TheNiche Posted October 23, 2008 Share Posted October 23, 2008 Yes, I understand. But I didn't start getting PAID more.In real dollar equivalents, you are getting paid more. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
houstonmacbro Posted October 23, 2008 Share Posted October 23, 2008 In real dollar equivalents, you are getting paid more.With inflation and other items that are still as expensive or more, I am not getting paid more. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheNiche Posted October 23, 2008 Share Posted October 23, 2008 With inflation and other items that are still as expensive or more, I am not getting paid more.You're getting paid more today in real terms than you were two or three months ago. No doubt about that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subdude Posted October 23, 2008 Share Posted October 23, 2008 The dollar is doing better compared to the Euro b/c although our economy is in a bit of trouble right now, Europe and Asia's economies are doing even worse.Some European economies yes, but not all and certainly not most of Asia. The reason the economist was perplexed is that the Fed is flooding the world with dollars, which in theory should lead to a cheaper dollar. I don't pretend to understand all of this, but my guess is that it is in part driven by a flight to perceived safety (the dollar) and by the negative relationship with oil prices, more than an assessment of the relative strengths of world economies. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subdude Posted December 25, 2008 Share Posted December 25, 2008 Trucks are back! This could be seen coming from a mile away.Cheap Gas = Trucks to outsell cars again this monthby Dan Roth on Dec 24th 2008 at 9:58AMIt's the same old story, people say one thing, yet do another. The price of fuel has fallen to the point that it's no longer financially ruinous to fill the tank on a full-size pickup, so looks like truck sales will eclipse cars in December. Despite the public's rhetoric about smaller and more fuel efficient vehicles, the populous has seemingly gone back for another feed at the truck trough. Winter tends to remind people of the things that SUVs and trucks are good for, like plowing and effortless going in inclement conditions while also carrying a passel of rugrats and their associated detritus. Not only are truck sales expected to be up, Hybrids will be the flip side of the trend, underperforming compared to what everyone might have thought a mere four months ago. It might end well for the automakers, with higher profit trucks bouncing back, though the investment in green and hybrid technology will go wasted if the marketplace ignores it, a real danger with fuel prices easing...Autoblog link Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
houstonmacbro Posted December 25, 2008 Share Posted December 25, 2008 Trucks are back! This could be seen coming from a mile away.Autoblog linkMan, this is really sad. So when gas returns to $4 a gallon (or higher in the next year or two) these same fools are gonna be crying and lamenting.I am not talking about people buying these trucks for work purposes, but just the average consumer who should choose a fuel efficient car, but wants to be Texan Man (or woman) and ride around in their big F-150 for thrills and status.Sad. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crunchtastic Posted December 26, 2008 Share Posted December 26, 2008 I don't know if I should put this in the 'ironic' column or not, but in the past week I've seen three H-3s with Obama stickers.In other cool news, though, there has been some good press lately about this guy building electric motorcycles. He actually started with dirt bikes. Need to find the You Tube link to post....they put them out on a motocross track and all you hear is slight woosh and squeaking when the shocks fully compress. I'm waiting for the street legal version. If it's priced like the dirt bike, I may have to buy one. You can get the battery and housing itself for about $4,000. Hopefully the built out version is only about double that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedScare Posted December 27, 2008 Share Posted December 27, 2008 Trucks are back! This could be seen coming from a mile away.Autoblog linkThis is not quite as bad as it looks. Several other numbers help clarify the initial "disturbing" number. First, overall vehicle sales are down horrendously, including trucks and SUVs. People are not rushing out to purchase trucks. Fewer people are purchasing cars. There are many reasons for this. Truck mileage has increased significantly. So, a contractor getting rid of his 14 mpg truck for a 21 mpg truck is actually using 33% less fuel. Additionally, they may be downsizing the truck or SUV. Hummer H3s get 20mpg. H2s get 10 mpg. Hummers overall are down 40-something percent, but H2s have fallen off a cliff. Same with midsize SUVs versus Tahoes and Suburbans. So, while the overall truck and SUV market is down, the huge truck and SUV market has cratered, even though those vehicles still get better mileage than the ones they replace.Transit ridership is up considerably, while vehicle mileage is way down. US mileage is down over 100 Billion miles from last year. If you take transit instead of your car, you are less inclined to buy a new car. These numbers have stayed down despite the recent drop in gasoline prices. Driving habits are changing.So, basically, those that have to drive trucks are replacing them with more fuel efficient vehicles. Those that don't or can't replace their vehicles are driving less. Overall, it is not the "stupid American" story it appears to be at first blush. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
houstonmacbro Posted December 27, 2008 Share Posted December 27, 2008 Wow ... just a few months back we were wondering if oil was headed to $200 per barrel and now we are wondering if it will hit $20 per barrel. What is REALLY going on here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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