Okay whos in the UK got some petrol?

[LAMFDTK]

God save the Queen ! She ain't no human being. She made you a Moron a potential H bomb.

I hope new "Sex Pistols" emerge from this mess.

[Gurm]

Aerobed:

You must remember that you are in one of the few countries in the world where your taxes actually are used to bring you real benefits. The rest of us get taxed and watch our governments fritter away the money without ever seeing a single thing. Most of us will have no retirement benefits from the government, get no health care assistance, and drive on crappy roads.

- Gurm

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Listen up, you primitive screwheads! See this? This is my BOOMSTICK! Etc. etc.

[Jorden]

Vlip: Maybe because of the lack of cars in your country? Maybe because about everything in your country was expensive already

Btw, no way you want to go through Belgium at this moment (with over 120 blockades everywhere !!), their police advising to avoid their country if you want to travel South !!

Read more about it on CNN - Tankers roll but fuel protests spread

I must say it was quite quiet on the roads this morning. Usually we drive to Houten for our study in about 45 to 60 minutes, this morning we drove there in 35 minutes

Jord.

[DentyCracker]

Petrol is now at US$1.90 per US Gallon on average. Last year the government (of Jamaica) announced a large increase in the fuel tax. This led to blockades and a virtual shutdown of the country. In a few days the government wisely decided to compromise. You see they know we know they be "stealing" our taxes and getting fat off it.

[ahartman]

*sigh*

Gurm, you do see the benefits of taxes. Do you have kids? Do they go to public school? Do they use parks? Do they drink dirty waste water?

Do you live in fear of your life every day due to crime? Are you afraid your house will burn to the ground at the first spark? Do you drive on UNPAVED roads? Have you ever gotten on a bus and ridden across town for $1.50?

You see your taxes in action EVERY day. Does that mean ALL the taxes collected from you are spent wisely? No.

I learned at an early age that I'm the only one that will be able to provide for my well being both now and in retirement/golden years. I'm planning accordingly. Any help I get from the gov't will be a plus.

Don't tell me you see no benefits for the taxes you pay.

As for taxing gasoline, I was recently in Canada, where they post taxes on the pump. I was surprised at the amount of tax being paid per liter of gas. I'm sure I'd be shocked in the US, but we don't know how much is tax and how much is actual cost. Ignorance really is bliss sometimes...

[The PIT]

A lot of small haulers/Farmers/fisherman are struggling with the present fuel prices and are going bust. Due to stubborn resistant of the goverment other business will now be struggling.
They could have easily knocked a bit of money off for now and eased the sitution.
The Tory Government orginal brought in the policy of an automatic rise in petrol prices to force people to stop using there cars (A green tax). (Labour have now scrapped it ) However both governments have forgot that to get poeple out of there cars you need to provide a reliable public transport. In this country UK you haven't got this therefore you have to use the car. Plenty of times I walk to work it takes me 40 minutes. If I drive it takes 12 minutes in the morning and 20 to 30 minutes in the evening. If I go by bus it takes around 40 to 45 minutes and costs around £2.80. Going back to my old job to drive would take an hour in the morning and Hour and half in the evening or longer. To go by Rail I would have to leave at 5 O'clock in the morning and the journey would take three hours and similar time going back at night. Therefore I drove to work. I was glad I left as the price of fuel today wouldn't have made it worth while and the talk of Toll rounds and charging single drivers persuaded me to look for work at my home town.
The orginal price hikes were a green tax which in reality are a tax on working unless they get the public transport sorted.
Perhaps all this money there wasting on the Dome come have been used subsiding the fuel costs.

[SteveC]

Ummm check out http://www.sky.com/news/uk/story1.htm The ARMY has been called in and is ready to go!

This is getting silly. Somehow I don't think Mr Blair will be in power next election. Infact, I think he should resign now.

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Cheers,
Steve

"Life is what we make of it, yet most of us just fake"

[The PIT]

It looks like the blockade is being called off. Tony Blah Blah needs to get his feet back on the ground and find out what the voters need.

[Gurm]

Ahartman:

Gurm, you do see the benefits of taxes. Do you have kids? Do they go to public school? Do they use parks? Do they drink dirty waste water?

We're working on the kids thing, but when we do have them... NO, they will NEVER go to a public school. I went once, it was so horrible that I did whatever it took to get out as soon as possible. I'm given to understand that there are good public schools somewhere in this country, but I haven't found them yet.

As for parks and water, that's LOCAL public works. That's a separate tax in most areas, which I am glad to pay.

Do you live in fear of your life every day due to crime?

Yes. Less now that I'm out of the city, but when I lived in Boston I was afraid. Really, truly afraid to walk from school to my apartment after dark. And my apartment was broken into numerous times. Someone in the next apartment was raped. Yeah, I was afraid. Still am. There's a reason I'm armed.

Are you afraid your house will burn to the ground at the first spark?

Yup. Have you SEEN fire departments around the country?

Do you drive on UNPAVED roads?

Might as well. Have you driven any highways on the east coast? There are potholes so large that they can swallow your car, no shoulders, and stress cracks that have turned into speed bumps. After driving from Boston to North Carolina and back I needed a 4-wheel alignment!

Have you ever gotten on a bus and ridden across town for $1.50?

I don't see the point of this question, but yes. Well, not really all the way across town. To get all the way across town is more like $5 or $6 but hey who's counting right? You could pay a cabbie the same money!

You see your taxes in action EVERY day.

Nope. I still argue that my benefits for every dollar paid is close to nil.

Does that mean ALL the taxes collected from you are spent wisely? No.

Correct. There was a very funny episode of "The Cosby Show" where his dad (or granddad or something) hadn't paid $2000 in taxes. Well, he found out that a toilet seat costs the feds $2500. So he bought one from the local hardware store for $12 (making sure it was government spec.) and mailed it in and told them to "keep the change".

I learned at an early age that I'm the only one that will be able to provide for my well being both now and in retirement/golden years. I'm planning accordingly. Any help I get from the gov't will be a plus.

Don't expect any. My wife's grandmother lives off the government. She worked hard her whole life, and between social security and her pension she can't make her apartment rent AND her car payment in a single month (Toyota Corolla, 5 year note). So she had to sell the car to her sister. When we gave her $1000 she cried, she hadn't seen that much money in years. THAT is how the government "helps" take care of the elderly.

Don't tell me you see no benefits for the taxes you pay.

I most certainly will tell you that. After listening to some speeches yesterday I'm a confirmed libertarian. Let me pay the taxes I want to pay. I'll pay for police, fire, and public works. I'll pay for roads. I _won't_ pay for the president's cigar habit, congressional toilet-seat overruns, or the sexual excesses of the Kennedy family.

As for taxing gasoline, I was recently in Canada, where they post taxes on the pump. I was surprised at the amount of tax being paid per liter of gas. I'm sure I'd be shocked in the US, but we don't know how much is tax and how much is actual cost. Ignorance really is bliss sometimes...

Now I'm with you here. It's funny because the government is in bed with big oil companies and auto makers, yet they penalize us for using gas-guzzling vehicles. When will it end?

What REALLY cracks me up though is that American auto makers can't make a fuel-efficient engine (or won't, is more likely). My 1993 BMW gets 25mpg, and I drive it like it was an Indy car. My wife's 1995 Volvo also gets 25mpg. Both have inline 6-cylinder engines and roughly 200hp. The Bimmer can take down most American muscle cars handily.

Yet a Mustang gets what... like 12mpg? Astonishing. My grandmother bought a new Buick, with a transverse 6 (damn front-wheel-drive pieces of crap), and it only gets like 17mpg. What the hell is up with that?

- Gurm

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Listen up, you primitive screwheads! See this? This is my BOOMSTICK! Etc. etc.

[Electric Amish]

"If you can't trust the governments of the world, then who can you trust?"- Young Einstein (Yahoo Serious)


Sorry to hear about your troubles. It's not getting a lot of press time here in the states.

Here in Utah, the fuel tax runs about 50-60 cents per gallon.

I just noticed this morning that the price jumped from $1.68 to $1.82 overnight for Premium.

I bet this made for a nice vacation for Ant, eh??

good luck.

amish

[This message has been edited by Electric Amish (edited 14 September 2000).]

[Ant]

I actually passed my driving test two weeks ago (yes I know I'm a little old for that), bought a car two days before I went on vacation. Spent the vacation without seeing a TV or newspaper, got back home yesterday looking forward to playing with my new toy and what the hell!? No Petrol anywhere

Saw a funny thing on the news, some guy decided to hoard petrol in his house in plastic containers that all leaked, the fire brigade had to come out and clear up all of the mess and he's going to end up with the bill for it all, around £20,000!

[ahartman]

When I was in high school, I'd earn a little extra money doing yardwork. I had to mow the lawn at my dad's office but didn't know which can of gas was leaded vs. unleaded (our lawn mower gas had to be premixed w/oil). My dad told me "Bring some of it in here in a cup and I'll tell you if it has oil or not".

Like the rocket scientist you wrote about, Ant, I chose to bring it to him in a syrofoam cup...

The smell was in the carpet for days.