The single biggest expense problem most Americans have are all the taxes we pay. All kinds of taxes.....one of the biggest drains was identified recently as government pensioners.......and the associated COLAs. Nearly 1/3 of the country is employed by some form of government, and as many of these become pensioners, there's the financial drain, folks. Recently, a retired fire captain in Vallejo, CA was reported as pulling down a pension of $200K a year. Or, a retired government nurse in San Diego, CA pulling down a government pension of $325K a year.
In my hometown of Omaha, Nebraska, the recently retired fire chief is pulling down $120K a year, as the recently retired police chief is pulling down the same $120K a year with Cost Of Living Adjustments. What was the Omaha City Council and Mayor thinking, when they agreed to these ridiculous pensions?
Like it or not, that's the huge drain on we working Americans, taxes, taxes, and more taxes to pay government pensioners.
I have a sweet tender nature, however I enjoy sharing my thoughts and opinions.
Rodney I hold a CSMEL with an instrument ticket.
I use to pay $5 an hour in our C-150 club.
WE had a Taylorcraft, Aronica Chief and the C-150.
Flew off a grass strip.
I have owned Six airplanes loved the C-310 something about crusing at 200MPH that turns me on.
Pete
Cost hasn't reached the breaking point yet. Its not just that we have too much invested in this hobby or lifestyle to quit, its that we enjoy it that much.
Skid Row Joe wrote: The single biggest expense problem most Americans have are all the taxes we pay.
Hardly.... I don't exactly make peanuts, and I pay about 6% effective federal rate... or 12% if you include social security. The tax cuts hit me directly and cut my taxes a LOT.
It is not just the RVing and flying private aircraft part of the lifestyle that will change, it is the whole surburban living, driving private vehicles, living in houses 4 to 20 times bigger than we really need, lifestyle that was based on cheap energy.
It's an old Malthusian story, about population catching up with resources. For fossil fuel energy, world demand has been catching up with what can be produced at a particular cost, and it costs a whole lot more to produce a little bit more. Free markets work on marginal prices. The world has moved past the era when a consumer could seize low-cost producer countries to get materials at a lower cost. Now we do it simply to get access at market price.
It's not just fuel, it's also food. Demographers and futurists in the 1960's predicted we'd be at this point by 1980, so they were about 30 years off, probably failing to predict how much supply can increase as higher prices support higher production costs. It is also land, in places where demand is high. Reality TV shows people paying two million dollars for a little old house in California or Connecticut that would sell for under $50K in small town Oklahoma or Kansas, or build new in a midwestern city for under $100K.
What has happened so suddenly with oil has simply been growth of demand in developing countries with large populations, i.e. now 1300 million Chinese use 45% the energy used by 300 million Americans, 1100 million Indians use 20%. Five years ago, those figures were 35% and 15%, 10 years ago 20% and 10%. Our demand has been growing as well.
The next thirty to fifty years are going to be real interesting, to see if we develop the will to deal with these realities. Even among the leaders who try to warn us, either don't comprehend the scale of how our lives will change, or don't want to talk about it because we will just turn off what we don't want to hear.
Flying has never been an inexpensive hobby. Unfortunately with increasing demand in China and India and minimal increase in supply secondary to the enviornmental movement, I see no real relief in fuel prices. I sold my Yak-52 when Avgas went up in 2006. Maybe an ultralight or LSA in the future. I don't plan on driving my RV long distances, so it is not an issue for me at this time.
Democracy is two wolves and a sheep deciding what's for dinner.
Skid Row Joe wrote: The single biggest expense problem most Americans have are all the taxes we pay.
Hardly.... I don't exactly make peanuts, and I pay about 6% effective federal rate... or 12% if you include social security. The tax cuts hit me directly and cut my taxes a LOT.
There's more taxes than just income taxes.
Taxes are on every gallon af fuel you buy, and absolutely everything you buy has taxes you are paying built into it's cost.
I'd start looking for a higher paying job, if that's all you're paying income taxes on. Especially if I had a family depending on me. Times a wasting.
Bubby's RV wrote: We spent 3 nights last weekend in Yosemite. We spent $190 for gas and $60 for a campsite, total of $250.
We could have spent $435 a night to stay at the Ahwahnee plus $60 to drive the Subaru, a total of $1,365, or $100 a night to stay at Yosemite lodge plus $60 to drive the Subaru, total of $360. The furkids would have had to stay home and we would have had to eat ALL meals out.
I think we'll continue to use the MH.
BTW, Yosemite was gorgeous and with no crowds.
You are still talking the extreme. After I pay for 20 gallons of diesel to drive my coach to the Sierra, staying on $12 campsite is cheaper than utilities at home. Food is cheaper most of the time as well. No Mc or buckets of ice cream for my sons.
Good excuse to skip long church drive and donation as well.
Pessimist sees dark tunnel, optimist sees a light at the end, realist sees lights of coming train.Engineer sees 3 idiots on the tracks.
The Reason is very clear! Just count the number of petroleum company's refining fuel today and how many their were 15 years ago!
It is called Monopoly! We ( the US government ) made the buggers break up before and need to do so again.
Don't blame the Chinese or the people from India When diesel skyrocketed and gasoline did not 4 or 5 months ago the cost of crude was the same for both so why didn't they both skyrocket? They don't refine diesel and ship it to China or India the refiners do the squeezing
It will not be long that there will no longer be a middle class. YOu will have the very rich and then the rest of us that are stugling. I am just glad that my MH is parked and I live in it.
No tell me this - The cost of gas and diesle keep going up. I just heard on the news that Exxon posted their earning for the quarter at 4.5 billion dollars. The also gave their CEO a raise. Get this 22 million dollars. Now I know where our money that we pay for gas is going. How long can this continue. It is time for our goverment to step in and shut this entire thing down and bring the cost of oil back down to earth.
Don / Brenda
Full-timing / Ocala, Florida
2002 Saturn (toad)
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