Gas is under 2.00 a gallon

[f.sciarrillo]

I got gas tonight; it was 1.99 a gallon. The more it comes down, the happier I am.

[PanzerFaust]

Paid a $1.59 here last week..

Took a pic of the pump just to remeind me if it goes up!!!!!

Pinch me I'm dreaming!!!

http://www.virginiagasprices.com/

[metalchurch]

Why is it going down? Does anyone have a logical explanation?

Also, just noticed today that Sheetz are now prepay only. Either that or you buy a gas card and put money onto it.

They get these change machines at the registers in an attempt to speed up the transactions, and then they add this crap..

[bfoust]

I got one of those Pump First cards.

[thebattle]

yah its a 1.99 here in everett pa. It makes me happy to think 5gallons for 10$ thats crazy

[Eldorado]

http://rockpage.net/phpbb2/viewtopic.php?t=20479


This is an interesting thread to read just in case you really think this is a good thing.

[sunsetbass]

Why is it going down? Does anyone have a logical explanation?

Also, just noticed today that Sheetz are now prepay only. Either that or you buy a gas card and put money onto it.

They get these change machines at the registers in an attempt to speed up the transactions, and then they add this crap..

actually you can get a card for free aand it will activate the pump and you can pay afterwards. i got one.

[metalchurch]

Why is it going down? Does anyone have a logical explanation?

Also, just noticed today that Sheetz are now prepay only. Either that or you buy a gas card and put money onto it.

They get these change machines at the registers in an attempt to speed up the transactions, and then they add this crap..

actually you can get a card for free aand it will activate the pump and you can pay afterwards. i got one.

Aaaah, I see now! I was in a hurry today and it was cold out, and I was gettin pissed cause the damn pump wasnt workin' so I kind of went inside with an attitude. I'll have to grab one of those tomorrow. Thanks

[tornandfrayed]

Where can our economy go?

I am really worried that we have screwed ourselves with the values of real estate and wages the way we they are. I understand that you need to make a certain amount to survive but when that amount is so high that our companies can no longer compete with overseas markets how do we resolve that?

When we have to pay so much for rent/mortgage and the cost of living that our companies have to pay $25 - $35 an hour for someone to survive how do we re invent ourselves to be competitive with markets that have such a low overhead?

I am just curious if anybody has ideas....

[drums=life]

1.67 in south jersey yesterday, 25 bux to fill up

[f.sciarrillo]

I look for it to be .99 a gallon before New Year. With it going down at this rate ...

Wouldn't it be something if it went below .99 cents? It is speculated to drop to 20.00 a barrel.

[witchhunt]

Time to get that Hummer for Xmas.

[lonewolf]

Why is it going down? Does anyone have a logical explanation?

1. The free markets generally indicate conditions roughly 6 months in advance. The oil market is indicating that we will be in a deep recession in 6 months and there will be a significant drop in oil demand. Unleaded gas usually drops right behind oil.

2. Speculators. Yes those pesky speculators...this time on the short side. They "borrow" oil & gasoline futures to sell them at that higher price and when the price goes down they buy them at the lower price and give the futures back to the broker who loaned it to them. They pocket the difference. This extra selling tends to speed up the downward price, although they still have to buy at some point.

[metalchurch]

Is that really how it is, or are you just speculating? kidding.

So you think that the price of oil and gas will go down due to the prediction of the economy being slow, and therefore they drop the price to allow people to better afford it, and still keep the country moving?

Or are they pricing it without any of "us" in mind?

[lonewolf]

When we have to pay so much for rent/mortgage and the cost of living that our companies have to pay $25 - $35 an hour for someone to survive how do we re invent ourselves to be competitive with markets that have such a low overhead?

I am just curious if anybody has ideas....

Productivity thru robotics & automation. The manufacturing jobs of the future are in building, programming and maintining robotics & automation. There is actually a shortage of skilled labor in this area. Graduates from the PSU-Altoona EMET program will have a near 100% job placement rate next spring, even at the height of a recession. Most of these jobs will pay above $40,000 per year to start. Most of those salaries will double after 3 years experience.

Another significant event is that the baby boom generation will start retiring in droves in 2011. This will mark a significant inflection of the job market from a shortage of jobs toward a shortage of workers. This trend will last for a few decades. Productivity thru automation will be an absolute necessity if we are to build more things with fewer workers.

The days when you could graduate from high school and get a good unskilled factory job are gone. The days of "turning wrenches" are over.

[lonewolf]

Is that really how it is, or are you just speculating? kidding.

So you think that the price of oil and gas will go down due to the prediction of the economy being slow, and therefore they drop the price to allow people to better afford it, and still keep the country moving?

Or are they pricing it without any of "us" in mind?

No. They are expecting a significant decrease in global demand for oil because of global recession. The law of supply & demand states that when there is less demand for something, its price will drop. This assumes that the supply of that something remains relatively constant.

[songsmith]

The days when you could graduate from high school and get a good unskilled factory job are gone. The days of "turning wrenches" are over.

Very astute. And exactly the reason Detroit is circling the toilet bowl. I was watching the news the other night, and they showed a GM assembly line. A robot was putting the spare tire in the trunk of a car. That's a simple little thing, but not long ago, a human being installed the spare tire on it's rim, filled it, checked it, took it to the place on the line where it needed to go, placed it in the trunk, and bolted it down. The truth is, there's far less physical labor on an automotive assembly line than there was even 5 years ago, robots do practically everything that's dangerous, heavy, repetitive, or otherwise yawn-inducing. I'm betting they have electromechanical and computer techs to specialize in robotics repair & maintenance, so why have someone on the line for anything other than making sure the robots don't go all "Hal from 2001?"
I heard Rush excoriate an 84-year-old man this week, for retiring from Detroit and having the audacity to live long enough to collect a pension for longer than he worked there. Well, Rush, a promise is a promise, and he did what was expected of him, back when working the assembly line was hard work. Another laughable response from someone who's never worked a real job, yet makes 40 million a year.

(blinks) How the hell did I make this about Rush? ---->JMS

[metalchurch]

Very true guys. It's amazing how different the industry is even from like 1985.

[f.sciarrillo]

The reason for the robotics is because they can work longer and faster than human. Although I agree that it robs jobs to an extent. But, if you think about it; when demand is high, you will have to find a way to produce it faster.

[Heywood]

Just got gas in Winchester VA and it was $1.69 a gallon. I almost filled up some soda bottles to take it back home.

[PanzerFaust]

Just got gas in Winchester VA and it was $1.69 a gallon. I almost filled up some soda bottles to take it back home.

$1.49 right down the road.. You shoulda waited..

http://www.virginiagasprices.com/

[PanzerFaust]

Text "gasbuddy" and the "zip code" or "city,state" to 368266

you'll get a msg back with the lowest prices nearby.. it's free!!

[songsmith]

The reason for the robotics is because they can work longer and faster than human. Although I agree that it robs jobs to an extent. But, if you think about it; when demand is high, you will have to find a way to produce it faster.

Oh, I'm with ya on the robots. I didn't mean it to sound like I'd rather have guys do stuff than robots, you really can't stop technology, plus you shouldn't. I was pointing out that the American auto worker is largely overpaid, thanks to his union. I heard on NPR yesterday that the average fully-loaded pay (including all benefits) for a Japanese auto manufacturer in the US is $49k. The average for American companies is $70k. It's one of those inequities in American business that drives me nuts.
The Big 3 should absolutely file bankruptcy. They will be allowed to continue making cars while they restructure debt, and bankruptcy usually void union contracts, so they could shake off the labor costs, and become competitive again. I do hope, however, that they'll keep at least some of the pensions intact... the old-timers did what they promised, the industry should remember that.--->JMS

[lonewolf]

The reason for the robotics is because they can work longer and faster than human. Although I agree that it robs jobs to an extent. But, if you think about it; when demand is high, you will have to find a way to produce it faster.

The Big 3 should absolutely file bankruptcy. They will be allowed to continue making cars while they restructure debt, and bankruptcy usually void union contracts, so they could shake off the labor costs, and become competitive again. I do hope, however, that they'll keep at least some of the pensions intact... the old-timers did what they promised, the industry should remember that.--->JMS

In the case of bankruptcy, any termination of their pension plans would end up in the hands of the federal government (you know, you & me). We, the taxpayers would have another seemingly endless bill to pay.

I would like to see the unions do something useful for a change, like take over the pension plans and finance them thru employee "pension dues". Then, the union could re-negotiate with their own members over distributions.

Pension plans are 19th century retirement systems whose time has come & gone.

[f.sciarrillo]

Yeah, it is true that the unions are to blame for where they are right now. Finding a way to restructure the contracts would help them immensely.

The last thing I want to see is them go out of business. A lot of the that is because I still have that dream of owning a Cadillac some day. Filing for bankruptcy would help that. Pelosi is finally coming to grip with telling them no plan, no money. They should just file for bankruptcy, it will leave a lot of windows open for them.