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[quote=harvey][quote=EconProf]Thank you fracking (plus a few other lucky developments).[/quote]

Are you claiming that an increase in fracking in the US is the dominant reason for the global decline in oil prices?[/quote]

It certainly had some impact. So did a seasonal decrease in consumption.

[img_assist|nid=25763|title=Oil Consumption vs Production by year|desc=|link=node|align=left|width=400|height=270]

In the last five years, US crude production rose from 5476 thousand barrels per day to 9477 thousand barrels per day.

In the same five years, OPEC crude production rose from 21589 thousand barrels per day to 24377 thousand barrels per day.

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Do you two ever stay on topic?

You led a 30 post hi-jack discussing SF and LEDs on the “Predictions for 2016 Presidential Election” thread and now you’re at 5 posts and counting on Canada in the “Reasons I cannot vote for Trump” thread.

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[quote=flu]
People keep rationalizing all this ethnic backlash is not Trump’s fault because he isn’t a direct advocate of it. That’s not true. He intentionally stirs the pot to incite racial and cultural tensions. Its no different than someone trying to invite a riot. And we have laws against that too.

I might not be the direct target of Trump’s backlash and his followers, as I am not Latino nor Muslim. But how does the saying go? When the came for the Jews, you did nothing. When the came for the Japs, you did nothing. When the came for the blacks, you did nothing. Now they are coming for you. Do you expect anyone to do anything for you?[/quote]

So, so true.

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[quote=poorgradstudent]
Still, after that it’s a sparse calendar with a month of mostly Western states that Bernie should do OK in. I could see him hanging on until New York in mid-April where Hillary will look to throw the Knock-out punch.[/quote]

I think the Dems want him to hang on. Otherwise there is nothing to watch and all the attention will go to the Republicans. But Hillary will be the nominee.

But on the Republican side I still can’t imagine a scenario my brain is comfortable with.
– Trump? It just boggles my mind that he would be the candidate.
– Cruz or Rubio? Can’t see how they would get more delegates than Trump at this point
– Cruz/Rubio ticket? Only combo that could beat Trump, methinks, but I’m not sure I see them teaming either
– Romney? Come on. Far fetched. And I think there would be pandemonium in the party as Trump supporters turned all the tables in the room over.

Whatever happens on the Republican side it is going to be surreal.

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And now this:

https://www.yahoo.com/finance/news/vw-toys-giving-u-mass-163447054.html

It was late January, at the Detroit auto show, and Herbert Diess, the global chief of Volkswagen AG’s namesake brand, was sounding out U.S. dealers as the company grappled with the biggest crisis in its modern history. Perhaps, Diess wondered aloud, VW should stop trying to compete with the likes of Toyota Motor Corp. in America and go back to focusing on higher-end models.

More evidence they are oblivious. VW is not a high end name in the United States! That is why the Phaeton failed here!

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[quote=livinincali]
I think the owner of the autonomous vehicle would be the one to bear the cost. I don’t see any new laws where autonomous cars will be able to forgo getting insurance. Auto insurance is required by law in most states. [/quote]

Yeah, and I bet the insurance industry plans on keeping it that way. 🙂

I’m thinking that autonomous vehicles will stoke a new type of no-fault insurance. If the vehicle is truly driverless, then the owner can’t totally be at fault. Vehicle producers surely won’t want to be held responsible. What does that leave?

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VW still – still! – doesn’t get what deep sh*t they are in.

They oust their top US exec after he requests $1K credit for owners as goodwill until they get things sorted out. Sales down 9% this year, which is actually better than I expected.

https://www.yahoo.com/finance/news/vw-us-chief-ousted-over-231343899.html

California rejected their first fix attempt and sent them back to the drawing board.

This is an arrogant, arrogant company. No VWs for me.

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[quote=paramount]

Straight to jail?[/quote]

Nah. Gerald Ford will rise from the grave and pardon her.

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Still low inventory in the areas I watch. A few popped up this week, but not many.

They are asking 20%+ more than last spring sales prices. We’ll see what they actually sell for…

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Yeah, I thought of you when the market started to go down this year. You called it right!

I take it you’re back in now?

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[quote=FlyerInHi]

Extremism is not symmetrical.

[/quote]

Pretty much it is.

[quote=FlyerInHi]
Take climate change. Denial is kookoo.
[/quote]

And now I see why you say that.

It’s kookoo for folks to use the terms “climate change” and “man-made environmental change” interchangeably.

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[quote=joec]
I really think our whole system is pretty f-cked up and unless something is done to change it or at least make it more fair/equitable, I don’t think it’s going to make anyone want to pay their share since you see the ultra wealthy abusing the crap out of the system.
[/quote]

I really need to bone up on Roman history, as every once it a while I see great parallels even though I my knowledge of the Romans is limited.

My wife and I ate at Kaminski’s this weekend and they had the fight on. Whatever that “sport” is with no headgear, gloves, or apparently even cups. My mind raced to the gladiators of yore. Why have we moved to watching blood sport on TV to entertain ourselves? I fail to understand.

Your comment on the system getting corrupted reminded me of the demise of Roman civilization…

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I guess I don’t object to an alternate way of charging folks for road use…as long as that means the end of the gas tax. Which I know will never happen. 🙂

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[quote=paramount]In light of the death of Mrs. Reagan I feel this thread should be deleted in the interest of dignity.[/quote]

Not sure what this thread has to do with Nancy except all those being discussed are Republican. Other than that her name wasn’t brought up until you did it. Sorry to see her go, I think my wife and I would have been friends with the Reagans had they not been famous and we met them socially. Their politics weren’t ours, but then I could say the same of most of the friends in our circle.

I wish Colin Powell would run. I’d vote for that man for sure. But in today’s environment he wouldn’t win anyway since he wouldn’t pander to the extreme voters.

I love what he said today:

Referring to the “civility” and “lack of any nastiness” he saw in Ronald Reagan, Powell, who served as Reagan’s national security advisor, decried the tone of the current Republican presidential campaign. “To stand there and do junior high school tricks on one another is belittling the country and belittling the office to which they are striving,” he said.

Powell added, “Even Jerry Springer thinks it’s gone too far, and when Jerry Springer thinks you’ve gone too far, my friends, you have gone too far.” He was referring to recent remarks in the Financial Times from Springer, who served as the Democratic mayor of Cincinnati, Ohio, in the late 1970s.

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Well. Since I was surprised to see Cruz win a couple of primaries this weekend, decided to find a site that predicts outcomes of upcoming primaries.

This is a pretty good site:

http://projects.fivethirtyeight.com/election-2016/primary-forecast/michigan-republican/

Its surprising to see that Rubio isn’t predicted to win Florida, his home state. That will be an interesting one to watch.

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