Wojtek ******************************** Petrol prices are hovering around $1.07AUD ($1AUD=$.77US) per litre in Perth (4.546 litres in a gallon). No BIG squawk yet. I still see SUVs advertised on TV. But higher petrol prices are going to take an "inflationary" toll on a lot of commodities running through the markets and into various vending locations. Oil is a basic commodity, it has that affect. Remember the "energy crisis", inflation, stagflation--the equivalent of war, according to Carter. Perhaps peak oil will sound the death knell of petro-chemical consumption in the more industrialized capitalist States (hydrogen economy, with lots of solar, wind and wave?) as the developing capitalist States take the hit of trying to industrialize the expensive way.
Oh yeah, and today's big news in the Aussie class struggle was that the "coalition" government i.e. the Liberals and Nationals announced that they were going back on their election promise to keep Medicare (the national health insurance safety net) the same--the upped the deductible by hundreds of dollars. (see: http://au.news.yahoo.com/050407/2/tv2n.html) Here's hoping that this stab in the back makes workers angry enough to remember just whom they are endorsing when they cast their ballots in the next election 2 and half years from now. The Coalition is betting cynically on social amnesia.
Regards, Mike B)
****************************************************************** Live in harmony with the Earth. Abolish the wages system. http://profiles.yahoo.com/swillsqueal
__________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Read only the mail you want - Yahoo! Mail SpamGuard. http://promotions.yahoo.com/new_mail