Hi Steve, Yeah you're right about the gas prices, as it's down to something like the high $2.40s here in southwestern Ohio. Of course I could get up tomorrow morning and it could be $3.00 a gal.+ too, as it has been known to do that sort of thing just on a whim.

I did my part to yesterday to get out of the gas-guzzler catagory by getting rid of my big Chevy pick-up, which averaged around 10 to 12 mph--going down hill--to one of Chevy's new HHRs--4 cylinder and standard shift--and according to the computer on the dash that tells you you're overall mileage up to this particular point--don't ask how it does it, it's magic to me--I'm getting 21.9 mph as the moment. I feel like I'm cheating someone. I've driven almost 70 miles since I got it and the gauage had hardly moved off of the full mark! Now this is somethingI can really live with!!!!!!!

Yes, I'm kind of conerned about the natural gas prices this coming winter too, but then I don't think it is going to go up as high as they say, simply because of all the hype and B.S. that this nation seems to live on at each and every news flash that comes along, esp. about the cost of living on such things as this. But I'm quite sure it's will be up higher than it was last year. Hopefully by not as much as it has been said. Maybe we'll have a somewhat milder winter up here in Ohio. There's really not much else I can do to this house to cut that heating cost that won't cost more than it's eventually worth.

I'm waiting for the proverbial 'shoe to drop' on the 'agreement' that has been reached between GM and the UAW that was announced earlier this week. They said they are going to be able to save the company some $15 billion on insurance costs. Now I just wonder who is going to end up paying this $15 billion? Yeah, like I don't know.

And it is pretty much a safe bet that once this agreement is signed, sealed, and delivered, the ink won't be quite dry before it will be plant closings going on as usual, no matter what is written down on the paper.

I heard that Mr.Miller, I think that's his name (the CEO of Delphi) is only going to take $1's worth of salary next year to do his part to help save the company. Now if anybody would believe this is the absolute and total truth of the matter, I have some real nice farm land down in the south-Florida Everglades to sell them.

Oh well, such is life in modern-day America. Our Founding Fathers would be appauled! Or from what I've read about some of them, maybe not as much as we would think. After all , most of them were lawyers.

Maybe I'm sucking in to many paint fumes.

Take care, Sgirty

After this next hurricane rips through it might be good farmland. I've already received notice that the electric rates are going up in December. Of course I use less and it will be lower, but I do have the gas heating, so it will equal out. I heard an interesting discussin on CNN tonight. I have to agree with their argument. The government is doing nothing to help middle class America. We're losing jobs by the 1,000's to China and all they keep doing is pass more and more Free Trade agreemets. We need to fire everyone of those bozos and get a new congress made up of only poor and middle class. Things to take care of the country probably would happen instead of messing in every other country's business.

HI, Just now picking up some of the things that good old GM ( I use the world GM here because despite what the 'official' paperwork says, Delphi is still under the GM corporate empire banner) is going to use to stick to the workers in this latest Delphi contract talks. Really nice.

I can't think of the number of people I've known over the years who have died through various cancers and other such physical problems directly related to working in one of these factory settings for an extended time period of time. And now these nice 'ladies and gentlemen' ( and believe me I do use this term rather loosely here), who are running this outfit and other corporate outfits such as this in today's modern world, wish for us who have worked for them in the past, or who still do, to bend over and once again take another big one for the good of their business and the longevity of the nation, as a whole. What a total load of pure American corporate-generated B.S.!

Well, at least the union, so far anyway, has had the b----- to stand up and tell GM just what a total load of crap it really is. (Guess the company hasn't spread enough money around yet upstairs.)

I know for a fact that these cuts are going to spell the end to at least 6,000 jobs in this area alone--and that's right off the top, and this doesn't even begin to take into effect the vast number of GM retirees in this area up and over that initial figure.

And, of course, if the worker--and retiees--don't have the money to begin with, then they don't have the money to spend to help keep others, who do not work directly for the auto makers, keep bread and butter on their tables for their families either. What comes around, does, in fact, go around, or not go around, as the case may be.

This is going to be real interesting before it's all done said and done with. GM may eventually have to start digging into all tha cash they got off the the Nazi businessmen all throughout W.W. II. Now that would be a real shame.

I'm reminded of Tenn. Ernie Ford's old song here:

"St. Peter don't you call me cause I can't go; I owe my soul to the company store."

Take care, Sgirty

Someone here in england converted his car into using used chip fat from deep fat friers, but the government does not want him to do it because they do not get the petrol tax :-) . I think hydorogen is the way forward because you can make it from water and when you burn it it makes more water!. It is a win-win situation, you don't suck the earth of reasources and you also do not poison the atmosphere (thus crating more hurricanes).

cheers

Philip

Just to toss my two cents in.

I agree with the hydrogen proposal. This is far from new technology, so the excuses regarding the payment of R&D included in the costs of the vehicle are not valid. The switch over to this form from the existing form can be swift and with a minimal amount of upgrade and expense. This has been more than demonstrated during WWII. The trick is to provide incentive. My guess is, it will take a crisis (one that will be on a global scale) to force a change or at least an accelerated move towards it. As long as areas such as the Middle East and other locations around world hold the promise of oil supplies, nations and their people will be willing to pay whatever it takes to extract and use it.