Gas prices🤬 (1 Viewer)

[Currahee Chris]

Elon Musk has challenged Putin to "single combat." That would make for a great pay-per-view event.

Ive been watching this very closely since I caught wind of it- absolutely hysterical though I hope this isnt some kind of weird "Social media" thing where Musk is just getting publicity for himself by making this statement- it's hard to read as it is utterly hysterical but the timing might be bad with the war raging, people being displaced and killed. I have to imagine that this is the kind of nonsense that Putin would respond to so Im waiting with baited breath. I did discover that Tesla is paying the full salaries and benefits for any of his employees who are volunteering to fight in the Ukraine. That puts him in very high regard so far as I am concerned.

 

[noli-poli]

With sky-rocketing gas prices, I decided to ditch my car and traded it in for this. 1 cow-power/2-wheel drive and still can do Uber...now have problems with environmentalists...cow farts! Shouldn't I get awarded for not using fossil fuel?

 

[Combat]

I'm all for supporting Ukraine but when I read that the US is proposing to send them $13 billion it causes some pause absent any assurance this money is going toward its intended purpose. Ukraine is a notoriously corrupt country. Even in the best of circumstances most of that money would be stolen or misappropriated but now they are in complete chaos. There is likely to be little or no US oversight of these funds (just like the money made available for COVID relief that is now the subject of an $8 billion DOJ fraud investigation). And many of the weapons being sent are likely to end up on the black market in the hands of terrorists. The political momentum to "do something" by throwing money at a problem very seldom works. Taxpayers will be stuck paying those costs for generations. I don't have any answers, but where are the efforts to bring this conflict to an end rather than contributing arms to the ongoing war? It's surprising to me that there has been almost no NATO effort directed toward negotiating a deal to end the fighting.

 

[nysoldiers]

I'm all for supporting Ukraine but when I read that the US is proposing to send them $13 billion it causes some pause absent any assurance this money is going toward its intended purpose. Ukraine is a notoriously corrupt country. Even in the best of circumstances most of that money would be stolen or misappropriated but now they are in complete chaos. There is likely to be little or no US oversight of these funds (just like the money made available for COVID relief that is now the subject of an $8 billion DOJ fraud investigation). And many of the weapons being sent are likely to end up on the black market in the hands of terrorists. The political momentum to "do something" by throwing money at a problem very seldom works. Taxpayers will be stuck paying those costs for generations. I don't have any answers, but where are the efforts to bring this conflict to an end rather than contributing arms to the ongoing war? It's surprising to me that there has been almost no NATO effort directed toward negotiating a deal to end the fighting.

I agree with your concerns about where the money will end up. I have a very close friend who is a retired congressman and who stays in touch with his former colleagues. The money will not be sent in one lump sum and there is better oversight than in the past. There is an accounting procedure for the expenditures from the money sent.
That said there is always corruption at some level. Look at our fraud when it comes to Medicare, Welfare and government contracts.....billions and billions and we are supposedly a Model of ethics and oversight!
The simple answer is to send the money in increments with credible expenditure reporting that is more easily verifiable. Doubt that will happen.
Hard to knock the Ukranians right now as they are putting up an amazing resistance. Of course as Putin gets more desperate he will order more violent consequences for Ukraine. He knows if he loses his tenure could be done.

 

[Terp152]

I'm all for supporting Ukraine but when I read that the US is proposing to send them $13 billion it causes some pause absent any assurance this money is going toward its intended purpose. Ukraine is a notoriously corrupt country. Even in the best of circumstances most of that money would be stolen or misappropriated but now they are in complete chaos. There is likely to be little or no US oversight of these funds (just like the money made available for COVID relief that is now the subject of an $8 billion DOJ fraud investigation). And many of the weapons being sent are likely to end up on the black market in the hands of terrorists. The political momentum to "do something" by throwing money at a problem very seldom works. Taxpayers will be stuck paying those costs for generations. I don't have any answers, but where are the efforts to bring this conflict to an end rather than contributing arms to the ongoing war? It's surprising to me that there has been almost no NATO effort directed toward negotiating a deal to end the fighting.

Maybe there's something to be said about supporting an innocent people being ravaged by Putin's armed forces.

 

[Combat]

Maybe there's something to be said about supporting an innocent people being ravaged by Putin's armed forces.

Only if the money is put to that use instead of being stolen. It doesn't matter how good the cause if the funds are misappropriated. Based on recent experience (at least $8 billion in fraud in the COVID relief here in the US) I can only imagine how $13 billion will be spent in a war torn Eastern European country that has been denied entry to NATO due to corruption in the absence of any meaningful oversight. Emotional decision making is always a mistake. I'm all for supporting Ukraine. Just not paying for another Afghanistan where the money was stolen. Who is overseeing these fund? No one. Many US politicians and/or their cronies are on the receiving end of these funds which is why they are gung ho to spend them. Where are all these weapons going to end up? I bet a lot terrorists think this is Christmas. Many of these will end up in their hands.

 

[paxtoysoldier]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HEt2XdN_TbQ

 

[Warrior]

Only if the money is put to that use instead of being stolen. It doesn't matter how good the cause if the funds are misappropriated. Based on recent experience (at least $8 billion in fraud in the COVID relief here in the US) I can only imagine how $13 billion will be spent in a war torn Eastern European country that has been denied entry to NATO due to corruption in the absence of any meaningful oversight. Emotional decision making is always a mistake. I'm all for supporting Ukraine. Just not paying for another Afghanistan where the money was stolen. Who is overseeing these fund? No one. Many US politicians and/or their cronies are on the receiving end of these funds which is why they are gung ho to spend them. Where are all these weapons going to end up? I bet a lot terrorists think this is Christmas. Many of these will end up in their hands.

8 Billion in COVID fraud; gee, never saw that coming, what's another 13 billion, this country has been printing money we don't have for close to a year, just keep printing it, no worries.

 

[Panzer ace]

8 Billion in COVID fraud; gee, never saw that coming, what's another 13 billion, this country has been printing money we don't have for close to a year, just keep printing it, no worries.

I remember reading a Norwegian study that compared the United States relief efforts following hurricane Katrina and Japan’s same efforts following their 2011 earthquake.

That independent study found that 48% of the Katrina claims were fraudulent while in Japan less that 1% of the Japanese claims involved fraud.

 

[Terp152]

I remember reading a Norwegian study that compared the United States relief efforts following hurricane Katrina and Japan’s same efforts following their 2011 earthquake.

That independent study found that 48% of the Katrina claims were fraudulent while in Japan less that 1% of the Japanese claims involved fraud.

Like other states, Kentucky initiated a COVID relief program to extend unemployment benefits ($) to the unemployed. Around 20 of the claimants were found to be current state gov't workers in the unemployment office. :rolleyes2: The surprising thing is that they were fired, {eek3} they were state workers after all. Chris

 

[Combat]

I remember reading a Norwegian study that compared the United States relief efforts following hurricane Katrina and Japan’s same efforts following their 2011 earthquake.

That independent study found that 48% of the Katrina claims were fraudulent while in Japan less that 1% of the Japanese claims involved fraud.

Even much of the "legitimate" COVID spending went to questionable sources. Hundreds of millions went to individuals, for example, who were in prison. Even the Boston Bomber got a check on death row. Does this happen through incompetence of is there some intent? I think there is both. There is political momentum to throw money at certain "feel good" causes in the heat of the moment. Once Congress has the political support to spend lots of money the politicians allocate it to sources that stand to benefit them. A revolving door of money and power. Congress sends money to organizations that they know will kick back a certain portion to them or hire their political cronies or family members. And round and round it goes. The tangible results don't matter to them.

 

[sammy719]

Paying over 5 bucks a gallon I told George back in the early days of this thread by Memorial day it be 5.00 a gallon...well I only missed it by a few weeks....lucky I was on vacation last week and didn't have to do the 75 mile round trip to work!!!

 

[tdubel]

I remember reading a Norwegian study that compared the United States relief efforts following hurricane Katrina and Japan’s same efforts following their 2011 earthquake.

That independent study found that 48% of the Katrina claims were fraudulent while in Japan less that 1% of the Japanese claims involved fraud.

I may have posted this before so apologies if here it is again. One of my first major consulting projects was a Company that was hammered in Gulfport MS during Katrina. I spent a lot of time there after the Storm. I met Governor Haley Barbour of MS and worked with him for quite a bit on this project. He made a comment during a meeting one time to me that I found to be sad but true - "The Federal Government granted $90 Million in initial aid to the States of Mississippi and Louisiana. We (Mississippi) received $40M of that allocation, (at the time), we have $31Million left, we spent $9M on the towns of Biloxi and Gulfport thus far and have the rest in an State Escrow account. However, I can tell you that Louisiana received $50M, they have $9M left and they can't account for $41M." IN other words, it was lost, stolen, etc etc etc.

And so it goes - if you visit Gulfport and Biloxi today, they look like their former selves regarding rebuild and new builds. I can tell you that in the annual trip I make to New Orleans, you can still see parts that have never been rebuilt or are finally being rebuilt..........................................................

Just saying.

 

[Mirof]

And wait until folks see their next 401(k) statement. The market is down almost two thousand points in the last couple of days. Brutal.

I made the conversion : for a Gallon, the price today in Belgium is 8.98$

 

[Combat]

Paying over 5 bucks a gallon I told George back in the early days of this thread by Memorial day it be 5.00 a gallon...well I only missed it by a few weeks....lucky I was on vacation last week and didn't have to do the 75 mile round trip to work!!!

I read that some older gas stations have to recalibrate their tanks to account for gas prices that may exceed $9.99/gallon. Not enough digits to account for $10+ gas.

 

[marco55]

I heard that a couple of places in California has hit $10
Mark