Sad for America
 

Two days ago I had follow up appointments to the pulmonary doctor at the Decatur VA where I was given a clean bill of health and told that I could stop using the oxygen. Yesterday I had an appointment with my "primary care doctor at the Stockbridge Clinic.
I've a nasty habit that started many years ago when I still worked at the car company which is to count cars while driving and during those drives to the doctors offices I counted the number of imports and domestic cars and the imports won. All totaled there was 282 imports and 119 domestically built cars that I drove passed or drove past me.
When I was young you could spot an occasional VW or Renault but 99% of the cars on the road were made right here in the USA. When I first started working at the car company I was told that every car that rolled off the assembly line helped to contribute to 10 American jobs and there were few that drawing an "Unemployment Check" paid for by Americans. Gasoline was $.29.9, diesel $.24.9 cents a gallon and when you pulled into the "service station" you did not dare to get out of your Chevy and pump your own gas. The bell rang inside of the station and I ran out to your car and asked if you wanted your oil level or tire pressure checked before I cleaned your windshield. For that I earned $.90 cents an hour. Todays gasoline is over $3.00 a gallon and there isn't any way that anyone is coming outside of the "gas station" to pump gas into your Toyota. If you need air in the tires you pay for it at the air pump and there's no such thing as a "Service Station."
Oh, and by the way there has been two auto plants that have closed their doors here in Atlanta in the past 12 years and the car company no longer pays for either my wife's or my health insurance. They're building a Porch plant along with a test track where the Ford plant used to be and there's a Kia plant now in KIA, Georgia.
Progress?
Change?

Stick

Have to stop and think about the cost of living. For example you said you was making .90 cents an hour working at a gas station and I assume that was in the early 60s. In 1962 for example, $1.00 had the same value as $7.77 in 2014. So by today's standard, you was earning about $6.99 in buying power per hour by my calculation.
As far as people buying products made in other countries over products made here, that's what happen when you have an open market where everyone can compete. There will be people buying stuff that's not made here. Best way to solve that is to build a better mouse trap at an affordable price.

Stick

Would like to also mention I worked at a gas station also in the early 60s. 1960 & 61, I worked at a Mobil station owned by two Italian brothers who's ideals of working for them amounted to only a slice of bread & a glass of water. Had to work 6/12 hour days for 35 bucks a week. Dollar back then had the value of $7.93 in buying power. That amounted to $277.55 today. A teenager can make more money today working part-time at Burger King or Wendy's. But in those days as you are quite aware of, employment for teens was very few.

Stick,
Thanks for reminding all members here that gasoline prices were higher than that much easier to refine diesel fuel when you were young, also. Such was historically so for quite some time.

Nowadays and for quite a few years, that much easier and cheaper to refine diesel fuel (basically heating oil) does and has cost MUCH HIGHER than a gallon of the much harder to refine gasoline costs.

Why is that?

One would think that all homeowners using diesel for heating and comfort and all truckers depending on diesel for their daily livelihoods would be protesting or screaming BLOODY MURDER about such, by now.

Wonder why homeowners and truckers have been so silent about such an obvious rip-off for so many years?

Neil

Gasoline -
 

WHen I was young gas was 15 cents a gallon. Bulk oil (reused or recycled even then) was 10 cents a guart at Ryan Gas.

When I was in school in Germany gas was outrages $3.85 a liter.
When I worked in Saudi - Jeddia gas was 9 Cents a gallon.

Ever notice when the gas prices get up there suddenly they drop to a cost effective margin only to suddenly have many refineries suddenly breakdown and a shortage
occurs? We finally get glut of oil and gas is reasonable and suddenly out of the
blue refineries go down - then the price go up.

What's wrong with this picture?

Boats