I appreciate your comment, Soph, and once again as stated above, there is a great variation by industry. I like your husband's idea of the work week at the cocoa plant. I have absolutely no excuses to make for Mr. Bush's attitude toward the Bin Laden family.

Jack

My husband who works in Philly just reorganized the workweek of his cocoa factory, instead of having them turned seven days a week, people work only five days a week so it is less expensive for them to go back and forth from home to work and it is less expensive for the company as well. so it is a win win situation.

I do think that Mr Bush's friends (remember the beautiful family pictures with him and the Bin Ladens after 9/11?)in the oil industry has work a big deal to find a way to help them. That has been and still is the only thing he has been doing, helping his friends in all types of industry, look at what happened with the SUV lobbyists. Once again they won whereas American scientists proved to Mr Bush that the environment, OUR planet, HIS daughters and HIS grandkids to come is in danger, but hey, don't listen and don' care….

I think it is sad of course for countries like China or India which are starting an amazing industrial development, not to take into consideration the environment BUT it is not sad but Inadmissible for a country like the US not to listent to its own environmentalists and scientists who are screaming that our planet is in danger and to take the necessary measures that needs to be taken!

kisses from Paris.
soph

Supply, demand. Present, future. Why, someone could make a mark in this world suggesting these concepts were somehow linked in some fashion.

Just remember: capitalism is about the creation of wealth; "progressivism" — AKA socialism — is about the redistribution of wealth. Which always results in less of it. Put it this way: only in America are poor people fat.

I think this could lead to sleep deprivation, fewer time for people to spend with their families. etc. Instead, I would like to see us keep the 8-hour day for 4 days, and have the 5th day be one where employees can work from home.

We are fortunate to live in a day and age where most, if not all, of many people's job responsibilities can be completed at home. With conference calls, e-mail, etc., people can stay connected from different places. If we can keep cars off the road 20% of the time, it would be a fantastic achievement, and could have long lasting benefits for the planet.

In fact, companies may find that employees could be just as productive, or more so, coming into the office 3 days a week, and working from home 2 days. The greater the flexibility, the happier, and more productive, our work force will be.

Thanks for all of your helpful insights!

I would also take issue with the fact that someone who buys an SUV – or otherwise uses excess amounts of gas — does not effect the rest of us, and only displays their own "stupidity." People who use unnecessary amounts of harmful substances hurt the planet, which harms all of us, and future generations. Instead of INCREASING the supply of these harms, on the hope that it might lower gas prices, why not look at possibilities to reduce the amount of gas we use? Especially when it could have other effects, such as fewer car accidents, more time for people at home with their families, etc. Progressive Capitalism should be applauded.

Also, there have been years when oil companies didn't turn a profit. Should the government subsidize them in order to make sure that they neither make "too much" or "too little" money?

As the price goes up, the market will self-correct, as demand will diminish (all around the world, not just in the US). Conversely, most "progressive" policies — since they are economically illiterate — have the unintended consequence of driving up demand, which raises prices. People have already altered their behavior, and are taking fewer and shorter trips. Plus, the SUV market is dead. Why anyone would purchase a gas guzzling car — even two years ago — is beyond me, but why should we care about their stupidity? Why is it our problem that other people make bad economic decisions?

The price of gas at the pump has almost doubled since the "progressive" Pelosi congress took over. One reason is that they have no desire to address the underlying problem of supply, in the hopes that high gas prices will translate to even more power for them and their economically retrograde "progressive" policies in the fall election.

Thus, the Pelosi congress have now abandoned all plans to bring energy legislation to the floor of the House. Why? For fear that any effort on their part to offer energy legislation would be met by Republican amendments to permit domestic drilling for oil and gas, and actually address the real problem of supply.

This would force Democratic Congressmen to take a position on whether they want to do something serious to bring down the cost of gasoline, as an overwhelming majority of Americans want. The Democrats are locked into a blind, ideologically-driven opposition to doing what is necessary to meet America's energy needs. Some things never change.