Some Very Important Information That We Found Out
By CatsandDogs
@CatsandDogs (13963)
United States
July 13, 2008 1:47pm CST
and thought we'd pass it on. Friends, we need to band together and write out congressmen and let them know ENOUGH IS ENOUGH!! Ok here's why. When hubby and I bought our suv, 2002 Chev Tracker in 2004 or 2005, can't remember which year it was but it was giving 27 miles to the gallon. Just a few weeks ago, we tested it again and it dropped to 21 miles to the gallon!! We thought it just needed a complete tune up, gas cleaner and oil change to boost the mileage again. Can you believe that the mileage when down even more??!! Yes it sure did, down to 20 miles to the gallon. Hubby called the dealership and guess what he was told!!!! Our gas has changed chemicals which lowers our gas mileage!! Say what?? Yes, our gas chemicals have been changed so we don't get the gas mileage that we used to get!! Not only has our gas prices gone up astronomically, it's lost it's quality!! We're getting screwed one way after another!! ENOUGH ALREADY!! We NEED to write out congressmen, all of them, and let them know how we feel!! It's the only way to get our message out!! My dad called his congressman about the VA fees and then asked about the gas prices and do you know what he was told??!! He was the first one who's called and complained!! This is in Virginia folks!! So lets get busy and make our voices heard!! It's the only way to get the prices down and the only way to up the quality!! Now get busy!! lol
4 responses
@RDugas (247)
• United States
14 Jul 08
Even if everyone wrote thier congressman, I dont think it would help. I am starting to have less and less faith in our government everyday. They jump to help other countries when they need it or send food to others, but they can't help out the people struggling in thier own back yard. I know its nice to help other people out but if things get to bad here whos gonna help them out then!
3 people like this
@CatsandDogs (13963)
• United States
14 Jul 08
I completely understand your frusteration but please try to understand this, we can't win a fight without a fight. AND our congressmen want to be re-elected and if they know that we know that they're not standing up for us then they won't be re-elected. We have to stick together and fight because sitting around moaning and groaning about it just isn't going to work. We have to fight to get the changes we need or want!! Now are you in?
@newtondak (3946)
• United States
15 Jul 08
While gas with ethanol added is usually cheaper, you will generally get less MPG from it than from gas without ethanol. I prefer, however, to support the US farmer by using gas with ethanol rather than use so much foreign oil.
You might want to check out http://push.pickensplan.com/ and see what T. Boone Pickens is proposing as a plan to free the US from foreign oil dependence.
@CatsandDogs (13963)
• United States
15 Jul 08
You'd rather pay the higher cost and lower mileage? I sure as hell don't! And I'm sure I'm NOT the only one. Besides, farmers are making their living for if they were'nt they wouldn't be in the business. I think we should find our own oil in our own country to relieve our dependence on foreign oil. I respect your opinion so respect mine. If ethanol is the reason then it should be removed.
1 person likes this
@CatsandDogs (13963)
• United States
16 Jul 08
I did not say they were getting rich but that they're making a decent living or they wouldn't be in the business. Now my car used to give 27 miles to the gallon then it went down to 21 mpg and had a complete tune up and oil change which reduced the mileage even more to 20 mpg. That's 7 miles to the gallon I've lost so if ethanol is the reason for it then I want no part of it. I passed by one gas station here and it had ethanol and it was 2 cents cheaper than the one just down the road that didn't have ethanol. I'm going for the nonethanol from now on and gladly pay the 2 cent difference to get the 7 more miles like I had before. Ethanol is just not worth it.
1 person likes this
@newtondak (3946)
• United States
15 Jul 08
You evidently misunderstood my post. Gas containing ethanol is cheaper than gas that does not contain ethanol. It is cheaper to produce ethanol than it is to buy foreign oil. While ethanol my decrease your MPG a slight bit, the fact that it is a few cents cheaper offsets that decrease. It pretty much comes out even as to how many miles you get with each dollar you spend.
There are a couple of arguments that I have heard about farmers and ethanol production that I would like to clarify. First, farmers are by far not getting rich from the corn they sell for ethanol production. Even though the market price of corn is currently up, so is the price of the fuel that is used to grow their crops and the prices of seed, fertilizer, herbicides and pesticides that are necessary to grow quality corn. It is not unusual for a moderate sized tractor to cost upwards of $100,000 and the price of a combine to harvest that crop might reach five to ten times that amount.
The other misinformation that is being circulated is that the production of ethanol and bio-diesel is making the price of food go up because it is channeling grain that would be used for food to make fuel. There is actually a very minute part of a kernel of corn or a soybean that is not used in some way. Fuel production uses only a small part with the most of the remainder being used for various types of food production. Farmers then buy back the byproducts to use as feed for livestock. Farmers are not raising grain just for fuel - they are producing grain that goes for both food and fuel.
2 people like this
@whiteheather39 (24403)
• United States
13 Jul 08
Thank is something the public does not hear about. At least I have never heard of getting even less mileage for the gas. Thanks for sharing this information.
1 person likes this
@CatsandDogs (13963)
• United States
13 Jul 08
You're welcome whiteheather. I hope you will write your congressman about it for it's not right that we, the little ones, suffer while the big guys reek in the $$$$. Something has to be done and by God I will write my congressman as soon as I get caught up here a little bit. I have a drafted letter that needs tweaking a little before sending it off.
