Economic situation and rising gas prices changed your play?

How has the current economic situation and rising gas prices effected your play?
1. Do you play as often each week?

Maybe a little less. It has affected my practice time, as the only decent rate for practice in my area is about 36 miles round trip.

My local's rates are INSANE. (11.00 an hour for a single!!!! :mad: )

2. Do you travel to go play in a tournament more or less?

Same

3. Have you put off buying a pool table or cues?

Yes. Cues. But that is because work is slow too.

4. Do you still play leagues and will you?

YEs.
 
P.S.
I am taking it upon myself to go drilling in Anwar. ( I got a rad Makita, and one of those Garden Weasel deals, and a BIG minivan to push the baby seals out of the way.) Who's with me?
 
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easy-e said:
Holy crap! Chill out. I am not making fun of anyone. If you can't afford something, quit doing it. Just don't blame gas prices for your quitting pool. Maybe the totality of the circumstances (food, rent, gas, movie tickets, beer, wine, internet, tv, blah, blah, blah) are affecting you, if so than I am sorry, but blaming gas prices for quitting pool is nuts. JMO
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I'm not sure if the general economy is causing people to watch their money even more but I have noticed in recent months that some of the league players do not even walk up to the bar to purchase a coke or a bottle water. They play their matches and hit the door. It's peculiar because our pool hall's prices are some of the lowest in the nation. This isn't all of the league players doing this but I hope it's not a sign of the times. I have always considered it a prerequisite to visiting an establishment to purchase at least one drink of choice even if staying only for a few minutes.

JoeyA
 
easy-e said:
If rising gas prices stop someone from playing pool they might need to check their financial situation. What are we talking about here, like an extra $20 a month?
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HI, Do you have kids? Mortgage? Car payments? Own a business w/ insane payroll, property and capital gains taxes? If you do, and times are tough, you make the tough decisions to take care of those kids, and sometimes that means cutting out personal luxuries. If your not a pro player, then that means pool to some people.
 
easy-e said:
If rising gas prices stop someone from playing pool they might need to check their financial situation. What are we talking about here, like an extra $20 a month?
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HI, Do you have kids? Mortgage? Car payments? Own a business w/ insane payroll, property and capital gains taxes? If you do, and times are tough, you make the tough decisions to take care of those kids, and sometimes that means cutting out personal luxuries. If you're not a pro player, then that means pool to some people.
 
Brilliant minds think alike Bala... I already started the trek up there but ran out of gas in British Columbia. Come on up and pick me up on your way, k? I'll be the one on the side of the road with the "I'll work for gas" sign in one hand and a Crown & ginger in the other.
 
lodini said:
. . . a very serious situation nationwide...
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. . . try worldwide! Local, national and international news reports are peppered with the price of basic commodities becoming unreasonable and soon to be unreachable for many, a consequence or effect of the ARTIFICIALLY generated skyrocketing cost of crude oil. This is the result of the immoral, vicious and selfish acts of oil speculators whose only concern is to make as much money without regard to consequence. Perhaps, a hidden agenda or a conspiracy of the influential few to force the auto and the manufacturing industries to speed up the R&D of non-fossil fuel dependent technologies. Whatever the cause, the effect is very palpable and the cancer is growing exponentially.

It's sad that despite all the schooling and higher schooling the educated world had, none seems to take heed of HISTORY and the lessons taught. When goods meant to meet human basic needs become scarce and eventually not met, all out wars are not too far from the horizon. How true is the saying, 'HISTORY REPEATS ITSELF ONLY IN A DIFFERENT TIME, CHARACTER AND SETTING'. If you don't believe, believe. If you believe, pray.
 
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Forefathers

unknownpro said:
The main problem with our economy is the private federal reserve bank counterfeiting our money and making it worthless. A one ounce silver dollar still buys about 4 gallons of gas. And a "dollar" has always been one ounce of silver. It is federal reserve notes printed out of thin air that are not worth anything.



Thomas Jefferson warned us:

"If the American people ever allow private banks
to control the issue of their money,
first by inflation and then by deflation,
the banks and corporations that will
grow up around them (around the banks),
will deprive the people of their property
until their children will wake up homeless
on the continent their fathers conquered."
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Jefferson had a handle on things didn't he? Doesn't the Goverment control the bank rates/inflation?

The real problem is Diesel prices. The majority of the trucking industry has adopted a fuel sur-charge policy to take the burden of fluctuating diesel prices off the trucking companies.

Where does it go?

It goes to you & me in the form of higher prices on everything shipped!! The surcharges are often pocketed in part, by brokers, to add insult. If only gasoline was higher and not diesel it wouldn't hit our personal economy so hard.

Ray

ps. wow, post # 2000 on diesel prices & inflation!
 
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Bigtruck said:
Jefferson had a handle on things didn't he? Doesn't the Goverment control the bank rates/inflation?

The real problem is Diesel prices. The majority of the trucking industry has adopted a fuel sur-charge policy to take the burden of fluctuating diesel prices off the trucking companies.

Where does it go?

It goes to you & me in the form of higher prices on everything shipped!! The surcharges are often pocketed in part, by brokers, to add insult. If only gasoline was higher and not diesel it wouldn't hit our personal economy so hard.

Ray

ps. wow, post # 2000 on diesel prices & inflation!
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To think how they pushed diesel so hard on th truckers in the 70's having that big conversion to it because it was cheaper and all that,now look at it,feel bad for the truckers too. :cool:
 
Bigtruck said:
Jefferson had a handle on things didn't he? Doesn't the Goverment control the bank rates/inflation?

The real problem is Diesel prices. The majority of the trucking industry has adopted a fuel sur-charge policy to take the burden of fluctuating diesel prices off the trucking companies.

Where does it go?

It goes to you & me in the form of higher prices on everything shipped!! The surcharges are often pocketed in part, by brokers, to add insult. If only gasoline was higher and not diesel it wouldn't hit our personal economy so hard.

Ray

ps. wow, post # 2000 on diesel prices & inflation!
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No, the government does not control the bank rates/inflation. The Federal Reserve is a private banking cartel that controls our money supply with no oversight. Jefferson warned us against such idiocy. The Federal Reserve prints Federal Reserve Notes and loans them to our government at interest. Fractional reserve banking allows banks to multiply the counterfeiting.
 
I think that people are still going where they have to go. For most that is to work and back, To the grocery store, and for some to the pool room.

I do believe that they are cutting their budgets in other areas such as dining out and entertainment. I know that my wife and I used to go out once a week for a nice dinner ($100), get a pizza on fridays $20 and go to breakfast on Sunday. We still go to breakfast but thats it.

I don't think the real pain will be felt until home heating season begins. To think that many elderly and those on fixed incomes will be left out in the cold is shameful.

Somebody once said a country can be judged on how civilized it is by how it treats the weakest among them. Or somthing like that. We are going to have old people freezing to death because they can't afford to heat their homes. I used to own a home that heated with oil several years ago when Oil was 84 cents a gallon it cost me 1800 for the year. so for simplicity sake lets multiply by 5 . That's 9 grand a year for heat. If your on Social Security that 's just not a difference you can save for or make up.
 
I guess the pendelum is now swinging the other way. For decades, the concept of private automobile ownership in China was a rarity and the bicycle was the main mode of private transportation, while here in the U.S. Cars were plentiful and bicycles were considered a sporting good.

I think we are seeing reverse of that heading our way. Some women even think the guys riding today's new generation of 80mpg "scooters" are sexy??? Move over you gas guzzling Harley dudes, you're being replaced.

Next thing we will all be riding scooters and bicycles to work. It costs me as much to fill my Honda Goldwing as it used to cost to fill my Honda car.
 
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I play about the same amount. The pool hall i normally play in is only about a mile from my apartment plus its on the way home.

I play in two leagues but one of them lets league members play for free sun-thurs, so that helps. I've never played many tournaments.

I traded in my gas guzzling truck in 2 years ago because it was costing $45 to fill up. Now my more fuel efficient car costs me $50 to fill up :eek: . I miss my truck but would hate to be paying around 90-100 per fill up.
 
population of Austria 8.3 million
population of canada 33.7 million
Just since these countries have posted about there gas prices its interesting that In the USA we have 300 million people and over 265 million cars and trucks on the road each day.I think gas prices have a much bigger impact on this country. The US failed to invest in mass transit over the last 30 years(also due to the size of our country it wasnt economical ...most of these european country's are the size of NJ) and these other country's have better train system's and bus service. So comparing gas prices with other country's is more than just the price.People in the UK are use to not driving around in suv's and here in america we are now in the process of realizing fuel is going to stay high and the transformation to these little cars the europeans have been driving is going to be painful for most. Today I read in usa today driving is down 3% I believe and althought that doesnt sound like much its the biggest drop since the 70's when we had the oil embargo. I hope it stays down and they should stop making these monster suv's. I think it was ford or gm who recently announced they are closing 4 truck plants and are cutting truck production in half. About time! Our whole country is based on oil. And now to the questions:D Yes,I dont care to go and travel 40 miles to play pool in the local tournaments to win pots worth 80-100 bucks when half the players show up anymore.Its 30 bucks to travel,drink,enter each night..I love the competition but the kids gotta eat and EVERYTHING has gone up 20-30% the last few months....Its not just the gas but technically it is ALL about the gas because everything is based on the price of fuel. Cues are very hard to sell right now and I own a valley barbox because thats what I play on 90% of the time so I still play often.. I still plan on going to the us open 9ball but have my doubts about the turn out and even last year there were very few of the asian players and with air fare now I dont expect many to come and thats not good. As far as leauge play I tried the apa this year and have seen enough of there handicap system and sand bagging..I floated between a 6 and 7 sl and with a 23 limit team pool was hard to play because we had a 8 also but its good for pool. Now if I lived on a AFB in sc and was single I wouldnt give two shitz's about gas prices:D
 
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yes

Yes, it has.

I can't remember how many weeks it has been since I have even picked up a cue.

I thought driving 20+ miles to a pool room was far, until I read a few other posts.

Being unemployed, and no contracts in sight, it was nice to be able to spend about $12-$15 in gas, and hopefully be able to get back home even, or with a few bucks extra in my pocket, depending on who was there and I played.

But, now it's more for gas, oil, and I noticed many less folks at the room when I got there, so for now, at least, I consider myself "out of the game".

The good part is, I'm back to writing songs, and playing guitar again. (at home)

I've got a few clips of a song along the lines of this thread, and dying pool rooms, but
I need to find a good place to post it/them, and (maybe) hopefully get donations, etc..
Most of my friends from the past have left the music industry due to job-stress, time constraints, etc.
 
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easy-e said:
If rising gas prices stop someone from playing pool they might need to check their financial situation. What are we talking about here, like an extra $20 a month?
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$20/month???

try $35.00/day just to get to and from work... that is more like $1050.00/month...welcome to the commuters reality..


once the overhead for holding your job reaches the size of your mortgage payment .. something is F***ed up at disneyland folks...
 
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softshot said:
$20/month???

try $35.00/day just to get to and from work... that is more like $1050.00/month...welcome to the commuters reality..


once the overhead for holding your job reaches the size of your mortgage payment .. something is F***ed up at disneyland folks...
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The $20/month number is the EXTRA money that it costs me to go to the POOLROOM. It already cost me money to get there, now it costs me a couple dollars more. If I go ten times a month then that is an EXTRA $20.

I am not stupid enough to say that $20 a month covers all of my gas. My only point in that statement was to show you that you were going to the poolroom anyways, now it just costs a couple bucks extra.
 
softshot said:
try $35.00/day just to get to and from work... that is more like $1050.00/month...welcome to the commuters reality..
.
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How many MPG does your car get? If you get 30 MPG, and gas costs $4/gallon, that is over 240 miles round trip.......

Is that math right?

$35/$4 = 8.75 gallons

30MPG x 8.75 = 262.5 miles

If gas costs you over a grand a month, you should have a good enough job to NOT complain about it. If you don't......think about it.
 
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