Gas prices causing Meals on Wheels to shut down

[Bring_Back_Shantz]

Originally Posted by flamey_mcflame

The economic supply and demand argument. It can't be beat. Of course, when 2008 comes to and end there will be the same amount of oil used by the world as there was in 2007(my prediction), the price of the barrel of oil will still jump from an average of $80(2007) to 140(2008). Then the argument will become that even though demand has stabilized, oil is harder to find and extract therefore even though demand has not increased, the actual supply is running out. Oil supplies will have peaked. A funny thing though, the economic supply and demand model when it came to oil may have held during the 80's and 90's. But these last three years look a lot more similar to another so called supply and demand model that everyone was calling normal. The housing industry in the US. I call BS. No model can explain for $10 jumps and drops daily on a simple demand and supply theory. Supply and demand models do not explain prices going from $50 a barrel to $200 a barrel in 3-4 years. Thats quite the curve there. I've seen that somewhere before too. OOh, the US housing industry. Did people stop wanting to live in shelters in the US?? Is a new love for sleeping in the great outdoors mitigated the need for home ownership and private property. There's only so much many houses and so much land, houses shouyld never drop in value.

Don't be fooled by all these supply and demand theorists. Because the US is still by far the largest consumer of oil in the world. I think its approximately 25-30 percent of all the oil produced. When there demand is stagnant this year and the world's demand is stagnant by the end of this year, ask all the supply and demand proponents why oil is still rising. They'll start preaching, "no more oil to be found, no more oil left." I guarantee it. The supply and demand argument will be forgotten faster than you can say, "fill er up".

As always, look at the big picture. Economics, politics and society are tied together to create nations. As wealth becomes concentrated in fewer and fewer hands, the vast middle class becomes more and more disenchanted. The ultra rich should always leave some breadcrumbs for the middle class. It allows them to be obscenely wealthy and have a society they can use their wealthy and status in. Hey, 95% of the wealth in the hands of 5% of the people is okay with the middle class. As a magnate, do you really want to risk having 99% of the wealth for 1% of the people. Your wealth is only real if it actually has any real economic power. Don't ever initiate possible uprisings by the majority. Keep them happy. Hey, I have some dollars I've saved up. I'd like to spend my hard earned money before we have sort of radical shift. So please ultra rich people, think of me. Think of my bank account. I've worked hard and if you're gonna do somehting funky, let me know in advance so I can start blowing my money before it becomes meaningless. Appreciate it.

WHAT????????

[Tron_fdc]

A few articles on speculators and their supposed impact on the price of oil:

http://www.nypost.com/seven/06212007...hn_crudele.htm

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/40f73128-4...0779fd2ac.html

http://www.nader.org/index.php?/arch...eculators.html

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/7460310.stm

There's a whole bunch of articles on speculators and what they may or may not be doing to the market. I'm not on either side at this point, but I find it fascinating nonetheless.

If in fact it is speculation driving price, how long until the bubble bursts (same thing as housing markets).

If it's NOT speculation, get ready for some more drastic oil increases in the very near future (IMO).

[Devils'Advocate]

So if "Meals on Wheels" shuts down, a few granny's will starve to death. No big loss. Survival of the fittest is the capitalistic way to go.

[Boblobla]

Originally Posted by Devils'Advocate

So if "Meals on Wheels" shuts down, a few granny's will starve to death. No big loss. Survival of the fittest is the capitalistic way to go.

HAHAHAHA

That is cold.

[Cowboy89]

Originally Posted by Devils'Advocate

So if "Meals on Wheels" shuts down, a few granny's will starve to death. No big loss. Survival of the fittest is the capitalistic way to go.

You know I spent most of this time arguing the reasoning behind gas price increases. However another crisis unfolding in our society is the limited long-term care facilities for old folks. Meals on Wheels does an admorable job of providing meals to senoirs who might be at the tipping point of whether or not a long term care facility might benefit them (Ie retirement lodge as opposed to nursing home). If you think gas is expensive, try paying for accomidation at a decent retirement home. With an aging population the prices will keep on going up exponentially.

[Slava]

Two things I want to say after wading through this thread (which has gone the way of almost every other when the words oil/gas are mentioned:

A) The impact of the speculators is thought to be minimal at best from a wide-range of sources. Supply and demand are widely accepted as the cause of the higher oil prices and basically this stems to India and China.

B) Demand is down in the US this calendar year because of the higher prices and people changing their habits as a result. Economically things will change as people change their habits and become less reliant on oil (nothing overnight of course...but over the long-term definitely).

Basically there are a lot of factors in the price of oil and why it is constantly fluctuating. Taxes on top though are not a factor in the recent run-up and as someone said before they are a usage tax which personally I think is excellent.

[metallicat]

I thought this thread was about Meals On Wheels...

Anyway. I used to delivery frozen food for them. I used my own car, and paid for my own gas. I was given a discount card to use at Husky...but then again, anyone can get a discount. But when I first started working for them, they told me that I was allowed to submit my kilometres and I would be reimbursed for some of the cost. I never did this, as I don't think that is a fair thing to do. They also told me I could use their vans to deliver the food.

At least here in Edmonton, I think all the hot meals are delivered by their own vans. That has got to get expensive. I am actually surprised that they have been able to stay afloat for as long as they have.

The biggest shame in all of this is the customers. So many of them RELY on this food, because they are incapable of making their own food. The delivery drivers are often the only people they see, because their families never come to visit them.

This is a sad day for a great not for profit organization.

[bigtmac19]

Agree Oilers_fan a lot of these people are very lonely, my Mom used to mention how many of them try to keep you there while they eat, just so they have someone to talk to. It was hard, because you have a schedule to keep of course, but you feel badly for them. This is a very necessary service, maybe people will volunteer to help out hopefully.