Could there be a positive effect from higher fuel prices?

[Jokinomx]

I live in Michigan and work int he manufacturing industry. As you all know manufacturing in my state has been hit hard since NAFTA moved a high percentage of our jobs to foreign countries with low wages. I moved here in 1997 and have had five different jobs.... of which four have shut down and moved out of country.

Anyway, I currently am working in the woodworking industry and work for a company that is doing very well thanks to the owner who owns a lumber mill in Canada and we get all of our lumber directly from his mill. Well, this week I was talking to him and he mentioned he just got back from Kentucky. He was negotiating a contract for some more work. This potential customer currently ships all it's lumber (which they purchase from the owner of my company) to China to be milled and then they ship it back.

With the higher shipping costs it looks as though this American company is looking at the possibility of having our company mill their parts. Thus reducing the tremendous shipping costs in having thousands of board feet sent to other side of the world.

So this contract would double the size of our company and would mean at least 20 to 30 more people employed in our hard hit area.

Will these higher fuel prices force more companies to look locally for their products? It looks like it may be so in this case anyways.

Just something to think about....


:toast:

[wakeme2008]

1. Many benefits,,, and the Repugs are the Oil Party

and like Bush it is something they can not run away from :evilgrin:

[acmavm]

2. Maybe an unintended benefit for Dems. Everyone I've talked to about the

price of gas is PISSED OFF.

The republics made it go down during the election. Now its $2.99 a gallon again. Right before Memorial Day.

Of course they have to rake it in while they can, but it just might make sure that even this stupid state gets a little closer to being at the very least a 'purple' state.

[Jokinomx]

5. Gas is 3.19 here.....

I used to commute 35 miles to work in a nearby large city.... now I work 3.1 miles and am very happy to not have to fight traffic or drop 40 bucks a week to get to work.

I have had opportunities for work in that same city... but I hear on the radio everyday of traffic jams, accidents and now the price of fuel skyrocketing, so I am thankful everyday for my short drive to work.

Higher fuel prices will force people to at least try to live closer to their place of work.

[Sukie1941]

6. So Oregon - gas $3.45 here

People who live where there is adequate public transportation have a break now.

In many western states we have to drive a long way to get anywhere. I drive 60 miles a day to walk my 93-yr old mom's dog and give her showers. And that is considered a local commute. The next town up the interstate is 110 miles just to get there.

I expect gas to reach $4 by the beginning of summer, at least in Oregon.

[Jokinomx]

7. Yes, I understand...

I lived in Nevada and Utah for several years... I met my wife in a small Nevada town and when we were dating we would drive one hundred miles to the nearest movie theater that was in Bishop, Ca..

The drive over there wasn't that bad since the drive gave us hours of uninterrupted conversation.

Bless you for helping your aging Mother. I hope you have a high mpg car because I believe your correct that this summer gas will continue to climb in price.

Good luck in your part of the world...:-)

[havocmom]

3. View from my window in a very small, rural Montana town

shows it is a boon for the ATV manufactures, scooter sales, merchants of used golf carts, riding lawn mowers, even tiny go carts for kids.... I am seeing a LOT of grown men racing around this town in all of the above. This town is 6 blocks by 8 blocks and can be crossed in just a few minutes by foot.

But they gotta have some sort of noisy machines to get around
:eyes:

[wtmusic]

4. Interesting theory

and of course, many will be forced to lessen their dependence on oil.

Not to mention, doing business abroad often requires traveling there, and airfare ain't going anywhere but up.

:toast:

[peacetalksforall]

8. Doncha kinder feel sorry for the WH? Besides having to build

a database to track their lies and thefts and accounting, they have to figure out which prospective employees will remain loyal enough to satisfy George. - Now they have to figure out just how high they can go with gas prices before everyone blows up.

How many think tankers are running numbers side by side with the corporations so that the corps can make a killing, but keep enough people working?

Boy, are the truckdrivers getting mad - if WJ this morning is an indication.

All through the last couple of increases I kept posting the question here - why aren't more people mad as hell? Very little reaction. When we don't add to unemployment and welfare statistics they'll just keep going. Phony accidents.

And now with all the unsettled weather - they're going to drill in the Gulf of Mexico unless Congress stops it.

So dontcha feel sorry for those guys - calculating, always calculating - by people who can't calculate a way out of a bar and definitely not Iraq - cuz they don't want to leave the bar, nor Iraq, and they are not money satiated. Yet.

[applegrove]

9. That is very wise. There will be massive changes (not all good) when

price of oil incrases even more. China will have to deal with the price of oil rising now that they make som many of the civil goods. Jobs in the US like yours...or service jobs..will be more competative. That does mean some industries will be hurt badly. So good for you. But not good for everybody.