Angry doesn't begin to address the complete dissatisfaction with gasoline prices in California. And understand gas prices are just the visible part of the iceberg. What you have at this point is the beaten down resignation of a disenfranchised populace; A nation-state so removed from democratic redress that no one even bothers to try. Wait, I take that back. State Senator Tom McClintock (R-Simi) is still tilting at the windmill that is the one party political machine that is Kalifornia. Having just returned within the last several hours from D.C. to my adopted home of SoCal and seeing a $1/gal difference between that all consuming Federal City and my energy efficient and producing as well as consuming Golden State I can only conclude the difference is but one of collusion. In D.C. the East Coast supply lines are longer the competition with other products (e.g. heating oil) greater and the combined taxes higher. Imagine Blue Crabs selling for 30% less in Santa Barbara than Baltimore for an equivalent level of the suspicion being raised.
And we Californians can do what? Elect a majority in the Legislature? Pass popular vote propositions? Tried both, actually managed to accomplish both only to have had both efforts thwarted by political machination.
Gas prices are high in California because there is no longer a rule of law. Suggesting that we are apathetic is but insult on our grevious injury. The level of our version of anti-democratic governance starts at the lowest levels and permeates up all the way to the Congressional and Presidential elections. Every 17 months California adds the equivalent of another Senator from the smallest State in population. Were California to be split into 8 separate States our current land area and population would gain at least 17 new House members and 14 new Senators and still none of these new creations would be in the lower quintile of State peers by any measure. Indeed, most would individually continue to be among the most important participants in the experiment that was the US of A. Note; I said -was- because as long as the rest of the nation allows the dysfunction that is CA to continue none of us are truly a Nation but a loose assemblage of self interests.
----
N.B. If you look real close and squint at the picture you can see one of the offshore oil rigs that makes a poducer as I mentioned in the text. [yeah right]
35 comments:
FIRST!
galinaserin.blogspot.com
Nigel,
If it's any consolation, the vast majority of us have had no change in our opinion of you.
The fact that you got a couple of positive/semi-positive posts on your "Don't hate Casey/Screw Casey the deal is off" blog does not mean we respect you. Quite simply, most of the folks here call it like they see it and are willing to commend what they view as positive actions regardless of source. There is very little hate for the sake of hating around here.
Congratulations on realizing that Casey is a lazy, waffling con man who is a business liability in any situation. Better late than never. Now about real estate prices....
The fact that you were, apparently, one burger flipping job away from being partners with the guy is a bit scary and does speak to your integrity a bit but, on the positive side, your Casey outing blog is a much more entertaining now.
www.iamfacingbankruptcy.com
SWEET!
#1 and #3,
No jealousy, none of that but needing to post a link in every thread is as boring as Nigel on a bad day.
Screw gas prices......where did you get that picture of my girlfriend?
Gasoline. You know, I've wondered what your "exurban nation" means for a while. Today, and most days, I don't consume gasoline that I bought directly. The price changes, but I don't care. Yesterday I spent a delicious day on a coaster scooter, catching a few busses up hills, and then coasting down. Today I rode my bike to work. I put gasoline in the same category as interest on debt: Don't buy it, and you're better off. Of course not everyone can live this way, and I know vast doomed ranges of our country rely on petrol for every aspect of living. I recently visited Arizona, and who nellie. Unsustainable? Destructive? You bet. And I'm told a lot of Cali is the same. What you gonna do? Dunno, perhaps you're doomed. And I know that before you kick the petrol addiction, there's gonna be lots of withdrawls, lots of bonkers political initiatives, and lots of denial/heads in sand. As for me, I see so much wonder and potential in the power of gravity, legs, trolleys and busses, biofuels, hybrid propulsion, and location, location, location.
Spot on, Rob Dawg. I often notice the 'grocery cart' economics between the east and west coasts. I can't wrap my head around the fact that California-grown fruits and veggies cost anywhere from one-third to one-half of the price on the east coast as they do in southern california.
Bottom line is that, as Californians, we're the nation's fucking pocketbook. We're the mommies and daddies that the lazy and indigent look to for a roof over thier heads, food on their plates, allowances and 'oops' money. Fucking bullshit.
Wait, let me just take this one step further...While the rest of the country has no problem siphoning off our money, they supposedly hate our 'live and let live' values and want to encroach on our morality with their faith-based fairy tales.
Secession now!
;-)
The trouble is that if those "vast, doomed ranges of our country" go down, they're going to take the less gas-dependent areas down with them. Cars are a necessity in many places because density is low, and low density is a prerequisite for farming.
Wag your finger at those of us who can't live the way you do all you want. Just remember that without us, you don't eat.
Screw gas prices......where did you get that picture of my girlfriend?
While you were busy screwing around with gas prices... Nevermind.
I've wondered what your "exurban nation" means for a while.
John, this subject has struck a discord. I shall expand in a future post. You obviously suscribe to the Kunstler myth of the end of suburbia. I look forward to a spirited debate on the subject.
Secession now!
Aspeth, damn straight grllfriend. We are the strongest horse in the string. We drag the old horses like New England and the weak horses like the south and the lazy horses like some others who know who they are and don't usually complain. It is time to complain.
Cars are a necessity in many places because density is low, and low density is a prerequisite for farming.
Why do you think it is called "truck farming?" Spot on my paleo-progenitor.
73. say what? April 6th, 2007 at 5:42 pm
Warning to all lovers–and haters–of this [IAFF] blog. My friend Walter Sobchek made up a new game–the Casey Serin drinking game! The premise sounded promising–read the entire blog, from beginning to end, and every time someone tells Casey to “get a job”, you do a shot. We found Walter the next morning in front of his laptop in a pool of his own vomit, surrounded by empty bottles, and he had only managed to get through less than 5% of Casey’s blog!!!
ROTFL
As an aside, our Toyota Camry 2007 hybrid gets between 42-47 MPG. They are pretty fun to drive to try and trick it into running in the more fuel efficient modes that it can do.
We get 800 miles per tank. Strangely enough I get the best mileage driving across the passes here in Colorado. With some more practice I think I can do better. I think that the EPA estimate on it is around 38MPG.
Cool stuff, indeed. It cost $25,900 and we got a few thousand back in a tax rebate for it.
The Prius' get about 10 MPG more. It's all about how much you pay attention to how you drive them. You can get 25MPG if you drive them like idiots.
You know, that's my only problem with you hybrid freaks...most of you are in some sort of fucking game to eke out a few extra feet from every fucking drop of gas. It makes you drive like idiots--tailgating people so that you can draft off of the car in front of you like you're fucking Lance Armstrong, cruising at 25 or 20 miles an hour when the speed limit is fifty because you don't want to press down on the fucking gas pedal...utter nonsense. Why can't you people just be happy with your increased mileage as is? You're fucking road hazards.
@At 7:11 PM, Aspeth
Your point is well taken. However, that's not how I roll at all. The trick is to get the best mileage at the highest speeds. Rolling at 75-80MPG on the highway and still getting the big numbers is the challenge. And it's not that difficult. In Nebrahoma, yeah, well, there's not much to be had there. But in any place where there are some hills it's game on -- and I never, ever do anything that would every inconvenience another driver in this effort. That would compromise safety.
These hybrids are complicated machines -- mine has nine computers in it and two generators. It learns as it drives.
I agree with you that anybody trying to make MPG numbers at the expense of others are complete assholes.
I know food production usually entails petrol power. I support bioregionalism, though it's often unclear how. It would be misleading to argue that our gas consumption revolves around food production. Unfortunately, my own land is not suitable for farming. :(
If a gas crisis causes the collapse of vast swaths of America, it won't be enough to stand at the border with a gun. But it's a start. How is an oil-centered foreign policy treating those poor, rural youngsters in the armed services?
My neighbor got a tax break on his Escalade because it weighs so much. Just because we rely on fuel to perform useful work, doesn't mean we should throw caution to the wind and burn as much as we possibly can. But riding my various ZEV's around, it sure looks like we try. My city (Seattle) is often perfect for human propulsion, and in fact it's rather popular here. But I still slide by mile after mile of jammed traffic. I am willing to sacrifice to stay out of cars.
I will be very happy the day I can ditch my 66-mile-a-day commute for something shorter.
And that's despite the fact that I lucked out and managed to snag one of the few American-made, automatic transmission cars that regularly gets better than 30 MPG on the highway. I hate commuting, I hate the car culture, and I hate urban sprawl.
@Anon 7:19...Fair enough ;-)
How much energy does it take to build a hybrid car? Wouldn't you save more energy by driving your previous used car?
My little truck was "created" seven years ago when oil prices were much lower. I plan to drive my used car for as long as possible and then buy another used car.
John, do you have children? I work in Seattle and live a bit north, about 3 minutes from the city limits. It would be hard to manage without a vehicle. Driving my daughter to preschool on my bike would be very dangerous and taking the bus back and forth to preschool and then to work would be rather inefficient. We do like to take the bus downtown on the weekends. It is best not to battle parking.
Most transportation decisions are based on personal need. Btw, a perfect day in Seattle today!!! As a recent southern transplant, I have been missing the sun.
@Stupidtoo -- don't they have school buses in Seattle?
They do not have school buses at my daughter's preschool. She will start primary school later this year but will still have to be driven to before and from after school care. I work 7-4pm.
With traffic I leave at 6:30am and get home around 4:30. It is a great schedule and I get to miss alot of the traffic.
Re:
>>As an aside, our Toyota Camry 2007 hybrid gets between 42-47 MPG.<<
Has everyone forgotten the Toyota Starlet? I was broke 22 years ago when I was a civil servant, before I became an audiovisual production guy. I needed a car when my Malibu blew up. I only had $2K to spare, and I always buy a car with whatever cash I have on hand. I found a Starlet on a lot, used, for $2K, so I bought it. 46 miles per gallon! I was impresssed. I drove it until the transmission needed repair a few years later. The car was only imported for two years, and there were no parts to be had at any price. After a month, I told the garage to keep it in exchange for not billing me for attempted repairs. They sold it to a salvage yard.
To be fair, the Starlet was 1800 pounds soaking wet, had no air conditioning, no safety features, no sweet stereo system, it had a standard transmission, and it was anemic on hills - but it nicely served the role of a powered, wheeled conveyance. I am easily pleased and not picky at all. I suppose that's why I haven't used my skills to attain responsible adult wealth.
Traipsing down memory lane can be very boring for everyone! Fortunately, I have time. In 1986, my ex-wife's uncle was visiting from East Germany, and we had to pick him up at an airport in PA - I forget which airport. He spoke very little English, and spouse'n'I didn't traffic in filthy alien tongues. As we drove our microscopic Starlet back home, we passed, and were passed by, several tractor trailers, some hauling those dangerous-looking double loads. Communist unc freaked out big-time whenever we were passed by a truck on the interstate. He would actually scramble in the back seat, like an animal, to the other side of the car, mumbling in "foreign", panic clearly visible on his face.
The Starlet was short on amenities, so it was practically like driving naked in a go-cart down the highway. Road noise? Oh yeah. The car was in no way streamlined, so passing vehicles buffeted it as if was being smacked by a big hand. In East Germany, unc later told us through a translator, all freight moved by rail, and the highways were not shared by huge, dangerous trucks. Roads were for cars only. He had never experienced what we would consider mundane: being passed by a truck on the highway. His first exposure to that was in what may have been the worst possible vehicle.
Unc was pissed later when the wall fell and Eased Germany got all free and stuff. His conditions were guaranteed under the previous system - his job was for life, and he had a pension and benefits of many kinds. When 'capitalism' broke loose, he lost what he had thought was going to be a permanent job. He mourned for the good old days, even though under communist rule, when he left the country to visit family, he was issued a non-negotiable deadline for his return, and if he was late by even five minutes when he was due to report in at the police station, he would have been imprisoned. How's that for a run-on sentence, damn it.
Anyway, I forgot what the hell I was talking about, and I am three drinks past my good place...
@Sprezz
Re: Commute
I TOTALLY understand.
I do 66 miles each way too. That's weird.
It sort of makes you understand road rage a bit better though. Nothing like bimbos in Jettas applying makeup while weaving to get your blood flowing in the morning.
:)
NPR had a great program about cars and alternative fuels today.
NPR
Show
sorry robD
i love your site
i cant wait until it all ends
or at least we see some more KO's from homey!
im waiting for how the Suze show turns out too.
come on i even put a snowflake on the facing bankruptcy starter page!
"Gas prices are high in California because there is no longer a rule of law."
Gas prices are high in the Golden Showers state because politicians demand that various locales have different gasoline blends. Most refineries are in Texas and Louisiana, yet gasoline made in Texas cannot be sold in California unless it meets California regulations.
Our congresswads should agree on one standard. That way, when a stressed California refinery goes offline, refineries in other parts of the country can immediately send in replacement stocks. I don't care whose standard it is, it should just be uniform across the country.
stupidtoo: no children. and no dispute that children and many other people require cars. cars are cheap, i guess, relatively speaking. for the cost you get a greater range. the paradox is, once you have a greater range, you tend to go further. by extending and extending this, we end up with bizarre commutes and bizarre communities. some of the freedom we thought we'd gained gets eaten up, and we're just enslaved to another set of machines.
today in seattle was exceptional and i enjoyed bicycling around the lake to my office. later i biked to the movies. if more people stopped driving, then more services would be within walking distance.
I really don't understand those who drive hybrid cars, it seems to me virtually the same as the Hummer people, just at the other end of the spectrum. WTF do I know, I commute 30 feet, about 120 if I get coffee first.
anon,
Damn I gotta shuffle like 120 feet just to get the coffee. Master bedroom is the other side of the house from the kitchen.
Hah. Got you all beat. I rise and commute 12 feet from my bed to my desk. Coffee maker is 10 feet to the left. 800 square feet of decrepit luxury goin' on here. Place looks like one of those cannibal murderer lairs from the movies, only substitute wall-to-wall computer, video, and audio equipment for human body parts. Cables are everywhere, even dangling from rusty hooks jammed into the ceiling. Dusty cat5 (wireless costs too much), Firewire, USB, 300 feet of purloined coax fed by DirecTV (they charge for each additional box so I just have one box for all five TVs), big stinking coils of every variety lie, snakelike, in every corner, bound by straining twist ties. I have the filth and peeling paint thing down. Looks like an emergency studio set up in a barn almost. Yet, my girlfriend wants a house, even though this is paradise.
I'm 12' from the downstairs (summer) bed & 54' from the upstairs (winter) bed.
Coffee is within 10' but I gave it up last month. EN gets the juices going now.
Visitor noted that it looks like a research lab & that is exactly what it is. About once a week, the cats kick stuff like internet modems, routers onto the floor & disconnect me. At least the don't eat cables...
I'm with my fellow Californian Rob-Dawg.
Yes, we take a lot of bashing from the rest of the country for our tree hugging, granola eating, govenator non-sense. But I still like it here.
Good luck with that letter R-Dawg. In addition to calling Dodd, Clinton, Boxer, and Feinstein, I sent some emails as well. Only heard back from Boxer with the generic 'thanks - your opinion matters' boilerplate.
And the next time you are feeling angst against Cali - just remember how Tupac felt, and I quote 'California.....knows how to party'.
I can't believe no one else has said this... if you want to save on gas, RIDE A MOTORCYCLE.
Re:
>>RIDE A MOTORCYCLE<<
Unfortunately, that's not a good option for those with faulty points of articulation caused by having two parents with early multiple joint failure, getting rear-ended by an idiot in a pickup truck and waking up in a Nissan accordian, falling off a tree backwards when cleaning up after a tornado, and going down a fire escape the "wrong way" thirty years ago. You tend to fall off the damn bike, if you can even get on it. It's necessary to have a self-supporting thing on which to sit so's you don't topple over. Bikes would be cool if they held themselves up and didn't require such extreme knee-bending.
FYI the Rob Dawg has a 1983 Suzuki GS1100ES a piece of machinery so potent it should be illegal and the way this country is going probably will be some day.
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