Are we dooming ourselves?

[SleazyBear]

I walk into a store, I pick out what I want and I slide the black pastic card and poof its paid for, I never have to worry about the cost of something. I went and got gas for my truck a little while ago, and I paid $45 for less than 14 gallons of gas. When I got the recipe I thought to myself, how are people makeing it. With the cost of going to work, and groceries, how are people living, are we dooming ourselves to a point where it would be cheaper for people to just stay home and collect welfare? I really don't see the point in trying to make a living when you don't make enough to live. Why are people not standing up and doing something about this as a whole, instead of just complaining about it. People act like they have a ring thru there nose and they just keep being lead around..

[zero75]

it certainly does seem that way

[Phreak]

Same feeling here... atm my wife is working to pay for the daycare of our children.. If she would stop working we would have more money available... And our government wants that woman have children and work... my god what is this world comming to?

You do your groceries and think by yourself, ok I got food for approx 1 week and the bill is about €175,= for 1 freaking week of food.....

But what can you do about it? stop buying food?? Stop buying gas??

I don't know....

I think we are all victims of our government, does not matter who you vote for.... The'll f*ck you if they can...

[BadWolf]

Originally Posted by SleazyBear

Why are people not standing up and doing something about this as a whole, instead of just complaining about it. People act like they have a ring thru there nose and they just keep being lead around..

They do.

.................

[flip]

Try living in England...

As for people being led like sheep - David Icke was right

[Head Boy]

Actually things aren't going too badly for me. So many people seem to be lazy, so there's still loads of chances to make money if you don't mind a bit of work. Even my net stuff seems to be earning more for me.

I've cut back on expenditure as well where it doesn't really matter. I kept the 950cc AX as a runabout, and I'm getting almost 60mpg from it. It's fine for running round town, and it'll cruise at 60mph on the motorway. Also, there are a lot of roadkill pheasants around for good fresh meat that hasn't been messed around by the supermarkets, I can never undesrand why more people don't cook it.

[Hentaikid]

I guess because eating roadkill sounds a bit ghetto, but I imagine it's ok and pheasant is pretty good eatin'

As for the price of gas, I'm not sure what anyone can do to prevent it, it's not like protests are going to make more oil build up underground

[Head Boy]

A shop bought pheasant is full of lead, a roadkill pheasant isn't (and it's probably fresher). Which one is going to be the healthiest eating.

[Varzi Network]

Regular gas here is $3.89 per gallon and it makes my car run like shit so i have to use mid grade.

[AgentZee]

I think we are heading towards being pretty screwed - all the government seems to want to concern itself with is bio-fuels which are in themselves dooming people to either famine or grossly over-inflated food prices.

Im cutting down on my expenditures, planting veg and pumping up my bike tyres - I think hard times are ahead.

[Panky]

Within the past year or so, the local train station increased it's size. It's filled to the max and could actually stand to be increased even more. More people are opting to commute into the city than to drive.

[seeandsee]

I hate this shopinholic way of life, you can't save anything with price going mad every month.

[Varzi Network]

Unfortunately we have no trains aside from those that will take you from major city to major city. Getting from place to place in the city on bike would be a real bitch. My trip to dunkin donuts would be a 30 min ride by bike each way just to get coffee. I can get there in less then 5 mins by car and be home in 10 under mins.

It would be less cost effective to spend all my time traveling rather then paying more for fuel. Time is money and you can never make back the time which you have already wasted. I can also get a much better workout on my treadmill at home after ive had my coffee which took less time to get.

[trinityintrigue]

Originally Posted by Hentaikid

As for the price of gas, I'm not sure what anyone can do to prevent it, it's not like protests are going to make more oil build up underground

You are correct, but missed one thing. If we were to tell the damn animal activists like greenpeace to shove it up their ass, we could drill in alaska, and many other places in the US, where there is PLENTY of oil.

Or, quit sending food/supplies relief to OPEC ran countries. That will either 1. cause the oil companies running gas/refinery costs too damn high and running market WINDFALL profits every quarter, to lower their prices or
2. cause the people WORKING in those facilities to riot because they can't get the food/supplies they need to survive.

Sorry if it sounds harsh, but it's the truth.

[mikesinner]

Gas has always been expensive all over the world. Americans have just been lucky and now it's time for us to feel the pinch. People need to stop crying about it.

[pam]

One of my cars needs Super at more than $4 a gallon and I get less than 10 MPG. And the price isn't coming down anytime soon ...

I go to the supermarket and can't believe the price jump plus many products are now smaller -- i.e. Edy's ice cream is 48 ounces, not 56 any more, and my mayo is 28 ounces, not 32 ounces -- but same price, of course. I buy an artisan bread at one store and was paying $3.29 a loaf but last week it was $4.99 a loaf. I asked WHY it jumped so high ... they have to have it driven in each day from Rhode Island and gas/diesel is up, the price of wheat flour has doubled and other ingredients have gone up as well.

It's a trickle-down effect. Hell, my hairdresser went up a couple of bucks and when I gave her a look, her boss (the owner) said, "workers' comp went up."

My housekeeper and her husband both work full-time and have 2 vehicles and have to get rid of one due to the high cost of gas and monthly payments on the vehicles. He works side jobs (including being my handyman) just so they can make ends meet. I don't know how they see each other. Each works full time, she cleans house on weekends, he has side jobs each weekend and most nights, all to pay the bills and keep their head above water.

Foreclosures in this state are at an all-time high and even wealthy suburbs are being hit. CEOs lose their job, the market takes a hit and all of a sudden they can't afford that $11k a month for a mortgage payment.

I was talking to the kid who takes care of a property where I spend time each summer (Martha's Vineyard), and made plans to be there for 2 weeks. He was telling me milk was nearly $5 a gallon, white bread was $2.50 a loaf and gas was $4.50 a gallon. The summer rental market is a bust, he said, with prices slashed and people still not making reservations. One house not far from where I stay was being offered for $1.1 million and now it's down to "just" $800k .. that's a hell of a bargain yet no takers.

A friend of mine works 3 jobs and her husband makes minimum wage (they met on one of my sites). She's exhausted all the time working 3 part-time jobs and yet they can't get ahead. And, one of her jobs involves a lot of driving so she feels she has to give it up as she's barely breaking even after paying for gas.

What can we do? If I boycott the price of gas and don't buy it for my vehicles (and I have many unfortunately), will they lower the price of gas?

I read an article yesterday that said gas station owners make just 1.5 cents per gallon. PER GALLON. They make money on incidentals like bread, milk, lottery tickets, cigarettes, etc. They buy 9k gallons of gas and fork over $30 thousand dollars and make $100 on it ... it's the company making the money, not the small station owner. So, if I refuse to buy gas, I'm hurting the local guy trying to feed his family and keep a roof over his head, not the big conglomerates who pay their top employees millions of dollars.

[Greg B]

Originally Posted by flip

Try living in England...

As for people being led like sheep - David Icke was right

[Greg B]

Sleazy my grandpa said the same thing. I too can't believe how much money people are spending just to get by. Cell phones, gas, mortgage, rent, health insurance, cable, internet, food and clothing. It's a freakin' nightmare for people.

I run a tight ship. Fortunately things in the comic book industry have turned for the better for me so I'll be in that and making a fuckload of money. It's a transition back from adult but you can balance the two. I feel really sorry for the families out there because they're getting FUCKED. Even in the Hamptons people are losing their shit! I thought I'd never see that. I'm glad I have my sites up and running and can always improve with just the slightest bit of elbow grease.

With the level of corruption and crime and greed you have to do what you have to do to survive nowadays. I consider myself very fortunate in many ways and any shortcomings I can chalk up to ignorance which means more study on my part.

For the rest of the country and for webmasters who have to rely on other people providing content, my dearest sympathies.

[freechess]

maybe we are but fuck it

[mihai]

Stop complaining about gas beeing high priced at $4/gallon...
I pay $1.5/liter which is about 5.7/gallon...
And is crappy CO95...