I was going to say that.. but left it alone.. If we drilled in Alaska it really is not going to make much of a difference now. if anything it may slow the rise but definitely not stop it from going up.. I guarantee by the end of this year it will be over $6.00 per gallon. Oil is limited and they know it. estimates say 100 years left and with that said nothing is going to stop the price from going up.

Washington and the push for "globalization" and thier quest to develop other nations with OUR money.. They knew it was comming and non of them really cared becuase they all are millionaires and can afford inflation.

Far as oil companies investing? sure they are investing but at the same rate they always have been.. The rest is building a surplus in thier bank accounts.. thats a fact...

CEO to average field worker pay is ridiculous 600 to 950X to 1
Back in the 70's and early 80's it was more around 30 to 40 X to 1

That pretty much goes for all large companies but oil having the highest CEO to worker (average is 200 to 500 to 1 for large company CEO to worker)

I say lets get the ball rolling hydrogen technology. If this country put 1/10th of the money into public R&D in this as it is spending fighting and supporting the "oil wars" then this country would probably see an economic renaissance in the next 3 years.

Think of the amount of jobs created building new hydrostations across the country, the autoworkers building cars that people the world over are jumping over to purchase, the line workers replacing the coal power plants with windmills and solar, etc... Not to add the potential for us to finally have something to export to the world that we might have a little control over WHO manufactures it.

Solar/wind power are not the answer to supplying the grid. There is not enough energy available for those systems to convert to electricity. They're good for supplemental energy, but can in no way be used as the primary.

The only long term option for supplying the grid is nuclear (Hydroelectric is good, but there are very few - if any - more places where a dam would work.)

Hydrogen is not a bad idea for cars. One problem is, it's expensive to produce and store. Even economies of scale won't make it cheap - even though it's essentially in limitless supply. Another problem is that the energy released per unit measure is a LOT less than petroleum fuels. It will take more hydrogen to move a car 1 mile than it would take gasoline.

Hydrogen might work for delivery trucks (in town) and on essentially level roads. I have serious doubts about it working realistically in any kind of hilly or mountainous terrain.

For transportaion, at present the only realistic answer is liquid fuels. The only one I've seen with any serious potential is biodiesel. The average person can easily make enough in his home to supply his vehicle(s) with all the fuel they need.

Biodiesel can be made from *any* oil/fat product - fish, vegetable, animal. You needn't even make any modifications to the vehicle in which it is used. It burns cleaner than petro-diesel, too. Furthermore, the waste product is glycerin. Harmless. Make your own soap, toss it on the compost pile, whatever. (note - this does not take into account anything that was contaminating the initial oil)

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Keep the big doors at the back!

I will tell you what I have told my boys (22, and 20 yr olds).........
FOLLOW YOUR BLISS.....

ALWAYS do what you LOVE to do. If ya wanna drive truck because you have always WANTED to drive truck then do that.

Life is too short.. If you are not happy with what you are doing, ya need to do something else.
DO NOT settle for something now just because it is convienent to do so. If nothing else, make your self a plan and stick to it.
Have a goal in mind and do everything you possibly can to achieve that goal.

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RADMAN56

Good-Golly RadMan!
That post should be a Must Read.
Well stated.

I trust you're enjoying the truckin' experience?

Of course, you are the only one who can make the decision. However, if you have a chance to get an apprenticeship as a lineman, my strong, I say STRONG, I SAY STRONG recommendation is to go for it.

Trucking is a job. Like any job, it has its good and bad points.

Working for a utility company is a job. Like any job, it has its good and bad points. But it also has some other things going for it. It is probably a lot more secure than the average trucking job, (not counting the union jobs of course.)

You will be home at night, unless there is some type of emergency that you are called out for, or some disaster that you may be shipped off to another area for a brief time. You will be well paid, and you will be paid overtime for worked overtime. This is something you won't usually see in the trucking industry.

You should have a strong pension and insurance plan in most utility companies. You should have a good chance for advancement if you are halfway intelligent, and willing to do some night schooling. Much of that schooling is likely to be paid, or at least partially paid for by your employer. You aren't gonna have much of a chance to "further your education" if you are on an OTR trucking job.

You are likely to find yourself in some interesting situations in either job, as they are both regulated by things that no one can control.

My dad spent over forty years with a power company, starting out as "grunt labor" and retiring as second line management. Nice pension and health benefits. I shoulda been so intelligent. . .

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THANK YOU! so much for the information. I really appreciate it all and with the prices going up and up, whether it influences the company a lot or a little, I will probably go into the electrical industry and use the trucking industry as a backup plan. I really appreciate all of your help...and I truly mean that! Good luck to all of you and will keep in touch.

I think you've made a wise decision.
Best of success to you.
Please DO keep us posted?

I just graduated from Baker and have the choice of the following

Crete
TMC
Maverick

NTB
watkins shepard
CFI
Kllm
TransAm Trucking
Werner
Swift
England

The United States of America has a free market economy.
For better or worse that is what we are, and that is how we became what we are today.
Personally I think it is not only "for the better," I think it is amazing.

All three of your ideas violate the very economic principles we live by.

I am going to be polite but thank goodness you have no power in this country.

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The definition of stupidity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. — Albert Einstein