Let's try to bring down gasoline prices!!

The American Dream is unsustainable. Nobody wants to be at the bottom, but we have to get food and clothes and stuff from somewhere, so if we preach that everyone can rise to the top, we will have to learn to be at the top and still use less, and contribute to production of necessities.

At some point this lifestyle will collapse for most people, and it's going to be pretty uncomfortable, but we'll get through it, and hopefully learn from it.

Studies have shown that beyond having basic needs met, people with more money are not happier than people with less. So what is it really worth, anyway?

Well maybe Exxon-Mobile will similarly have their prices just the way they are for however long God wants them to. To say imply that we may as well not do anything because God has everything under control isn't a satisfactory response - Sky.. If God gave you the cognitive resources for fight for something you think worth fighting for (The prices Exxon-Mobile is charging) then surely he'd expect you to apply those same cognitive resources to fight for something that is even more important (the future of this planet).

I came back just now because I wanted to make it clear that I DO NOT AT ALL CONDONE the bombing of the twin towers. Not at all. I also wanted to say, however, that to call it 'the bombing of the twin towers' is to sanitize the situation - and to make it seem even less understandable than it is. It was the 'World Trade Centre'. And to think that the bombing of the 'World Trade Centre' on US soil was completely unrelated to foreign concern about the US stance on World Trade is... A little odd, to say the least.

I'm not sure about the 'American Dream'. If you ask different people what they take the dream to be then they will give you different answers. It is one particular interpretation of the 'American Dream' that I find problematic. It isn't at all an interpretation that the majority of people within the US condone, I don't think.

I do find it hard, though, when people have this attitude of 'I have the right to certain things in life that are well above the basic necessessities, and if anyone tries to take that away from me then I will defend it to the end'. I find it hard because one only gets to have so much in life in virtue of others going without. And the implication seems to be 'well I have what I have because I deserve it and they have little because they are lazy or whatever'. And of course that doesn't follow at all. One doesn't choose whether one will be born at all, one doesn't choose the income of ones parents at all, one doesn't choose what country one will be born in at all. But still... That does little to curb the sense of entitlement...

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_sabby_ said:
It's certainly a crazy situation all around. I'm not sure that there is any cut and dry answer to this issue except to say that the almighty buck drives hard and fast.....

One point I would like to make at this time...please do not consider this a platform for discussing political views on this subject. Lets remember that our postings should be within guidelines.


sabby

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Thanks for bumping that muffy!

How is discussion of boycotting Exxon Mobile (for political reasons) not a political discussion? Oh, because it wasn't supposed to be a discussion at all... It was something that people were just mindlessly expected to do...

I'm glad oil prices are going up. Oil isn't going to last forever. I don't think I will ever learn to drive. I'm happy with my lifestyle.

I agree many feel entitled.

I think my head is about to explode from reading this.

no offense Sky, but can you name one instance where a Boycott actually accomplished this? I think not, this concept has already been debunked by a number of economists

Here are the facts:

1. Exxon-Mobile's profit margin is 4 percent. Even if you could affect their sales, they have no real room to lower prices, they would simply reduce operations and lay people off.
2, Exxon does not control the price of world oil. THAT IS WHAT DRIVES THE PRICE AT THE PUMP. IF OIL GOES UP EXXON LIKE EVERY BUSINESS MUST PASS THE COST ON TO THE CONSUMER- ECON 101
3. Our car companies were awash with profits from Americans being dumb and buying SUVs. Where was the investment in Hybrids at that time? They had access to the same projections that Honda and Toyota had in the mid nineties. Now the Japanese companies are rolling in profits and our big three can barely tread water at this point.
4. I have seen the talk regarding the American Dream, and I i think Kim is right, we cannot live as our parents and grandparents lived, the world's resources cannot sustain a wasteful lifestyle. The pain at the pump is the canary in the mineshaft, a distant warning. that we really need to transform our social and economic structure to a new reality.

Mods, please close this thread, this will be an endless political debate, that will get ugly if it keeps going.

Ok, we tried to re-direct this thread and remind folks about the guidelines for posting. It's obvious that some members here have difficulties with the idea of posting within guidelines.

If you cannot help yourself and think you will post outside of guidelines, then the best thing to do is walk away from a thread and not respond. And lets not forget that posting regarding admin issues is also against guidelines. If you have specific issues with any guidelines or admin decisions, feel free to bring it to the team in pm and we'll be happy to discuss these issues with you.

Thank you to the members who did their best to keep within guidelines. It is much appreciated. Unforutnately the few who cannot stay within guidelines help the team to decide to close or pull a thread....and at this time, this thread will now be closed.