What happens when there is no heat this winter

[jhm]

I am kinda of the kind that asks the QUESTION of what did people do before, cars,tv,i-pods,computers,several phones,a large bass boat,more house than they can afford, and by all means the almighty government giving out assistance for every broken fingernail.   Jim

[NONYA]

Dont you people get paid JUST FOR LIVING IN ALASKA?

[Chilachuck]

Nonya, not a heck of a lot. The dividend this year is about $1600 (I have not got mine yet), and that's the highest it's ever been.

I just priced the kero, and it's $10/gal. Gas is up about $3.70/gal.

The Natives, Indian, Eskimo, and Aleut, are a different matter, as they get Native Corporation checks, different amounts depending on the Native Corporation they belong to. I hear gossip, but that's it.

I've only known two people getting those checks and holding jobs. A friend of mine, native, just died of alcohol, and he was living on his checks, no job, no hunting, no fishing, just drinking. There's a lot that die of alcohol, and a lot with diabetes and heart trouble, and a lot dying from drug abuse.

[beemanbeme]

That's about $1600 more than I get for living in Wild and Wonderful West Virginia and gas here is $3.15 a gallon.  I haven't priced it today so it may be higher.

[NONYA]

wELL THATS $1600 THAT iM NOT GETTING FOR PAYING MY BILLS,QUIT UR BITCHIN.

[SHOOTALL]

sourdough , put a little Rv antifreeze in the traps and drain the water pipes , or put RV anti freeze in them also . Its what we did in Canada at the hunting lodge we had up until this year ! SOLD IT ! Cost to much to go up now that gas has tripled !
Looks like a wood stove would be cheaper than a move ! where is that pioneer sprit ?

[oldandslow]

Back in the '90's I saw $7 a bbl. oil. Got to retire early because of it. Employment around here was 15.5 %. Every other building was vacant. Didn't see anyone coming to our assistance. Oil companies were going broke and merging right and left.

Oil companies don't set the price for a barrel of oil. It's just like cotton or peanuts or copper or lead. If there is too much the price gets cheap, if there is not enough
 t he price goes up. It all depends on how much the people who buy it want it.

A few years ago the price of copper was very low and most of the mines shut down. Now that surplus is gone and look at the price.

Cotton prices have been in the tank for years because of the huge world surplus. The farmers do get enough help to stay in business but that is going to end soon.

Not too long after the recession hits oil prices will start to drop as demand drops. The guys in the futures market are also playing some games with oil. I don't know anything about futures but I read a good article about what is going on yesterday.

[Graybeard]

Cotton prices have been in the tank for years because of the huge world surplus. The farmers do get enough help to stay in business but that is going to end soon.

I have to wonder if that piece of info is still current. For the past few years I've been seeing land around here planted to cotton that had not been for perhaps 20 years or more. It had been planted to corn and wheat since I moved out here in '94 and now for some reason the last 3-4 years it's all in cotton. Unless cotton prices are up the folks farming it must be stupid. Of course every time I drive by and see how much the mechanical pickers leave I think that anyway but then I guess they make more money leaving half behind than paying folks to pick by hand.

[NONYA]

Its Lincolns fault...

[oldandslow]

Graybeard, I'm afraid it is still current. Basically around here the reason to raise cotton is because with the Direct Payments in the farm bill you can make more money than with the number two crop which is milo.     

The problem is Brazil sucessfully challenged the US cotton program with the WTO. The Step 2 Program was eliminated in 2006. WTO also ruled that Direct Payments are also in violation. The current thinking is the farm bill may continue for 1 to 2 years since the WTO adjourned last summer but changes are coming. When the farm program payments go away cotton won't be very profitable.

One anaylist's opinion I read a couple of months ago was that Brazil will never be satisfied as long as the US produces cotton. She stated basically (using her words) The cotton industry in the United States is screwed

Also cotton prices dropped sharply today. I just saw that on a cotton industry webpage. Just yesterday I saw that Texas has it's second largest cotton crop.

[Chilachuck]

I'm sure not griping about getting the money, not even when it dropped down to about $500 one year, it was all I had coming in that year. There's just no work at all in most of the state, unless you have a $5,000 boat and a commercial fishing permit (cheapest is about $10,000), and some way to get the fish to town (not many roads). Some have over a million dollars in boat and permits, and I don't begrudge them at all, they work for their keep.

What I will belly ache about is that the squirrels are about the size of weasels, a few grouse, a few porcupine ("awk, putui"), all the marmot (same as wood chuck) are above timber line, and that's about it for small game. No rabbits, no raccoon, no possum, no pheasant or quail... You likely have more meat per acre down there than we have per square mile up here. Except for the fish. We do okay there.

Well, I'll also belly ache about the working season when I make money is also when the fish run and deer season's open, even if it is about 3 months long.

[jh45gun]

Those guys that are messing with the oil in the futures market are a huge pain in the posterior as there is no good reason for it except to manipulate the market! I wish I had about 5 min with most of them and a Louisville slugger. 

[Almtnman]

I've heard about supply and demand, chainsaws, cutting your own wood, just about everything here. Back to the original question, what about oil prices? They are too high and as a result people that are not contributing to supply and demand and cannot get out and cut firewood is going to suffer. You have to remember that we have older folks in this country on fixed incomes that have busted their butts all their life working. Now some of them are not capable of doing hard labor and will be forced to cut back on heat as a result. Just yesterday in my state a local disabled veteran confined to a wheelchair died as a result of trying to keep warm in his home. His neighbors couldn't get him out of his house in time. We have people like that who will suffer this winter as a result of extremely high oil prices and yet the oil companies profits are getting bigger and bigger.

It's not about supply and demand, it's about greed!

[NONYA]

You cant do a damn thing about oil prices,might as well focus on the things you CAN control.

[SHOOTALL]

I live in Va. there is a steady stream of what we call snow birds coming thru. on their way from the cold north to the warm south ! When most retire they move south for good ( da*@ yankees ) ! They do so because they can't afford to live up there . I also know folks in Canada that do the same . So if ya can't buy oil , cut wood or find a way to pay to stay warm best thing might be stick your thumb south and hitch a ride !