[TheForge] several questions and thoughts

[terry l. ridder]

hello;

comments intermixed below.

On Wed, 1 Feb 2006 debmiller at fuse.net wrote:

> Terry,
>
> Good thoughts. I actually expect the coal situation to get worse, much
> worse.
>

that is nearly the same that the manager of the propane service
i use told me. that the price of propane is just going to keep going up.

>
> In one of my "day jobs" I am the Superintendent of Utilities for the
> University of Cincinnati. We have two utility plants, including one
> with two coal fired boilers.
>
> These are spreader stoker boilers using low sulfur coal. Over the past
> three years are price for coal has gone from $35/ton to $109/ton. Also
> our suppliers used to be willing to sign long term supply contracts,
> at least in the year to 3 year range. Now we are essentially on a
> month to month pricing scheme.
>

the manager of the propane service says that there are rumors that there
will no longer be a pre-buy plan for propane. the price of propane will
vary month to month. there would still be a budget plan, but that would
not lock in a price per gallon.

>
> We are told much of the new coal demand is actually from China.
> In addition to buying up all the scrap metal they can find, it seems
> like the Chinese Industrial engine is sucking up as much coal, timber
> and other natural resources as possible, too.
>

so we are selling our collective soal to the chinese for a short term
profit now and not taking a long term view of things.

>
> It seems like very soon tme US may meet the traditional description of
> a third world nation..........Exporting raw materials and buying
> finished goods.
>

this is true. every time i go into chicago for a court hearing, i am
amazed at all the shuttered factories and buildings. in part we can
thank china-mart (wal-mart) for that. when are we going to realize that
we need to stop buying products produced by people making slave wages?

>
> I just recently read about Chinese automobiles that are targetted to
> hit the US market in 2007. You can buy a 4 door sedan for under $4000.
> Of course after all the US production jobs are shipped overseas,
> that's all that anyone will be able to afford......
>

i agree with you on that.

>
> Ray Miller
> Cincinnati
>
>

-- 
terry l. ridder ><>