Survey: Do u think our president is stupid???

[PinoyArcade]

Our Philippine president recently made an order to close down all computer and video game shops since they said these become the center for gambling and it its taking away the interest of students to go to school!

the hell with that! ive been an arcade player all my life and now that im setting up my own video arcade shop, a president who is believe to be very corrupt will ask me and my fellow video game lovers to close down!!!

stupid law isnt it?

[abrannan]

It didn't work in Greece when they tried it.  I doubt it will work in the Phillipines.  Just make sure the news gets to the major online geek/gamer news sites (Slashdot, Fark, etc.).

[MasTequila]

Yes get the news to /. (slashdot) and all nerdy hell will break loose

[ChadTower]

Seriously, I was surprised to see it someone other than Bush.

[Dartful Dodger]

Seriously, I was surprised to see it someone other than Bush.

That's because gas prices are under 2 bucks.
And when he gets those oil rigs going in Iraq, Bush will be able to win an election for God.

[ChadTower]

That's because gas prices are under 2 bucks.
And when he gets those oil rigs going in Iraq, Bush will be able to win an election for God.

Under $2 where?  Certainly not where I live in MA.

[jerrydel]

I can already see where this thread is going to go!

It will be the same old tired and worn out lines I've been hearing for over 15 years now.  

[Dartful Dodger]

I can already see where this thread is going to go!

It will be the same old tired and worn out lines I've been hearing for over 15 years now.  

Sorry,I just got tired of all the Bush bashing.
I didn't see this thread <Here's the thread to use to crap up the political argument.> before I posted.

... and another post from drewkaree for finding cheap gas:

Check out this site to find the cheapest gas prices near you if you're in the U.S. or Canada.

http://www.gasbuddy.com/

...MA isn't covered on that site though.  

Sorry ChadTower.

[SirPeale]

That's because gas prices are under 2 bucks.
And when he gets those oil rigs going in Iraq, Bush will be able to win an election for God.

Under $2 where?  Certainly not where I live in MA.

Not sure where you are, but Northhampton usually has it fairly cheap.

It's ~1.99 here in Brattleboro, VT.

[ChadTower]

That's because the people in Northampton don't go anywhere and most people not from Northampton don't go there.  Lol.

It's still 2.10+ in most places in Eastern MA.

[fredster]

It's under $2.00 in the south.  Has been for a while.  

You Yankees in MA and VA have to pay more up there to keep the organized crime syndicates happy.

Ya'll just stay up there.

[ChadTower]

You Yankees in MA and VA have to pay more up there to keep the organized crime syndicates happy.

Seriously, those damn Democrats are NEVER satisfied.  

[NoBonus]

It's under $2.00 in the south.  Has been for a while.  

You Yankees in MA and VA have to pay more up there to keep the organized crime syndicates happy.

Ya'll just stay up there.

I live in California and gas has been over $2 for a long time.  I don't think it will ever dip much below $2 here ever again.  It did almost hit $3 a few weeks ago.  Of course, the CA gas price has to do with state government, not federal, so I cannot accuse Bush of anything. Filthy democrat-run government.  Well, at least I can go to sleep knowing I am helping illegal immigrants get healthcare benefits and free food.  My question, when are the bleeding-heart liberals going to bleed for me?  I want free stuff!

[JoyMonkey]

I get my gas on my way home from work in Somerville, MA for $1.9899 right now. I know of a cheaper place too, but I'm not waiting in line to save 1c per gallon.

I live in South Boston (a 15 minute drive from Somerville) and most places there are about $2.16 !!!

Edit: Back to the topic; yes its ridiculous. And I also thought the thread would be about Bush.

[Random24]

Hey Dartful Dodger,

I guess you didn't look hard enough on gasbuddy.com

Click on MA on the map and it takes you to:

http://www.gasbuddy.com/gb_region.asp?region=MA

Which has links to:

MassachusettsGasPrices.com

BostonGasPrices.com
SpringfieldGasPrices.com
WorcesterGasPrices.com

[big_garryb]

Is this for a gallon ?

I pay

[Floyd10]

Kinda like Prohibition. Dumb to reinstate

[AlanS17]

Wow this thread got way off topic... But while we're on the subject, I was just going to let everyone know I live right across the street from the lowest prices in Dallas (according to that website) at $1.79 per gallon.  

[DrewKaree]

OVER 70% of this is tax!!!

maybe us silly americans will be lucky enough to have Kerry elected and then he can ram through the additional $0.50 gas tax...let's see, in my state, that'll take the TOTAL TAX on each gallon of gas to $1.30+.....aaaaahhhhhh socialism........I'd raise my glass to ya, but if they see I can afford a beer, they'll want to tax that out of my hand too.

How about that, though....you pay $83 to fill up, and yet you still drive!  From what I understand, in my country, the answer to our gas/global warming issue is to tax the snot out of gas so we won't want to drive and emit more (or is that less) than the good folks living over in China.

For those of you who are paying over $2/gallon, it's because Bush is screwing you over....for those of you paying less than that, it's because Bush is screwing someone else over.....I've got both bases covered or my name isn't John F Kerry.

Maybe you guys in the Phillipines can sell us black market gas in exchange for black market computers?

[shmokes]

I'm glad to see gas prices rising.  Just like the oil crisis of the 70's virtually eliminated giant boats in favor of small cars, this crisis is fueling (no pun intended) the move to hybrids and beyond.  If we get another solid year or two of ---smurfy--- gas prices maybe all the morons who drive SUV's, yet 95% of the time don't have a single passenger in the car, will consider buying a vehicle more suited to them in the first place (not to mention more responsible).

Case in point: next summer, or when my current car (98 Dodge Neon) dies -- whichever comes first -- I'm going to buy my first NEW car.  I was, up until the last six months or so, planning on getting a Subaru WRX (about 22 MPG - and really REALLY fun to drive).  Now, because of the price of gas, I'll be getting either a Mini Cooper or a hybrid of some kind (40+ MPG).  

Not only that, but public transportion sucks in most of America, and high gas prices spur development in that area.  I'm not just talking about the big cities.  There's practically no railroad here.  It's way too much to hope for, but maybe a prolonged fuel crisis will clue Americans in to how nice travelling by rail is.  You can go from anywhere to anywhere in Europe, quickly, comfortably and inexpensively while you read a book, or sit at a bar, or have a real, quality meal in the dining car.

And Bush is an awful president for reasons far more important than whether gas prices are $1.50 or $2.50 per gallon.  

[ChadTower]

Now, because of the price of gas, I'll be getting either a Mini Cooper or a hybrid of some kind (40+ MPG).  

Do the math.  Buying a hybrid Civic, for example, instead of the regular Civic will save you several hundred dollars in gas over a year.  It will cost you several thousand more to buy the hybrid.  You end up losing money by spending several thousand extra ($12000 for the Civic / $19000 for the hybrid Civic) to save a few hundred a year.  Unless you drive that hybrid for ten years you're not going to save money.  

Of course, if you're going from something like an SUV to a hybrid Civic, you are going to save money, but that's mostly because SUVs cost so much more that you would have saved money on the retail cost anyway.  The hybrid car will be a good gap between gasoline and hydrogen, but it sure won't be a real solution.

[shmokes]

I agree with much of what you have said (though, don't forget the $2000 tax break you get for buying a hybrid) in point of fact.  However, economics play a large, but not exclusive role in my decision.  If it's even close to a wash financially I would choose the hybrid for it's environmentally friendly qualities.

That's just me.  And, as I said, I'm also seriously considering a Mini Cooper, which is not a hybrid, but still gets good gas mileage.  I will consider myself lucky if this gas "crisis" (we still pay less than most) encourages SUV owners to trade in for any economic vehicle, regardless of whether it's gas only or gas/electric.

I won't pretend that it's all about environment, though I do care a good deal about that.  I just hate SUVs.  They make driving more dangerous for everybody.  With most vehicles you can see through them, so you know what's going on on the other side of them, but SUV's kill visibility.  Turning onto a street, where SUV's are parked at the curb, is like a game of russian roulette.  There's just no way of knowing whether there is any oncoming traffic.  You just have to inch out and hope anybody coming at you is paying enough attention to slam on their brakes.  And they make parking a pain in the ass, increasing the likelihood of getting "doored" in a parking lot, and taking up 1 1/2 to 2 spaces on a curb.  All of this just adds to my distaste of SUV's (which stems mainly from an environmental standpoint -- driving an SUV without some valid reason, not including "they're popular" or "they look badass"  is, in my opinion, irresponsible).

[ChadTower]

I agree with much of what you have said (though, don't forget the $2000 tax break you get for buying a hybrid) in point of fact.  

You don't get a $2000 tax break.  IIRC, the deduction was $2000 last year, is $1500 this year, $1000 next year, and ends in 2006 at $500.

[shmokes]

Well...alright $2000 deduction last year, $1500 this year, whetever.  I don't want to strain at gnats.  As I said, I won't be buying a new car for up to a year.  I'm sure that if I were buying the car now I would know exactly what kind of tax break I was getting.  The thrust of my argument, though, was that gas prices caused me to change my mind.  Leaving tree-hugging aside for a moment, even if the logic is faulty which led me to the conclusion that a hybrid vehicle is a sound economic choice, it doesn't erase the fact that I did come to that conclusion based in large part on gas prices.  

My point, simply, was that people pay much closer attention to gas mileage ratings when purchasing a car when gas prices are high.  Whether that  means you'll buy a Civic Hybrid or a VW Golf, I'm happy.  I think I made it clear that I was not dead set on a hybrid when I said that I was likely going to get a gas-only vehicle.  But, if one is already considering a hybrid vehicle for whatever reasons, certainly fuel economy will play some positive role in the decision-making process.

I only used my particular situation as an example because it was a good example.  You might question the quality of my research, but you can't question the fact that my purchase decision was, for better or worse, affected by the cost of gasoline.

Once again, I would posit that this gas "crisis" is fueling the move to hybrids, and that the longer the "crisis" lasts, it will become a more and more important factor in the average person's vehiclle purchasing decision.

[ChadTower]

Once again, I would posit that this gas "crisis" is fueling the move to hybrids, and that the longer the "crisis" lasts, it will become a more and more important factor in the average person's vehiclle purchasing decision.

Some people... I'm thinking that the people buying a $40k SUV for reasons of pure status aren't going to stop because they have to pay more to fill the tank... they'll just ---smurfette--- more.

[hyiu]

hmm.... this thread talks about cars....  

I won't buy a hybird yet.... simply cos its not safe to have a small car nowadays....

no... I don't drive SUVs... but I drive a mid size sedan....

assuming you have accident with an SUV... if I'm in my mid size sedan... I think I have a better chance of walking away than inside a small car....

and hybirds... since they want to boost the MPG.... they're making it lighter... and thinner... and that means unsafe...

keep in mind that those stupid 5 star rating is when it crash with a same rating car.... so... you can have 10 stars rating on your civic or hybird or geo metro.... but if you hit an SUV.... your car will simply "folded up" like you put a real cab on top of a papercade....  

I want to live long and keep breaking my mspacman's record.... so... I simply cannot save that $$ on gas... have to have a mid size car....

[shmokes]

Sure.  I don't disagree.  Especially the person buying the $40k SUV versus the $25-30k one.  But it happened in the 70's and I don't see a compelling reason why history would not repeat itself if gas remains in short supply.  

I also think that there is the possibility of some kind of circular domino effect.  As SUV's become less popular for economic reasons, they will become less of a status symbol (because fewer and fewer people are buying them).  As they become less of a status symbol, still fewer and fewer people will buy them, reducing even further the perceived status SUV's confer on their owners, and so on...

If the above scenario were to take place, which I don't remotely consider to be a foregone conclusion, but I think it's well within a likely realm of possibility, then high prices would indirectly affect the purchasing decisions even of those people buying $40k SUV's purely for status.

It's all just theory and hope.  

[Dartful Dodger]

Is Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo still the president?

[DrewKaree]

So maybe the government there is subsidising fat people ;-)

So where can I go to get my monthly free donut ration?  And why didn't anybody tell me they had such a subsidy?  My coffee is lonely every morning, and this could have easily been solved if only someone had TOLD me!

I just hate SUVs

me too, but whenever I hook up my skidsteer to the back of a hybrid, the front wheel drive on the car refuses to engage.  When I took it in for service, they gave me some lame excuse about "the front tires have to be in contact with the ground for the drive to work"....I mean, seriously, when will they start putting that stuff in the manual?!?  

I see your point about single riders in SUV's too....from now on, I'll be riding my bicycle to work, instead of driving the SUV home (alone) after dropping my guys off for the day.

Well, I'd write more, but I've got to go throw more tires on the fire in the backyard....it'll go out if I don't feed it, and those tires DO burn out after a while!

[danny_galaga]

So where can I go to get my monthly free donut ration?  And why didn't anybody tell me they had such a subsidy?  My coffee is lonely every morning, and this could have easily been solved if only someone had TOLD me!

i KNEW you really were Drew Carey!!

[ChadTower]

Sure.  I don't disagree.  Especially the person buying the $40k SUV versus the $25-30k one.  But it happened in the 70's and I don't see a compelling reason why history would not repeat itself if gas remains in short supply.  

Gas is in short supply?  Where?  How many times have you been to the pump and been turned away because there was no gas left?  I'm betting zero.  I'm betting nobody has been left without gas.  The only reason things changed in the 70s was because of the long waits and lack of availability of gas.  A little more cost isn't going to change anything.  What changed things was people having to wait 3 hours in line to fill the tank and even then not being guaranteed any gas when they get to the pump.  Until that happens, all you'll hear is bitching and moaning and fingers pointed at Bush because Bush happens to be from an oil family.

[shmokes]

That's absurd.  Are you honestly suggesting that I am some kind of anomaly, by allowing gas mileage rating to affect my purchase decision.  You seem to think that the world is black and white.  Either everybody, all at once is going to abandon SUV's for more economical cars or nobody's decision will be affected by it at all.

I wouldn't consider myself an activist by any means.  Fuel economy matters to people....average people.  Go to a car dealership and look at the stickers in the window.  Gas mileage is printed larger than any other info.

And yes, gas IS in short supply.  What do you think, it suddenly became more expensive to pump oil out of the ground?  It may be a partially manufactured shortage, but there is, afterall, a reason that gas prices have risen.   And manufactured or naturally occuring, a shortage in supply is a shortage in supply and it will cause short-term (which can still last for years) prices to rise.

Drewkaree, if it makes you feel better you can feel free to read my post where I wrote, "...driving an SUV without some valid reason..."  I know that this requires a giant inference, which admittedly requires actual reasoning.  But when someone refers to people who drive SUV's without a valid reason, it implies that there ARE, in fact, valid reasons to drive them.  I tried to help by giving two examples of non-valid reasons, but apparently I failed to make myself clear.  I was just unaware that so many people were buying SUV's to carpool.  I've always been a cynical bastard, I suppose.  And to think, all this time I didn't realize that most of those people alone in their SUV's have only just dropped off a carload of people.  It's good to have people to set me straight when I fall into a crazy liberal dooms-day depression.

God....don't be so nuts.  You'all act like I just told you that Santa wasn't real.  

http://www.kbb.com/kbbmedia/releases/2004/5-05.asp  

There's a study that says nearly 40% of car buyers say gas prices have affected their vehicle purchase decisions.  It's a Kelly Blue Book study.  Who know, maybe the true number is 20% or 5%.  Statistics are easy to manipulate.  But it's not a stretch to imagine that that number would raise the longer gas prices remain high.

I'm just having a difficult time wrapping my head around the concept that you people could actually find it so mind boggling that gas prices would make any difference.

[ChadTower]

Not once, NOT ONCE, did I say anything about your personal motivations.  I have been talking about the market as a whole the entire time.  It may sound odd but most people are not motivated by such noble things as the environment and mileage.  Most people want their status symbols a lot more than they want to do positive things.  That is only going to change when it becomes so inconvenient that they have no choice.  A little more cost on top of already excessive and unnecessary expense isn't going to make a bit of difference.

Yes, I am suggesting that by percentage, if you were to take such an action, you would be an anomaly.  If this were not the case you would see thousands of hybrids on the road right now.  

BTW, yes, this IS a purely manufactured price spike.  It has not cost any more to pump out of the ground and it has not seen supply dwindle one bit.  If you think I'm wrong about those show me some evidence.  

I can think of several valid reasons to drive SUVs.  Some people transport a lot of people at once.  You can't do that in a Civic.  Another valid reason is self defense.   Colliding a Civic with a Trailblazer is going to result in one totaled Civic and one annoyed Trailblazer.  You want a car that can stand up to that type of collision?  Get another Trailblazer.  This I can say from experience.  Two years ago I was given the opportunity to pull my wife and child out of a twisted up Thunderbird when it was totaled by a Pathfinder right in front of our house.  A (1997) Thunderbird is a HEAVY car and it STILL didn't survive.

[Dartful Dodger]

That's absurd.  Are you honestly suggesting that I am some kind of anomaly, by allowing gas mileage rating to affect my purchase decision.

What's absurd is this thread is for Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.

And by the way I love the cars from the 60s and 70s, the car I drive is a 67 Dodge Dart(hence my name).  In the late 60s early 70s a lot had happened to cause the change in smaller car designs.  Aerodynamics, emissions, the Vietnam war, technology, fiberglass, plastic.

Computers in the 60s would fill house, do you think gas prices caused them to be made smaller?

Cars/SUVs are at a comfortable size for people now.  I am 6 foot 2, I do not want to squeeze into a compact car.  If you look on the streets you'll see that SUVs are not going away anytime soon.  Even if people started to listen to your nonsense, what will happen to all the SUVs on the streets today?  It will be years before they're gone. Did I mention I still drive a 67 Dodge Dart?

This is a free country, but your way of thinking is not an anomaly there's a whole country of people that think like you.

If you don't like it, move to France.

[shmokes]

And manufactured or naturally occuring, a shortage in supply is a shortage in supply and it will cause short-term (which can still last for years) prices to rise.

Are you people even reading my posts.  First you say that there is no gas shortage, then I say that there is a shortage, even if it's a manufactured one, then you say there IS a manufactured shortage and if I don't believe you I should show you some evidence.  Why would I try to prove to you that there is no manufactured gas shortage, when I have been contending all along that there was a shortage (and, with no prompting from you, I suggested that it was, in fact, a manufactured one)

But when someone refers to people who drive SUV's without a valid reason, it implies that there ARE, in fact, valid reasons to drive them.

How can I make it more clear that I believe that SUVs have valid uses?

http://www.kbb.com/kbbmedia/releases/2004/5-05.asp  

Dartful, I'm not sure if you are aware of this, but computers don't run on gasoline.  So I would tend to agree.  Gasoline prices are probably not particularly responsible for the shrink in computers.  Perhaps a more apt analogy would be the high price of RD-RAM pushing the industry to adopt DDR SD-RAM instead.

  It is simply naive to suggest that the gas shortage was not a (if not THE) primary factor that caused people to ditch their BIG-3 boats for japanese cars.  If, as you suggest, cars are at a "comfortable size for people now," why in hell did we go from comfortable to uncomfortable?  Was it because we were finally technologically advanced enough to make our cars LESS comfortable?  It was economy.

It's a free country.  What does that mean?  I haven't advocated criminalizing the purchase of SUV's.  I'm saying I think the extent to which SUV's have proliferated is irritating and irresponsible and am happy to see something that will potentially slow down that proliferation.  If I said that I didn't like the KKK, would you suggest that iI should move to France?  Not liking the KKK and believing someone should not be allowed to believe in something are two vastly different things.  Disliking THE IRRESPONSIBLE USE of SUV's  (Please direct your attention to the word IRRESPONSIBLE) and believing that people should not be allowed to sell or buy them are two vastly different things.

I also think that American's are obese.  I think this is due, mainly, to the amount of fast food we eat.  I am happy to see public opinion finally start giving this issue the attention it deserves.   It's nice to see McDonalds adding salads and the adult happy meals to their menus.  I don't think the government should step in and close down the fast food franchises.  I just see something getting better and am glad.

Am I even connecting at all?  Do you see the parallel?  SUV's aren't inherently evil any more than a Big Mac is.  People in America just aren't consuming either of these products in a responsible way (in general!!!).  I am glad, in either case, to see signs of positive change.  

You might take a moment to notice that I have not even asked what any of you drive.  I simply said that I think that fewer people will buy SUV's because gas prices are so high, and I think fewer people buying SUV's is a positive thing.  

Weird.

[hyiu]

yeah... buy less SUVs.... actually... I kinda like the minivans nowadays...... its features are really cool !!!....  

[Tailgunner]

My daily drivers are either a 24' box truck or a 1 ton dually pickup. Out of the two I actually prefer driving the box truck, as I can see clear over all of the SUVs, plus I can bump them out of the way if need be. The down side is that truck has a 50 gallon tank and averages around 8 miles per gallon.  

Since gas here has topped $2 a gallon, I've found myself leaving the trucks at the shop and commuting between there and home on a 50+ MPG Harley.

[DrewKaree]

Actually, shmokes, it made me feel better to freely read your post where you said "maybe all the morons who drive SUV's, yet 95% of the time don't have a single passenger in the car, will consider buying a vehicle more suited to them in the first place (not to mention more responsible)."  I like freely reading funny stuff!  I know, I know, you didn't mean it that way, or you meant to word it differently.

You know what I think is unsafe?  Being stuck behind a hybrid full of people in my mid-sized car and being unable to see around it because of all the people's heads inside that car....I think people with hybrids should never have a passenger so it will be safer for everyone else to see around or through them.  

*pulls up his sleeve to show shmokes his freakishly enlarged funny bone and the tumor on it...it's filled with sarcasm, and continues to grow*


[size=9]AND SANTA'S NOT REAL?!?!?!?!?!?[/size][/b][/glow]

[Dartful Dodger]

God told me if his son was alive today, he'd be driving an SUV, to chauffer around his 12 out of work buddys.

God also said that this is Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo last year in office, and what ever law she creates can be undone.

One last thing, God says that Big Macs are inherently evil.

[DrewKaree]

Anyhoo, I wanna see this keep going....who else has noticed that gas prices have dropped?  There's that darn Bush....just helping out his old pals at Haliburton

Click here to join the revolution!  

Could that be due to the stupid "reformulations" and the refineries having to "use up" the rest of the old stuff?  Way to go EPA.  Mebbe the EPA can look at Lake Turdmore (Lake Michigan, just offshore of Milwaukee, Wisconsin) and find out where they missed the boat on THAT pollution.  By the way, what are the tree hugging, frog licking, dirt eating environmentalists doing instead of protesting our fine democratic government that stuck us with this "solution"?  

Also, can someone from another country tell us how much gas costs in your country BEFORE taxes?  

And to end this post.....If you don't like it, mebbe you can move to France!    

p.s. Can someone vectorize my signature for me?  LOL