Gas prices and buying cards

[vintagetoppsguy]

Originally Posted by Yoda

I can't help but wonder, now that the US has cut off Russian oil, whether we could make up our shortfall from our nice neighbor to the north, Canada?

We already import most of our oil from Canada. In 2020, Canadian imports made up about 61% of our oil imports. I think last year was about 57%. Those numbers may very slightly depending on your source, but the majority of our imports already come from Canada. Russia was about 4th on the list.

Edited to add: And the current administration is looking to lift the ban on Venezuelan oil.

[Yoda]

I knew that, but meant if Russian oil imports represents 7% of US energy needs, why not ask Canada to prime their pumps and make up the shortfall. They got plenty.
Personally, I would prefer to suffer at the pump rather than have us import oil from those 2 terrorist rogue states, Venezuela and Iran.

[G1911]

I don't think this impacts cards much.

First, it's an odd economic time. Inflation is growing at an alarming rate that is horrifying me, but there are also tons of jobs open and they are generally paying quite a bit more too (I'm sure some roles aren't, but wages have been rising quickly). Everything cots more, but most of us are making more than we made in 2019 too.

Second, people who are barely scraping by don't really purchase vintage cards. It's just reality. I was poor and broke ten years ago in college trying to score a $10 card once a month, but this is a very, very tiny segment of the hobby. Even most low grade collectors on the cheaper end of the spectrum (I'm one of them) are not living paycheck to paycheck where a tank of gas doubling alters their card budget. Just as rising prices on household goods and astounding inflation the last year have not reduced card prices, neither will this. People who were overspending irresponsibly will continue doing so and those who can responsibly afford to do so will continue to do so, which together constitutes almost all vintage collectors.

[conor912]

Originally Posted by parkplace33

Will the rise in gas price affect collectors buying cards?

I think in the long term no, but short term, definitely. When you are paying $50 plus to fill up your tank, other areas have to get cut 😕

Ha. I would kill for a $50 fillup. I filled it today for a cool $89.82.

[bmattioli]

First Covid now this crap.. I need a break..

[Casey2296]

Originally Posted by bmattioli

First Covid now this crap.. I need a break..

My daughter is 26 and one of her first memories is watching the towers fall on 911, coupled with the mortgage meltdown in 2008, divisive polarized politics (shame on y'all), a general lack of respect we have for each other as humans, her's was the first generation raised on social media and all it's negative influences, etc., then throw in a world wide pandemic and now a war.

We were talking about it one day and she said "My generation is tired of constantly going through life changing events, we just want some degree of normalcy in our lives". Her and her friends are a smart group of kids, they know baloney when they see or hear it, and have a real solid no nonsense middle class approach to life.

[rdwyer]

The cheapest place to get gas is Taco Bell.

[Exhibitman]

Originally Posted by Casey2296

My daughter is 26 and one of her first memories is watching the towers fall on 911, coupled with the mortgage meltdown in 2008, divisive polarized politics (shame on y'all), a general lack of respect we have for each other as humans, her's was the first generation raised on social media and all it's negative influences, etc., then throw in a world wide pandemic and now a war.

We were talking about it one day and she said "My generation is tired of constantly going through life changing events, we just want some degree of normalcy in our lives". Her and her friends are a smart group of kids, they know baloney when they see or hear it, and have a real solid no nonsense middle class approach to life.

Exactly how my daughter sees it (23 y.o.). She and her friends are frustrated at missing their early 20s. Luckily, she did a semester abroad in Europe in the fall of 2019 and traveled all over the continent during the holidays, just steps (unbeknownst to her) ahead of the COVID outbreak. She returned home just a few weeks ahead of the wave. So at least she got that experience, which is priceless.

I get the frustration. I am so frustrated that I am willing to go to Atlantic City this summer, something I said I would never do again. But I am not going another year w/o a National. No way.

[KellerHobby]

Originally Posted by ullmandds

why dont you guys take your political shit elsewhere.

This is my very first post ever in Net54 (I have belonged for years) and I try to avoid political talks on Facebook. I enjoy reading the messages, but there are times that we cannot ignore rising gas prices, civilians being murdered and the fact that WWIII could start any day because Putin is crazy. Gas going up is the least of our problems if something is not done. Card collecting is a great hobby and distraction, but our hobby will be greatly effected unless action is taken against the biggest threat to humanity since Hitler. Usually I say "no" to politics, but trust me as a Jewish person who lost relatives in the Holocaust, we should all be very very concerned now. Anyone going to the card show in Chantilly, Virginia in early April?

[hcv123]

Originally Posted by KellerHobby

This is my very first post ever in Net54 (I have belonged for years) and I try to avoid political talks on Facebook. I enjoy reading the messages, but there are times that we cannot ignore rising gas prices, civilians being murdered and the fact that WWIII could start any day because Putin is crazy. Gas going up is the least of our problems if something is not done. Card collecting is a great hobby and distraction, but our hobby will be greatly effected unless action is taken against the biggest threat to humanity since Hitler. Usually I say "no" to politics, but trust me as a Jewish person who lost relatives in the Holocaust, we should all be very very concerned now. Anyone going to the card show in Chantilly, Virginia in early April?

I'll be set up across from the entrance - A Few of My Favorite Things - All Net 54 members invited to come say hello and talk baseball cards.

[egri]

Chantilly is a few hours from me, so I might make the trip up. I've never been before.

[vintagetoppsguy]

If we all just stop driving for two weeks, we can flatten the curve.

[Stampsfan]

Originally Posted by Yoda

...
I can't help but wonder, now that the US has cut off Russian oil, whether we could make up our shortfall from our nice neighbor to the north, Canada? Better than Venezuela (ugh) or Iran (double ugh).

Thank you for this. While I post here intermittently, and read daily, I try and stay neutral here. However, on this topic I struggle to do so.
Given that, as someone who lives in Western Canada, I (and many others up here) cannot understand why your current president is so against getting this resource from us. The US imports approximately 660,000 Barrels of Oil a day from Russia. Keystone was going to supply slightly more than that on a daily basis. It is stopped in its tracks on day 1 of the new term. Then as prices goes up, he goes to Saudi and basically says "Pump more oil... oh yeah, and sell it to us."
Now Venezuela, Iraq, and OPEC are approached to provide more. No mention of coming to Canada for supply.
Canada has the third largest reserves in the world. We have among the highest environmental standards in the world. Canada is not going to invade any other democratic country. We don't kill reporters.
We in Western Canada simply don't understand the logic and bias.

[Michael B]

Originally Posted by Bestdj777

Inflation in general has cut/basically eliminated my hobby funds. It’s hard to justify even a $5.00 purchase when I have to make a conscious choice about whether a particular item at the grocery store is a justified expense. To the extent there was any remaining funds, gas prices will further squeeze them. Some things, however, are more important to me than collecting so I’m okay with the gas prices for now. I wish my microwave meals would go back to $3.00 though…

Target in VA has Lean Cuisine for $3 or less usually. My wife likes them. I live across the street from the mall which has a Target. They also have the cheapest milk - $2.89 for a gallon of skim.

Depending on what quadrant you live in the city there are plenty of Aldi stores that are close. In MD there are ones in Takoma Park, Silver Spring, Hyattsville, Cheverly and Oxon Hill near the casino.

There is also one just off of 395 at the Seminary Road exit.

I have a Lidl and Aldi across the street from each other here in Springfield. I usually go to Aldi. Yesterday I paid 80¢ for a dozen eggs and 99¢ for English muffins. Their bags of microwave vegetables are mostly $1 to $1.50 and non-Greek yogurt is 35¢.

I do all of the shopping in my house so I am on top of prices and know which store is cheapest for which item.

[Michael B]

Originally Posted by Leon

Bobby, one more comment about elections/this administration and you will get an infraction. Most know my leanings politically but this isn't the current administrations complete fault. And rising gas prices, as much as they suck, I support because of the Russian attack on Ukraine. Let's try not to get too political please. And I am sorry if my comment is somewhat political.

As for the gas prices, it hasn't stopped me from buying cards yet, but I have quit getting in the car to go get 1 item at the grocery store.
.
.

Thank you Leon. Your comment is not too political. It helps to make your point. As a matter of perspective gasoline is sold by the liter in Europe. I have a friend who lives is Zurich, Switzerland. Fortunately, they have a great trolley and train system which he can use to get to work. When he needs to drive, this is what he is paying as of Monday:

Switzerland Gasoline prices
Litre Gallon
CHF 1.880 7.117
USD 2.031 7.688

There are 3.3 liters to the gallon. He is paying almost $8 US for a gallon of gas.

[vintagetoppsguy]

Originally Posted by Stampsfan

Given that, as someone who lives in Western Canada, I (and many others up here) cannot understand why your current president is so against getting this resource from us.

I don't have the answer, but I can speculate. Canadian oil has heavy sands. It is more time consuming to refine, it pollutes the environment (air and freshwater) 3X more than conventional crude, and it's more harsh on the process equipment because of the abrasiveness. All around, it's more costly to refine. Again, I don't know if that's the reason or not, but I imagine that has a lot to do with it.

[OldOriole]

Originally Posted by KellerHobby

This is my very first post ever in Net54 (I have belonged for years) and I try to avoid political talks on Facebook. I enjoy reading the messages, but there are times that we cannot ignore rising gas prices, civilians being murdered and the fact that WWIII could start any day because Putin is crazy. Gas going up is the least of our problems if something is not done. Card collecting is a great hobby and distraction, but our hobby will be greatly effected unless action is taken against the biggest threat to humanity since Hitler. Usually I say "no" to politics, but trust me as a Jewish person who lost relatives in the Holocaust, we should all be very very concerned now. Anyone going to the card show in Chantilly, Virginia in early April?

Quality first post. I don't post much myself and I see you've lurked for five years until this post. Thanks for posting and hope to see more!

[Vintagedeputy]

Gas stations may have to start giving out cool cards again!

[Exhibitman]

Originally Posted by Vintagedeputy

Gas stations may have to start giving out cool cards again!

[toledo_mudhen]

Originally Posted by bobbyw8469

The US needs leadership right now. Unfortunately, we don't have any. Those are your facts.

Actually, we do have lots of leadership - and they will jam this "Green Deal" down our throats whether we want it or not.

In order to do that - the 1st thing you have to kill is the Oil Industry.

[Yoda]

Originally Posted by Stampsfan

Thank you for this. While I post here intermittently, and read daily, I try and stay neutral here. However, on this topic I struggle to do so.
Given that, as someone who lives in Western Canada, I (and many others up here) cannot understand why your current president is so against getting this resource from us. The US imports approximately 660,000 Barrels of Oil a day from Russia. Keystone was going to supply slightly more than that on a daily basis. It is stopped in its tracks on day 1 of the new term. Then as prices goes up, he goes to Saudi and basically says "Pump more oil... oh yeah, and sell it to us."
Now Venezuela, Iraq, and OPEC are approached to provide more. No mention of coming to Canada for supply.
Canada has the third largest reserves in the world. We have among the highest environmental standards in the world. Canada is not going to invade any other democratic country. We don't kill reporters.
We in Western Canada simply don't understand the logic and bias.

Bravo Bob. As a Canadian, you expressed it best. I am a life-long registered Democrat and, of course, am utterly baffled why Biden cancelled the Keystone Pipeline at a time when the US now has a dire energy problem. Politics as usual, I fear, to keep the far left and the Greens mollified. How short term can you get, the same problem that has gotten the US in messes many times, and we don't seem to learn. Bob, I presume that Canada could pump and export enough non-Keystone oil to fill the 7% energy shortfall we will incur as Russian exports cease. With your vast reserves, I would think so. Anything is better than bringing in oil from those rogue states, Venezuela, Iran, and the Saudis.
I have several dear Canadian friends in Ontario (Lake Simco area) who always says US actions keep them guessing.
Leon, I haven't forgotten the card rule. I picked up, on Ebay of all places, a beautiful PSA5 Rochester Baking Jack Lapp. Deals can be hard to sniff out on Ebay but they are there.

[nolemmings]

Originally Posted by vintagetoppsguy

I don't have the answer, but I can speculate. Canadian oil has heavy sands. It is more time consuming to refine, it pollutes the environment (air and freshwater) 3X more than conventional crude, and it's more harsh on the process equipment because of the abrasiveness. All around, it's more costly to refine. Again, I don't know if that's the reason or not, but I imagine that has a lot to do with it.

Correct.

[steve B]

On a more card related note.


What I think might happen going forward slowly at first is the shipping costs will make brick and mortar hobby shops come back.
But not as traditional single hobby places.

More like what some were in the early 80's.
My town had a full time card store, but also had a fabric store with an added antique shop that began carrying cards.
And a couple places that carried a few.

Now, there's a place in the next town over that is an ice cream stand that has converted a section of indoor seating/ordering into a card shop. And not a fancy one, but a more old fashioned place that has boxes of commons to go through along with some slightly better stuff in that $5-50 range. Exactly the stuff that isn't really practical to buy on Ebay when shipping could get much higher soon.

So I can combine trips, take the kids for ice cream, and get some cards while we're there.

That's the sort of thing I think is going to become far more common.

[Exhibitman]

Originally Posted by steve B

On a more card related note.


What I think might happen going forward slowly at first is the shipping costs will make brick and mortar hobby shops come back.
But not as traditional single hobby places.

More like what some were in the early 80's.
My town had a full time card store, but also had a fabric store with an added antique shop that began carrying cards.
And a couple places that carried a few.

Now, there's a place in the next town over that is an ice cream stand that has converted a section of indoor seating/ordering into a card shop. And not a fancy one, but a more old fashioned place that has boxes of commons to go through along with some slightly better stuff in that $5-50 range. Exactly the stuff that isn't really practical to buy on Ebay when shipping could get much higher soon.

So I can combine trips, take the kids for ice cream, and get some cards while we're there.

That's the sort of thing I think is going to become far more common.

Like a Pizza Hut and Wingstop sharing a space. If they make us share space with comic book people, though, there will be blood.

[vintagetoppsguy]

Originally Posted by Yoda

am utterly baffled why Biden cancelled the Keystone Pipeline at a time when the US now has a dire energy problem.

Even if he hadn't cancelled the Keystone Pipeline, it wouldn't make a difference present day. The pipeline would still be under construction and it would be a few years before it was online and operational. But I agree that either way it just wasn't a good move, and it set the tone for his energy policies from day one.

On another note, I'm being told to keep a full tank of gas at all times. Our existing pipelines are targets for hackers. Remember last year when the Colonial Pipeline was hacked (I think it was the Russians) and it created gas shortages?

[Cliff Bowman]

Originally Posted by Exhibitman

Like a Pizza Hut and Wingstop sharing a space. If they make us share space with comic book people, though, there will be blood.

Speaking of comic book people, comic book prices have gone insane, I have no doubt my vintage comic collection is worth way more than my baseball card and baseball memorabilia collection which I have spent more on.

[Snowman]

No. Next question?

[chalupacollects]

Originally Posted by Exhibitman

You eat at Boston Market and the gas comes with the meal.

Or do you get a fill-up of gas by eating the food?

[peanuts]

Originally Posted by vintagetoppsguy

Even if he hadn't cancelled the Keystone Pipeline, it wouldn't make a difference present day. The pipeline would still be under construction and it would be a few years before it was online and operational. But I agree that either way it just wasn't a good move, and it set the tone for his energy policies from day one.

On another note, I'm being told to keep a full tank of gas at all times. Our existing pipelines are targets for hackers. Remember last year when the Colonial Pipeline was hacked (I think it was the Russians) and it created gas shortages?

Colonial Pipeline hack was part of the DarkSide ransomware streak. Not believed to be state sponsored, nor even based in Russia – evidence heavily points towards them being based in a former Soviet Bloc country, with affiliates throughout the region.

Originally Posted by Exhibitman

Bring back regional issues in general! SO much fun to collect.

[mintacular]

Calamity is a matter or perspective. Grow up during the middle ages and you were lucky to reach the age of 30

Originally Posted by Casey2296

My daughter is 26 and one of her first memories is watching the towers fall on 911, coupled with the mortgage meltdown in 2008, divisive polarized politics (shame on y'all), a general lack of respect we have for each other as humans, her's was the first generation raised on social media and all it's negative influences, etc., then throw in a world wide pandemic and now a war.

We were talking about it one day and she said "My generation is tired of constantly going through life changing events, we just want some degree of normalcy in our lives". Her and her friends are a smart group of kids, they know baloney when they see or hear it, and have a real solid no nonsense middle class approach to life.

[BobC]

Originally Posted by vintagetoppsguy

Even if he hadn't cancelled the Keystone Pipeline, it wouldn't make a difference present day. The pipeline would still be under construction and it would be a few years before it was online and operational. But I agree that either way it just wasn't a good move, and it set the tone for his energy policies from day one.

On another note, I'm being told to keep a full tank of gas at all times. Our existing pipelines are targets for hackers. Remember last year when the Colonial Pipeline was hacked (I think it was the Russians) and it created gas shortages?

Doesn't even have to be hackers, remember the major power outage from back in August, 2003 that took out 21 power plants throughout the Northeast US and Canada, affecting over 50 million people? Took them a couple days to finally get everything back to normal. The whole thing started when a tree branch in Walton Hills, Ohio, about 10 minutes from my house, fell on a power line and started a chain reaction.

Technology is great.............until it isn't. The more we use it, the more totally dependent we become on it. Remember the Enron debacle, that would have never been able to happen if computers weren't involved. And hackers and cyber criminals just make everything worse, especially as we are being slowly forced to do virtually everything electronically/digitally anymore.

One of the nice things about cards (or other old time collectibles) is you can still hold, feel, look at, and even smell them, in person if you want. Not the same with NFTs or stuff held in someone's vault, where you can only see pictures of what you have online, without having to make a special trip to go visit them. And if the power goes out or the internet goes down, I still have and can enjoy my cards.

[VintageBall]

Originally Posted by vintagetoppsguy

Even if he hadn't cancelled the Keystone Pipeline, it wouldn't make a difference present day. The pipeline would still be under construction and it would be a few years before it was online and operational. But I agree that either way it just wasn't a good move, and it set the tone for his energy policies from day one.



On another note, I'm being told to keep a full tank of gas at all times. Our existing pipelines are targets for hackers. Remember last year when the Colonial Pipeline was hacked (I think it was the Russians) and it created gas shortages?

Interestingly, the Keystone was only 2% done when canceled. So you are correct.

As to perceptions about current tone, the facts are what matter:

Federal data shows the Biden administration approved 3,557 permits for oil and gas drilling on public lands in its first year, far outpacing the Trump administration’s first-year total of 2,658.

This isn't political spin by them or me or anyone on this board. These are simply numbers.

Nearly 2,000 of the drilling permits were approved on public lands administered by the Bureau of Land Management's New Mexico office, followed by 843 in Wyoming, 285 in Montana and North Dakota, and 191 in Utah. In California, the Biden administration approved 187 permits — more than twice the 71 drilling permits Trump approved in that state in his first year.

And there are currently 9,173 approved oil drilling permits that have been approved but are going unused by the oil industry.

Meaning that the oil companies here at home could be going to town pumping out oil but are not doing so. But more production could lower prices and the profits that the oil companies are currently pocketing precisely because gas prices are high.

Even so, oil production in the U.S. in 2021 (Biden) was on par with 2020 production and exceeded yearly production from 2016-18 (Trump), data shows. Again, no spin and no politics. Numbers.

But why let the facts get in the way of a good story about the current administration killing oil production? Maybe the current administration wants to, but they sure haven't done so, which actually has led to angry press releases from environmental groups. So they've managed to anger both their own constituents and those of their political opponents.

But take heart, at least oil company execs probably are using all their newfound cash to buy expensive baseball cards and contribute to increased card prices, right? This last statement is pure speculation, of course. Maybe they prefer buying comic books and NFTs of cartoon gorillas more than cards!

[VintageBall]

Here are some pictures of players and cars. They definitely had the cash to fill up:

Honus_Fishin.jpgRegal_Wagner2.jpgCopy_of_Conlon_Clarke.jpgJack_Scott_c22_24_re.jpgc1909_Washington.jpgBrush_Coughlin.jpg1909_Players_Entering_Cin.jpg1900s_oldfield_tinker.jpgTinker_Case.jpgCarrigan_Auto.jpg1911-12-Drummers-PC-C.jpg1913_White_Sox_Oakland.jpg1914_or_16_Ennis_TX_Tigers.jpg1912-Snodgrass-MattyCar-PC.jpg

[Stampsfan]

Originally Posted by vintagetoppsguy

I don't have the answer, but I can speculate. Canadian oil has heavy sands. It is more time consuming to refine, it pollutes the environment (air and freshwater) 3X more than conventional crude, and it's more harsh on the process equipment because of the abrasiveness. All around, it's more costly to refine. Again, I don't know if that's the reason or not, but I imagine that has a lot to do with it.

While that is true, the oil coming into the US and potentially from Venezuela is also heavy crude. Refineries in and around Houston, on the Gulf Coast, are currently built to process that crude. That is why heavy oil from Western Canada was to travel down through Keystone to the Gulf Coast, to be refined and shipped.
As for environmental standards, while I do not have any exact metrics, I would be shocked if oil extracted from Russia (or Saudi, for example) via a well, pumped to a loading station, loaded into tankers, loaded onto a barge, having that barge travel across the Atlantic, unloaded from the barge, transferred to a refinery in the US, and then refined is (in the end) a lower carbon footprint than shipping product directly from Western Canada to the US Gulf Coast via a pipeline.
As for environmental standards in Russia, I have known some pipeline people who have worked in Russia. A pipeline spill over there is almost fixed with duct tape, with product continually spilled onto the ground. The environmental standards are nil.

[Stampsfan]

Originally Posted by Yoda

Bravo Bob. As a Canadian, you expressed it best. I am a life-long registered Democrat and, of course, am utterly baffled why Biden cancelled the Keystone Pipeline at a time when the US now has a dire energy problem. Politics as usual, I fear, to keep the far left and the Greens mollified. How short term can you get, the same problem that has gotten the US in messes many times, and we don't seem to learn. Bob, I presume that Canada could pump and export enough non-Keystone oil to fill the 7% energy shortfall we will incur as Russian exports cease. With your vast reserves, I would think so. Anything is better than bringing in oil from those rogue states, Venezuela, Iran, and the Saudis.
I have several dear Canadian friends in Ontario (Lake Simco area) who always says US actions keep them guessing.
Leon, I haven't forgotten the card rule. I picked up, on Ebay of all places, a beautiful PSA5 Rochester Baking Jack Lapp. Deals can be hard to sniff out on Ebay but they are there.

Thank you. Sometimes we in Western Canada almost feel abandoned.
As for your point, we have the production capabilities to fill the void. We cannot get it all to market (read that to mean the US and Europe) because of the lack of pipeline capacity to both the East and Gulf Coast. Our glorious sock loving man-child Prime Minister is more interested in looking good on the world stage instead of actually solving problems and supporting our own country. Impressing Michael Bloomberg, Jane Fonda, Bill Gates, and others is more important to him than supporting people and an industry that will provide highly paid and skilled job to folks in his own country, while providing energy independence to North America. Finally, the world is starting to see Justin for who he really is, a failed part time drama teacher and snowboard instructor with a nine figure trust fund behind him, and no discernible skills as a leader.

[Exhibitman]

Originally Posted by peanuts

Bring back regional issues in general! SO much fun to collect.

I'm a cardaholic and I approve this message!

[vintagetoppsguy]

Originally Posted by VintageBall

Interestingly, the Keystone was only 2% done when canceled. So you are correct.

As to perceptions about current tone, the facts are what matter:

Federal data shows the Biden administration approved 3,557 permits for oil and gas drilling on public lands in its first year, far outpacing the Trump administration’s first-year total of 2,658.

This isn't political spin by them or me or anyone on this board. These are simply numbers.

Nearly 2,000 of the drilling permits were approved on public lands administered by the Bureau of Land Management's New Mexico office, followed by 843 in Wyoming, 285 in Montana and North Dakota, and 191 in Utah. In California, the Biden administration approved 187 permits — more than twice the 71 drilling permits Trump approved in that state in his first year.

And there are currently 9,173 approved oil drilling permits that have been approved but are going unused by the oil industry.

Meaning that the oil companies here at home could be going to town pumping out oil but are not doing so. But more production could lower prices and the profits that the oil companies are currently pocketing precisely because gas prices are high.

Even so, oil production in the U.S. in 2021 (Biden) was on par with 2020 production and exceeded yearly production from 2016-18 (Trump), data shows. Again, no spin and no politics. Numbers.

But why let the facts get in the way of a good story about the current administration killing oil production? Maybe the current administration wants to, but they sure haven't done so, which actually has led to angry press releases from environmental groups. So they've managed to anger both their own constituents and those of their political opponents.

But take heart, at least oil company execs probably are using all their newfound cash to buy expensive baseball cards and contribute to increased card prices, right? This last statement is pure speculation, of course. Maybe they prefer buying comic books and NFTs of cartoon gorillas more than cards!

First, let me deal with the bold text. Yes, it is meant to be political because I know the left-leaning BS source of information for your post (see screenshot below). Nice copy and paste skills by the way.

Second, yup those are real numbers, but the numbers don't tell the entire story. Do you want to dissect those numbers? How many of those were new permits? How many of them were permit extensions? You do know a drilling permit only lasts 2 years in most states, don't you? You also know that sometimes it is more profitable not to drill, don't you? You also know that sometimes permits are issued on land that has no producible oil and gas, don't you (it's leverage used against competition)? Drilling permits only cost a few hundred dollars and a lot of time they're obtained just as a game for one reason or another.

Last, as I stated earlier in this thread, I've spent the last 15 years in the oil in gas industry. I don't know everything, but I know a lot. Please tell me what industry you work in so I can school you all about it.

Originally Posted by VintageBall

Nearly 2,000 of the drilling permits were approved on public lands administered by the Bureau of Land Management's New Mexico office, followed by 843 in Wyoming, 285 in Montana and North Dakota, and 191 in Utah. In California, the Biden administration approved 187 permits — more than twice the 71 drilling permits Trump approved in that state in his first year.

[carlsonjok]

Originally Posted by vintagetoppsguy

I don't have the answer, but I can speculate. Canadian oil has heavy sands. It is more time consuming to refine, it pollutes the environment (air and freshwater) 3X more than conventional crude, and it's more harsh on the process equipment because of the abrasiveness. All around, it's more costly to refine. Again, I don't know if that's the reason or not, but I imagine that has a lot to do with it.

For the last 10 years, and the next 3 months, I've been in the pipeline industry. I remember a few years back, my employer was sending railcar loads of Y-Grade NGLs from East Texas up to Canada to dilute the tar sand oil so they could actually get it viscous enough to move down a pipeline. It is nasty stuff.

A couple of related thoughts. First, a slight peeve of this pipeliner: President Biden did not cancel the Keystone pipeline, which has been in service since 2010. He canceled Keystone XL, which is duplicative of Keystone. KXL was a more direct route and was problematic from the start, since it went through the heart of the Oglala aquifer. Sometime in 2017, I was visiting the Welspun pipe mill in Little Rock and there was acre after acre of whitewashed KX pipe sitting in outside the mill. You could actually see it in satellite photos.

As others have pointed out, canceling KXL has little to do with current prices. Nor does a ban on drilling in federal land, where less than 10% of the US production originates. The Russia situation is contributing, but there is a bigger gorilla in the room. As of yesterday, there was 663 rigs operating in the US. As recently as December 2014, there were over 1900 rigs operating. And, between 2017 and 2019, the count was consistently over 900 to 1000. There is theoretically the ability to increase US production. The question is what exactly is impeding it. My more financially inclined friends tell me that shale production has never produced the promised return. Whether we are seeing increased capital discipline on the part of production companies or less willingness on the part of Wall Street to write blank checks for drilling is above my pay grade. But, it does appear there is some structural issues in the industry unrelated to the changing political winds.

And because every thread needs a card.

boyd.jpg

[vintagetoppsguy]

Originally Posted by Stampsfan

While that is true, the oil coming into the US and potentially from Venezuela is also heavy crude. Refineries in and around Houston, on the Gulf Coast, are currently built to process that crude. That is why heavy oil from Western Canada was to travel down through Keystone to the Gulf Coast, to be refined and shipped.

Yes, a lot of the Venezuelan reserves are also heavy, but not as viscous as Canadian oil sands. And yes, we (the Texas Gulf Coast) do have local refineries designed to process the heavier stuff, but it's also more costly and time consuming. The abrasiveness wears out the equipment faster - pipes, pumps, valves, tanks, separators, etc. - and that equipment has to be replaced more often.

Originally Posted by Stampsfan

As for environmental standards, while I do not have any exact metrics, I would be shocked if oil extracted from Russia (or Saudi, for example) via a well, pumped to a loading station, loaded into tankers, loaded onto a barge, having that barge travel across the Atlantic, unloaded from the barge, transferred to a refinery in the US, and then refined is (in the end) a lower carbon footprint than shipping product directly from Western Canada to the US Gulf Coast via a pipeline.

The refining process of heavy oil sands leaves behind a bunch of nasty hazardous coke (and not the stuff you drink). Can we ship that crap back to Canada? Maybe make the pipeline bi-directional and send that stuff back to y'all?

Please don't take what I said the wrong way. I'm not in disagreement with you. I actually agree with you. I'm just trying to explain why (in my opinion) we don't get more oil from Canada. If it were up to me, we would.

[bobbyw8469]

We need to open up drilling....in America. Plain and simple.

[GrewUpWithJunkWax]

All roads lead to energy.

The spike in prices has sent many drivers rushing to the pump to get ahead of increasing pump prices. Those rushes exacerbate weaknesses in an already stressed supply chain. On top of the truck driver shortage, US crude supply is well-below the 5yr avg, gasoline is low, and diesel is even worse. Now, with Europe in such need, a lot of product is going to be exported to those countries.

Tying into to baseball... there's a fun Moneyball scene edited for the current oil situation:
https://twitter.com/i/status/1501762759209504769

I like reading the perspectives held by long-time hobbyists, who have lived the economic ups & downs and seen the impacts on cards. It's great and appreciated.

I'd lean toward the idea that the middle gets squeezed the most. Inflation, cost of everyday goods/needs, plus a lot of travel expected this year, and people will have to spend more to do so - all siphoning away some of the funds that might have otherwise gone to cards.

[Yoda]

I guess it all boils down to what you wish to hold; cash, stocks and bonds, oil futures, gold, AR15's, fine wines, real property, jewelry, art or........baseball cards.

[sedin26]

I have a fairly modest personal budget on a monthly basis, which I spend almost entirely on cards. I also try to find loopholes to fit them into other categories but most of those have been closed

The cost of gas and other goods is going up quickly but it would have to get super tight here to affect cards (job loss or something along those lines) - I'll simply keep buying what I can get every month with my current budget.

[Seven]

Originally Posted by Casey2296

My daughter is 26 and one of her first memories is watching the towers fall on 911, coupled with the mortgage meltdown in 2008, divisive polarized politics (shame on y'all), a general lack of respect we have for each other as humans, her's was the first generation raised on social media and all it's negative influences, etc., then throw in a world wide pandemic and now a war.

We were talking about it one day and she said "My generation is tired of constantly going through life changing events, we just want some degree of normalcy in our lives". Her and her friends are a smart group of kids, they know baloney when they see or hear it, and have a real solid no nonsense middle class approach to life.

I very much feel this.

I'm 27, only a year older than your daughter. It seems like every time something settles down, or we're getting ready to do something, a world changing event happens.

Right before the pandemic occurred, I was getting my finances in order to finally purchase a home. Housing prices in New York were already high to begin with, but I was looking at a nice little Co-op for a shade over 250K. I would be able to put down enough to have an affordable mortgage, on my modest salary. I budgeted everything, and crunched the numbers and figured "well if things keep going the way they do, I can definitely buy something like this within the year"

Then Covid hits, the Real Estate boom as crushed any thought of that. The one that I was looking at? Just sold for 325K, it's absurd. I'm considering ditching the state all together, and looking for a job elsewhere because at the rate we're going I'm never going to be able to afford a house.

As for the cards? Who knows. I don't think anyone thought a global pandemic would turn cardboard into an extreme asset class, that doubled or tripled the value of certain cards in some cases.

[Touch'EmAll]

It is indeed hard out there, life sure has speedbumps.

Think about setting yourself up with work and a location to do more of what you like to do.

Just before I got into my career, I went thru a big book called "Places Rated". It went thru all the major/semi-major metro areas of the country and rated them all on many categories - schools, medical care, recreation, weather, home prices, crime, population density, etc.

For me it came down to Seattle, Portland OR, and Boise. I chose Portland - very glad I made decision. I love fishing and Oregon is quite good - trout salmon, steelhead, bass. The Deschutes River is world class and just over Mt. Hood couple hours away. The Oregon coast is also only 2 hours away, very nice.

Anyways, be smart and calculated about your life decisions, will definitely pay good dividends for the rest of your life.

[Seven]

Originally Posted by Touch'EmAll

It is indeed hard out there, life sure has speedbumps.

Think about setting yourself up with work and a location to do more of what you like to do.

Just before I got into my career, I went thru a big book called "Places Rated". It went thru all the major/semi-major metro areas of the country and rated them all on many categories - schools, medical care, recreation, weather, home prices, crime, population density, etc.

For me it came down to Seattle, Portland OR, and Boise. I chose Portland - very glad I made decision. I love fishing and Oregon is quite good - trout salmon, steelhead, bass. The Deschutes River is world class and just over Mt. Hood couple hours away. The Oregon coast is also only 2 hours away, very nice.

Anyways, be smart and calculated about your life decisions, will definitely pay good dividends for the rest of your life.

It's a tricky situation. I have older parents, who are likely to leave the state as well. They're very tired of dealing with the cold that comes with the winter months in NY. I've spoken to them about moving somewhere down south, potentially South Carolina or Florida, they seem more interested in the latter, which is fine by me.

The work situation, well I'm a teacher. Fortunately I've been smart with my money, and the paycut wouldn't matter too much, because I'd be able to afford a decent home. It's the benefits that come with the profession in NY that are hard to give up. Great health insurance and a very nice pension plan, a TDA as well.

I could fall back into my old career, as I worked in Finance for a bit before I made the switch to teaching, but to be honest, I absolutely hated that profession. So Who knows?

[VintageBall]

Of course I copied the data, Vintagetoppsguy.

Do you think I manually counted the permits?

The info comes from the US Department of the Interior and the resulting audits by the Center for Biological Diversity and most importantly by the nonpartisan Politifact fact checking service.

Here are 2 such fact checking links, for instance:

https://www.politifact.com/factcheck...9000-unused-o/

https://www.politifact.com/factcheck...ear-par-trump/

Poitifact has spent years checking claims and calling out both Democrats and Republicans when they stretch the truth. As per Wikipedia: "PolitiFact has won the Pulitzer Prize and has been both praised and criticized by independent observers, conservatives and liberals alike. Both liberal and conservative bias have been alleged at different points..."

By the way, you definitely are an expert in gas and oil and you do have an agenda, as well, politically. That's OK. These two things don't have to be mutually exclusive.

Neither does having an inquisitive mind, which you also clearly have. And so do I.

You make some good points, as you clearly know your stuff. But why is it that it can be more profitable not to drill in some instances, as you state? And when your country and the world need such production, can these companies step up and do the right thing even if it is less profitable? I honestly don't know the nuances of such answers, but think the question is relevant and deserving of being asked by the public, our leaders and journalists.

And since you so politely asked:

My background is in journalism, research and later marketing communications. I covered media, technology and politics before going to work for agencies and marcom companies representing Fortune 500 brands (no political work of any kind). Precisely because I started out covering politics is why I am a registered Independent -- so that I wasn't a card carrying member of either political team. You can't give people a fair shake and fair analysis if you're allied either with or against them. And I think the Congressional leaders I interviewed appreciated that.

And while I was a journalist I wrote a book on media and politics for MIT Press, with an emphasis on how political candidates and leaders used new media technologies to sway the public and spread their messages, dating back to around 1788 up to and into the 1990s.

My main coverage areas were media and technology for magazines and wire service distribution, but I also covered some Democrats and Republicans and subcommittee meetings on the Hill. I then moved exclusively into PR and communications for clients of all stripes, both in-house and at agencies -- again, all non-political work...!

But more importantly: what did you think of the baseball player transportation images of Type 1 photos and postcards?

How do you think they will be impacted by current price swings?

Lastly, if I ever went to work in gas and oil, I most certainly would need "schooling," just as some others on this board would clearly need some "refining" of their manners if they chose certain lines of work dealing with other people.

[vintagetoppsguy]

Originally Posted by VintageBall

But why is it that it can be more profitable not to drill in some instances, as you state? And when your county and the world need such production, can these companies step up and do the right thing even if it is less profitable? I honestly don't know the nuances of such answers, but think the question is relevant and deserving of being asked by the public, our leaders and journalists.

I want to clear up one thing first. You stated earlier that "there are currently 9,173 approved oil drilling permits that have been approved but are going unused by the oil industry." That is correct. However, those 9,173 unused permits are on federal land. That's important to note.

I'm trying not to get political, but Biden ran on a campaign platform based partially on green energy and climate change, and even promised to ban drilling on federal land. So why is his administration issuing drilling permits on federal land? I don't know the answer to that. But put yourself in the shoes of the oil companies. Are you really going to invest all that money into new drilling on federal land knowing that the administration could impose a moratorium on it at any minute? Think about that and certainly you can understand the reluctancy to drill? Maybe that’s why those federal land drilling permits go unused, but I’m only speculating. That’s way beyond my pay grade.

Last year, Chevron, Shell, ExxonMobil and BP all had record profit years. Good for them. I hope they continue to do so (I own Chevron and ExxonMobil stock). If one owns a business and they have a record profit year we look at them as a symbol of success. But when the oil companies have record profit years, they're considered greedy and evil. Why? Where is the line drawn between successful and greed/evil? Is it a dollar amount? Is it a profit percentage?

Now to answer your question above. Why would they bring more oil to market? What incentive do they have? If you found 10 T206 Wagners and wanted to sell them, would you release them all on the market at the same time or slowly over a long period of time? Of course you wouldn't flood the market. So why would the oil companies? It also has to do with not reporting the reserves (no drilling - no reports), but I won’t get into all that because I don’t know how to explain it properly. A friend explained it to me and I understood it, but I don’t want to misspeak.

I’ll leave you with this. I’m not the one that brought up drilling in this thread. It was you and others as if somehow more drilling solves the current problem. Oh, really? How’s that? Are there gas shortages in America right now where people are waiting in long lines? Are refineries not operating at near full capacity? So how would drilling solve the problem? I don’t think the current gas prices are the result of a lack of drilling or production issue at all. We only got on that topic because others brought it up.

[VintageBall]

Thank you for you reply and perspective.

So what you are saying is that the current administration has not actually DONE anything to cause people to blame it for current gas prices.

Production is the same, there are no shortages, just some promises to go greener that actually have not been kept (which is likely why so many environmental groups are actually angry at the current administration). What the stats show and you just stated is that over the last year and two months since the administration has been in office, we have just experienced more of the same, in terms of drilling, production, oil and gas company profits, etc.

So, it seems to me after reading your reply, you are saying exactly what Politifact said after they did their research on this topic that you already knew about. It seems to me and others who have just learned the facts or already knew them, that pointing fingers at the administration is just an easy target with no basis in factual reality.

So am I correct after reading your reply, to assume that what seems to be causing the price of gas at the pump is the FEAR of actual shortages here coupled with the more realistic fear of shortages elsewhere in Europe where they do rely more on oil and gas from Russia?

I also just read this obvious fact: "The coronavirus pandemic prompted a big fall in oil demand and gasoline prices, due to declines in driving and air travel. As the economy has slowly rebounded, growing demand has boosted prices at the pump."

Also, are the numbers in this article correct from The Hill about where our oil and gas actually comes from:

https://thehill.com/policy/internati...lies-come-from

It seems to show that we only get around 1% of the oil that actually makes it to our gas pumps from Russia. And that this amount is easily replaceable and that the percent from Russia was falling in 2021 BEFORE the invasion of Ukraine.

So when you combine this with what you and Politifact both mentioned about domestic production, it seems like we are doing OK.

So wouldn't this suggest that current higher prices should only be temporary?

And that, politics aside, the main culprit behind higher gas prices is actually the administration that moved to invade Ukraine and not the administration that rattled its sword on the campaign trail, making vague promises about going green that have not actually been kept.

And if we actually went greener wouldn't that mean that over the long haul we would be less dependent on any foreign producers and the price of our energy would actually fall over time? This is probably a conversation for another thread .

I thank you Vintagetoppsguy and the Socratic method and, as Exhibitman Adam has quipped in other threads, don't forget to tip your servers on the way out tonight...

[vintagetoppsguy]

Originally Posted by VintageBall

Thank you for you reply and perspective.

So what you are saying is that the current administration has not actually DONE anything to cause people to blame it for current gas prices.

Production is the same, there are no shortages, just some promises to go greener that actually have not been kept (which is likely why so many environmental groups are actually angry at the current administration). What the stats show and you just stated is that over the last year and two months since the administration has been in office, we have just experienced more of the same, in terms of drilling, production, oil and gas company profits, etc.

So, it seems to me after reading your reply, you are saying exactly what Politifact said after they did their research on this topic that you already knew about. It seems to me and others who have just learned the facts or already knew them, that pointing fingers at the administration is just an easy target with no basis in factual reality.

So am I correct after reading your reply, to assume that what seems to be causing the price of gas at the pump is the FEAR of actual shortages here coupled with the more realistic fear of shortages elsewhere in Europe where they do rely more on oil and gas from Russia?

I also just read this obvious fact: "The coronavirus pandemic prompted a big fall in oil demand and gasoline prices, due to declines in driving and air travel. As the economy has slowly rebounded, growing demand has boosted prices at the pump."

Also, are the numbers in this article correct from The Hill about where our oil and gas actually comes from:

https://thehill.com/policy/internati...lies-come-from

It seems to show that we only get around 1% of the oil that actually makes it to our gas pumps from Russia. And that this amount is easily replaceable and that the percent from Russia was falling in 2021 BEFORE the invasion of Ukraine.

So when you combine this with what you and Politifact both mentioned about domestic production, it seems like we are doing OK.

So wouldn't this suggest that current higher prices should only be temporary?

And that, politics aside, the main culprit behind higher gas prices is actually the administration that moved to invade Ukraine and not the administration that rattled its sword on the campaign trail, making vague promises about going green that have not actually been kept.

And if we actually went greener wouldn't that mean that over the long haul we would be less dependent on any foreign producers and the price of our energy would actually fall over time? This is probably a conversation for another thread .

I thank you Vintagetoppsguy and the Socratic method and, as Exhibitman Adam has quipped in other threads, don't forget to tip your servers on the way out tonight...

Nope, it's still 100% the current administration's fault. Since you lack the understanding why, I'll PM you the answer when I get back later today because I don't want to get an infraction for talking politics. I've actually touched on it twice in this thread, but I'll just come out and say it in my PM..