US Sales of Hybrids Drop Year-on-Year in May 2008

I just saw on C-Span the Senate hearings on Oil prices held Tuesday, and posted on it elsewhere. The main problem is speculation, by American financial institutions (Lehman Bros, etc), afforded by something called the "Enron Loophole". They bet on higher future oil prices, then call news conferences to say they expect oil to be $150 a barrel by July. Quite scandalous.
Congress will act on this fairly soon, as this is an election year. $3.00 gas is possible by the end of the summer.

 

The problem is not with the speculators or the 'hypers' it's with the bozo's who buy the final product and validate the $137 or $145 or $150 per bbl price. As long as there are dupes, dopes and suckers willing to pump as the prices rise then they have every right to try to separate those dupes, dopes and suckers from their money.

It is a free country after all....and it's based on a very efficient dog-eat-dog form of capitalism.

Anybody see any dupes, dopes and suckers in this thread? [raising hand]

I have no problem with the big oil companies trying to rape the buying public at this time. That's capitalism. I also will stop buying their product the instant another viable source of fuel comes to market in my area and I wish them eternity in Bankrupcy court.

 

From another post here on the same subject. Some background info..

 

I think I'm going to have to go with Per on this one.

Not that USA Today is peer reviewed or anything, but I suspect they probably got the gist of this correct...
Supply of hybrids runs out of gas as demand soars - USATODAY.com

From the article: "Toyota, meanwhile, has reached the production limit at the Japanese Prius factory. It just announced it will build a new battery plant and expand another in conjunction with partner Panasonic."

 

Like I said, the real stat to watch are the ORDERS in May, not the SALES. May was the month when there was a crunch in orders. Those orders will be sales in June, July or August--when delivered.