> Kerosene for heating the garage costs more than what I used to pay for
> nitro
This is a topic that gets me going...I don't like the higher fuel prices
any more than the next guy, but we need to get this into the proper
prospective. A lot of oil company bashing has been going on, not saying
that this post is bashing, but it seems that this is a hot topic where
ever I go. Just last evening at a small group bible study, the topic came
up and it was suggested that the oil companies are making obscene profits.
We are a spoiled bunch of people in the U.S. We have had gasoline for low
prices so long that we think that it is our right. "The government should
step in and regulate these monsters" seems to be the normal reaction.
There are several things driving the fuel prices. Supply and demand is
paramount. Lack of refining facilities is next. (The recent natural
disasters have diminished our refining facilities by about 25%) Air
Pollution control has an effect, also. Remember, oil companies are
publicly held, if you have some oil stock, you may want the companies to
be profitable.
It is so easy to place blame...it is also easy to forget how inflation
affects all of us, even with the lower inflation that we have enjoyed for
several years. The fact is that gasoline prices have lagged behind other
necessities of life until just recently. I would encourage each of you to
take a look at a chart found on this web site. It says volumes on this
issue! http://oregonstate.edu/Dept/pol_sci/fac/sahr/gasol.htm
Tom, Redding CA - #216 D/FCC
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