Here we go again!!

[AnneM]

Yes!! We have been through it before !! ...Not sure if its hit the news worldwide but we have a fuel crisis again!! ... I had to queue for over an hour for petrol (gas) this morning!! ... due to "panic buying" ... Sam and I went past 5 petrol stations which had ALREADY run out of the type of petrol we needed before finding one that DID have some and queing for an hour!!

Our prices for petrol (Gas) which are already sky high have gone up considerably again (as has the rest of the world) in the past few weeks ... and now there is an embargo starting which is due to last for a week .. !!

We are currently paying around (having done the calculations) over $8.00 for a US gallon ... MUCH of this is high taxation ... and the current world increase in fuel has just added to the problem !!

Apart from Holland (which is slightly higher) we apparently pay the highest price for petrol anywhere in the world!! (and spare a thought for Marja too because Finland is only a few pence behind us!! )

There is a lot of pressure on the government to reduce the VERY HIGH TAX that they put on our petrol which in turn could help to counteract what is of course a worldwide increase in the price of fuel (most recently due to the horrendous situation in New Orleans and the Gulf of Mexico)... but I don't think they will give in to that !! ... That taxation is worth too much to them !! ....

So here we are now in the middle of a crisis ... there are plans to block the main motorways tomorrow to stop the tankers reaching the petrol stations!! ... I must remind dh to fill up his car regardless of how many hours he has to queue up for!!

I have a full tank right now due to queing this morning ... but it won't last forever!! UGH!! ... But at the same time the price we pay for petrol just can't keep rising and rising!! It is become crazy!! ... Some stations are apparently charging over £1.00 for a litre .... this is somewhere around $9 for a US gallon!!

[Linda]

OK Kaiti and trid DON'T get to ask ALL the dumb questions!! What does queing mean?

Aside from that omg 8 BUCKS A GALLON? I am not so sure there is a gas shortage!!!

This is interesting Anne keep us updated for what tomorrow brings.

[AnneM]

;D you don't say queing in the US ?? ;D ;D

Oh actually come to think of it we are FAMOUS of INFAMOUS LOL I think for queing!! ;D

Queing means "lining up " for ...

[finnmom]

Anne, I fel for you... and for me too... I´am so totally lost with U.S. gallon vs litre, but last weekend was the highest for us and then gasoline was over 1,50 €(1euro being a bit over 1$) a litre ... HIGH PRICE TO PAY And it´s not the highest in here, they pay way more in our Capital....

Our goverment made a decision to release some of the cathastropic fuel back-up they had, to ease the price getting higher and higher... but they dont think lowering the tax would help eather As Anne said, taxes meanstoo much to the goverment

They predicted the price should get lower soon, so finger´s grossed Anne for that to happend

[Kaiti]

Haven't you ever had a problem with the printer and you had to see what the spooler was queing.

I just thought it meant waiting that's all

Anyhow, the prices are falling here, back down to $2.99 a gallon yesterday.

But then again Mike and I don't go ballistic and try to hord gas. We just go as we need it.

And the guy down the street still hasn't gotten any....I don't think he will either

[camismom]

;D ;D ;D ;D Due to the lengthy conversations I've had with Annie thru IM about the differences in our language, I knew immediatley what she was saying. See Annie, your lessons have paid off!

As far as your thread, "BEEN THERE, DONE THAT"! The day after Katrina hit a rumor was started in my town that we were running out of gas and that all the local stations were closing early. It caused quite a panic and a good deal of price gouging. Prices went up higher than I have ever seen them here...the average being 3.29, but one station price gouged up to 5.00 a gallon. I know this is a far cry from what you pay there, but it was WAY higher than what our average is here. Anyway, since that time Georgia's governor has started quite a crack down on price gouging and for the month of September has eliminated tax for gas. That, along with President Bush tapping into our country's reserves has helped some, but not much. The average we have here is around 2.84 now. I saw one station the other day at 2.81 and people were "queued up" for it like you wouldn't believe! lol

Oh well, I hate it like crazy for all concerned but I know it is due to the hurricane and compared to the people there that have lost everything, I guess I don't have much room to complain. At least I try to remember that when I do start to! lol

I hope something is done there for you and Marja soon. I can't imagine paying that much! esp. for the gas guzzling machines WE drive! It really is making a huge dent in budgets worldwide.

[AnneM]

Thankyou ladies ... and I just KNEW that those English/English lessons would "pay off" Christy!! ;D

Now altogether ! QUEUE is our word for the day!! ;D

Back to our crisis ... today there are no queues ... but that is only because the garages have NO PETROL !!

UGH!! Much as I want the price of petrol to come DOWN (and by that I mean I want the GOVERNMENT to react and decrease its taxation on petrol!) I also don't want this crisis to last too long!! The same thing happened in 2000 and it sadly made NO DIFFERENCE to the price of petrol ... just caused everyone a huge inconvenience!!

PS Sam is particularly worried because he has his driving test on 26th September ... and now he is worried that if there is no petrol he won't be able to take it!! ... This appears to be his ONLY concern about it really except for telling me yesterday morning after listening to the news "Gordon Brown - (the chancellor of the exchequor) - says NOT TO PANIC BUY Mum !! " .. Oh ok Sam !! .. So are we to not bother to queue up and fill up and just drive round on an empty tank ?? ;D ;D

[camismom]

oh, but panic buying did happen here! We had people that were actually filling up gas cans as well as their vehicle so they would have a "reserve"! That is what leads to the stations/garages running out. I think what your chancellor is saying is to just "get what you need".

I hope for your sake (and Sam's..lol) the government reacts and does something about it very soon.

[finnmom]

I had to laugh for Sam´s comment´s ;D He´s getting smart with you ;D

But i agree, dont panic, the petrol will be there when he need´s it

[AnneM]

Christy!! OMG !! I can see you too have suffered the effects of panic buying!! Oh but isnt that a "viscious circle"? .... I mean it really really becomes a case of "if you can't beat 'em .. join em!" ... We too have a lot of people ALSO filling up their jerry cans ... Oh yes I can see you have been there too !!

.. and Christy and Marja ... as for Sam ... he was 1~) treating his mother like a little kid "Mum .. Gordon says NOT to panic buy so PLLLEEEEZE relax" (Oh yeah sure and WHO is listening to HIM?? ;D) but number 2 has his OWN agenda on why this crisis is NOT good !! ;D ;D

[camismom]

annem said:

but number 2 has his OWN agenda on why this crisis is NOT good !! ;D ;D

well, you gotta look out for number 1! ;D ;D