Better Fill up today

[frawin]

Dan, the devaluation of our currency is a big problem and one of the big reasons the price of crude continues to go up. The world is flooded with our currency. The huge trade deficits we are running are due in part to the high price of oil and also in part because we have sent so much of our manufacturing and services overseas, added to that is the 14-18 Milion illegals working in this country, burning gasoline and send the dollars they get here back to their foreign country to add to the imbalance.. As the dollar goes down in value against other world currencies, the Yen, the Euro, etc, OPEC and non-Opec producers then demand more dollars for a barrel of oil so they can maintain their buying power in World Trade,  for other goods and service. This problem will no doubt continue bto get worse until we make some big changes in our Oil consumption and in Importing so many goods and services. Unfortunately there is no quick fix, even if our congress did allow drilling in the ANWR and the OCS now , it would be 10 years before it would help ,our oil supply needs, and it is still a questin what the avaiable/recoverable reserves are. America will face some trying times ahead but Im still think that good old American  ingenuity and perseverance will prevail. We will need lots of prayers to get us through. We have so many other problems that will get worse with the deterioration of our economy, Drugs, Crime, people who want a free ride at the expense of the working class. I could discuss this subject for hours with you if we had the chance.
Frank

[frawin]

Tobina, all futures markets have their "Speculators", I think we have what I call Gamblers and Manipulators in the Oil Markets these days. They  are really pushing up the price everyday and making big profits doing it. The number of Crude Contracts traded around the world dwarfs all other commodities. They buy long out for months and years then bid up the market for big profits, alot of the trading in world crude oil futures is no doubt done by some OPEC members and or their families, that has to be a conflict of interest in the worst sense.  I think their will be a day of reckoning and the LONGS could get wiped out. I do some hedging for operators but it s done to protect  or gurantee a floor price on drilling projects, or prices needed to cover capital projects. I do Collars, Swaps, and other configurations, the Futures market is a good tool if used right. I would venture that their are far more people trading energy futures that have no oil interets that those trading that do. That was not the original intent.
Frank

[dnalexander]

The devaluation of our dollar is greatly influenced by our voracious consumer economy and the imbalance of what we export vs. what we import. I urge you all to support your local merchants and American companies. One of our most powerful votes is with our consumer dollar. I also realize the Global economy is a fact and we will have to compete in it as well.

David

[flo]

about the only advantage of being poor is I don't have to even try to understand all this "trading" and "futures" and "what have you".  I only need to worry about whether my small social security check will stretch for my needs till the end of the month then be ready for the same thing next month, that'll be the month some are "trading" or whatever 

[Wilma]

We aren't the only ones that wait for the 3rd of the month, Flo.  I was in a Wal-mart today and wondered why there were so many old people out, then I remembered it was the 3rd, social security check day for us old ones.

[sixdogsmom]

Yupper, had to go get those M80s! WooooHooo!! 

[Diane Amberg]

Did you really get M-80's? We aren't allowed to have fire works here.

[sixdogsmom]

You know, I don't know if you can still get M80's, we used to though. As far as I know there is not a local ban on any fireworks.

[Teresa]

I don't think you can get bottle rockets in Kansas anymore. You can get them in Oklahoma.. but not Kansas. 

[Dale Smith]

That's probably a good thing.  Back when we lived in the old Claypool house on South Pennslyvania, we had one of those tent-trailer campers.  The neighbor kids across the street were setting off their bottle rocks and one of them landed on our trailer and set it on fire.  I haven't been such a big fan of bottle rockets since then.