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Politics : View from the Center and Left -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Dale Baker who wrote (17167)	4/26/2006 10:04:37 AM
From: mph	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 541301

I think it's the miserable experience of pumping gas - it stinks, you have to stand around outside in a gas station, someone used to do all this for you, and godammit look how much it costs to be that miserable. In South Africa, there is always a swarm of attendants who make most of their money from tips, so they hustle like parking valets to fill the tank, clean the windshield, all that good stuff. Man, I am going to miss that. If you're paying a tip, you're paying more for the service than the pump price for gas, right? Anyway, maybe we should import those South African tip hunting valets since it appears you've identified yet another job Americans supposedly won't do...(Just teasing, Dale :-))

To: Dale Baker who wrote (17167)	4/26/2006 7:13:46 PM
From: Tom C	Respond to of 541301

I think it's the miserable experience of pumping gas - it stinks, you have to stand around outside in a gas station, someone used to do all this for you, and godammit look how much it costs to be that miserable. In South Africa, there is always a swarm Try the NJ Turnpike or NY along the Hutchinson Parkway. There's no swarm but you are not allowed to pump the gas yourself, no matter how much of hurry you are in to fill the tank of the rental car, get to the airport and make your flight.

To: Dale Baker who wrote (17167)	4/26/2006 7:43:51 PM
From: Dennis O'Bell	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 541301

Given the strong correlation between high gas prices and disgust with politicians, it is likely we will see some kind of political shakeup this year and in 2008. The public certainly won't vote on any moral grounds, that's clear. Despite this stuff we hear about how morally shocking Abu Ghraib and the like are - those things won't get politicians voted out of office if the economy can be made to appear to be functioning, and gasoline flowing. [ A BJ in the Oval Office, now that's another matter ! ] Bad combination, high gas prices and filling your tank on a sweltering summer day. Just wait till we have permanent rationing.... and it's a question of when, not if. But playing with the SPR fills, ethanol and tax tweaks as a response is a joke. Indeed. As long as the public can be kept busy with such nearly useless ideas, Exxon-Mobil can continue to line their pockets with the biggest corporate profits in the history of the human race. Don't forget that these profits will fill their war chest and enable them to quite simply buy out or otherwise strong arm possession of anything that comes along that might replace oil. That's the plan evidently. I suspect it'll work - IF the climate isn't ruined beforehand and we don't get a truly devastating sucker punch from bin Laden or something along these lines. Après nous le déluge...