OH NO YOU DID NNNNTTT

OH NO YOU DID NNNNTTT

Steve should be a goldsmith because this is Internet Gold. Boom.

Really, what reeking disrespect. Can you prove how this is his fault?

Thought so.

If you think Mitt is going to do the job, you're dreaming. I'll bet even you don't like him.

I couldn't agree more

Keith - really? A subtitle?

Nor is he the problem. Look to the oil speculators for one, who are part of the 1%.

Obama is part of the 1%, so using your logic we have just ID that he is the problem

Well two dimensional man, there are rich people and there are rich people.

Keith, oil speculators serve a purpose in the free market. If you really want to drive down speculation give them reasons to think future supply will be higher, or demand lower and the trade will not be so popular. Drilling bans, & focus on ridiculous solutions (ethanol, electric cars) give confidence the trade will work.

If oil companies control the price why did it drop to $35 in 2009? Oil and gasoline are traded on commodities exchanges, even Exxon is not big enough to control the prices. Cartels have some effect, but we saw in 2008 when they targeted $90 they could not pump enough to slow the advance. Devaluing the dollar, poor foriegn policy, and attacking supply all have significant effect on prices. Prices would have gone up with any president, but for sure they are much higher with Obama's leadership.

Smartest man to EVER hold the office? Highly doubtful

bridget, you're in danger of being labeled a TEAGopRepugliKKKan and a puppy kicker if you do not acknowledge that Jesus Jr. is the smartest man ever to hold the office.

@Bob McBride....I beg to differ with you, Madison had to be the smartest president, but he didn't have to worry about petroleum prices either. Obama can't be Jesus Jr., that title has been taken by Rick Santorum. Obama is obviously Mohamed Jr. and he's ready to implement Shari law right after he wins his second term. Can't wait, there won't be any pork chops at Sendeks.

Wait so if I get married after 2013 I can beat the wife if she misbehaves?

It's Sendik's, not Sendeks.

I can live without the other white meat.

I see you didn't contest my assertion regarding the dumbest man ever to hold the office.

You folks sure are defensive about Jesus Jr. He's a big boy, he can fend for himself. Or not.

@Steve...What kind of conservative are you if don't beat your wife already. Shari law will just make it easier and more fun.

@Bob McBride...OK, I stand corrected about the spelling of Sendiks. Still won't be any pork chops in the meat case or lard in their pie crusts.

Lyle , "Shari" law is more likely to prohibit the consumption of Lamb Chops, not pork chops.

It took a minute to sink in, but that 'Shari/Lambchop' comment made me laugh...

Thanks, Bob.

@Bob McBride...How do you figure that Shari law prohibits lamb chops? Muslims eat lamb, goat, beef, etc. Under Shari, we'll all have to fire up the home stills, start making home brew, and wine. I'll probably start bootlegging since our local purveyors will be out of business. Will you start saving your potato peels for me; I've got a killer recipe for vodka.

@CowDung...Thanks for the tip about "LambChop". If you hadn't caught it, I would never have since I never watched her perform, my kids did though.

Good point Lyle. Guess it's time to buck up and think about asking that question. Thank you for the insight and it may push me over the edge for voting Obama 2012.

►disrespecting him like no other president has been in history

Short memory? I don't recall a movie made about murdering Obama and I haven't herd the term "obama bashing" much.

Criticizing socialist policies is not disrespect.

I belong to no party I vote for the person, not the party

my spirit isn't broken! I'm the 1%

Right, that diesel powered train, or was it run on rainbows and sunshine and hope and change? I can't remember

Steve - Hmm...everyone knows Steve...a diesel powered passenger train wins hands down considering it is saving hundreds of automobiles (depending on the number of train passengers) driving the same distance. Sure hope you are not going to be stuck way out there where Jesus lost his shoes and $12 gas. Your property values will be going down even further. It would be even more tragic if your by a rail line without passenger service that could have been.

And it is not un-Republican to take a train, tens of thousands of them intelligently do that in and out of Chicago every day.

What is the decrease in efficiency when one goes from a 'standard' passenger train to a 'high speed' passenger train?

Another key to the equation is how many people will actually ride the train. If the cost of the ticket is more than the cost of gas, there isn't much advantage to taking the train--particularly since is isn't faster than taking a car from Milwaukee and it really wasn't going as far into Madison as most people would like to go...

I am directly pointing to how sarcastic or not the train wasn't built becuase of an oil/auto industry election.

More trains more diesel more profit for an oil company.
Plus you have to drive to the train station and take some transportation after you get off the train so it's a win win. We refine more diesel than consumed right now so less gasoline autos is a non factor, more diesel burning the better for an oil distributor.

Also, ticket price was more than the fuel as Craig pointed out, so you can still afford to go to Madison to visit your buddies.

I have heard economists say that, with the housing prices so low today, your vehicles over your lifetime are your number one cost, not deflated housing any more, as vehicle costs include much more than the cost of gas, Gas could double and it would not be that significant to the total costs of a car, just the most visible. Consider these costs for ownership beyond gas, blame Obama for these:
Purchase price, prep, sales taxes, shipping, etc. before you even drive it off the lot,
car loan interest and loan fees; depreciation from wear and tear (putting on the miles, and even just sitting, aging); depreciation from the car simply being another model year older each model year; insurance; insurance deductibles before the insurance kicks in; repairs not covered by warranty; shop hourly maintenance fees, not covered by warranty; parts not covered by warranty; extended warranty/maintenance plans; consumables like tires, oil, filters, other fluids, spark plugs, wiper blades, etc.; parking fees; auto club dues; road service if you do not join an auto club, or it exceeds the club limits; registration fees; license fees, for the car and you; traffic tickets; garage/carport/driveway; cleaning and supplies; gizmos/gadgets specific to the car or driving, e.g., radar detector, Onstar, GPS, etc.; cool after market accessories; and in addition, the increased chance of injury, death, liability beyond insurance limits, lawsuits, attorney fees, jail time, etc.
oops, out of space, bye!

Speaking only for myself, I would have been glad to take that train at least once/month, and was looking forward to when this train would link up to Minneapolis/St. Paul. I understood that the rail plan was modified to bring travelers to downtown Madison which would have been truly convenient.

I drive a pretty nice vehicle and it is $670/mo with fuel and insurance. Don't have much of any maintenance plus it has an extended warranty. $100 ded. So in my case it is not more than the house. You would have to have double the cost per month, every month to get close to the house yearly payment.

Even if you add in the taxes I had to pay on it when I purchased, yearly registration I just don't see it. Unless you own a POS and have it in the shop all the time becuase you can't do your own work, well you're just doing it wrong then because you could afford a loan on a nicer car that doesn't break down.

Steve - You told me you owned a small business yesterday in another blog, and you really, really support the rich (1%'ers.) and do not want to see them taxed much. That kind of fits with your apparentl naivete. Think you need to take an econ course, no make that accounting 099. You did not factor in all those auto costs, the house with deductible mortgage interest gets paid off but you generallly drive from age 16 to death, or close to it, and those auto costs just keep on truckin. Sounds like you are one of those young guys that figures what they can afford each month, and you are not seeing the bigger picture of costs over a longer period of time, even a lifetime, and what your political philosophy may cost you..
Project those monthly auto costs over 60 years or more, that is the point of those economists. You typically pay more for your vehicles over your lifetime than your house these days. And those oil guy 1%'ers know you will buy gas at a much higher cost, and blame the Democrats. You are in their pocket.

I said ►The rich are rich because of freedom in the market, I will defend that rich or poor myself.

No where did I say that they should "not be taxed that much" As you and I both know the rich pay plenty in taxes right now, today.

I've got econ under the belt, I own a small business that I started from scratch and has been 100% cash funded. So expenses and numbers come naturally. If we really want to split hairs in my situation that nice truck I drive is an tax deductible expense as well. Same as the mort. interest. Plus add in the $0.54 per mile that I can claim as an expense at the beg of the year. It's actually better than a house.

I can understand what they are saying only from the aspect that a car is not an asset. Most don't pay off their house in 30 years, they like to refinance all the time or build an addition. But a car is a tool to create the income that pays for the house and the hot tub and the children's future. So in a way, it is really a deprecating capitol tool.

I live about 2 years behind in actual income as my business keeps growing. I have a savings that in case it flops I could live for over 1 year without a dime in income. I reinvest almost all the profits into the company as they profit more than any stock or traditional investment in the market.

Can I afford higher gas, yes
Will my customers pay a higher price for goods I manufacture because of higher gas, yes.

It was an oversimplification when the lefties were barking at Bush about it a few years back. Hopefully you made note of it then as well.

Thanks for the story about your trip to the UK and the much needed explanation of how the oil markets work. I did not know that. You're so smart.

Bob, the "barking" as you refer to it was because of perceived inaction, as I recall.

And you are most welcome.

I see I'm going to have to retract the part about you being smart.

So my IQ points drop when I don't agree with you? Good to know. From now on I'll ramp up my Vitamin C intake before responding to your posts to hold back the tide of inexorable ignorance.

Anything's worth a try, I guess.

@Bren...As a frequent traveler to Europe and an a long time resident, people get from point A to point B just fine. The only nation in Europe that drives a great deal is Germany and they even have wonderful public transportation.

I'll be happy when gas stabilizes at about $7.00/gallon. At that price people will be more open to other forms of public transportation. Now let the torrent of hate begin.

In lieu of the bullet train to Hell, you guys will be able to ride the 2-1/2 mile loop to nowhere downtown in a couple of years. And if you can't wait for that, there's always the Zoo train.

Democrats love trains regardless of whether anyone else wants them or needs them, or whether they go to hell and back or just from here to.....here.

@Lyle -

You really want me to substitute my Cadillac with public transportation? I live way out in the boonies! It's about 30 miles in all directions to a metro area with a population of 3,000 people or more. So much for manifest destiny in Lyle's ideal world!

James, when Lyle takes over the only reason to be where you are now will be to work the fields at a re-education camp. No need for travel. When they're done with you, they'll cart you back to the communal high-rise in the back of a flatbed truck.

@Bob McBride....If you play your cards right you can become a trustee of the re-education camp, we'll even allow you conjugal visits with Igor. I'll put a good word in for you.

@JRH...Trade you Caddy for a Smart Car or a Chevy Volt if you don't like foreign. You can exercise your personal freedom.

@Bob McBride...BTW, the communal high rise is the same design as Cabrini - Green. JRH will feel right at home.

...or as it will be known when Lyle's in charge, the Chevy Volga.

@Bob McBride...I love it, made by GM that is already partially owned by the workers. ;-D

Lyle, I miss the Underground more than I can say. Every time I'm stuck in traffic here I remember how quickly it's possible to travel the same distance in much less time with a bit of civic planning and social investment.

@Lyle -

Does the communal high-rise have open gallery hallways/porches like the Cabrini-Extension 'Greens' or are they enclosed like the Cabrini 'Reds' - because I've only ever stayed in the 'Greens.' The 'Greens' also shared common design with the Robert Taylor and Stateway Garden projects. But not even I was adventurous enough to ever venture into Robert Taylor or Stateway Gardens - those places were deadly scary! The Black P Stone Nation / El Rukins didn't like me very much and I felt much safer on Gangster Disciple turf.

BTW - I'm surprised that your communal high-rise design wouldn't more closely reflect typical Borscht Belt resort style construction - something in the vein of the old Concord, Grossingers, Pines, or even Kutschers. Might be something to consider :-)

Oh yeah, I forgot to add - FREE LARRY HOOVER!!!

Force public transportation and small "green" cars buy raising the price of a good.

James- Lets meet up and drive our Caddies together. Mine gets 13 mpg in the city 18 on the highway. While we still can before we are forced to drive a volt or smart car.

It's going to be sad when my customer can not purchase the goods they demand and help them because I was forced to drive a volt. But in the mean time you and me lets burn all the fuel our huge engines can handle.

Alfred, oil was a commodity four years ago also. Gas prices are higher in Europe and Asia overall, not just in the U.K.

I know sweetheart, its because those countries are socialist and they heavily tax petro.

haha. Bren, fuel prices are higher in Europe mainly because of taxes. Free healthcare and entitlements are not really free, but they wanted them to be provided by the gov.

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JAQxHrtR0W4/TsO8J_18hhI/AAAAAAAAQP4/VBLU8AugWRY/s1600/gas.jpg

"Sweetheart?" ; )

Looks like Alfred is really working the old Bogart charm!

That leading Republican spokesman and "charmer", snake that is, got bitten today while blowing his horn way offkey. Ruse Limberger lost a lot of sponsors. Maybe Koch Industries can step in and advertise their multinational conglomerate.products, like gasoline.

1 sponsor

But when you created a market those weak customers are ones you have to cut ties with. I do it all the time, love firing a customer because you can't please everyone. More publicity only helps his market.

Dropped Limbaugh sponsors to-date include Quickens loans, Sleep Train, Select Comfort, Cleveland Cavaliers (suspended, possible contract issues). Carbonite has a meeting scheduled with Limbaugh to discuss the negative responses they have received from customers and employees about his comments.

I listened to clips of the offending comments and it seemed that RL didn't actually understand what type of contraception was being discussed.

Agreed.

What has the U.S. learned since the oil embargo of the 70's?

Nothing.

Oil prices will continue to increase over time, as does inflation.

And wouldn't you know it, that an increase in electricity increases coal consumption. So much for eliminating fossil fuels. Liberals run around in circles.

Like a broken clock is right twice a day, I find myself agreeing with you. Electric cars are not going to help the planet unless we generate the electricity to charge the batteries with 'clean' fuels. You get as much CO2 pollution and particulants from the plant as you do from the gasoline burning cars you replaced.

Do you support galena mining?

I think he meant DDT. But what is the point of preventing some cases of West Nile Fever at the cost of more cases of cancer later? Or killing off bees that we need to fertilize crops?

I really have never heard of solar power or windmills killing people, other than maybe in accidental falls while maintaining them. They generate electricity that would otherwise be done with fossil fuels whose by-products cause cancer and lung disease. You pick your poison, folks.

Unfortunately I do not get Fox News since I dropped Dish. Great idea have the consumer stop buying. It will work slow down demand significantly, but may not be best for economy or the country. Increasing supply, using abundant Natural Gas supplies, and getting fiscal house in order to reduce need to devalue the dollar are real options. On the foreign policy side there are few good options now, at least that do not lead to higher oil prices in at least the short term. But people can not deny Obama has been a foreign policy disaster.

Bryant - Your blog mentioned the senior Bush, but you did not even mention the junior Bush and his eight incredible years as President. I am not advocating that Obama has been faultless, but the U.S. was a very troubled enterprise in 2008. We had oil men in the top two executive positions in the country, and the foreign policy was "kick their ass and take their gas." Bush and Cheney set the sails and the course, and Obama has been trying to steer us off the jagged rocks and fight off the mad crew.

Ron, Obama needs to be big enough to put his own pants on. Bush made mistakes, but Obama helped create the mess by working with Dodd and Frank to block reform of Fannie and Freedie. Both parties created the mess starting with Bill Clinton's changes to the CRA. The Afghanistan war was ok to start. Obama messed that up by expanding it with no objective in mind. Worse he now plans to pull out for political reasons, if your not committed to the goal why waste the money to expand the war? The Iraq war had positive benefits such as getting Libya to give up it's nuclear program. That could have made last years issue in Libya worse if they had nuclear weapons. Unlike Afghanistan, Iraq is in an important strategic postion for our national interests. The only question is was is worth the $400 - $ 500 billion dollars? Obama is wasting that money by saving a small amount each year. Iran will likely control the government in Iraq or it will be carved up. It is clear Obama has made the economy worse while pushing the fiscal state to near disaster. If Obama had not done, Obamacare, Dodd-Frank, antibusiness attacks like on Boeing or others, regulations out of control, etc millions more would have jobs. It is time he takes responsibility for his failure.

1) I only brought up Bush because you asked about it. I fail to see how it matters weather you believe the conspiracy theory about "trumped up WMD" or that they had faulty intelligence, Bush is not running for anything.

2) The key issue was that the government mandated that the GSE's buy loans to encourage loans to people with bad credit. That created a masive subprime market that should not exist. Wall street then packaged the loans and traded them like they were safe, further expanding the market. The root cause was the government intervention to get loans to people with bad credit, not the lack of regulation.

Funny to call it a noble gesture to loan money irresponsibly to the point that is crashed our system. I was not noble it was stupid. You may say he did not anticipate the disaster it would cause, but Obama stood with Dodd and Frank to fight any reform that was being pushed. Heck, Frank was still defending the GSE's after everyone knew they were going bankrupt only months before the collapse. Then they do reform that ignores the root cause of the crash. Bush bought in to the ownership society idea too, but it does not work when people are borrowing 100% + of the cost of the house, they were never owners as they never had any skin in the game. Ironically, the only good move by Obama for the economy, was to drop the market to market regulations. The key to allowing any improvement was actually removing a regulation.

You can complain about Bush spending. But Obama's is worse. What is worse it is coming after we saw the world is crashing due to debt issues. I agree that Bush was wrong to create programs like adding prescription drugs to Medicare when he knew the program is going bankrupt. Obama was worse with Obamacare that will take us down if we can not stop it. The cost of the entire Iraq war is less than the wasted Obama Stimulus. Either way the GOP has shown interest in dealing with the most critical issues of reforming entitlements they even passed a plan to deal with Medicare. Where is Obama's plan? Maybe the GOP will not fix these issues but at least they have ideas, with Obama there is no hope.

I find the term "predatory lending" funny. People took loans they could not pay and it is the banks fault? How about a little personal responsibility. If Clinton had not set up the GSE's to buy these bad loans, there would be no market for the loans, and no push by loan brokers to push every loan regardless of the person's ability to pay. The corruption grew out of the distortion to the free market that made it profitable with low risk to make bad loans.

@Bryant - Now you are saying Clinton essentially crashed our system, and he was stupid. The man that was President for 8 years and a Rhodes scholar, and had budget surpluses. And the corruption in the mortgage industry, even if eight years after Clinton, was his fault because he set up a plan that distorted the free market.. Then it was Dodd and Frank and Obama fighting reform, then reforming the wrong way. You decide that the Obama spending, apparently the Stimulus, was wrong. And the Iraqi war was not as costly as the Stimulus, so relatively not that bad. Then you speculate that Obamacare will ruin us.
You do pay passing attention to some of Bush's mistakes, but still jump from Clinton to Obama with false ease. I maintain it is what the Bush administration did or did not do in those long 8 years that brought us to our knees. Bush could have changed the Clinton leftover noble but "stupid" idea to give poorer people a chance at a home. He could have not invaded Iraq. He could have balanced the budget. He could have proposed some regulation in the mortgage markets. And as I recall, Stimulus and saving the "too big to fail" companies was his plan. In fact, he brought the President-elect Obama in to learn about it. He could have reformed Fannie Mae, etc., but people, mostly Republicans, were getting rich on the mortgage industry. Bush could have beefed up the SEC instead of gutting it.
Bush was there, people worshiped him, he was a god-whisperer, but he failed.

Let's be honest about the mortgage problem. It started under Carter and was expanded by almost every administration since. The tipping point was including Jumbo Loans. The mortgage crisis is not alone in blame for our crappy economy. Clinton gave China 'most favored nation status'...this took years to come back to bite us on the ass. Combine that with the mortgage crisis, and we have the biggest failure in the US economy. Imagine what it would be if we had no safeguards since the Great Depression.
Clinton may have been a Rhodes Scholar, all that did for us is: he worked while he played, and he gave Yassir Arafat a tainted cigar. :-P (too bad it wasn't poisoned)
Bush may have been a country boy, but can you imagine Al Gore dealing with 9/11?
Obama has done absolutely nothing for us, Jimmy Carter was twice as effective as Obama. BO took 3 years to end a war he promised to end in his first year. We are still in Afghanistan, fought over Egypt (which we should never have done, as Egypt stopped messing with the US when Clinton dropped a bomb in Ghadaffi's living room), and we may become involved with Iran soon.
We have 150 years worth of oil out west, and no plans to tap it. If we burned our own oil, at the very least we would know we are not financing extreemists who want us dead. I have been hoping for some change, guess I have to wait until Jan. 2013 for any real change. Let's hope it won't be too late.

I blame George Washington for inventing the United States.

@Craig and Ron...I see this from a slightly different and historic perspective. As I see it, the genesis actually began under the Nixon Administration. He imposed wage and price controls and created a new monetary policy. By the time Carter came along we had been through the oil shock and were experiencing "stagflation". What Carter added was to begin the deregulation process. The real culprit is the adoption of "Supply Side Classical Macro Economics". For supply side economics to be successful it requires the following: minimal regulation allowing for laissez faire and free trade. In supply side theory, it is in the best interest of business to self regulate and not move to excesses. What we now know is that supply side economics is a complete failure. We must return to reasonable regulation and monitoring. We need clear separation between the agencies who are regulating and those industries that are being regulated. Laissez faire self regulation and market forces simply just don't work. Even Adam Smith acknowledged that regulation should be used to moderate the negativity of free trade capitalism.

"What we now know is that supply side economics is a complete failure" really Lyle? Please post your CV and educational expertise in economics and I'll decide whether you know anything about this subject.

If you are looking for anyone to blame for high gas prices, blame the Fed .

@Alfred...I don't need to qualify anything for you. You have repeatedly shown on this thread and others that you're not the sharpest knife in the drawer. This all begins with hiding your identity so that you can snipe with anonymity.

@Lyle: You know my background. You also know how I feel about regulation.
That being said; the lure of financial gain can turn decent and moral people into 'excuse makers', and overlook the very things they should self regulate.
Case in point: I knew several people who were mortgage bundlers at the height of jumbo loans and refinancing. For several years they made a killing until everything imploded, leaving some of them unable to meet their financial obligations.
They were all good people. I can give one word that caused the implosion- greed.
Because we can't legislate morality, we do need regulations. We have yet to see any real regulation since the financial crisis.

I saw an interesting montage last night of Fox Network pundits insisting four years ago that no President had any control over gasoline prices. Some people count on the rest of us having short memories.

@Craig...I respect your views and I completely agree that we can't trust people to self-regulate. Greed is only one of the issues that led to the crisis. Don't forget that we have three or four generations who have been educated to be consumers. People used credit and equity like a never ending money tree. I have deep sympathy for those people who were caught up in the bubble. I don't know about you, but I resisted the temptation to refinance or to "buy up". I've had to many financial setbacks in life not to keep it real.

My last business partner was one of those who financed everything on credit, opened other businesses and lived high with things like a condo on South Beach. He was so over leveraged that he started stealing money out of the business and the next thing I know, the IRS was knocking on my door. This broke me and a successful business, leaving me on the hook to pay off all the past due taxes and liabilities.After next year I will be free of it, but at my age, I'll never financially recover. To top it off he goes on the lamb out of country. So I am familiar with the greed that pollutes mens souls.

@Randy1949...If you are like me, you probably remember well the first oil boycott when gas jumped at least four fold. We are fast approaching four decades of being held hostage by oil. To select one person whose solely responsible for rising oil prices is absurd. Affordable energy must be found from other sources that doesn't have the horrible impact that oil and coal imparts. We will always have chemical needs that only oil or coal can provide. If I remember, Carter wanted to begin transitioning the nation to natural gas and it was soundly rejected.

@Lyle -- Indeed I do remember the first Arab Oil Embargo and the long gas lines. I remember the talk about how we could expect gasoline at a dollar a gallon. Outrageous! We'd been used to gas as low as 25 cents a gallon. I said at the time, why don't we tell OPEC to go stick their oil? The answer: we couldn't, and we still can't.

That was the beginning of my 'green' life. Drive as little as possible, thermostat at 62, turn off lights until I'm tripping over the cat. I'm still doing that.

Of course the cost of fuel drives prices up everywhere and makes life really hard for some people.

Lyle. As Andy Rooney used to say, "and now you know the rest of the story".
When one blogger attacked you, that is why I threw my two cents into the mix. My instincts weren't wrong.
I traded 'up' with my house when I was quite young. My starter home was only 672 sq. feet. My dad was hard on me about spending money before it was needed, and tried to tell me you never trade up until well after the need. "Have kids first and then buy the house to fit."
We came close to trading up again some years later, but opted for a complete remodel at a fraction of the price. I had health issues even back then, and I didn't want to leave my family unable to keep the home should something happen to me.
Somehow that was the best decision I ever made. Life's events over the past three years would have made us homeless had I chose the other option.
I have made poor decisions financially, I bought a new car right before I had the health issues arise. It was an emotional purchase, I certainly didn't need it. But fortunately I do not have a huge mortgage, so I am able to keep both the house and car. I am hoping something changes in the next year- or less.
At 47, I am too young to be retired.

@Craig...You have consistently come across as someone who has faced challenges. In my book you're a "mensch". None of us know what we are going to be handed in life. I hope this next year and beyond finds you healthy and opportunities come your way.

I know Randy1949 has faced health issues also and like me he's of the age that their isn't much time left for a full financial recovery. My wife and I are fortunate that we have been able to have good medical insurance. People don't understand how vulnerable you are until you don't have healthcare insurance. I don't know what the figures are now, but it used to be that over 50% of all personal bankruptcies were from health issues.

Best wishes my friend.

@Lyle -- My health is actually very good. The employment arena is where we faced our challenges. Too educated/ too specialized versus 'not educated enough'. I had an epiphany during a job interview back around 1997 that made me 'go John Galt' in the economic sense. Self employment is a challenge, and there will be no financial recovery. This is it.

The only reason we're surviving right now is because we were financially prudent during the good earning years. No debt, and we saved every penny.

Lyle thank you for the compliment.
Health insurance is definately a lifesaver physically and financially.
The company I worked for cancelled my contract two weeks after I had neurosurgery, they knew I would not be profitable to them for some time even with a recovery. They offered me a different contract without any benefits in the interim. I was fortunate enough to have my wife put me on her plan. It has high deductibles and high co pays, which for the average family means no coverage other than catastrophic conditions. The good side to this type of coverage is that it prevents running to the Dr. for a common cold, the bad side is it can be a budget breaker for serious issues.
Because I was "self employed", I do not qualify for unemployment either. So we make changes to our lifestyle and cut the expences.
Not unlike what the Government should be doing now. ;-)

@Craig...I am very familiar with the petro/chemical business. Most of the western oil is tied up with oil shale and tar sands. It's a very expensive process to separate the oil. Also, the biggest hindrance is the lack of water that can be used in the separation process. I think we are better off to exploit our vast reserves of natural gas and transition as soon as possible.

As far as I'm concerned, there is no vast conspiracy to hold back our oil. It's economics that is driving the ship. I don't know that bringing on more American oil would lower the world prices. China, India and other developing economies will continue to push up the demand. Our oil is priced on the world market. We would have to be completely energy independent and pull out of the global oil market to get a reduction in domestic pricing.

One thing's for sure, many oil producing nations hate us, but they are as dependent on us as we are on them. I see continual pressure on Iran and I think that they aren't stupid, it's better to sell oil and not go to war.

Lyle I understand the world oil market. Prices will continue to go up based on global demand. If we were able to increase the supply, the price has to fall globally. Oil sands are profitable at the current prices, and there are jobs attached to the extraction of said oil.
I do not disagree that we need to explore alternative energy. So why hoard the oil we have if it will become obsolete eventually anyway?
Iran is nuts, without a weapon they would cut off their own arm to beat you with it. I don't hold out much hope of sanctions doing anything.
Canada is producing oil, I assume profitably. We share some of the same deposits.
If we do not tap the reserves now- when?