Alaskan Pipeline Closure May Fuel Motorists’ Ire Ugh. What a terrible pun. But the story itself is actually worse. The Bay Area will not face an oil shortage, but gas prices may jump in the weeks to come following a shutdown of Alaska oil supplies, experts said Monday. London-based BP Amoco PLC, the world’s second-largest oil supplier, is shutting down … Read More
Those Poor Gas & Oil Companies
As Jon Stewart pointed out recently, let’s not feel bad for the oil companies. Poor BP set a record quarterly profit of $6.118 billion, or roughly $55,000 per minute. And news comes out today that Exxon second quarter profits for this year jumped 36 percent. They netted "earned $10.36 billion in the second quarter, the second largest quarterly profit ever … Read More
Gas Prices At An All Time High
Just thought you should know: Nationwide gas prices hit an all-time high in the last two weeks, rising nearly 2 cents to just over $3 per gallon, according to a survey released Sunday. The national average for self-serve regular stood at $3.0150 a gallon Friday, up 1.98 cents in the last two weeks, according to the Lundberg Survey of 7,000 … Read More
Kill The Penny
Count me among those who think the penny is worthless in the single, and costly in the aggregate: NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) — Representative Jim Kolbe wants to do away with the penny – and for the second time has introduced legislation that would effectively kill it. The Currency Overhaul for an Industrious Nation (COIN) Act would force the rounding off … Read More
Gas Prices Officially At Their Highest Of The Year
But you already knew that, right? Here’s the local forecast: North Carolina: A variety of reasons are adding up to another spike in gas prices. Parts of the Triangle are seeing gasoline on average for around $2.74 a gallon. The statewide average is $2.75 a gallon. However, some analysts believe gas could be as high as $3 a gallon by … Read More
Strange Acquisitions
Nestle to buy Jenny Craig for $600 million
Your Phone Isn’t A Luxury
Back in 1898, the federal government imposed a 3% excise tax on all long-distance phone calls. It was called a "luxury tax", because back then, only the wealthiest Americans could make long-distance phone calls. In fact, most Americans didn’t have a phone. Oddly enough, that "luxury tax" has been with us for 108 years, even though phones and long-distance calls … Read More
What The Tax Cuts Mean To You
GOP conservatives voted yesterday to extend the 15 percent tax rate for capital gains and dividends until 2010. This will add another 70 billion to the deficit. But you’ll get a tax refund, right? Well… actually…. according to the Tax Policy Center study (as reported by the New York Times): The top tenth of 1 percent, whose average income is … Read More
Spend-Crazy Republicans
In March, the GOP-controlled Senate voted to increase the federal debt limit by $781 billion, bringing the debt ceiling to nearly $9 trillion. Neat trick. If you find yourself outspending the legal limits, just change the legal limits. And now, two months later, GOP lawmakers decided to raise it again. A $2.7 trillion budget plan pending before the House would … Read More
I’m Playing The World’s Smallest Violin
Actual article headline: Bill Gates Wishes He Wasn’t So Rich And indeed, the article is about Bill Gates moaning over his 50 billion dollar wealth. Yeah, it must really suck.
I Am So Glad I Bought A Hybrid!
High oil and gas prices are here to stay.
Gas Prices Prompt School Closings
Will we be seeing more of this?
Times Explains “Net Neutrality”
Good editorial: "Net neutrality" is a concept that is still unfamiliar to most Americans, but it keeps the Internet democratic. Cable and telephone companies that provide Internet service are talking about creating a two-tiered Internet, in which Web sites that pay them large fees would get priority over everything else. Opponents of these plans are supporting Net-neutrality legislation, which would … Read More
The Big Boycott
Michelle Malkin looks at this poster and writes: "Welcome to May 1. It’s the day to hate the Yankees. That is: Americans, not the baseball team." So I guess you hate Americans if you support "the family unit", "justice for Hurricane Katrina survivors, unions, and workers. Thanks, Michelle.
Pump Prayers
I don’t know what to make of this: WASHINGTON, April 26 (UPI) — A U.S. Christian group has grown tired of escalating gasoline prices and is set to stage a national prayer rally to lower the numbers at the pumps. Various Christian clergy from around the country will convene around a Washington, D.C., gas station Thursday at noon to pray. … Read More