U.A.E drag stip with CGT, ENZO, SLR, etc.
 

nice post--thanks!

Just remember that our paying $3 a gallon is what bought those cars. Someday this will change and hope we are around to see it.

Joe A

Amen to that... comforting to see them spending it on cars rather than funding terrorists though... ;-)

Ballers.

There was a lot of this talk in the linked thread - did you read any of it? A lot was deleted because I guess it was a little too inflamatory, but you could piece it together from quotes in other people's posts.

Maybe you should read up a bit before posting ignorant remarks. Only a small percentage of US imports come from the middle east. Most of it comes from Canada and central/south America. 68% of US oil imports in 2005 have come from 5 countries, only one of which is in the middle east (Saudi Arabia). In fact, the country where these drag races took place (UAE) isn't even on the list of oil exporters to the US.

In 2004, imports accounted for 42% of oil consumed in the US.

Your $3 at the pump is actually making a lot of Texans rich., not Arabs Prices are high because the cost of domestic oil has skyrocketed lately, mostly due to damaged infrastructure from Katrina.

Sources:
http://www.eia.doe.gov/pub/oil_gas/petroleum/data_publications/company_level_imports/current/import.html
http://www.eia.doe.gov/emeu/cabs/usa.html
(note these are governement sites, not left- or right-biased sites)

I don't think Joe's comments are as ignorant as you make them out to be.... $3 at the pump is a reflection of world oil prices. The fact that the whole world is paying so much for oil means that some Arabs are getting very rich (as well as some Texans, and even some Albertans).

The difference between most of the middle east and a place like, say, Alberta, is that the revenues generated stay in the hands of a few monarchs to blow on things like fast cars and palaces. In Alberta the funds are used to pay for social services.

Prices haven't risen as dramatically around the world as they have in the states, though. Here we're paying just under 90 cents CDN per litre, which would work out to about $3.42 CDN/$2.90 US per US gallon. That's only risen maybe 10 cents/litre over the last year or so, and about 40 cents/litre over the last decade.

Pappy always told me to never discuss religion or politics with friends, for they will not remain your friends for long. So, I usually stay out of threads like this. And I'll probably wish later that I didn't make this post. But I do have 2 comments.

First, it really bothers me to see Americans whine about $3.00 gas. We have the cheapest gas in the world (excepting some oil producing countries). Last time I flew to Ireland, I was paying the equivalent of over $5.00/gallon. This year, I have already been informed that it is around $7.00/gal (USD). By comparison, $3.00/gallon at home is a pretty sweet deal.

Second, it bothers me to see people whine about somebody getting rich. Do people b1tch about Michael Dell getting rich? Do they suggest that the government subsidize their computer purchases? (well, maybe some people do...:rolleyes: ) It just doesn't make sense. Dell has a product to sell. You buy it at the price they ask, or you don't buy it. Venezuela, Canada, UAE, and other oil producing countries have a product to sell. You either buy it or you don't. They get rich... so what. It's not their job to make your life easy, or to make it affordable to drive your hummer. It's their job to export oil, and to make a profit.

One of the foundations of our economy is "capitalism." Yet when somebody gets a bit of a pinch, they run out and start demanding subsidies, requesting trade restrictions, and invading other countries.

Do I find the higher gas prices uncomfortable? Hell yes!! But I don't whine about it - I do something about it. I drive less; I consolodate trips; I drive my truck less and my 4 cylinder car (or my bike) more. I adjust.

But let's be honest... this thread isn't really about gas prices. It's about jealousy and envy. It's about what they have, or more accurately, about what we do not have.


Alright... http://www.pelicanparts.com/support/...amingdevil.gif Fire away!




US imports by country http://www.eia.doe.gov/emeu/ipsr/t410a.xls
The 1973 oil crisis http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1973_energy_crisis

I agree with alot of this, however, what you see there is not the product of capitalism... it is the monarchs in those countries that recieve the oil revenues. The Michael Dell analogy is not very accurate. A more fair comparison would be to Paris Hilton, although at least her relatives went out and earned it the hard way. The only reason these people have what they have is because they were yanked out of the right crotch at birth.

What a bunch of maroons...

Drag racing Enzo's, CGT's, Ford GT's, etc.

Terrific waste of fine automobiles, I would love to waltz in there with a big block 4X4 Chevy pickup truck and blow them all away.

I understand that their system is not capitalism, but my point is that we violate our own system of capitalism when we start prompting our government to subsidize our wasteful consumerism by "fixing" gas prices. I realize that the people pictured at the drag strip have their toys by virtue of birthright - but that is their system; their society. But even if every man, woman, and child in that country had an Enzo, it still does not change the analogy that you either pay their asking price - or you don't. It's their product.


Hey, oldfart...
You better weight the bed and be running some good slicks... or you're getting smoked while the back end of that peekup hops around at the line.

That's right up there with the Litany Against Fear!

Yes, I did read a lot of the thread and noticed that there was a lot missing.

I am very happy that you feel that you need to comment on my experience in the Middle East. I assume and hope that yours is as good. Considering that I have lived and worked in the Middle East and am in Geneve right now and heading to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia on Thursday, I might have just a bit of experience on this area. We then go to Dubai, UAE and Bahrain, most of which have a fair hand in the oil futures market and supply oil to the world.

Believe that your comment on "making Texans" rich might need some adjusting. ARAMCO and the other middle east oil companies are having a boom year, as their refineries are not the least effected by the hurricanes, yet are pumping out the crude at record rates that are being sold at record prices. Saudi Arabia sales of oil are at a 22 year high. How do you equate Texans with the Saudi oil barons?

Saudi Oil Income to Reach $163 Bln, Most in 22 Years (Update1)
Oct. 23 (Bloomberg) --

Saudi Arabia is set to generate its highest oil revenue in more than two decades allowing the kingdom to reduce debt and boost spending on education and job creation plans in a bid to reduce unemployment that poses a threat to the country's stability.

The world's largest oil exporter will derive $163 billion from oil sales this year, the most in 22 years, on higher prices and more exports, according to Samba Financial Group, the country's second- largest bank. The price of Saudi crude oil will average $51 a barrel in 2005, 45 percent more than last year, the Riyadh-based lender said in a report on the economy received by e-mail yesterday.

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=10000087&sid=a.yLLvrUJmUE&refer=top_world _news


Next time you lob a harpoon at someone you might get your facts correct beforehand. Also might be nice if you had an idea about the person you are trying to go after. I travel the world for a living and have just a little bit of experience in this area.

Joe A

My post wasn't a personal attack on you, sorry if you took it that way, it was an attack on your statements. I actually didn't comment at all on your experiences in the middle east. I don't disagree with anything you've just said, however none of what you just said refutes what I said originally. Yes the middle east is getting rich from oil, but it's not necessarily all American dollars getting them rich. Most other developed nations have to import most of their oil. Look at Europe, China, Japan, well, pretty much all of SE Asia.

In fact, if the US relied more on imports rather than domestic oil, your gas prices at the pump would probably be a lot lower right now, because, like you said, non-US oil supplies weren't affected by the hurricane.

Though unrelated, it's not hard to equate Texans with Saudi oil barons - look at the close personal and business connections between the Bush family and the Bin Laden family (minus Osama, of course).