Date:         Thu, 21 Mar 2002 16:52:51 GMT
Reply-To:     dmc@CYBURBAN.COM
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Dave M <dmc@CYBURBAN.COM>
Subject:      Re: Fuel prices - no Vanagon content

> From:    John Brush <jbrush@AROS.NET>
> Subject: Re: Fuel prices - no Vanagon content
>
> If we import 80% of our oil (made up number) and our cars are getting
> 20mpg, we are too dependent on foreign oil, which all would agree is not a
> good thing.
>
That number is about right, I think its 75%


> If we force the price to $8 a gallon, and end up with tiny little Yugos to
> drive around in, we will still import 80% of our oil, already agreed upon
> to be a bad thing. Where is the benefit if our percentage of dependence
> remains the same??
>
Because we would be importing less (quantity), we would be less dependent (75% of a
million
gallons is less than 75% of 2 million gallons is it not?).
Because we would be buying a lesser percentage of the oil nations output, they would have
less
influence on us.  If the foreign source were cut off, it would have less impact.

You dont have to drive a tiny Yugo to get good gas mileage but there is no incentive for
the
vehicle manufacturers to make fuel efficient vehicles when gas is so cheap. Remember when
we
had the EPA mpg regulations how the vahicle manufacturers somehow made the gas mileage
improve
each year?

> We pay less at the pump than other countries because we are the ones
> funding the middle east protection racket and ours are the men dying to
> keep the oil flowing. I'll be damned if I think it would be fair for us to
> pay the same amount for a gallon as say, the French. How many French men
> have died in the middle east? How much money have the French citizens paid
> in taxes to fund a military presence in Kuwait, and to keep the oil
> flowing out?
>
If we were less dependent on foregign oil, we would not have to do that and could save an
enormous amount of money (and American lives). Your point seems like an argument in favor
of
being less dependent on foreign oil.

> I am not picking on the French :) but the point is, we pay plenty for a
> gallon of gas, its just hidden from view like our tax system. There are
> many legit studies that put the cost of a gallon of gas in America into
> double digits.
>
Probably true, but its an inefficient system of financing. The people who use the gas
should
pay for the gas. Thats not happening - that would only happen if the cost of gas is the
true
cost (i.e. much higher).

The price of gas should also include the the cost of the effects of pollution and the cost
of
building and maintaining the road network.


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