WesWorld

Well, when Ah-nold gets around to (a) chopping gas prices and (b) cutting out some of the gun laws, I'll consider California.

(Yes, I know all you Europeans think $2.50/gallon is cheap. I don't.)

As of right now, the short list (in order of probability) is:
Colorado (Pueblo/Walsenburg)
Oregon (eastern)
Vermont (Lyndonville)

These were chosen primarily for three factors: (1) lack of hurricanes, (2) good hunting (and fishing), and most importantly, (3) cheap land...

Well unfortunately the Govenor has little say in the gas prices ($2.35 a gallon today at the cheap place), and we refine it here...we don't even import it from out of state.

Nor does he control the existing gun laws...but has not made any new ones, which is a plus for us few target shooters that like our handguns to make an impact on the surrounding area (.44 cal and up).

But we did elect a Republican to that office. Maybe California can go a little bit away from the far left every once in a while.

I'd prefer a left leaning Republican (say a Theodore Roosevelt type) in office, but then I don't trust either of the our two top parties anymore.

But this is an international form. Our local politics are our own problem.

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Originally posted by Ithekro
Our local politics are our own problem.

Hardly if politics of the last remaing worldpower, the one who calls itself the one and only true democracy, turns into a playground for guys who have no idea what they are talking about. Those "internal lpolitics" that turn into controll/censorship of mass media or define that lovely procedure visitors to your country have to pass etc. are of great interest to the world...

Justifiable when you've just endured a 9/11 attack. Think about how I feel as a Canadian knowing that some of the highjackers came into the states using Canadian passports. Canada is the last target terrorists would hit and knowing they used our passports as sheilds is very disturbing.

The problem with terrorists is that they are not social despots, many have quite a normal life, and for some reason get brainwashed into carrying out deadly attacks to regain their Muslim identity, we have them to thank for the paranoa that spawned the patriot act and the whole WMD's issue.

I have nothing to hide, so if the Govt looks a little more closely at me I have nothing to fear. The democracy's of the world are imposible to transform into dictatorships overnight, too many safeguards.

Theres something wrong in the world when Bush senior doesn't get the job done in 91, but when his son takes the right action and removes a Saddam he is accused of "finnishing his daddy's war". The thing that really ticks me off is that all the world leaders say the world is better off with out saddam, but the U.S. was wrong for removing him. Thats a double negative. This then leads to the WMD's arguement, "no WMD's, wrong war"
WRONG, no smoking gun, plenty of other reasons to invade Iraq that where stated alongside the WMD accusation that ALL the top country's beleived where there. Lets not even get to the 18 or so UN resolutions egnored by Saddam, but the U.S. was wrong to invade Iraq without UN consent. Funny dosn't seem saddam gave a damn about the UN's consent either.

"Hardly if politics of the last remaing worldpower, the one who calls itself the one and only true democracy turns into a playground for guys who have no idea what they are talking about."

Sounds alot like the UN and the co-allition of the unwilling, freedom is not free, ask those who died on the allied side in WW2.

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(Yes, I know all you Europeans think $2.50/gallon is cheap. I don't.)

Well, $2.50/gallon = $0.55/liter
Here in Holland it is about E1.30/liter
If I look correctly, the Euro is $1.24, meaning our fuel is $1.61/liter. However, I do know that when I went to Canada in 1996, fuel was something like 45-50 cents (CD) in Edmonton. When I was there this year, the price was just below the 80 cents (CD) and I wouldn't be surprised at all if the same happened in the US.
So compared to what we pay for it, your fuel is cheap. However compared to what you used to pay, it is pretty expensive now.
So what is the cheapest price you can remember the fuel to be, Swamphen?

I just spent $65 Canadian to fill my trucks gas tank, with the lowest quality crap for about 94 cents a litre.
This is about normal these days.

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Well, $2.50/gallon = $0.55/liter
Here in Holland it is about E1.30/liter
If I look correctly, the Euro is $1.24, meaning our fuel is $1.61/liter

Oh I'm well aware of the high petrol prices in Europe. Last time I was there was summer of 2001.

Petrol in Scotland was I think 1.53 Pounds Sterling a liter. A liter being roughly a quarter of a gallon bring that to approximately 6 Pounds Sterling for a Gallon of petrol. The exchange rate was roughly $1.75 dollars to the Pound so that is about $10.50 Dollars US for a gallon of petrol.

The primary difference comes in the size of cars being used, and the distances traveled. The United Kingdom, from my observation, uses tiny cars (the Ford Ka comes to mind) and the distance most natives travel is not that great with all the rail systems and transport options in place. I got the same impression from most of the other European Union Nations. Most travel by car seems to be within nation borders, though that might have changed since last I looked.

The United States is a car society. We use it for everything. The country is just too big and the people too independant to have a stable and reliable national mass transit system. Sure we have local city transit systems, the most efficiant I've encountered in the METRO in the Dictrict of Columbia, but getting stations out to every little area of the nation would be a very expensive proposition.

It was once hoped this nation would develope into a air society..using airplanes and helicopters for movents in everyday live....but that got shot down, as it were.

Likely this nation will remain a car nation until science fact catches up with science fiction...the transporter would be a wonderful thing.

As for politics....While I believe the UN is a good idea...I think it has failed. There are too many countries (the United States included) that place national soveriegnty over the needs of the planet. The UN has no real military of its own, so it cannot really enforce its own laws. I don't know how it will happen, but one day the United Nations will need to be replaced, reinvented, or thrown out as a tool that cannot be fixed. It just doesn't work anymore. Perhaps that is our fault (the United States), maybe it isn't. It is hard enough to be two people to agree on anything, much less the 100 plus nations of the world.

This is why I'd rather have us exploring space...it more peaceful out there right now than here.

(Hit reply instead of edit, sorry)

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So what is the cheapest price you can remember the fuel to be, Swamphen?

Just three years ago(!), you could drive 40 miles, cross the border into Georgia, and get the 87 octane for 98 cents a gallon!

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The United States is a car society. We use it for everything. The country is just too big and the people too independant to have a stable and reliable national mass transit system.

Well, if the gummit would run AMTRAK as a national service, as opposed to making a profit, there'd be an alternative...

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Nor does he control the existing gun laws...but has not made any new ones, which is a plus for us few target shooters that like our handguns to make an impact on the surrounding area (.44 cal and up).

Indeed. I have a crush on the .454 Casull and the S&W 500.

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But we did elect a Republican to that office.

Now if he can be re-elected, there might be hope for this planet yet.

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This is why I'd rather have us exploring space...

Yup. If there'd been the willpower we coulda had Mars by 1980, a permament moonbase no later than 2000...

BTW, one thought that came to me in the wake of the Columbia disaster: the Russkies have two, maybe three shuttles in mothballs, with a launch system that is probably much safer than ours. Why not refurbish 'em? Oh yeah, Not Invented Here... [/rant mode off]

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BTW, one thought that came to me in the wake of the Columbia disaster: the Russkies have two, maybe three shuttles in mothballs, with a launch system that is probably much safer than ours. Why not refurbish 'em? Oh yeah, Not Invented Here...

I was under the impression that they scrapped them all. They might have one left, but I don't know if they have the money for that. If we wanted to refit a shuttle...we have one at Dulles International Airport in Virginia...the Enterprise.

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Originally posted by Ithekro
The United States is a car society. We use it for everything.

Don´t get me wrong but this sounds like an excuse. If the US is a car society, what is Germany - the land where cars were first build, where the three most important engine types were first build (Gas, Diesel and Wankel) and where you´ll find the highest percentage of high speed highways (Autobahn - many wihout speed limit and much less dangerous as US highways)?

It is the stupid tendency to go for "big is better", to ask for huge vans and trucks that have the aerodynamic efficiency of a bookshelf, powered by old school small and big block V8s, which have a fuel consumption of 20+ l/100km.

Don´t tell me the Americans need those huge (Hummer anyone?) cars or trucks because they have to travel long distances. Most of these cars are used downtown for a 200m trip to the next store. If you´ve to travel long distances any Mercedes-Benz E230, Audi A6, BMW 520i or a Lexus LS (not to name german cars only) - all of which consume less then 10 l/100km at a constant speed as on an american highway - are a much better choice than any of those huge, heavy and technically outdated US cars....

I'll agree with you.

I'm not all that interested in the actual cars, but more the ideology we Americans have about our cars. In which case you are correct.