What Gas Price Will Be the Final Death Bell ?

[lib2DaBone]

I read today where over 900 small trucking companies have gone out of business in the last year. The price of gas must be passed along. Electric bills, airline tickets and food prices; at what gas price does the economy seize up and fail to function?

[CC]

1. At least one larger trucking company

has shut down. Jevic Transportation. http://www.philly.com/philly/business/breaking/20080519_Jevic_Transportation_closes__citing_fuel_costs.html

Not so sure the economy isn't already seizing up and not sure it would take much more to fail.

[DJ13]

2. I think were almost there already

Many price increases in every product you can think of arent reflected on the retail shelves yet.

When those increases hit our economy will be in big trouble.

[Rick Myers]

3. We are VERY close!!!

Truckers can't keep raising 'fuel surcharges' forever!!!

The oil situation is CLEARLY a collaboration between government (Phil Gramm (R-asshat)) and BIG OIL...

CHINA is drilling in the Keys!!! LIE!

OPEC is screwing us! LIE!

OPEC is extremely concerned with oil prices...

But Phil (My wife sucks Enron) Gramm slipped a freakin' 250+ page amendment into a bill at 1am, and it's a loophole called 'the enron' that allows for speculation in the oil market by companies SLEAZEIER than Enron...

[and-justice-for-all]

4. Would'nt be great if we could shut down the economy..

for a month. Have 90% of the population not buy a damn thing or go anywhere for a month, just slam on the brakes.

5.00 a gallon will be the topper.

[iamjoy]

5. There Is None

There is no "final death bell" - only a long downward spiral.

Really I don't know what you mean by final death bell - the economy seizing and not functioning. Do you mean widespread riots here like in some of the world's poorest nations? Do you mean people eating mud pies? Or do you just mean a recession the likes of which makes the 1930's look like a picnic?

I don't think it will be sudden, it will be gradual. As fuel prices rise, there will be increasing pressure to step up domestic exploration - even in environmentally sensitive areas. Sayonara polar bear, caribou, clean beaches, national parks, etc. These are luxuries we can't afford when people are starving. As fuel prices rise, the government will try other solutions, some of them good, some of them well intentioned but pig headed.

But hey, we survived the embargo of the early 70s and the crisis of the late 70s, so there's hope...

[lib2DaBone]

8. Long Downward Spiral.. ..Banana Republic USA

I think you are correct about the long downward spiral. It's going to be quality of life adjustment for American's thanks to our Corp/Gov and NAFTA. The economy may never freeze up completely, but it could. I was thinking back on Economics 101, where they talk about "Elasticity" of demand. You know, if milk goes up to $10 a quart, people switch to powdered milk. When powdered milk hits $10 a quart, they quit buying altogether because they cant afford it. If people quit buying, the store employees get laid off and they then no longer have a paycheck. If the trucks stop rolling, the store shelves are empty. If electric goes up to $500 a month, people shut it off. So at some point, because of gas, the economy just "Locks Up". But you are correct. We survived the embargo back in the 70's. I just hope cooler heads prevail this time around. We didn't have Rush Limbaugh and Bill O'Reilly stirring the pot back in the 70's.

[Kindigger]

6. Hard to say, people are such dumba@@es

For awhile gas was going up steadily every day. I finally noticed that the SUVs and trucks that would usually "gun it" around me (while gesturing rudely), were instead following me, or waiting until they could safely pass in a civilized manner.

Last week, gas stayed around the same price for almost a week, and they went back to driving like creeps. One even got so PO'd about me holding him up that he punched it around me, slammed on his brakes, and opened his door menacingly.

I was going up the freeway off ramp one day when I noticed a car riding my bumper. I thought, "You're supposed to be slowing on the ramp, not speeding up.", so I took my foot completely off the gas, and coasted. When I got to the stop sign I noticed the car was a new hybrid. The idiot bought a hybrid just so he could drive the same old way.

On the local news tonight I learned that electric bills were going to go up 30% in one fell swoop! I live in the dark at night, I only turn my water heater on when I absolutely need to; there's nothing left I can do. It was 90 the other day, and my neighbor asked me why I didn't have my air conditioner on. I told her it wasn't mine, that it was left here by another tenant, and anyway WTF did people do before the air conditioner was invented? She told me I was ODD. And I thought....nevermind.

It's just too bad all the money I've been saving on electricity and gas will have to go toward the purchase of an "equalizer" to keep in the car, and defend myself against out-of-control heathens.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that those who have no clue, those who have never conserved for the sake of conservation are going to be the first to go totally nutso.

[Rick Myers]

7. Amen. We R f00ked!!!

No 'problems' with this election. No. We The People will NOT take it...