Spitvalves Gone Wild Is Just Beginning

[Snapettes Mom]

It's the stockholders that determine whether the price goes up or down...

That being said, please move this to the "Current Events" forum, mods.

I don't come here to read about the depressing news. I come here to read about drumcorps. (I get my news by talk-radio and blogs).

Good news.

The battle for top drum line is off the charts this year. 4 lines BD, Blooo, Cavies and Phantom. no better place to be than the parking lot in Madison.

Bad news.

I don't think DCI organized the fuel buying. It was a select group of corps who have done it on their own. Check me if I am wrong here. That's a good start, but much more serious long term strategy/roadmap to address the tougher issues needs to be worked on and adjusted constantly. Is it?

Meanwhile

$4.00 a gallon fuel is just a few pennies away in California right now. Next year with all the corps here $5.00 plus a gallon is not hard at all for me to imagine.

Mom

[SF2K4]

That's because California blows when it comes to anything automotive. It's still at about $2.50 here in Dixie.

[Joe Bananas]

High gas prices? If DCI will agree to rearrange the 07 tour schedule, everyone can take the T! Public transportation. That's how I got to Crusaders' rehearsals. Not to mention Dan G's house!

Edited August 3, 2006 by Joe Bananas

[decompressed]

Awwwwwwww Mom!

I told you not to embarass me in front of my friends!

[Snapettes Mom]

The T is great! I agree.

Mom

[AGdrummer]

The T is great! I agree.

Mom

I intend to take the train to all my camps next season. With gas prices its just alot easier than driving 5 hours or so.

[Snapettes Mom]

btw It's saliva. not water.

Mom

[boilerman_05]

You want oil companies to try harder? Harder for what? You think oil is actually worth what we pay for it? When Greenspan met with heads of the oil industry a few months ago, it became very obvious that the actual market value per barrel of oil was no at all what the oil companies were selling it for. The price of oil has no basis on supply. We haven't suddenly been losing large quantities of oil.

But we (worldwide) are seeing an increase in demand.

It's simple, really. The day of competition for the consumer is over. Monopolies are not done by one company anymore. OPEC is the monopoly, one with many members.

psst... the very definition of a monopoly is that it is one company. OPEC is a cartel. 2 or 3 (a few) companies is an oligopoly.

They raise prices on oil regardless of market value per barrel because WE STILL BUY IT. The solution is painfully simple... if we stopped buying gas, they would lower the price. They don't compete for our business anymore. They don't have to. They have a stranglehold on our business. We've shown that we are materialistic, self-indulgent, pompous jerks. We need the oil, and we need it now. Therefore, they raise the price incrimentally, you complain for a few days, then you fill up anyway. WE are the reason for high oil prices.

Do I think it will hit $7.00? No, I don't. During Greenspan's talk (as we know, before he stepped down) the statement made towards OPEC was quite alarming. Basically, it became very apparent that OPEC, who had originally made the bylaw that gas would never be priced per gallon at an amount so much over the value of the price of oil per barrel, was changing their minds. They are doing just that, charging us more than said value per barrel. Think about it this way... even with the dwindling amount of oil on the planet, we have not lost a substantial amount of petroleum income to the United States. Couple this with the fact that, as each year goes by, we get more hybrid cars, more electric cars, and a number of more fuel efficient cars in the market. Therefore, each year sees an actual drop in gas consumption by the consumer on average. Because more people are buying cars with better mileage to combat this dilemma we've put ourselves in. This is going to create a stalemate that, sadly, most Americans will see as fair. "Ok, seeing as I only fill up once every month anyway, you can charge $6.00 a gallon." And then from there, it begins again until we use up the oil. And from there, well, we'll just have to see.

...ok. I don't see the problem here.

[boilerman_05]

I intend to take the train to all my camps next season. With gas prices its just alot easier than driving 5 hours or so.

Yeah, I always took the train (or Greyhound) to camps when I was in Pioneer. When I was at Glassmen, there wasn't a convenient schedule, so I hitched a ride from a friend.

[SF2K4]

But we (worldwide) are seeing an increase in demand.

psst... the very definition of a monopoly is that it is one company. OPEC is a cartel. 2 or 3 (a few) companies is an oligopoly.

...ok. I don't see the problem here.

1. Exactly. All the oil companies, which are part of OPEC, are in agreement on raising prices. Again, the idea is no longer to compete for the customer's money. It's obvious we'll pay whatever it takes to get gas, they all know that, so they are raising the prices.

2. I know what a monopoly is. However, given the way in which all the companies are acting as one, I will continue to view them as one. Monopoly.

3. Ok?