Yall left Atlanta just in time

[softball]

Originally Posted by Hell Puppy

This is an example of what happens when the herd gets spooked. And it should scare the bejeezus out of anyone to think about what might happen if we had a real gas crunch where the entire country didn't know where the next tank full might come from...

Here's what happens...

Ike and Gustav slow production of gasoline coming out of the Gulf Coast. The refineries are just starting to get back to full speed. That is where the entire southeastern U.S. gets it's gasoline.

But that's just part of the problem.

You see, tree huggers a while back got concerned about the amount of smog hanging around Atlanta. Their brilliant idea to keep Atlanta from looking like LA was a special blend of gasoline for all counties in roughly a 75 mile radius of Atlanta that is low in sulfur. It's called a "boutique" blend.

Now this boutique gasoline is one of the last to get spun up. So last sunday it started to become somewhat difficult to find gas. Maybe half the stations were out.

Enter the news media!

GASOLINE SHORTAGE! All over the news. So the herd goes out and fills up everything they own that will hold gasoline. By Tuesday, more stations were out than had gas.

Now it's FUEL CRISIS!!!!! All over the news, the herd now starts topping off everytime they see gas and the governor finally convinces the EPA to lift our special requirements for blends to get as much gas as we can into the region.

Problem is, Georgia also has an anti-price-gouging law. Now this might sound good on the surface, but it prevents the free market from fixing itself. So you have a product EVERYONE wants and is panicing to buy, it's in short supply, but you cant raise the price.

So here's the current scene...tankers are rolling 24/7....and many of them have 10-20 cars following them (i shit you not!). Many stations that are empty have people camped waiting for the tankers to show up. So when a tanker rolls up, it drops it's load, and the station will empty it within 6-7 hours tops. People get on the internet, post where the gas is, get on their cell phones call their friends, and within 15 minutes of the tanker's arrival you'll have a quarter mile line in both directions of people wanting to get gas whether they need it right then or not for fear there wont be enough later when they do need it.

Its like the 70's all over again. But here is the big question. If all this gas produced in the gulf is destined for the south. Why do the gas prices go up in Canada and the rest of the US? BTW, I disagree with you that the free market can fix this. Look at the economy today. That is the free market in full cry.....on bended knee.....asking for welfare payments because the free market does not work. Period.

[Hell Puppy]

Originally Posted by rhetorical

Its like the 70's all over again. But here is the big question. If all this gas produced in the gulf is destined for the south. Why do the gas prices go up in Canada and the rest of the US?

The Gulf supplies many areas, but markets such as Atlanta, Charlotte, Nashville are fed ONLY from the gulf. Now interestingly enough, Katrina did much more damage and we only had a couple of days where gas prices spiked and a few lines, but nothing like this although the damage was less.

Drill off the coast of Florida and we never have this problem again. Well at least not for another decade when the middle east hits max production and the world supply starts a downward trend.

BTW, I disagree with you that the free market can fix this. Look at the economy today. That is the free market in full cry.....on bended knee.....asking for welfare payments because the free market does not work. Period.

It's not a pure free market, it's a market tampered with by government regulations. This whole economic crunch is directly tied to bad loans. The so-called "sub prime" loans. Banks were encouraged and incented to take a chance and write loans to people who were high risk.

Again, I refer you to the Community Reinvestment Act and specifically the 1995 revisions put in by Clinton. Google it.


The U.S. conversion to socialism is inevitable at this point. I think this winds up being the first big step in that direction. But that doesn't mean I have to like it. The government hasn't shown me one thing they can run efficiently, why should I want to turn over even more power and control to them?