On Sat, 28 Mar 2026 18:50:06 -0500, Lynn McGuire wrote:
On 3/28/2026 6:11 PM, Lawrence D?Oliveiro wrote:
On Sat, 28 Mar 2026 17:23:10 -0500, Lynn McGuire wrote:
Didn?t your Government have to release some emergency reserves to
keep things at that level? They can?t keep doing that indefinitely.
Call me when the price hit $5.
Stay tuned.
It will take months to get those reserves out. And Biden sold off
2/3rds of the reserves already.
So it *would have* taken months to use up those reserves, if Biden
hadn?t already got rid of most of them?
By today, April 4, it was already at $4.11.
You can try to blame the last guy, but everyone knows *why* those prices
at the pump are where they are, and it ain't coz he sold off the
reserves.
... I don't expect the kind of empty gas stations unable to get
deliveries that we saw in the seventies and Thailand is seeing
today.
On Sat, 4 Apr 2026 14:27:18 -0400 (EDT), Scott Dorsey wrote:
... I don't expect the kind of empty gas stations unable to get
deliveries that we saw in the seventies and Thailand is seeing
today.
The manchild in the White House can?t seem to make up his mind,
though: the other day he said he didn?t care about opening the Strait
of Hormuz, let other countries worry about that, the USA can manage
fine without it. Today he?s gone on a complete tantrum and is
threatening to destroy all the power infrastructure and bridges in
Iran if they don?t let the shipping through.
Resorting to blackmail, in other words, since his military strikes
don?t seem to be working.
There are other things the US needs that go through that strait: like >products made from petroleum, that the US cannot make for itself. One
obvious one is fertilizer for the farms.
On Sat, 4 Apr 2026 14:27:18 -0400 (EDT), Scott Dorsey wrote:
... I don't expect the kind of empty gas stations unable to get
deliveries that we saw in the seventies and Thailand is seeing
today.
The manchild in the White House can?t seem to make up his mind,
though: the other day he said he didn?t care about opening the Strait
of Hormuz, let other countries worry about that, the USA can manage
fine without it. Today he?s gone on a complete tantrum and is
threatening to destroy all the power infrastructure and bridges in
Iran if they don?t let the shipping through.
Resorting to blackmail, in other words, since his military strikes
don?t seem to be working.
There are other things the US needs that go through that strait: like >products made from petroleum, that the US cannot make for itself. One
obvious one is fertilizer for the farms.
On Sat, 4 Apr 2026 14:27:18 -0400 (EDT), Scott Dorsey wrote:
... I don't expect the kind of empty gas stations unable to get
deliveries that we saw in the seventies and Thailand is seeing
today.
The manchild in the White House can?t seem to make up his mind,
though: the other day he said he didn?t care about opening the Strait
of Hormuz, let other countries worry about that, the USA can manage
fine without it. Today he?s gone on a complete tantrum and is
threatening to destroy all the power infrastructure and bridges in
Iran if they don?t let the shipping through.
Resorting to blackmail, in other words, since his military strikes
don?t seem to be working.
There are other things the US needs that go through that strait: like products made from petroleum, that the US cannot make for itself. One
obvious one is fertilizer for the farms.
In article <10qvmli$1uf62$6@dont-email.me>,
Lawrence D?Oliveiro <ldo@nz.invalid> wrote:
On Sat, 4 Apr 2026 14:27:18 -0400 (EDT), Scott Dorsey wrote:
... I don't expect the kind of empty gas stations unable to get
deliveries that we saw in the seventies and Thailand is seeing
today.
The manchild in the White House can???t seem to make up his mind,
though: the other day he said he didn???t care about opening the Strait
of Hormuz, let other countries worry about that, the USA can manage
fine without it. Today he???s gone on a complete tantrum and is
threatening to destroy all the power infrastructure and bridges in
Iran if they don???t let the shipping through.
Resorting to blackmail, in other words, since his military strikes
don???t seem to be working.
There are other things the US needs that go through that strait: like
products made from petroleum, that the US cannot make for itself. One
obvious one is fertilizer for the farms.
Food can't be that critical to Americans or Trump would not threaten
to tariff Canadian potash.
Probably a Holodomor-level famine would
build character and help US parents sort their children in order of edibility.
On 4/6/2026 7:30 AM, James Nicoll wrote:Strait
In article <10qvmli$1uf62$6@dont-email.me>,
Lawrence D?Oliveiro <ldo@nz.invalid> wrote:
On Sat, 4 Apr 2026 14:27:18 -0400 (EDT), Scott Dorsey wrote:
... I don't expect the kind of empty gas stations unable to get
deliveries that we saw in the seventies and Thailand is seeing
today.
The manchild in the White House can???t seem to make up his mind,
though: the other day he said he didn???t care about opening the
of Hormuz, let other countries worry about that, the USA can manage
fine without it. Today he???s gone on a complete tantrum and is
threatening to destroy all the power infrastructure and bridges in
Iran if they don???t let the shipping through.
Resorting to blackmail, in other words, since his military strikes
don???t seem to be working.
There are other things the US needs that go through that strait: like
products made from petroleum, that the US cannot make for itself. One
obvious one is fertilizer for the farms.
Food can't be that critical to Americans or Trump would not threaten
to tariff Canadian potash.
Only if you assume Trump is not senile and a megalomaniac.
Probably a Holodomor-level famine wouldThe recently enacted "improvements" to various social safety net
build character and help US parents sort their children in order of
edibility.
programs like SNAP (aka Food Stamps) are already moving us towards that >since he has stated that the only thing the Federal government should be
doing is the military and the states should handle everything else.
Lawrence D?Oliveiro wrote:Strait
On Sat, 4 Apr 2026 14:27:18 -0400 (EDT), Scott Dorsey wrote:
... I don't expect the kind of empty gas stations unable to get
deliveries that we saw in the seventies and Thailand is seeing
today.
The manchild in the White House can?t seem to make up his mind,
though: the other day he said he didn?t care about opening the
of Hormuz, let other countries worry about that, the USA can manage
fine without it. Today he?s gone on a complete tantrum and is
threatening to destroy all the power infrastructure and bridges in
Iran if they don?t let the shipping through.
Resorting to blackmail, in other words, since his military strikes
don?t seem to be working.
There are other things the US needs that go through that strait: like
products made from petroleum, that the US cannot make for itself. One
obvious one is fertilizer for the farms.
And, strangely enough, Aluminum.
Trump put a tariff on Canadian aluminum, making it unaffordable, or
nearly so, in the US. So they were buying their aluminum from the gulf >region.
It's just plain common sense to prefer to get your essential materials
from a set of murderous dictatorships, many of whose citizens loathe
you, rather than from a democratic ally.
Any fool can see that it is unfair that we have abundant hydro power,
so we can sell aluminum - largely made by US companies - to the US more
cheaply that some domestic producers. How dare we!
As a result Canada has entered into a deal with the EU which locks up
much of our aluminum production for a decade.
So with the strait closed, there's now an aluminum shortage, Europe has
a secure supply from Canada, but the US is looking at high prices and >shortages. True, they could buy more from Canada, but as above, there
isn't as much available as there was in the distant days of 2024.
No wonder Trump wants a fifty percent increase in the defense budget.
He'll need more for aluminum alone. I wonder where they'll source it
next. North Korea? Russia? Hell?
I think this is isomorphic to several "I Love Lucy" sitcoms.
The recently enacted "improvements" to various social safety net
programs like SNAP (aka Food Stamps) are already moving us towards that >since he has stated that the only thing the Federal government should be >doing is the military and the states should handle everything else.
Dimensional Traveler <dtravel@sonic.net> wrote:
The recently enacted "improvements" to various social safety net
programs like SNAP (aka Food Stamps) are already moving us towards that
since he has stated that the only thing the Federal government should be
doing is the military and the states should handle everything else.
Indeed, the plan is to roll back to the Golden Age of the 1890s when
most corporate legislation was done by states, and so consequently
national corporations would just shop around. So what if the Pennsylvania Railway is not paying taxes for their operations in New York? They don't have to, because they are incorporated in Pennsylvania. So what if the Pennsylvania railway is polluting in Ohio? It doesn't matter because
they are incorporated in Pennsylvania. Once the corporations got bigger than the states, they couldn't control them.
Teddy Roosevelt did a marvelous job of moving those laws up to the Federal level, and it took fifty years for it to actually happen in some places,
but it did.
Now we have come to an era where corporations aren't just larger than the states, they are larger than nations, and it has become impossible for nations to control them.
ObSF: Ironclads by Adrian Tchaikowsky.
--scott
As to the defence budget -- as long as it prohibits him to spend even
a single penny of it attacking Iran and it is fully paid by tax
increases on 1%-ers, I see no problem.
It is not impossible to control the corporations but the legislators
whom they put into office have no desire to control them.
Paul S Person wrote:
As to the defence budget -- as long as it prohibits him to spend even
a single penny of it attacking Iran and it is fully paid by tax
increases on 1%-ers, I see no problem.
Iran has lost that new war smell.
I think Yemen should be nervous.
William Hyde <wthyde1953@gmail.com> wrote:[...]
Iran has lost that new war smell.
I think Yemen should be nervous.
I think we should nuke.... <spins the spinner> France!
Is that right?
--scott
Bobbie Sellers <blissInSanFrancisco@mouse-potato.com> wrote:has
It is not impossible to control the corporations but the legislators >>whom they put into office have no desire to control them.
That's only part of the problem. But look at a company like GE which
an enormous US presence but pays few US taxes. You'd think when the
Panama Papers became public that people would start to stand up and take >notice. Maybe I should incorporate in Aruba myself.
On Tue, 7 Apr 2026 19:41:24 -0400 (EDT), kludge@panix.com (Scott
Dorsey) wrote:
Bobbie Sellers <blissInSanFrancisco@mouse-potato.com> wrote:has
It is not impossible to control the corporations but the legislators >>>whom they put into office have no desire to control them.
That's only part of the problem. But look at a company like GE which =
an enormous US presence but pays few US taxes. You'd think when the=20 >>Panama Papers became public that people would start to stand up and take >>notice. Maybe I should incorporate in Aruba myself.
I seem to recall that an alternate taxing model exists to the one the
USA is using designed to address the problem.
But the /real/ problem is that, on the Federal level, the USA is a
failed State.
Paul S Person <psperson@old.netcom.invalid> wrote:
On Tue, 7 Apr 2026 19:41:24 -0400 (EDT), kludge@panix.com (Scott
Dorsey) wrote:
Bobbie Sellers <blissInSanFrancisco@mouse-potato.com> wrote:has
It is not impossible to control the corporations but the legislators >>>> whom they put into office have no desire to control them.
That's only part of the problem. But look at a company like GE which =
an enormous US presence but pays few US taxes. You'd think when the=20
Panama Papers became public that people would start to stand up and take >>> notice. Maybe I should incorporate in Aruba myself.
I seem to recall that an alternate taxing model exists to the one the
USA is using designed to address the problem.
But the /real/ problem is that, on the Federal level, the USA is a
failed State.
That's a complication. But the essential problem of national control over international corporations is much bigger than just the US.
--scott
Iran has lost that new war smell.
I think Yemen should be nervous.
On Tue, 7 Apr 2026 18:15:36 -0400, William Hyde wrote:
Iran has lost that new war smell.
I think Yemen should be nervous.
Israel has been making saber-rattling-type noises towards Turkiye (or
is that Trkiye?).
Of course, that?s a NATO member. Maybe the attack will be timed neatly
to come after the US?s final abandonment of NATO, so there won?t be an agreement for it to renege on when it doesn?t come to the aid of a
NATO member.
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