophecies about (for example) the elevation of Israel could refer to incidents from the times of the Temples.
So I'm asking what I can do about an un-prophesied war, and you're saying that that's not the case here. And we're at an impasse.
I guess I'm trying to say that I do comprehend what you're saying, but it's so closely bound up in an interpretation of scripture that I don't share that I don't see how this conversation can advance. Sorry.
32 - troll
....vote for Bradford Lyttle - (rim shot)
33 - bliffle
Oil? What ever happened to concerns over oil? What happened to "drill baby drill"?
I filled the tank in Sunnyvale for $1.60 per gallon yesterday.
I hope everyone notices that crude oil is now $40 per barrel and, according to news tonight, the OPEC nations are desperate.
I hope everyone notices that not one drop of oil from ANWR or OCS has contributed to supply and WILL NOT for at least 10 years.
"Drill baby Drill" is therefore exposed as a fraud.
I hope everyone notices that Dick Cheney was wrong, DEAD WRONG, when he said that conservation wouldn't change oil prices.
In fact, USA conservation and world-wide conservation has driven prices down, down, down.
Dick Cheney was wrong. He was wrong when he said it, because we knew fom the 1973,4 OPEC embargo that conservation could break oil prices.
All people who supported "Drill now, drill here" were wrong. As were all people who said conservation could not affect oil prices.
That includes all the BC loudmouths eager to beat the drums for "drill now drill here" just a few weeks ago.
34 - Dave Nalle
Bliffle, this is getting a bit like spam. I'm sorry that opening up offshore drilling brought down oil prices and that now OPEC is up against the wall. Don't worry, Obama and the democratic congress will screw things up again soon enough and you'll have your nice high oil prices back.
Of course, if they had half a lick of sense they'd pass the law which has been proposed to add a federal tax on gas to artificially stabilize the price at $4 a gallon, which would raise needed revenue and keep demand down.
Dave
35 - Jet
Bliff's right on the money (forgive the pun)
36 - Dave Nalle
Right on the money so long as you ignore the actual events leading to the current situation.
Dave
37 - Jet
An odd thing really, Mr. Nalle advocating a tax hike. Well since a gas tax will mostly effect the middle and lower class, actually I guess it makes sense to him.
38 - Dave Nalle
Actually, consumption taxes impact those who consume, regardless of income. Far more people in the lower and middle classes avail themselves of public transportation and even more can do so. They also drive more small and fuel efficient cars. Plus the tax revenues can be put into improving fuel efficiency and the availability of low priced transportation alternatives.
So, in fact, a tax on gas hits hardest on those unwilling to make adjustments for it -- generally those who are wealthier and less concerned about the expense.
Dave
39 - Jet
Bull**** Dave, down here in the trenches most drive 10+ year old cars that get lousey gas mileage because they can't afford to maintain them.
As for you Consumption taxes effecting everyone equally, maybe in your alternate reality, but down here in the real world, the upper class rich can afford a $75 tank of gas a lot easier than us lowerclass people who have to decide between putting groceries on the table or gas in the tank.
One more point, with the banks pocketing the bailout money that was supposed to go towards making it easier for us down here to get a loan, your fuel efficient cars are impossible to get a loan for and the payments are even worse-in addition to having to pay more for insurance-liability for a junker we own vs full coverage demanded on a new car bought with a loan.
Come out of the clouds Dave...
Please?
40 - bliffle
Dave isn't deluded, he knows just what he's doing: he's lying to promote a propaganda line.
Expected futures prices for oil based on delivery in 10 years will take effect in about 9 years.
The reason prices have dropped is because world wide consumption (lead by the USA) has dropped precipitously. RIGHT NOW!
Conservation is the SOLE reason for the radical drop in gas prices.
And don't you forget it!
41 - bliffle
Consumption taxes are notoriously regressive.
Quit lying, Dave. Eventually it catches up with you.
42 - Dr Dreadful
Conservation's certainly having an effect, at least on my end. I'm gratified that I went over a month without filling up my car two or three times this year, because my wife and I have been carpooling a lot.
I do note, though, that in our part of central California gas prices, which had fallen to about $1.60 a gallon, are now starting to creep up again. The roads seem to be busier, too. Whether that's because of Christmas or because people feel they can be extravagant with their driving again, I don't know.
Nevertheless, perhaps Dave would care to delineate for us these 'actual events' we were supposed to have been paying attention to that have contributed to the price drop at the pump.
43 - Dave Nalle
Dr. D. I'm sure decline in consumption played some role. But it's not a coincidence that the price dropped sharply immediately after the ban on offshore drilling expired and Obama expressed a willingness to continue to explore drilling options. These things caused the price to go down, OPEC panicked and couldn't agree to raise prices artificially at their last meeting, and hence our current situation.
AS for consumption taxes being regressive, that's true only in the pure abstract. A consumption tax on something which everyone must purchase equally like food would be hugely regressive. But a consumption tax on consumption of something which you can control how much you consume, like gas is entirely different. The fat cat can keep driving his SUV and the working class stiff can switch to taking the bus and voila the consumption tax hits the rich and not the poor AND we further reduce consumption.
And Jet's 10 year old car argument also falls flat. The ugly truth is that most 10 year old cars get BETTER gas mileage than a modern equivalent because emissions modifications made in the last 10 years have substantially reduced gas mileage on many cars. Compare the mileage on a popular car made in 1995 and the same model from 2005 and you'll likely see a considerable drop in mileage. Plus there are tens of thousands of old Geo Metros and equivalent sub-compact cars available in the used market which get better mileage than even a high priced new hybrid car.
The assumption that no one can control their consumption is demonstrably untrue.
Dave
44 - Mark Eden
Actually, Dave, the working stiff can walk or ride a bicycle and avoid the tax altogether. And, in principle, the same argument applies to food. It is an unwarranted assumption that everyone must purchase food equally. Our working stiff could get by on rice and vegetable protein. Clearly, you are correct that consumption taxes are regressive only in the abstract.
Mark
45 - Jet
Dave, you somehow lost the second half of the sentence about being unable to keep those ten year old cars maintained, when even the most trivial repair costs a minimum of $75 or more, which means those cars are deteriorating.
46 - Dave Nalle
Jet, you clearly haven't seen repair costs on a modern car. Costs to fix a 10 year or more old car - especially popular and standardized models - are MUCH lower than for a modern car. I dream of a $75 repair on my 2006 Dodge truck. Just looking at it is over $100 and any minor repair is going to be at least $100 more. I've never had an actual repair cost less than $300 total, and that includes replacing a burnt out tail light which I ended up doing myself and even then it cost $125 just for the parts.
The old Geo Metro a lot of us can fix ourselves, they run forever, and any mechanic can do more serious repairs and parts are dirt cheap and easily available at junk yards if you want to save money. Same for an old Toyota or Ford Fiesta. Or what's becoming very popular among the cost conscious is 1980s era diesel Mercedes, which are nicer, easier to fix and get as much as 35mpg while still being a decent size luxury car. And now that gas prices are down the trend of 240TDs going up in price may reverse itself.
Mark, you have successfully reminded me of my days of living on $500 a month and eating Ramen Noodles for every meal. Damn you.
Dave
47 - Jet
How much is a tune up?
How much is a wheel alignment?
What's the charge to get a code on a "Check engine" light?
How much is one new tire (forget mounting and balancing)
How much to change a fuel filter?
DO REPAIRS AT HOME, most of us can't afford house payments WE LIVE IN APARTMENT BUILDINGS where there are rules about not doing oil changes on the property because of environmental laws, we're not allowed to even jack up a car unless we're changing a tire!
Have you raised the hood of a 10 year old car lately and not recognized half the things you saw, then discovered that most gas stations don't have mechanics and you have to go to a car dealer?
AND STUFF YOUR GEO-No one I know owns one nor do we know where to find one.
You live in an alternate reality where salt doesn't eat your car in a matter of five years... unless of course you can afford to rust-proof it.
You just don't get it, your point of view is fine for you, but it's not reality everywhere else.
48 - bliffle
Investors aren't going to drop 2008 gas prices by dollars based on a hope of getting pennies decrease in oil prices in 2020.
You're just making upexcuses for the failure of your theories, Dave.
49 - bliffle
Jet,
While it gets increasingly difficult to repair modern cars, it SHOULD be easier to diagnose their problems because they are loaded with instrumentation and computers. For dealer-maintained cars this produces the happy effects of leading to better designs because of the feedback to the manufacturer, plus, the car owner is subjected to less financial uncertainty when his car goes into the shop.
For the guy who likes to do his own repairs or prefers to take the car to his local friendly independent repair shop there are also dividends, mostly in the form of more accurate diagnosis and better cost control over repairs.
My local friendly repair shop (two guys in two bays next to a discount gas station) was showing me a new handheld instrument that he paid $12k for that pinpoints problems so accurately that he can read out a repair price from a software program that factors in his rent, margin, costs, etc., and even orders the parts from the distributor. He has control of his operation and doesn't suffer from unmet expectations of customers. He's always busy with a regular clientele of upper-middle customers in the neighborhood.
For the DIY guy you can get a primitive code reader for under a hundred bucks at an autostore, but I think you'll really need to spend about $2k for a used Genasys (sp?) system. Expensive for an individual, but not for a car club which can share it's use.
Talking about car clubs, you should research online for Sebring car clubs. I bet there are some good ones where enthusiasts exchange info dynamically online, solve each others problems, and provide parts from stripped cars. There are such clubs for the 20-30 year old cars I favor, and I've saved astounding amounts with them. For example, 'ignitors' in some spark systems cost $300-400 at the dealer, but I found them for $20, and ended up finding a way to get them for $2 at the junkyard, so that when a poor distressed neophyte was bemoaning the high cost of ignitors I stuffed a couple into a bubble pack and sent them gratis.
If nothing else, you can share woes with club members.
50 - Dan(Miller)
It's also good to shop around. We recently bought a used (1997, 208,000 miles, $6,000) Toyota RAV4, with a crack in the windshield. The Toyota place wanted $1,300 to replace the windshield, not including labor. Another (independent, shade tree type of shop) charged $140 for parts and labor, and did a fine job.
Six years ago, we bought a 1997 Suzuki Vitari ($7,000, 89,000 KM), and generally it's cheaper and better here to have old parts fixed than to buy new ones. The mechanics in rural Panama are pretty good at that sort of thing. Most shade tree mechanics charge about $5.00 per hour. The less sophisticated the car, the better. Who knows --that may be at least partially true in the States as well.
Dan(Miller)