Location Transport

Is Swift Transportation a good company to driver with no experience? My husband wanted to learn to drive trucks so we started looking into a few truck company and came across Swift Transportation, it said that they trained you to be a truck driver for them, so we filled out the aplication and in no time we received a call from recruiter that told us that yeah its true we train she sent off all the information and told us we need $150.00 to get started and the transportation to there facility by greyhound is paid for by the company....all was well until I heard some bad news about the company, can someone give me honest truth is it a good comapny, do they pay well, is the home time reasonable, and is there catch to this all, sounds too good to be true.

Directions from Skokie Swift to Ogilvie Transportation Center? I'm planning a trip to Fermi Lab with a few friends. However, due to the rise in gas prices, nobody wants to drive. Are there any possible train routes that we could take from the Skokie Swift to the Ogilvie Transportation Center (with minimal walking since the group has around 16+ people and, walking around the streets of Chicago with a large group is difficult).

I am going to drive for Swift Transportation. Will I have to take a road test to get my own truck? I already have a cdl but little experience. After my training with a mentor will I have to take a road test to get my own truck or will they go by the mentors word. Please dont answer unless you work or have worked for Swift. or you really know the answer to this question.

Have you ever worked for Swift Transportation? How was your experience? How was the training? I'm only curious as I may join their company. If you haven't worked for swift maybe give me an idea of how you like trucking in general?

Should I drive for Swift Transportation? I've heard good and bad about trucking jobs with Swift but I'm not sure what to do. On one hand they are the largest company out there so they must be doing something right. But on the other hand I hear a lot of truck drivers that are not happy working for them. Any suggestions on what I should do?

Has anyone worked for Swift Transportation? Has anyone worked for swift transportation and can tell me what the pay is like, is it anygood and how the training is and if its worth a try to go a do it i have no ties so its not like im leaving anyone behind I have also never drove a truck before

how many miles does a swift transportation driver usually drive in a week?

I am leaning towards joing Swift Transportation in their truck driver program. I dont know if this is a good?

employed at swift transportation and want to change my investment on my 401k? how to change my investment on my 401k plan

I'm very eager to enter CDL training with Swift Transportation? I just got a phone message from a recruiter, but want to plan very carefully for my return phone call. How best to approach the call, and impress upon him that I'm up to it, I can do it, and I'd give my everything to be their best driver? In spite of my lack of commercial driving experience and my less than best work history?

Swift Transportation Co.- Need Help? I take a Transportation Security class and I'm doing a paper on the Trucking Industry and choose to do Swift transportation Co. So, where can I find out about the history and # of employees and other background information on the Swift Trucking Co., facility in Memphis, TN. I'm trying to find out the history of the facility. I've already been to the Swift Trucking site but it doesn't tell me about their facility in Memphis, tennessee. Please Help. My e-mail is AngelBaby_D_2005@yahoo.com.

Anybody work for Swift Transportation? I am leaving next tuesday to go through their training program. I was just wondering if anyone has worked for them? Is it worth staying with them for 6 mos or a year just to get my CDLs, or should I wait untill next year when my driving record reaches 3 years with no accidents and start with Schneider.

How do I get a swift trucking job? I'm considering working for Swift Transportation but want to know the best way to get a driving job with them. I've seen several sites that allow you to apply online for a Swift trucking job, but I'm not sure which companies are good to apply with and which ones to stay away from. Thanks for your help!

Swift Transportation Lawsuit in 2009? In 2009, my brother went to swift trucking for training and job placement, after being laid off due to cuts in jobs he came back to Michigan and had a letter come several months later about his drivers license having to remove the CDL from it due to Swift Trucking not following Federal Guidelines, now there's supposed to be a lawsuit out against Swift and for the sake of living I cannot find it, I was wondering if anyone had any links or any information about it. Thanks.

im about to driving trucks for swift transportation. can anyone give me better info about the company.?

taylor swift songs that have transportation? could someone please tell me ALL of the taylor swift songs that mention either "car", "drive/d/ing", "truck", or any other modes of transportation? thanks

Swift transportation inc.has a workwell physical?what is it and how do you pass it.?

Swift Pet/Dog Policy? Does Swift Transportation allow their drivers to have pets on the trucks?

how long are taylor swift's concert? we are going to taylor swifts concert (fearless) and we are trying to figure out our transportation. Anyone know how long the show runs who has been to one already this year?

Any truckers out there? I am looking into trucking schools and trucking companies as well. I hope to go long haul in the next 3 months. Any feedback on either U.S. Truck Driving School or Swift Transportation?

How does public transportation work for you in LA? So this is a follow-up Q to my previous one: How is it getting around LA on public transportation? Since I'll be working Downtown, and living options may be scarce or sketchy right around the area, I might consider moving outwards. But I'd rather not have to deal with traffic and expensive parking structures to get to work everyday, so I'd like to take advantage of the metro or express shuttle, if possible. For instance: say I were to live in Pasadena or Santa Monica. How would pub-trans work out? Safe? Convenient? Swift? Whats the word on this, what say you? Any and all details welcome.

Has anyone used Driver's Choice Services? They are a company that recruits potential people who want to become truck drivers. They work strictly with Swift Transportation. They "claim" to pay for all your training expenses up front and you pay them back through payroll deduction when start driving for Swift. I was wondering if anyone has gone through "Driver's Choice Services" to work for Swift Transportation? If they have has anything gone wrong? Anything that I should be aware of? I want answers from ACTUAL graduates from their Training program. Other people please dont answer unless u have gone through them or know someone who has!

seeking advice from a truck driver!Is this a good career move?need some advice!? I filled out aplication online and was called from Jake's drivers choice told me about the training and upon completion will work for Swift transportation.I will be a trainee.No previous experience.

What should I do.? I want to get my CDL, so a friend of mine suggested I get training from SWIFT Transportation, because they will help pay for the training. I like the idea, but at the same time I don't want to be away from my wife and daughter for long periods of time. I hinted at the idea to my wife and she gave me the look of disapproval. The money is way more than I make now (almost double), but she doesn't see driving as a career. Any suggestions? Has anyone ever driven for SWIFT or another trucking company?

Schneider truck driver job? I got my CDL class A when i went to work for Swift Transportation. I was with Swift for about 1.5 months (school included) and then i had to leave for a family issue. Few months later, i went back to Swift and drove for a month, and left for another family/personal issue. Now i haven't gone back to truck driving for 2 years and i really miss it. I am thinking about applying with Schneider and was wondering if it will be easy to get hired since i already have a license, but not much experience ? Will they send me back to their driving school or will they just hook me up with a mentor for a few weeks ? And how many weeks ? I don't mind driving with a trainer, i just don't want to go back to school to learn parking, driving all over again. I want to make sure of this before i waste my time applying. With Schneider, what are the chances of a driver hand unloading the truck ?

PLEASE HELP WITH THESE LATIN QUESTIONS ? The Romans were MASTER BUILDERS. Nominative Genitive Dative Accusative Ablative POINT VALUE: 2.0 points -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Choose the case for the word(s) in all capitals. One of their major accomplishments was their road SYSTEM. Nominative Genitive Dative Accusative Ablative POINT VALUE: 2.0 points -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Choose the case for the word(s) in all capitals. The Romans built ROADS primarily for defensive purposes. They wanted to move armies quickly and efficiently. Nominative Genitive Dative Accusative Ablative POINT VALUE: 2.0 points -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Choose the cases for the word(s) in all capitals. The ROADS also gave the ROMANS swift transportation for other purposes by which their lives were improved immensely. Nominative and Dative Nominative and Accusative Dative and Accusative Accusative and Ablative POINT VALUE: 4.0 points -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Choose the case for the word(s) in all capitals. MILESTONES much like our mile markers today, monitored ... Nominative Genitive Dative Accusative Ablative POINT VALUE: 2.0 points -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Choose the case for the word(s) in all capitals. ...monitored the TRAVELER'S progress ... Nominative Genitive Dative Accusative Ablative POINT VALUE: 2.0 points -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Choose the case for the word(s) in all capitals. when the traveler arrived in ROME ... Nominative Genitive Dative Accusative Ablative POINT VALUE: 2.0 points -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Choose the case for the word(s) in all capitals. ... there was the golden milestone from WHICH all distances were measured. Nominative Genitive Dative Accusative Ablative POINT VALUE: 2.0 points -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Choose the case for the word(s) in all capitals. One can see such SYSTEMS even today. Nominative Genitive Dative Accusative Ablative POINT VALUE: 2.0 points

Can anyone help me with Latin Case Usage? Please help me identify the cases for the capitalized words because I suck at this. And if you can, please explain why other than it's the direct object or indirect object. 1. The Romans were MASTER BUILDERS. 2. One of their major accomplishments was their road SYSTEM. 3. The Romans built ROADS primarily for defensive purposes. They wanted to move armies quickly and efficiently. 4. The ROADS also gave the ROMANS swift transportation for other purposes by which their lives were improved immensely. (case for each capitalized word.) 5. MILESTONES much like our mile markers today, monitored ... 6. ...monitored the TRAVELER'S progress ... 7. when the traveler arrived in ROME ... 8. Choose the case for the word(s) in all capitals. 9. One can see such SYSTEMS even today. Thank you so much for all your help.

Are you prepared for a 2010 Genocide in the USA? When the market collapses, wild stealing will begin to occur, in order for many to survive. Swift transportation of goods will cease. A spiral into the abyss of chaos will create a vacuum filled by Dictatorship. Then government will command what all Dictatorships have: KILL YOUR NEIGHBOR, OR DIE. http://edition.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/europe/11/25/sbm.perpetrators/index.html . It's now time to study history, psychology and economics. Let's observe the riots resulting after blackouts, verdicts and pent-up desperation. Then we might be alert to the unthinkable: GENOCIDE IN AMERICA. The government wants this to occur. There is no other way they can retain control. Once we are disarmed, culled and the survivors are microchipped, governments can exist efficiently, forever. Today, there is no difference between a Mafia gang and a government. The clock is ticking loudly now. Study hard. Tell others. Tin foil hats won't stop a brick, will it? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KYnJiiLGwjY .

LATIN CASE HELP - Tell me the cases of the CAPITALS? 1.The Romans were MASTER BUILDERS. 2.One of their major accomplishments was their road SYSTEM. 3.The ROADS also gave the ROMANS swift transportation for other purposes by which their lives were improved immensely. 4.MILESTONES much like our mile markers today, monitored ... 5....monitored the TRAVELER'S progress ... 6.when the traveler arrived in ROME ... 7.... there was the golden milestone from WHICH all distances were measured. 8.One can see such SYSTEMS even today. I know #2 #8 #9 #2 #7 #8 I mean!

can i get help please? Raphael Ibarra 2327 Haldane Houston TX, 77055 Home:(832) 274-5231 eaglepasstexan@yahoo.com Objective: seeking a position in the Houston area were I can utilize my skills and possibly learn a new trade Education: G.E.D / 1998 SPECIAL SKILLS : Liquor/Bartender certificate obtained 03/09 Forklift Certified Overhead Crane Saw Operator Blueprints Deburr Shipping Receiving Computers Billingual General Labor Dyna Drill Technologies Houston, Tx Debur/saw/overhead crane/forklift 08/08 to 02/09 Debur all sorts of metal to their specifications Ran saw to cut raw material to their size Used all sorts of tools for the job Met deadlines and followed stricken directions Used forklift to transfer raw parts and to help around the warehouse Used overhead crane to set parts on rollers DewalchTechnologies Houston, Tx Maintenance Helper 10/07 to 08/08 Assist in tearing down and diagnosing problems General knowledge of 30 ton press and cnc Machinery problems. Job duty of maintaining air compressors and all machinery properly oiled and lubricated Extensive forklift use Use of a verity of tools Use of ladders All American RiggingHouston, TX Truck Driver/ Rigger04/07 to 10/07 Deliver high dollar machines to companies Extensive driving, wide, and oversize loads Special routs throughout the U.S.A in some cases Tipton TruckingHouston, TX Truck Driver (oilfields)02/04 to 04/07 Delivered subs, pony, collars, and mud motors throughout the U.S. Responded to dispatch requests Used forklift to transfer merchandise as necessary Hot wheels TruckingHouston, TX Truck Driver (oilfields)08/03 to 02/04 Delivered all types of equipment to oil rigs in the state of Texas Worked at steady pace in relation to given deadlines Unloaded materials with forklift Swift TransportationMemphis, TN Truck Driver07/03 to 08/03 Conducted delivery training on the job while traveling throughout the country Monitored Qualicomm communicator and relayed route information Brake CheckHouston, TX Technician02/97 to 07/03 Repaired all types of car brake and undercarriage systems Stocked merchandise and conducted inventory checks

How is my ninja essay? Black as the night. Swift as an eagle. Strong like an ox. These are the characteristics of a ninja. Ninjas are the primary theme of our Great Gatsby presentation. My group and I attempted to use the ninja theme to create an alternate setting for out scene. The scene we were assigned was the death of Myrtle. In this scene, Myrtle is found dead at Wilson’s Garage because of a hit and run. We found out that the death of Myrtle was caused by Gatsby’s yellow car. The driver, however, was never mentioned in the book. When Nick and his friends arrive at the accident, Tom and Wilson both are saddened at the sight of Myrtle’s lifeless body, and with this scene, we choice to do the ninja theme. When we chose the ninja setting, we discovered many changes. The first change I noticed was the attire. Instead of being a 1920’s look, we had a black clothes. Ninjas are famous for their black attire. They are usually covered entirely in black cloth except a thin strip across the eyes so they can see. We successfully dressed like a ninja. Another difference between the original setting and our setting was the difference in commerce. In the 1920’s people who had money usually didn’t have much political power. However, people in Asia, the place where ninjas originated, were a lot different. People with money in Asia usually had a lot of power. People’s political power classes were determined by their income. Since ninjas did not have a lot of political power, it meant that they were not very wealthy. So with our presentation we were not allowed to have an upper class type of setting. Finally, when using the ninja theme we were not allowed to use motor vehicles of any kind. During the age of the ninja, cars and other means of motor transportation did not exist. Because of the this, we could not use the original death scene as proposed in the Great Gatsby. So instead of hitting Myrtle with a car, we used a fight scene. Hand to hand combat was often used by ninjas. Ninjas were usually masters at different types of Martial Arts. Some of the types of martial arts that we used were karate, kung fu, and tae-kwon-do. These martial arts were an important technique used by ninjas. As you can see, the setting we used was ninja. The ninja theme effected the original clothing style, wealth and the death of myrtle. The ninja theme was most effective when it came to choosing an alternate setting of The Great Gatsby.

i just got my cdl what company should i go get a trucking job with? i kinda like swift and knight and ffe transportation any experianced drivers no what comps are good and wich ones i should stear clear from please help?!?

Transportaton to Addison? Hello. I'm currently a college student at a 2 year school in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. I'm graduating in the fall of 2009 and I plan on moving to addison, illinois to attend Devry University. This month on October 17, I plan to travel to Addison, Illinois to take a tour of the school and meet with an adviser. I will be traveling via greyhound to the bus station located at 630 W HARRISON ST. The school is located at 1221 N. Swift Rd. What form of transportation can I take from the greyhound bus station in chicago to Devry Universtiy located in Addison, Illinois? I'm looking for a not so expensive mode of transportation to take me from the greyhound bus station to devry and vice versa.

how do I deal, with w/ a hypocrit when she says shes a true chistiamn? the friend that Ive spoken about also tends to act very loving and caring and supportive when we are around others like in chuch or other places in public that we may go to but shes also not like this all the time but it still brings me down Ive tried to tell her how I feel only to be ignored but shes my only form of transportation and when she invites me out I feel I have to st some guidelines , bounderies and I dont think I should have to do that so what do I do about it I have ALSO suggested I think she needs conseling or just a swift kick in the pants to straighten her out she s 55 yrs old and been actring that way ever since her mom died 41/2 trs ago and has been getting worse .

Is this a craigslist scam? I was selling an item on craigslist and recived an e-mail about someone wanting to buy it and if i still had the item to e-mail them back, so i did so and they sent me this response.......................Thanks so much for your swift response.I want to tell you that, .Had go thought the site and read the condition of the Item and am highly satisfy with the condition of the Item .I ought could have come down to you just to check the Item out but right now am out of state for art exhibition. As i said in my previous mail,my mode of payment would be in Cashier Check.Right now a money order will be issue out to you on my behalf which would be send to you any moment from now.Once the receive the Cashier Check,kindly take it to your bank and immediately you receive the payment from your bank all what you have to do is to send me a mail so that i can pass an instruction to my reputable transportation company to come down to your destination,,,...WHAT DO YALL THINK??

US HISTORY PLEASE HELP!? I WANT TO MAKE SURE MY ANSWERS FOR MY STUDYGUIDE ARE RIGHT THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!!!!! 61. Following the Civil War, the Thirteenth, Fourteenth, and Fifteenth Amendments were passed. What large issues did they address? states' rights, slavery, and the Electoral College slavery, equal protection under the law, and voting rights voting rights, popular sovereignty, and declarations of war impeachment, equal protection, and war reparations 62. What was the effect of the Homestead Act on western settlement? It had little effect on western settlement, but a big impact in the South. It brought a great number of settlers to California. Homesteaders settled much of the Great Plains. It slowed the building of the railroads because the best land went to homesteaders. 63. How did western settlement affect Native Americans? It brought income, as settlers paid for their expertise. It didn't affect them, since they remained on their reservations. It created an opportunity for cooperation between Native Americans and settlers. It forced them from their lands. 64. Which men were responsible for the development of the steel and oil industries in the United States? J.P. Morgan and Nelson Rockefeller Dale Carnegie and James Duke Andrew Carnegie and John D. Rockefeller Gustav Swift and Robert Kraft 65. How did nineteenth-century railroads influence today's "corporate America"? Railroads stressed the benefit of competition and opposed monopolies. Railroads were the first business to raise funds by issuing stocks and bonds. Railroads created an awareness of the importance of transportation. Railroads brought the need for effective scheduling to the forefront. 66. What law was passed to eliminate trusts, monopolies, or any agreement that restrained trade? Vanderbilt Banking Regulation Rockefeller Monopoly Act Sherman Antitrust Act Chase Trade Restraint Agreement 67. Which organization of craft unions focused on improving wages and working conditions? Eugene Debs's American Railway Union Bill Haywood's Industrial Workers of the World Samuel Gompers's American Federation of Labor Terence V. Powderly's Knights of Labor 68. Where were nineteenth-century immigrants processed prior to entry into the United States? Angel and Ellis Islands Boston and New York San Francisco and Philadelphia Catalina and Manhattan Islands 69. Which group of presidents is in correct chronological order? Jefferson, Lincoln, Washington, Jackson Jackson, Washington, Lincoln, Jefferson Lincoln, Jackson, Jefferson, Washington Washington, Jefferson, Jackson, Lincoln 70. Which group of innovations and inventions is in correct chronological order? reaper, telephone, box camera, cotton gin cotton gin, reaper, telephone, box camera telephone, cotton gin, reaper, box camera box camera, telephone, cotton gin, reaper 71. Which statement is true of relations between Native Americans and the colonies or the United States between 1607 and 1900? Native Americans opposed European colonization at first, but in the 1800s chose to assimilate into white American culture. The desire for land led colonists, and then the United States government and people, to push Indians off their land and destroy their way of life. Native Americans suffered hardships when Europeans first arrived in North America, but relations improved during the 1800s. Native Americans avoided contact and conflict with non-Indians in North America as much as possible.

Will the US every have a dictator.? These executive orders have been laying dormant waiting for one Swift Stroke of the President Pin to make them law. EXECUTIVE ORDER 10990 allows the government to take over all modes of transportation and control of highways and seaports. EXECUTIVE ORDER 10995 allows the government to seize and control the communication media. EXECUTIVE ORDER 10997 allows the government to take over all electrical power, gas, petroleum, fuels and minerals. EXECUTIVE ORDER 10998 allows the government to take over all food resources and farms. EXECUTIVE ORDER 11000 allows the government to mobilize civilians into work brigades under government supervision. EXECUTIVE ORDER 11003 allows the government to take over all airports and aircraft, including commercial aircraft. This is just a sample of the many Executive Orders that can be signed into Law that can exercise power and control of the people.

2009 Poll: Take it and have fun!? 1. Which celebrity who died in 2009 got the LEAST attention? a) DJ AM Goldstein b) Farah Fawcett c) Patrick Swayzee d) Ted Kennedy 2. What celebrity news story that occured in 2009 will still be remembered for at least another 10 years. a) Rihanna getting beat up by Chris Brown b) Jon and Kate divorce c) Kanye West and Taylor Swift at the MTV awards d) David Letterman's Blackmail Scandal 3. What was the "cool" thing to do in 2009, which most people found annoying? a) Preteneding to be "Green" (using cloth bags instead of paper bags, using a bicycle instead of using a car or public transportation, etc etc) b) Making sure everyone knows you are/were a big Michael Jackson fan. c) Twittering. d) Being overly interested in Vampire movies, Vampire books, and Vampire TV shows. 4. What song will forever be followed by someone saying "This reminds me of 2009!" a) Lady GaGa "Poker Face" b) Beyonce "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on it)" c) Shakira "Shewolf" d) Pussycat Dolls "Jai Ho" 5. What TV show that debuted in 2009 was the BEST and will most likely still be on TV next year? a) Cougar Town (NBC) b) Community (NBC) c) Melrose Place (CW) d) The Vampire Diaries (CW) 6. What product was the hottest thing to purchase in 2009? a) Beatles Rock Band b) Windows 7 c) A Micheal Jackson's Greatest Hits Album d) Hand sanitzer for swine flu prevention.

Doesn't building 'new roads and bridges' just mean only new or additional *construction* jobs? ? Is this really the way out? So you have 1 bridge out of 100,000 + (guess) that fails. Are they really that bad. those are pretty good odds How about that switch to Natural Gas proposed by T Boone Pickens?* (I hate the guy, as he funded the Swift Boat con that allowed Bush 4 more years of disaster) Take us off mideast oil? Isn't that more important than smoother roads? Doesn't improving roads and bridges sound like a total waste of money? The ones I drive on are fine! What about a big shift to public/rail/ light rail transportation instead? It all sounds pretty stupid...an it's just going to employ 70% hispanics..thats the picture of the construction business now in many places in America If you were President, where would be the 4 areas of business stimulation, would you address or enhance to create more jobs?

2009 Poll: Have fun!? 1. Which celebrity who died in 2009 got the LEAST attention? a) DJ AM Goldstein b) Farah Fawcett c) Patrick Swayzee d) Ted Kennedy 2. What celebrity news story that occured in 2009 will still be remembered for at least another 10 years. a) Rihanna getting beat up by Chris Brown b) Jon and Kate divorce c) Kanye West and Taylor Swift at the MTV awards d) David Letterman's Blackmail Scandal 3. What was the "cool" thing to do in 2009, which most people found annoying? a) Preteneding to be "Green" (using cloth bags instead of paper bags, using a bicycle instead of using a car or public transportation, etc etc) b) Making sure everyone knows you are/were a big Michael Jackson fan. c) Twittering. d) Being overly interested in Vampire movies, Vampire books, and Vampire TV shows. 4. What song will forever be followed by someone saying "This reminds me of 2009!" a) Lady GaGa "Poker Face" b) Beyonce "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on it)" c) Shakira "Shewolf" d) Pussycat Dolls "Jai Ho" 5. What TV show that debuted in 2009 was the BEST and will most likely still be on TV next year? a) Cougar Town (NBC) b) Community (NBC) c) Melrose Place (CW) d) The Vampire Diaries (CW) 6. What product was the hottest thing to purchase in 2009? a) Beatles Rock Band b) Windows 7 c) A Micheal Jackson's Greatest Hits Album d) Hand sanitzer for swine flu prevention.

how do I deal, with w/ a hypocrit when she says shes a true chistiamn? the friend that Ive spoken about also tends to act very loving and caring and supportive when we are around others like in chuch or other places in public that we may go to but shes also not like this all the time but it still brings me down Ive tried to tell her how I feel only to be ignored but shes my only form of transportation and when she invites me out I feel I have to st some guidelines , bounderies and I dont think I should have to do that so what do I do about it I have ALSO suggested I think she needs conseling or just a swift kick in the pants to straighten her out she s 55 yrs old and been actring that way ever since her mom died 41/2 trs ago and has been getting worse I want an adult for a friend not a child sometimes I think its all my fault that she scts that way .

what is the major controversy? NOT GETTING WHAT YOU PAY FOR AT THE PUMP; ARIZ. SHORTCHANGED BY THE HEAT; ACTIVISTS PURSUE FAIRER FILL-UPS Each time drivers fill their fuel tanks in Arizona's simmering summers, they likely see $1 or more evaporate. Because gasoline expands in the heat, that's the estimated dollar amount of energy they purchase but they never receive. Nobody serves hotter gas than stations in the Arizona desert, and after more than a year of discussion, debate over the issue is beginning to boil. The state Department of Weights and Measures is taking fuel temperatures at gas stations and considering voluntary temperature compensation, while consumer advocates are pushing aggressively for changes. When gas heats up, it takes up more space but doesn't provide any more energy. That means there is less energy in a tank full of 105-degree gas than the same tank filled with 70-degree gas. However, stations charge by the volume of gas they sell, not how much energy it contains. "Arizona is the epicenter of hot-fuel rip-offs," said Judy Dugan, a founder of OilWatchdog.org, which is calling for gas stations to compensate for the temperature of gas they sell. "With the weather Phoenix is experiencing now, every time you fill the tank, you could be losing a dime a gallon. It's an extra penalty for living in the desert imposed on you by the oil companies and oil refineries." Major oil companies and independent station operators argue that retrofitting pumps and compensating fuel sales for temperature won't save consumers money and oppose moves to require such equipment or even allow it in the marketplace. At least 38 lawsuits have been filed nationwide against gas stations and oil companies. Earlier this month, Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., introduced legislation that would require new and upgraded pumps to use temperature-compensation equipment. But things have heated up even more in Arizona: - The Arizona Department of Weights and Measures is taking fuel temperatures at stations to get a 12-month average but already has found summer temperatures of about 104 degrees. Based on that data, Valley motorists pay about $1 more for a 15-gallon fill-up than they would for the same amount of energy if the gas were 60 degrees, the industry standard. That figure rises when prices hit the $3 mark they saw earlier this summer. - Exxon Mobil Corp. stations owned by the company, not franchisees, in Arizona and California have begun putting warning stickers on pumps to let people know they don't compensate for temperature, ostensibly a response to the lawsuits. - A recent report for the U.S. House found Arizona has the highest hot-fuel premium nationwide, based on temperature data collected in 2003. Local lawsuit: Fuel experts have known for decades that gas expands when heated, and that trait can benefit or harm buyers and sellers when not calculated into transactions. The current debate flaredin 2002 when the Missouri-based Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association (OOIDA) representing truckers got involved. OOIDA began investigating the mileage variances in diesel fuel when truckers suspected fraud. The group found that temperature accounted for the different mileage truckers were experiencing, even though diesel doesn't expand as much as gasoline when heated. Their research and subsequent news coverage prompted dozens of class-action lawsuits on behalf of independent truck drivers and motorists, all of which are being consolidated in Kansas. Among the 38 cases with more than 150 plaintiffs and defendants is James Anliker, owner of Jim's Trucking Inc. in Tolleson. He and another Arizona motorist, Christopher Payne, filed their suit in May on behalf of everyone who has bought fuel warmer than 60 degrees in the state from the nine defendants, including Exxon Mobil, Shell, Flying J and Chevron. "The defendants have resisted all efforts to change their deceptive marketing practices and retrofit service-station fuel pumps with temperature-correction devices because the petroleum industry profits from the sale of motor fuel to consumers and non-standard, non-temperature-adjusted gallons," their complaint says. It also criticizes the fact that stations don't report the temperature of fuel being sold so consumers can calculate the purchase themselves. The complaint also alleges the companies pay taxes on the amount of fuel they purchase at the industry standard of 60 degrees and could collect more taxes than they remit on the fuel when it is sold hotter and, therefore, "obtain a tax windfall at the expense of the consumers." Solution debated: Hot-fuel critics see a double standard, with Canadian gas stations compensating for temperature to prevent being left short when chilly weather reduces the volume of gas they sell. Not to mention the temperature calculations oil companies often use when making shipments and major sales in the U.S. For those large transactions, the industry standard is 60 degrees. That way, companies get an even trade when exchanging 5,000 temperature-compensated gallons of fuel in California, where it is 90 degrees, for 5,000 gallons of temperature-compensated of fuel in Minnesota, where it is 60 degrees. Too costly, industry says: But industry representatives say that's not needed at pumps. And spending $2,000 or more per pump to add temperature-compensating equipment will only hurt consumers, said Andrea Martincic, executive director of the Arizona Petroleum Marketers Association, representing the 93 percent of the state's 2,000 stations who are independent. "Consumers likely will see a price increase," Martincic said. She represented her views in Chicago this week during a National Conference on Weights and Measures meeting on the possible pitfalls of introducing temperature compensation in the U.S. "The advocates for this are assuming the stations will sell fuel at the same price with the new equipment," she said. "It's a little misleading to say consumers are losing a dollar or whatever per sale. A gallon is a gallon." Temperature adjustment also could require more state inspectors, increasing fees on stations that could be passed on to consumers. And if temperature adjustment is simply allowed, not required, it could create unfair competition among stations, she said. "There is a risk in rural communities or at older stations, where potentially owners just say it's not worth it," she said. "If we don't know it will help consumers, then why would you move forward with it?" Industry opposition: Oil companies such as Shell Oil and Exxon Mobil also have argued that the cost of adding the equipment to gas pumps would only hurt the business owners who run most of their franchises. And temperature compensation won't mean they get more gas to fit in their tanks or that stations will lower prices, they said in testimony before a special committee of the U.S. House last month. "Shell believes that making automatic temperature adjustment permissive throughout the United States would not be a good idea," said Hugh Cooley, Shell's vice president and general manager for national wholesale and joint ventures. "First, if in any given area some stations adopted the technology and others did not, consumers would be confused over how to compare prices." Exxon Mobil provided similar comments but would only reply via an informal e-mail when asked by The Republic about the new stickers on Arizona pumps. And then the company wouldn't answer why just two states were singled out. "(The stickers are) simply a reminder that the dispenser sells motor fuel by volume," spokeswoman Prem Nair wrote. "This is how fuel has traditionally been sold at retail in the continental United States." Awareness limited: Most drivers haven't yet heard of the issue, even those who take fuel seriously. "I didn't know that," 18-year-old Tim Senzee said while filling his pickup this month at a Phoenix QuikTrip as the mercury hit 109 degrees. "And I drive for a job, and have to pay for my own gas." Senzee can write off his delivery-service mileage on his taxes but still watches spiking prices. "It definitely is a problem," he said. "It can be pretty annoying." Other consumers were a bit cynical about hot-fuel regulation. "I don't think they'll do it unless there is a law changed," Kay Averkamp said as she pumped $27.86 worth of gas into her Honda Prius at a Phoenix am/pm station. "I don't think they'll do it out of the goodness of their hearts." But truckers say they see the impact, even though major trucking companies such as Phoenix-based Swift Transportation have stayed out of the fray. "When you don't get a real gallon of fuel, that's when it hurts my wallet," independent driver Sam Battaglia of Louisville, Ky., said recently after putting $170 worth of diesel into his International 9900 near Nashville. "You notice when you fill up, then park overnight and the gauge reads less than full in the morning," said Battaglia, a member of the independent-truckers group pushing for temperature compensation. The state Department of Weights and Measures investigates about 1,000 complaints a month regarding gas pumps, but it hasn't taken a stance on hot fuel, spokesman Steve Meissner said. "The oil industry says it's too expensive," Meissner said. "So we could say, 'OK, how about a voluntary system where the pump is labeled (as compensating for temperature),' and if they have to charge an extra nickel a gallon or so, fine, they could let the market decide if it's worth it." --------------

how it relates to chemistry? NOT GETTING WHAT YOU PAY FOR AT THE PUMP; ARIZ. SHORTCHANGED BY THE HEAT; ACTIVISTS PURSUE FAIRER FILL-UPS Each time drivers fill their fuel tanks in Arizona's simmering summers, they likely see $1 or more evaporate. Because gasoline expands in the heat, that's the estimated dollar amount of energy they purchase but they never receive. Nobody serves hotter gas than stations in the Arizona desert, and after more than a year of discussion, debate over the issue is beginning to boil. The state Department of Weights and Measures is taking fuel temperatures at gas stations and considering voluntary temperature compensation, while consumer advocates are pushing aggressively for changes. When gas heats up, it takes up more space but doesn't provide any more energy. That means there is less energy in a tank full of 105-degree gas than the same tank filled with 70-degree gas. However, stations charge by the volume of gas they sell, not how much energy it contains. "Arizona is the epicenter of hot-fuel rip-offs," said Judy Dugan, a founder of OilWatchdog.org, which is calling for gas stations to compensate for the temperature of gas they sell. "With the weather Phoenix is experiencing now, every time you fill the tank, you could be losing a dime a gallon. It's an extra penalty for living in the desert imposed on you by the oil companies and oil refineries." Major oil companies and independent station operators argue that retrofitting pumps and compensating fuel sales for temperature won't save consumers money and oppose moves to require such equipment or even allow it in the marketplace. At least 38 lawsuits have been filed nationwide against gas stations and oil companies. Earlier this month, Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., introduced legislation that would require new and upgraded pumps to use temperature-compensation equipment. But things have heated up even more in Arizona: - The Arizona Department of Weights and Measures is taking fuel temperatures at stations to get a 12-month average but already has found summer temperatures of about 104 degrees. Based on that data, Valley motorists pay about $1 more for a 15-gallon fill-up than they would for the same amount of energy if the gas were 60 degrees, the industry standard. That figure rises when prices hit the $3 mark they saw earlier this summer. - Exxon Mobil Corp. stations owned by the company, not franchisees, in Arizona and California have begun putting warning stickers on pumps to let people know they don't compensate for temperature, ostensibly a response to the lawsuits. - A recent report for the U.S. House found Arizona has the highest hot-fuel premium nationwide, based on temperature data collected in 2003. Local lawsuit: Fuel experts have known for decades that gas expands when heated, and that trait can benefit or harm buyers and sellers when not calculated into transactions. The current debate flaredin 2002 when the Missouri-based Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association (OOIDA) representing truckers got involved. OOIDA began investigating the mileage variances in diesel fuel when truckers suspected fraud. The group found that temperature accounted for the different mileage truckers were experiencing, even though diesel doesn't expand as much as gasoline when heated. Their research and subsequent news coverage prompted dozens of class-action lawsuits on behalf of independent truck drivers and motorists, all of which are being consolidated in Kansas. Among the 38 cases with more than 150 plaintiffs and defendants is James Anliker, owner of Jim's Trucking Inc. in Tolleson. He and another Arizona motorist, Christopher Payne, filed their suit in May on behalf of everyone who has bought fuel warmer than 60 degrees in the state from the nine defendants, including Exxon Mobil, Shell, Flying J and Chevron. "The defendants have resisted all efforts to change their deceptive marketing practices and retrofit service-station fuel pumps with temperature-correction devices because the petroleum industry profits from the sale of motor fuel to consumers and non-standard, non-temperature-adjusted gallons," their complaint says. It also criticizes the fact that stations don't report the temperature of fuel being sold so consumers can calculate the purchase themselves. The complaint also alleges the companies pay taxes on the amount of fuel they purchase at the industry standard of 60 degrees and could collect more taxes than they remit on the fuel when it is sold hotter and, therefore, "obtain a tax windfall at the expense of the consumers." Solution debated: Hot-fuel critics see a double standard, with Canadian gas stations compensating for temperature to prevent being left short when chilly weather reduces the volume of gas they sell. Not to mention the temperature calculations oil companies often use when making shipments and major sales in the U.S. For those large transactions, the industry standard is 60 degrees. That way, companies get an even trade when exchanging 5,000 temperature-compensated gallons of fuel in California, where it is 90 degrees, for 5,000 gallons of temperature-compensated of fuel in Minnesota, where it is 60 degrees. Too costly, industry says: But industry representatives say that's not needed at pumps. And spending $2,000 or more per pump to add temperature-compensating equipment will only hurt consumers, said Andrea Martincic, executive director of the Arizona Petroleum Marketers Association, representing the 93 percent of the state's 2,000 stations who are independent. "Consumers likely will see a price increase," Martincic said. She represented her views in Chicago this week during a National Conference on Weights and Measures meeting on the possible pitfalls of introducing temperature compensation in the U.S. "The advocates for this are assuming the stations will sell fuel at the same price with the new equipment," she said. "It's a little misleading to say consumers are losing a dollar or whatever per sale. A gallon is a gallon." Temperature adjustment also could require more state inspectors, increasing fees on stations that could be passed on to consumers. And if temperature adjustment is simply allowed, not required, it could create unfair competition among stations, she said. "There is a risk in rural communities or at older stations, where potentially owners just say it's not worth it," she said. "If we don't know it will help consumers, then why would you move forward with it?" Industry opposition: Oil companies such as Shell Oil and Exxon Mobil also have argued that the cost of adding the equipment to gas pumps would only hurt the business owners who run most of their franchises. And temperature compensation won't mean they get more gas to fit in their tanks or that stations will lower prices, they said in testimony before a special committee of the U.S. House last month. "Shell believes that making automatic temperature adjustment permissive throughout the United States would not be a good idea," said Hugh Cooley, Shell's vice president and general manager for national wholesale and joint ventures. "First, if in any given area some stations adopted the technology and others did not, consumers would be confused over how to compare prices." Exxon Mobil provided similar comments but would only reply via an informal e-mail when asked by The Republic about the new stickers on Arizona pumps. And then the company wouldn't answer why just two states were singled out. "(The stickers are) simply a reminder that the dispenser sells motor fuel by volume," spokeswoman Prem Nair wrote. "This is how fuel has traditionally been sold at retail in the continental United States." Awareness limited: Most drivers haven't yet heard of the issue, even those who take fuel seriously. "I didn't know that," 18-year-old Tim Senzee said while filling his pickup this month at a Phoenix QuikTrip as the mercury hit 109 degrees. "And I drive for a job, and have to pay for my own gas." Senzee can write off his delivery-service mileage on his taxes but still watches spiking prices. "It definitely is a problem," he said. "It can be pretty annoying." Other consumers were a bit cynical about hot-fuel regulation. "I don't think they'll do it unless there is a law changed," Kay Averkamp said as she pumped $27.86 worth of gas into her Honda Prius at a Phoenix am/pm station. "I don't think they'll do it out of the goodness of their hearts." But truckers say they see the impact, even though major trucking companies such as Phoenix-based Swift Transportation have stayed out of the fray. "When you don't get a real gallon of fuel, that's when it hurts my wallet," independent driver Sam Battaglia of Louisville, Ky., said recently after putting $170 worth of diesel into his International 9900 near Nashville. "You notice when you fill up, then park overnight and the gauge reads less than full in the morning," said Battaglia, a member of the independent-truckers group pushing for temperature compensation. The state Department of Weights and Measures investigates about 1,000 complaints a month regarding gas pumps, but it hasn't taken a stance on hot fuel, spokesman Steve Meissner said. "The oil industry says it's too expensive," Meissner said. "So we could say, 'OK, how about a voluntary system where the pump is labeled (as compensating for temperature),' and if they have to charge an extra nickel a gallon or so, fine, they could let the market decide if it's worth it." --------------

what is the major constroversy? NOT GETTING WHAT YOU PAY FOR AT THE PUMP; ARIZ. SHORTCHANGED BY THE HEAT; ACTIVISTS PURSUE FAIRER FILL-UPS Each time drivers fill their fuel tanks in Arizona's simmering summers, they likely see $1 or more evaporate. Because gasoline expands in the heat, that's the estimated dollar amount of energy they purchase but they never receive. Nobody serves hotter gas than stations in the Arizona desert, and after more than a year of discussion, debate over the issue is beginning to boil. The state Department of Weights and Measures is taking fuel temperatures at gas stations and considering voluntary temperature compensation, while consumer advocates are pushing aggressively for changes. When gas heats up, it takes up more space but doesn't provide any more energy. That means there is less energy in a tank full of 105-degree gas than the same tank filled with 70-degree gas. However, stations charge by the volume of gas they sell, not how much energy it contains. "Arizona is the epicenter of hot-fuel rip-offs," said Judy Dugan, a founder of OilWatchdog.org, which is calling for gas stations to compensate for the temperature of gas they sell. "With the weather Phoenix is experiencing now, every time you fill the tank, you could be losing a dime a gallon. It's an extra penalty for living in the desert imposed on you by the oil companies and oil refineries." Major oil companies and independent station operators argue that retrofitting pumps and compensating fuel sales for temperature won't save consumers money and oppose moves to require such equipment or even allow it in the marketplace. At least 38 lawsuits have been filed nationwide against gas stations and oil companies. Earlier this month, Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., introduced legislation that would require new and upgraded pumps to use temperature-compensation equipment. But things have heated up even more in Arizona: - The Arizona Department of Weights and Measures is taking fuel temperatures at stations to get a 12-month average but already has found summer temperatures of about 104 degrees. Based on that data, Valley motorists pay about $1 more for a 15-gallon fill-up than they would for the same amount of energy if the gas were 60 degrees, the industry standard. That figure rises when prices hit the $3 mark they saw earlier this summer. - Exxon Mobil Corp. stations owned by the company, not franchisees, in Arizona and California have begun putting warning stickers on pumps to let people know they don't compensate for temperature, ostensibly a response to the lawsuits. - A recent report for the U.S. House found Arizona has the highest hot-fuel premium nationwide, based on temperature data collected in 2003. Local lawsuit: Fuel experts have known for decades that gas expands when heated, and that trait can benefit or harm buyers and sellers when not calculated into transactions. The current debate flaredin 2002 when the Missouri-based Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association (OOIDA) representing truckers got involved. OOIDA began investigating the mileage variances in diesel fuel when truckers suspected fraud. The group found that temperature accounted for the different mileage truckers were experiencing, even though diesel doesn't expand as much as gasoline when heated. Their research and subsequent news coverage prompted dozens of class-action lawsuits on behalf of independent truck drivers and motorists, all of which are being consolidated in Kansas. Among the 38 cases with more than 150 plaintiffs and defendants is James Anliker, owner of Jim's Trucking Inc. in Tolleson. He and another Arizona motorist, Christopher Payne, filed their suit in May on behalf of everyone who has bought fuel warmer than 60 degrees in the state from the nine defendants, including Exxon Mobil, Shell, Flying J and Chevron. "The defendants have resisted all efforts to change their deceptive marketing practices and retrofit service-station fuel pumps with temperature-correction devices because the petroleum industry profits from the sale of motor fuel to consumers and non-standard, non-temperature-adjusted gallons," their complaint says. It also criticizes the fact that stations don't report the temperature of fuel being sold so consumers can calculate the purchase themselves. The complaint also alleges the companies pay taxes on the amount of fuel they purchase at the industry standard of 60 degrees and could collect more taxes than they remit on the fuel when it is sold hotter and, therefore, "obtain a tax windfall at the expense of the consumers." Solution debated: Hot-fuel critics see a double standard, with Canadian gas stations compensating for temperature to prevent being left short when chilly weather reduces the volume of gas they sell. Not to mention the temperature calculations oil companies often use when making shipments and major sales in the U.S. For those large transactions, the industry standard is 60 degrees. That way, companies get an even trade when exchanging 5,000 temperature-compensated gallons of fuel in California, where it is 90 degrees, for 5,000 gallons of temperature-compensated of fuel in Minnesota, where it is 60 degrees. Too costly, industry says: But industry representatives say that's not needed at pumps. And spending $2,000 or more per pump to add temperature-compensating equipment will only hurt consumers, said Andrea Martincic, executive director of the Arizona Petroleum Marketers Association, representing the 93 percent of the state's 2,000 stations who are independent. "Consumers likely will see a price increase," Martincic said. She represented her views in Chicago this week during a National Conference on Weights and Measures meeting on the possible pitfalls of introducing temperature compensation in the U.S. "The advocates for this are assuming the stations will sell fuel at the same price with the new equipment," she said. "It's a little misleading to say consumers are losing a dollar or whatever per sale. A gallon is a gallon." Temperature adjustment also could require more state inspectors, increasing fees on stations that could be passed on to consumers. And if temperature adjustment is simply allowed, not required, it could create unfair competition among stations, she said. "There is a risk in rural communities or at older stations, where potentially owners just say it's not worth it," she said. "If we don't know it will help consumers, then why would you move forward with it?" Industry opposition: Oil companies such as Shell Oil and Exxon Mobil also have argued that the cost of adding the equipment to gas pumps would only hurt the business owners who run most of their franchises. And temperature compensation won't mean they get more gas to fit in their tanks or that stations will lower prices, they said in testimony before a special committee of the U.S. House last month. "Shell believes that making automatic temperature adjustment permissive throughout the United States would not be a good idea," said Hugh Cooley, Shell's vice president and general manager for national wholesale and joint ventures. "First, if in any given area some stations adopted the technology and others did not, consumers would be confused over how to compare prices." Exxon Mobil provided similar comments but would only reply via an informal e-mail when asked by The Republic about the new stickers on Arizona pumps. And then the company wouldn't answer why just two states were singled out. "(The stickers are) simply a reminder that the dispenser sells motor fuel by volume," spokeswoman Prem Nair wrote. "This is how fuel has traditionally been sold at retail in the continental United States." Awareness limited: Most drivers haven't yet heard of the issue, even those who take fuel seriously. "I didn't know that," 18-year-old Tim Senzee said while filling his pickup this month at a Phoenix QuikTrip as the mercury hit 109 degrees. "And I drive for a job, and have to pay for my own gas." Senzee can write off his delivery-service mileage on his taxes but still watches spiking prices. "It definitely is a problem," he said. "It can be pretty annoying." Other consumers were a bit cynical about hot-fuel regulation. "I don't think they'll do it unless there is a law changed," Kay Averkamp said as she pumped $27.86 worth of gas into her Honda Prius at a Phoenix am/pm station. "I don't think they'll do it out of the goodness of their hearts." But truckers say they see the impact, even though major trucking companies such as Phoenix-based Swift Transportation have stayed out of the fray. "When you don't get a real gallon of fuel, that's when it hurts my wallet," independent driver Sam Battaglia of Louisville, Ky., said recently after putting $170 worth of diesel into his International 9900 near Nashville. "You notice when you fill up, then park overnight and the gauge reads less than full in the morning," said Battaglia, a member of the independent-truckers group pushing for temperature compensation. The state Department of Weights and Measures investigates about 1,000 complaints a month regarding gas pumps, but it hasn't taken a stance on hot fuel, spokesman Steve Meissner said. "The oil industry says it's too expensive," Meissner said. "So we could say, 'OK, how about a voluntary system where the pump is labeled (as compensating for temperature),' and if they have to charge an extra nickel a gallon or so, fine, they could let the market decide if it's worth it."

how it relatives to chemistry? NOT GETTING WHAT YOU PAY FOR AT THE PUMP; ARIZ. SHORTCHANGED BY THE HEAT; ACTIVISTS PURSUE FAIRER FILL-UPS Each time drivers fill their fuel tanks in Arizona's simmering summers, they likely see $1 or more evaporate. Because gasoline expands in the heat, that's the estimated dollar amount of energy they purchase but they never receive. Nobody serves hotter gas than stations in the Arizona desert, and after more than a year of discussion, debate over the issue is beginning to boil. The state Department of Weights and Measures is taking fuel temperatures at gas stations and considering voluntary temperature compensation, while consumer advocates are pushing aggressively for changes. When gas heats up, it takes up more space but doesn't provide any more energy. That means there is less energy in a tank full of 105-degree gas than the same tank filled with 70-degree gas. However, stations charge by the volume of gas they sell, not how much energy it contains. "Arizona is the epicenter of hot-fuel rip-offs," said Judy Dugan, a founder of OilWatchdog.org, which is calling for gas stations to compensate for the temperature of gas they sell. "With the weather Phoenix is experiencing now, every time you fill the tank, you could be losing a dime a gallon. It's an extra penalty for living in the desert imposed on you by the oil companies and oil refineries." Major oil companies and independent station operators argue that retrofitting pumps and compensating fuel sales for temperature won't save consumers money and oppose moves to require such equipment or even allow it in the marketplace. At least 38 lawsuits have been filed nationwide against gas stations and oil companies. Earlier this month, Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., introduced legislation that would require new and upgraded pumps to use temperature-compensation equipment. But things have heated up even more in Arizona: - The Arizona Department of Weights and Measures is taking fuel temperatures at stations to get a 12-month average but already has found summer temperatures of about 104 degrees. Based on that data, Valley motorists pay about $1 more for a 15-gallon fill-up than they would for the same amount of energy if the gas were 60 degrees, the industry standard. That figure rises when prices hit the $3 mark they saw earlier this summer. - Exxon Mobil Corp. stations owned by the company, not franchisees, in Arizona and California have begun putting warning stickers on pumps to let people know they don't compensate for temperature, ostensibly a response to the lawsuits. - A recent report for the U.S. House found Arizona has the highest hot-fuel premium nationwide, based on temperature data collected in 2003. Local lawsuit: Fuel experts have known for decades that gas expands when heated, and that trait can benefit or harm buyers and sellers when not calculated into transactions. The current debate flaredin 2002 when the Missouri-based Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association (OOIDA) representing truckers got involved. OOIDA began investigating the mileage variances in diesel fuel when truckers suspected fraud. The group found that temperature accounted for the different mileage truckers were experiencing, even though diesel doesn't expand as much as gasoline when heated. Their research and subsequent news coverage prompted dozens of class-action lawsuits on behalf of independent truck drivers and motorists, all of which are being consolidated in Kansas. Among the 38 cases with more than 150 plaintiffs and defendants is James Anliker, owner of Jim's Trucking Inc. in Tolleson. He and another Arizona motorist, Christopher Payne, filed their suit in May on behalf of everyone who has bought fuel warmer than 60 degrees in the state from the nine defendants, including Exxon Mobil, Shell, Flying J and Chevron. "The defendants have resisted all efforts to change their deceptive marketing practices and retrofit service-station fuel pumps with temperature-correction devices because the petroleum industry profits from the sale of motor fuel to consumers and non-standard, non-temperature-adjusted gallons," their complaint says. It also criticizes the fact that stations don't report the temperature of fuel being sold so consumers can calculate the purchase themselves. The complaint also alleges the companies pay taxes on the amount of fuel they purchase at the industry standard of 60 degrees and could collect more taxes than they remit on the fuel when it is sold hotter and, therefore, "obtain a tax windfall at the expense of the consumers." Solution debated: Hot-fuel critics see a double standard, with Canadian gas stations compensating for temperature to prevent being left short when chilly weather reduces the volume of gas they sell. Not to mention the temperature calculations oil companies often use when making shipments and major sales in the U.S. For those large transactions, the industry standard is 60 degrees. That way, companies get an even trade when exchanging 5,000 temperature-compensated gallons of fuel in California, where it is 90 degrees, for 5,000 gallons of temperature-compensated of fuel in Minnesota, where it is 60 degrees. Too costly, industry says: But industry representatives say that's not needed at pumps. And spending $2,000 or more per pump to add temperature-compensating equipment will only hurt consumers, said Andrea Martincic, executive director of the Arizona Petroleum Marketers Association, representing the 93 percent of the state's 2,000 stations who are independent. "Consumers likely will see a price increase," Martincic said. She represented her views in Chicago this week during a National Conference on Weights and Measures meeting on the possible pitfalls of introducing temperature compensation in the U.S. "The advocates for this are assuming the stations will sell fuel at the same price with the new equipment," she said. "It's a little misleading to say consumers are losing a dollar or whatever per sale. A gallon is a gallon." Temperature adjustment also could require more state inspectors, increasing fees on stations that could be passed on to consumers. And if temperature adjustment is simply allowed, not required, it could create unfair competition among stations, she said. "There is a risk in rural communities or at older stations, where potentially owners just say it's not worth it," she said. "If we don't know it will help consumers, then why would you move forward with it?" Industry opposition: Oil companies such as Shell Oil and Exxon Mobil also have argued that the cost of adding the equipment to gas pumps would only hurt the business owners who run most of their franchises. And temperature compensation won't mean they get more gas to fit in their tanks or that stations will lower prices, they said in testimony before a special committee of the U.S. House last month. "Shell believes that making automatic temperature adjustment permissive throughout the United States would not be a good idea," said Hugh Cooley, Shell's vice president and general manager for national wholesale and joint ventures. "First, if in any given area some stations adopted the technology and others did not, consumers would be confused over how to compare prices." Exxon Mobil provided similar comments but would only reply via an informal e-mail when asked by The Republic about the new stickers on Arizona pumps. And then the company wouldn't answer why just two states were singled out. "(The stickers are) simply a reminder that the dispenser sells motor fuel by volume," spokeswoman Prem Nair wrote. "This is how fuel has traditionally been sold at retail in the continental United States." Awareness limited: Most drivers haven't yet heard of the issue, even those who take fuel seriously. "I didn't know that," 18-year-old Tim Senzee said while filling his pickup this month at a Phoenix QuikTrip as the mercury hit 109 degrees. "And I drive for a job, and have to pay for my own gas." Senzee can write off his delivery-service mileage on his taxes but still watches spiking prices. "It definitely is a problem," he said. "It can be pretty annoying." Other consumers were a bit cynical about hot-fuel regulation. "I don't think they'll do it unless there is a law changed," Kay Averkamp said as she pumped $27.86 worth of gas into her Honda Prius at a Phoenix am/pm station. "I don't think they'll do it out of the goodness of their hearts." But truckers say they see the impact, even though major trucking companies such as Phoenix-based Swift Transportation have stayed out of the fray. "When you don't get a real gallon of fuel, that's when it hurts my wallet," independent driver Sam Battaglia of Louisville, Ky., said recently after putting $170 worth of diesel into his International 9900 near Nashville. "You notice when you fill up, then park overnight and the gauge reads less than full in the morning," said Battaglia, a member of the independent-truckers group pushing for temperature compensation. The state Department of Weights and Measures investigates about 1,000 complaints a month regarding gas pumps, but it hasn't taken a stance on hot fuel, spokesman Steve Meissner said. "The oil industry says it's too expensive," Meissner said. "So we could say, 'OK, how about a voluntary system where the pump is labeled (as compensating for temperature),' and if they have to charge an extra nickel a gallon or so, fine, they could let the market decide if it's worth it."

Who would vote for Mitt Romney on his record? I have finally, after extensive research found part of his record. Wow, what a record.!! I am posting my findings with this question for those who doesn't like to open web sites. News * All News * In The News * Press Releases * Speeches * Debate Central * Word On The Web * Photo Gallery * Events * Chat Archive The Fourteenth Republican Debate From Florida Pat Buchanan: "His Performance Was Flawless" Thursday, Jan 24, 2008 11:56 PM EDT What They're Really Saying About Governor Mitt Romney At The Boca Raton, FL GOP Debate - Vol. II Thursday, Jan 24, 2008 11:55 PM EDT MSNBC'S Chuck Todd: "Romney looks good and sounds confident tonight." (Chuck Todd, "Romney Starting Off Well Tonight," MSNBC's First Read, http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/, Posted 1/24/08) The Atlantic's Marc Ambinder: "Romney made a strong first impression." (Marc Ambinder, "Live Twittering Of The Debate," The Atlantic, http://twitter.com/marcambinder, Posted 1/24/08) Captain's Quarters' Ed Morrissey: "Florida voters got their final head-to-head look at the Republican presidential candidates tonight, and the winner of the debate was Mitt Romney." (Ed Morrissey, "Florida Debate: Romney Scores, Rudy Close Behind," Captain's Quarters' Blog, www.captainsquartersblog.com, Posted 1/24/08) - Morrissey: "He looked presidential, poised, and factually prepared." (Ed Morrissey, "Florida Debate: Romney Scores, Rudy Close Behind," Captain's Quarters' Blog, www.captainsquartersblog.com, Posted 1/24/08) - Morrissey: "In a debate that spent the first two-thirds with everyone doing well, Romney not only broke out on his own in the last stanza, he successfully parried some strange attacks from Tim Russert as well." (Ed Morrissey, "Florida Debate: Romney Scores, Rudy Close Behind," Captain's Quarters' Blog, www.captainsquartersblog.com, Posted 1/24/08) Michelle Malkin: "Romney's being treated like the front-runner and he's acting like it." (Michelle Malkin, "GOP Florida Debate: Show Us The Conservatism," Michelle Malkin's Blog, http://michellemalkin.com/, Accessed 1/24/08) Townhall's Hugh Hewitt: "Mitt Romney should send a thank you card to Tim Russert and Brian Williams. They threw hard balls at the former Massachusetts governor and he hit them all, many out of the park. Romney's allocation of time had to be disproportionate, but that was the Williams/Russert choice, and Romney made the most of it." (Hugh Hewitt, "'General Hillary Clinton' And 'They're Doing It In Europe Now,'" Townhall Blog, http://hughhewitt.townhall.com/, Posted 1/24/08) - Hewitt: "Democrats watching tonight have to be very worried that Mitt Romney will be the GOP nominee." (Hugh Hewitt, "'General Hillary Clinton' And 'They're Doing It In Europe Now,'" Townhall Blog, http://hughhewitt.townhall.com/, Posted 1/24/08) American Spectator's Wlady: "Terrific Romney answer to Russert's nosiness about how much he's spent in Florida. Russert's mistake: his insinuation that he was asking the question on behalf of the people's right to know. Romney instead let it be known he'll report his spending on Jan. 31, as required by law; and there's no reason to give his opponents a competitive advantage." (Wlady, "Rich Man, Poor Man," AmSpec Blog, http://www.amspec.org/, Accessed 1/24/08) ABC News' Rick Klein: "Romney gets an initial question on the economy -- this is tailor made for him. ? He sounds authoritative and in control on this subject." (Rick Klein, "Live Blogging During GOP Debate," ABC News' Political Radar, http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalradar, Posted 1/24/08) National Journal's Jennifer Skalka: "Winners?Mitt Romney -- Mistake-free night." (Jennifer Skalka, "No Battle In Boca," National Journal's On Call, http://hotlineblog.nationaljournal.com/, Posted 1/24/08) Heading Right's Ed Morrissey: "Best line of the evening so far: General Hillary Clinton." (Ed Morrissey, "Best Line Of The Evening So Far," Heading Right Blog, http://headingright.com/, Accessed 1/24/08) - Morrissey: "Romney just delivered a hell of a punch against Hillary Clinton, Bill, and the Democrats." (Ed Morrissey, "Romney Lapping The Pack," Heading Right Blog, http://headingright.com/, Accessed 1/24/08) - Morrissey: "I am impressed." (Ed Morrissey, "Romney's Running Away With It!" Heading Right Blog, http://headingright.com/, Accessed 1/24/08) American Spectator's Phillip Klein: "Romney is clearly benefiting from the focus on the economy." (Phillip Klein, "Quick Debate Reaction," AmSpec Blog, http://www.amspec.org/blogger, Accessed 1/24/08) Heading Right's Fausta Wertz: "[Y]es, this is the Mitt Romney hour." (Fausta, "Back To Mitt," Heading Right Blog, http://headingright.com/, Accessed 1/24/08) Townhall's Matt Lewis: "If one had to assign a winner tonight, Mitt Romney would probably get the nod." (Matt Lewis, "GOP Debate Analysis: Florida Now A Two-Man Race," Townhall Blog, www.townhall.com, Posted 1/24/08) - Lewis: "The debate focused more on the economy than it did on any other topic, and I think he is more adept at talking about this topic than is his primary opponent, John McCain." (Matt Lewis, "GOP Debate Analysis: Florida Now A Two-Man Race," Townhall Blog, www.townhall.com, Posted 1/24/08) - Lewis: "He also did a good job of going after the Clintons -- something that McCain should have actually done more of." (Matt Lewis, "GOP Debate Analysis: Florida Now A Two-Man Race," Townhall Blog, www.townhall.com, Posted 1/24/08) - Lewis: "Romney was ahead in the last Florida poll I saw, and since nothing that happened tonight is likely to radically upset the apple cart, he wins tonight merely by maintaining the status quo." (Matt Lewis, "GOP Debate Analysis: Florida Now A Two-Man Race," Townhall Blog, www.townhall.com, Posted 1/24/08) What They're Really Saying About Governor Mitt Romney At The Boca Raton, FL GOP Debate Thursday, Jan 24, 2008 11:11 PM EDT MSNBC's Joe Scarborough: "I think conservatives probably related to Mitt Romney, talking about tax cuts, talking about being a governor, talking about what he did in the private sector for all those years. On the economic part of this debate, I don't think there is any doubt that this was Mitt Romney's best performance." (MSNBC's "Live," 1/24/08) - Scarborough: "The first 30 minutes - it was about the economy. I thought Mitt Romney absolutely dominated that segment of it." (MSNBC's "Live," 1/24/08) Time's Mark Halperin: "Romney A-" (Mark Halperin, "Who Wants To Be The Nominee?" Time's The Page, http://thepage.time.com/, Posted 1/24/08) MSNBC's Chuck Todd: "I thought this was Mitt Romney's best debate performance." (MSNBC's "Live," 1/24/08) National Review's Rich Lowry: "Romney has seemed authoritative – confident and on his game..." (Rich Lowry, "The Debate So Far," National Review's The Corner, http://corner.nationalreview.com/, Posted 1/24/08) - Lowry: "'We're the Party of Change' ... Home-run answer from Romney. It was drawn from his standard lines on the stump, but a terrific message, convincingly delivered." (Rich Lowry, "'We're The Party Of Change'," National Review's The Corner, http://corner.nationalreview.com/, Posted 1/24/08) - Lowry: "Good night for Romney." (Rich Lowry, "Good Night For Romney," National Review's The Corner, http://corner.nationalreview.com/, Posted 1/24/08) - Lowry: "Romney is dominating the last half-an-hour." (Rich Lowry, "In Terms Of Sheer Time..." National Review's The Corner, http://corner.nationalreview.com/, Posted 1/24/08) Townhall's Mary Katharine Ham: "Romney just stole that issue from both Rudy and McCain. His answer was intelligent and far-reaching. I liked the idea of high-risk areas getting together to pool risk. Rudy's been trying to pander with this idea and I think both Romney and McCain made the pandering look silly by taking a broader approach." (Mary Katharine Ham, "The Cat Fund," Townhall Blog, http://www.townhall.com/, Posted 1/24/08) National Review's Kate O'Beirne: "Romney's insights about his state's National Guard was helpful. He seems particularly aggressive and sure-footed tonight." (Kate O'Beirne, "On Offense," National Review's The Corner, http://corner.nationalreview.com/, Posted 1/24/08) Michelle Malkin: "Excellent Romney answer on Iraq. Strong, tough, focused on the surrendercrats. He takes on Dems for their withdrawalmania?cites debate in SC when Hillary refused to say she wanted to win and recycled Code Pink line." (Michelle Malkin, "GOP Florida Debate," http://michellemalkin.com/, Posted 1/24/08) - Malkin: "Romney excoriates Dems and says 'how dare they' take credit for surge." (Michelle Malkin, "GOP Florida Debate," http://michellemalkin.com/, Posted 1/24/08) - Malkin: "Romney just out-McCained McCain on the war." (Michelle Malkin, "GOP Florida Debate," http://michellemalkin.com/, Posted 1/24/08) The Atlantic's Marc Ambinder: "Romney was swell on the economy..." (Marc Ambinder, "Romney Made A Strong First Impression... No One Tried To Jab At Him," Twitter Blog, http://twitter.com/marcambinder, Posted 1/24/08) Hot Air's Bryan Preston: "Mitt Romney is asked whether the war in Iraq was worth the sacrifice and effort. He delivers the best answer of the bunch and punches the hippies in the Democrat party to boot." (Bryan Preston, "Debate Highlights: Huckabee On The Economic Stimulus; Romney On Iraq," Hot Air, http://hotair.com/, Posted 1/24/08) Joe Scarborough: "Mitt Romney Absolutely Dominated" Thursday, Jan 24, 2008 11:00 PM EDT Governor Mitt Romney Lays Out The Vision To Strengthen America Thursday, Jan 24, 2008 10:38 PM EDT Tonight, Romney for President Communications Director Matt Rhoades released the following statement on the Florida Republican presidential debate: "The economic challenges confronting our country were central to tonight's debate. Governor Romney is the only candidate with a record of working in the real economy and creating jobs. That experience was on display tonight. He understands how to create jobs and how to bring change. That is the leadership we need in Washington, and in a few short days, the people of Florida will cast their votes for change in this country." Straight Talk Detour: McCain On Republican Vote Totals Thursday, Jan 24, 2008 10:30 PM EDT McCain Falsely Claimed That He Won Among Republicans In NH And SC In Tonight's Debate, Sen. McCain Falsely Claimed That He Won The Republican Vote In Both New Hampshire And South Carolina: MCCAIN: "But Look, I Won The Majority Of Republican Vote In Both New Hampshire And South Carolina." (MSNBC, [Unverified Transcript], Republican Presidential Candidate Debate, Boca Raton, FL, 1/24/08) However, Sen. McCain Lost In Both New Hampshire And South Carolina Among Self-Identified Conservatives And Republicans : McCain Lost Among Self-Identified Republicans In New Hampshire. "In New Hampshire, a state McCain had won in 2000 and lavished time and attention on this time around, he lost self-identified Republicans narrowly -- 35 percent to 34 percent -- to former governor Mitt Romney. But, it was among independents where McCain's winning margin came as he won that bloc by 13 points over Romney." (Chris Cillizza, "McCain And The Closed Primary Challenge," Washington Post's The Fix, http://blog.washingtonpost.com/, 1/24/08) McCain Lost Among Republicans In South Carolina. "In South Carolina, McCain lost Republicans by a statistically insignificant margin, but carried independents by a massive 42 percent to 25 percent margin -- ensuring his narrow three-point victory." (Chris Cillizza, "McCain And The Closed Primary Challenge," Washington Post's The Fix, http://blog.washingtonpost.com/,1/24/08) Conservatives Are Wary Of McCain's Past Tendencies And Willingness To Team Up With Liberal Senators. "McCain has long had difficulty currying favor from his party's conservative wing. Despite his solid voting record in the senate, many ardent Republicans have been unhappy with his past willingness to team up with liberal Sens. Russ Feingold on campaign finance reform and Ted Kennedy on immigration." (Alexander Mooney, "McCain Brushes Aside Suggestion Of Weak Republican Support," http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2008/01/20/mccain-brushes-aside-suggestion-of-weak-republican-support/, 1/20/08) "Support from the base will be crucial in upcoming contests: McCain now faces a bevy of state primaries where independents are not allowed to participate, beginning with Florida's vote on January 29. But the Arizona senator is predicting that his support among veterans, his economic proposals, and his record on environmental issues important to many Floridians will carry him to victory there." (Alexander Mooney, "McCain Brushes Aside Suggestion Of Weak Republican Support," http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2008/01/20/mccain-brushes-aside-suggestion-of-weak-republican-support/, 1/20/08) Gov. Romney: Working Together On Social Security Thursday, Jan 24, 2008 10:20 PM EDT Romney Record: A Stronger State Economy Thursday, Jan 24, 2008 09:49 PM EDT Governor Romney Helped Turn Around The Massachusetts Economy And Today, The State Is Among The Most Economically Competitive In The Nation: Because of work done by Governor Romney, Massachusetts is now credited with being one of the most economically-competitive states in the nation. - The Boston Globe : "Nonetheless, Romney's policies are credited with improving the state's competitiveness. His administration promoted high-density development to increase housing production, got a fast-track permitting law enacted by the Legislature to help businesses expand, and revived an agency to help firms move to the state." (Brian Mooney, Stephanie Ebbert and Scott Helman, "Ambitious Goals," The Boston Globe, 6/30/07) - The Beacon Hill Institute: Massachusetts "One Of The Most Economically Competitive States In The Nation." "Massachusetts ranks as the one of the most economically competitive states in the nation, buoyed by innovation, entrepreneurship, and an educated and skilled workforce, a new study concludes. The study, released today by the Beacon Hill Institute, a think tank at Suffolk University, ranks Massachusetts second only to Utah in the attributes that create and sustain high levels of income for residents." (Robert Gavin, "Reports: Mass. A Top U.S. Economic Competitor," The Boston Globe, 12/19/07) - The Information Technology And Innovation Foundation: Massachusetts First In The Ability "To Compete In A Dynamic, Innovation-Driven Global Economy." "It follows another study, by the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation, a Washington think tank, that measures states' abilities to compete in a dynamic, innovation-driven global economy and ranks Massachusetts first." (Robert Gavin, "Reports: Mass. A Top U.S. Economic Competitor," The Boston Globe, 12/19/07) - Under Governor Romney, The State's Credit Rating Was Upgraded For The First Time Since January 2000. "Governor Mitt Romney today announced that Standard & Poor's has raised the state's credit rating one notch, from 'AA-' to 'AA'. This is the state's first ratings upgrade since January 2000, when Moody's Investors Service raised the state's credit rating from 'Aa3' to 'Aa2'." (Office Of Governor Mitt Romney, "Governor Romney Announces Bond Rating Upgrade For Commonwealth's Debate," Press Release, 3/15/05) - MassINC And Northeastern University Report: "The Massachusetts economy is the envy of many other states. Our economy consistently ranks among the top in measures of New Economy success. We rank near the top of the nation in our level of labor productivity and have outpaced the nation in recent years in the rate of growth. We have the most educated workforce in the nation. We also score near the top in terms of knowledge jobs and innovation capacity." (MassINC & The Northeastern University Center For Labor Market Studies, "Mass Jobs: Meeting The Challenges Of A Shifting Economy," November 2007) Under Governor Romney, Massachusetts Added Tens Of Thousands Of Jobs After The End Of A Deep Recession: Before Governor Romney took office, Massachusetts was losing jobs month after month after the tech bubble burst in 2001. Under Governor Jane Swift, Sen. McCain's chief Massachusetts surrogate, the state lost over 140,000 jobs. - Massachusetts "Suffered The Deepest Job Losses In The Nation After The Tech Boom." "Massachusetts, because of its large technology sector, suffered the deepest job losses in the nation after the tech boom went bust in 2001, shedding 6 percent of its jobs, compared to 2 percent nationally." (Robert Gavin, "Job-Growth Study: Mass. Next To Last," The Boston Globe, 11/28/07) - Under The Previous Administration, Massachusetts Lost Jobs Month After Month. Under Governor Swift, Massachusetts lost 141,000 votes. (Bureau Of Labor Statistics, "State And Area Employment, Hours, And Earnings," Massachusetts, Total Non-Farm, Seasonally Adjusted, Accessed 1/21/08) Under Governor Romney, jobs began to return to Massachusetts. Massachusetts added 57,600 jobs after the recession ended in December 2003. In 2006 alone, Massachusetts added 18,700 jobs. - Massachusetts Added 57,600 Jobs Since The Recession's End In December 2003 Until The End Of Governor Romney's Term. "Massachusetts has added 57,600 payroll jobs since December 2003." (Massachusetts Department Of Workforce Development, "Jobs In Massachusetts Up By 1,700 In December," Press Release, 1/18/07) - In 2006, Massachusetts Added 18,700 Jobs. "Total jobs are up 18,700 from one year ago to 3,224,700." (Mass. Department Of Workforce Development, "Jobs In Massachusetts Up By 1,700 In December," Press Release, 1/18/07) - Under Governor Romney, Massachusetts Posted The First Gain In Manufacturing Jobs In Several Years. "For the first time in several years, Massachusetts has posted a gain in manufacturing jobs, according to the 2007 Massachusetts Manufacturers Register, an industrial directory published annually by Manufacturers' News, Inc. (MNI), Evanston, IL. MNI reports Massachusetts has added 3,681 net jobs since August of 2005, indicating a slight reversal in the downturn the Bay state has felt since 2001." (Manufacturers' News, "Industrial Directory Reports Massachusetts Manufacturing Jobs Up," Press Release, 8/30/06) Under Governor Romney, personal incomes grew dramatically, and the level of personal income was far higher than the national average. - During Governor Romney's Term, Massachusetts Per Capita Personal Income (PCPI) Grew By 17%, Outpacing Per Capita Personal Income Growth For The Entire United States. In 2003, Massachusetts per capita personal income was $39,442 and rose to $46,255 in 2006. (Department Of Commerce, Bureau Of Economic Analysis, "State Annual Personal Income," www.bea.gov, Accessed: 1/21/08) - In 2006, Massachusetts Had A Per Capita Personal Income (PCPI) Of $46,255. This PCPI Ranked 3rd In The United States And Was 126 Percent Of The National Average, $36,629. (Department Of Commerce, Bureau Of Economic Analysis, "State BEARFACTS 1996 – 2006: Massachusetts," Accessed: 1/21/08) Under Governor Romney, Massachusetts Became A Better Place To Do Business: Under Governor Romney, the business climate improved and more companies were attracted to Massachusetts. - In Three Years Under Governor Romney, The Number Of Companies In The State's Development Pipeline Went From 13 To 288. "Under Ranch C. Kimball, who became Romney's secretary of economic development in 2004, the number of companies in the Massachusetts development pipeline jumped from 13 to 288 in three years." (Brian C. Mooney, Stephanie Ebbert And Scott Helman, "Ambitious Goals," The Boston Globe, 6/30/07) - The Boston Globe : "Last year, Bristol-Myers Squibb Co. chose an 89-acre site at the former Fort Devens over one in North Carolina for a $660 million complex that will create 550 jobs. The deal required a customized tax credit, a $34 million infrastructure bond, and an unusual show of teamwork by Romney and the Legislature." (Brian Mooney, Stephanie Ebbert And Scott Helman, "Ambitious Goals," The Boston Globe, 6/30/07) Governor Romney took the action necessary to improve the state's business climate and stimulate the economy through pro-growth economic policies. - ECONOMIC STIMULUS PACKAGE: In November 2003, Governor Romney Signed An Economic Stimulus Package To Help Spur The Massachusetts Economy. (Office Of Governor Mitt Romney, "Romney Signs Economic Stimulus, Supplemental Budget Bills," Press Release, 11/26/03) - ECONOMIC STIMULUS PACKAGE: In June 2006, Governor Romney Signed A Second Economic Stimulus Package To Help Spur The Massachusetts Economy. (Office Of Governor Mitt Romney, "Romney Vetoes Wasteful Spending, Cities Needed To Maintain Fiscal Discipline," Press Release, 11/26/03) - 2004 SALES TAX HOLIDAY: Governor Romney Enacted The State's First-Ever Sales Tax Holiday In 2004. (Office Of Governor Mitt Romney, "Romney Promotes Tax-Free Shopping Day On Saturday," Press Release, 8/14/04) - 2005 SALES TAX HOLIDAY: Governor Romney Enacted A Second Sales Tax Holiday. (Office Of Governor Mitt Romney, "Romney, Dimasi, Hart Promote Tax-Free Shopping Weekend," Press Release, 8/14/0) - INVESTMENT TAX CREDIT: Governor Romney Signed An Economic Stimulus Package Making The Investment Tax Credit (ITC) Permanent. (Office Of Governor Mitt Romney, "Romney Signs Economic Stimulus, Supplemental Budget Bills," Press Release, 11/26/03) - BIOTECH MANUFACTURING JOBS TAX REBATE: Governor Romney Proposed And Enacted A Tax Rebate For Manufacturing Jobs Created In The Biotechnology, Life Sciences And Medical Device Fields. (Office Of Governor Mitt Romney, "Romney Signs Economic Stimulus, Supplemental Budget Bills," Press Release, 11/26/03) - RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT TAX CREDIT: Governor Romney Proposed And Enacted An Expansion Of The Research And Development Tax Credit. (Jay Fitzgerald, "Gov Nearly Halves Package; Rebellious Legislators Vow To Override Stimulus Vetoes," The Boston Herald, 11/27/03) - COMMUTER TAX RELIEF: Governor Romney Signed Legislation Allowing Commuters To Deduct Transportation Costs From Their Income Taxes. (Office Of Governor Mitt Romney, "Governor Romney Signs $25.2 Billion FY 2007 State Budget," Press Release, 7/8/06) - BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT: Governor Romney Proposed And Enacted A Refundable Tax Credit To Promote Development At The Former Fort Devens U.S. Army Base. (Stephen Heuser, "$660M Drug Plant, 550 Jobs For Mass.," The Boston Globe, 6/2/06) - PERMITTING REFORM: In August 2006, Governor Romney Signed Permitting Reform To Expedite The Permit Process For New Businesses. "Governor Mitt Romney today signed legislation that reforms and streamlines the commercial permitting process, making it easier for companies to expand and add jobs in Massachusetts." (Office Of Governor Mitt Romney, "Romney Signs Permitting Reform Into Law," Press Release, 8/2/06) - INFRASTRUCTURE: Governor Romney Created A $200 Million Fund To Help Businesses Pay For The Infrastructure Costs Of Growing And Expanding. "The Governor signed into law the $200 million in bonding, half of which will go into a fund under the control of the Executive Office of Economic Development (EED) to help pay for infrastructure costs to help businesses grow and expand." (Office Of Governor Mitt Romney, "Romney Vetoes Wasteful Spending, Cities Needed To Maintain Fiscal Discipline," Press Release, 11/26/03) - MARKETING MASSACHUSETTS: Governor Romney Expanded Massachusetts' In-State Sales Force. "The Governor also signed $1.5 million for the creation of an in-state sales force to market Massachusetts to companies around the country." (Office Of Governor Mitt Romney, "Romney Vetoes Wasteful Spending, Cities Needed To Maintain Fiscal Discipline," Press Release, 11/26/03) I have one prescription that costs more than the insurance cost in Mass.

summarize the story? The Man in Asbestos “The Man in Asbestos: An Allegory of the Future,” chapter ten of Nonsense Novels by Stephen Leacock (1911). The text is in the public domain. To begin with let me admit that I did it on purpose. Perhaps it was partly from jealousy. It seemed unfair that other writers should be able at will to drop into a sleep of four or five hundred years, and to plunge head-first into a distant future and be a witness of its marvels. I wanted to do that too. I always had been, I still am, a passionate student of social problems. The world of to-day with its roaring machinery, the unceasing toil of its working classes, its strife, its poverty, its war, its cruelty, appals me as I look at it. I love to think of the time that must come some day when man will have conquered nature, and the toil-worn human race enter upon an era of peace. I loved to think of it, and I longed to see it. So I set about the thing deliberately. What I wanted to do was to fall asleep after the customary fashion, for two or three hundred years at least, and wake and find myself in the marvel world of the future. I made my preparations for the sleep. I bought all the comic papers that I could find, even the illustrated ones. I carried them up to my room in my hotel: with them I brought up a pork pie and dozens and dozens of doughnuts. I ate the pie and the doughnuts, then sat back in the bed and read the comic papers one after the other. Finally, as I felt the awful lethargy stealing upon me, I reached out my hand for the London Weekly Times, and held up the editorial page before my eye. It was, in a way, clear, straight suicide, but I did it. I could feel my senses leaving me. In the room across the hall there was a man singing. His voice, that had been loud, came fainter and fainter through the transom. I fell into a sleep, the deep immeasurable sleep in which the very existence of the outer world was hushed. Dimly I could feel the days go past, then the years, and then the long passage of the centuries. Then, not as it were gradually, but quite suddenly, I woke up, sat up, and looked about me. Where was I? Well might I ask myself. I found myself lying, or rather sitting up, on a broad couch. I was in a great room, dim, gloomy, and dilapidated in its general appearance, and apparently, from its glass cases and the stuffed figures that they contained, some kind of museum. Beside me sat a man. His face was hairless, but neither old nor young. He wore clothes that looked like the grey ashes of paper that had burned and kept its shape. He was looking at me quietly, but with no particular surprise or interest. “Quick,” I said, eager to begin; “where am I? Who are you? What year is this; is it the year 3000, or what is it?” He drew in his breath with a look of annoyance on his face. “What a queer, excited way you have of speaking,” he said. “Tell me,” I said again, “is this the year 3000?” “I think I know what you mean,” he said; “but really I haven’t the faintest idea. I should think it must be at least that, within a hundred years or so; but nobody has kept track of them for so long, it’s hard to say.” “Don’t you keep track of them any more?” I gasped. “We used to,” said the man. “I myself can remember that a century or two ago there were still a number of people who used to try to keep track of the year, but it died out along with so many other faddish things of that kind. Why,” he continued, showing for the first time a sort of animation in his talk, “what was the use of it? You see, after we eliminated death——” “Eliminated death!” I cried, sitting upright. “Good God!” “What was that expression you used?” queried the man. “Good God!” I repeated. “Ah,” he said, “never heard it before. But I was saying that after we had eliminated Death, and Food, and Change, we had practically got rid of Events, and——” “Stop!” I said, my brain reeling. “Tell me one thing at a time.” “Humph!” he ejaculated. “I see, you must have been asleep a long time. Go on then and ask questions. Only, if you don’t mind, just as few as possible, and please don’t get interested or excited.” Oddly enough the first question that sprang to my lips was— “What are those clothes made of?” “Asbestos,” answered the man. “They last hundreds of years. We have one suit each, and there are billions of them piled up, if anybody wants a new one.” “Thank you,” I answered. “Now tell me where I am?” “You are in a museum. The figures in the cases are specimens like yourself. But here,” he said, “if you want really to find out about what is evidently a new epoch to you, get off your platform and come out on Broadway and sit on a bench.” I got down. As we passed through the dim and dust-covered buildings I looked curiously at the figures in the cases. “By Jove!’’ I said looking at one figure in blue clothes with a belt and baton, “that’s a policeman!” “Really,” said my new acquaintance, “is that what a policeman was? I’ve often wondered. What used they to be used for?” “Used for?” I repeated in perplexity. “Why, they stood at the corner of the street.” “Ah, yes, I see,” he said, “so as to shoot at the people. You must excuse my ignorance,” he continued, “as to some of your social customs in the past. When I took my education I was operated upon for social history, but the stuff they used was very inferior.” I didn’t in the least understand what the man meant, but had no time to question him, for at that moment we came out upon the street, and I stood riveted in astonishment. Broadway! Was it possible? The change was absolutely appalling! In place of the roaring thoroughfare that I had known, this silent, moss-grown desolation. Great buildings fallen into ruin through the sheer stress of centuries of wind and weather, the sides of them coated over with a growth of fungus and moss! The place was soundless. Not a vehicle moved. There were no wires overhead—no sound of life or movement except, here and there, there passed slowly to and fro human figures dressed in the same asbestos clothes as my acquaintance, with the same hairless faces, and the same look of infinite age upon them. Good heavens! And was this the era of the Conquest that I had hoped to see! I had always taken for granted, I do not know why, that humanity was destined to move forward. This picture of what seemed desolation on the ruins of our civilisation rendered me almost speechless. There were little benches placed here and there on the street. We sat down. “Improved, isn’t it,” said the man in asbestos, “since the days when you remember it?” He seemed to speak quite proudly. I gasped out a question. “Where are the street cars and the motors?” “Oh, done away with long ago,” he said; “how awful they must have been. The noise of them!” and his asbestos clothes rustled with a shudder. “But how do you get about?” “We don’t,” he answered. “Why should we? It’s just the same being here as being anywhere else.” He looked at me with an infinity of dreariness in his face. A thousand questions surged into my mind at once. I asked one of the simplest. “But how do you get back and forwards to your work?” “Work!” he said. “There isn’t any work. It’s finished. The last of it was all done centuries ago.” I looked at him a moment open-mouthed. Then I turned and looked again at the grey desolation of the street with the asbestos figures moving here and there. I tried to pull my senses together. I realised that if I was to unravel this new and undreamed-of future, I must go at it systematically and step by step. “I see,” I said after a pause, “that momentous things have happened since my time. I wish you would let me ask you about it all systematically, and would explain it to me bit by bit. First, what do you mean by saying that there is no work?” “Why,” answered my strange acquaintance, “it died out of itself. Machinery killed it. If I remember rightly, you had a certain amount of machinery even in your time. You had done very well with steam, made a good beginning with electricity, though I think radial energy had hardly as yet been put to use.” I nodded assent. “But you found it did you no good. The better your machines, the harder you worked. The more things you had the more you wanted. The pace of life grew swifter and swifter. You cried out, but it would not stop. You were all caught in the cogs of your own machine. None of you could see the end.” “That is quite true,” I said. “How do you know it all?” “Oh,” answered the Man in Asbestos, “that part of my education was very well operated—I see you do not know what I mean. Never mind, I can tell you that later. Well, then, there came, probably almost two hundred years after your time, the Era of the Great Conquest of Nature, the final victory of Man and Machinery.” “They did conquer it?” I asked quickly, with a thrill of the old hope in my veins again. “Conquered it,” he said, “beat it out! Fought it to a standstill! Things came one by one, then faster and faster, in a hundred years it was all done. In fact, just as soon as mankind turned its energy to decreasing its needs instead of increasing its desires, the whole thing was easy. Chemical Food came first. Heavens! the simplicity of it. And in your time thousands of millions of people tilled and grubbed at the soil from morning till night. I’ve seen specimens of them—farmers, they called them. There’s one in the museum. After the invention of Chemical Food we piled up enough in the emporiums in a year to last for centuries. Agriculture went overboard. Eating and all that goes with it, domestic labour, housework—all ended. Nowadays one takes a concentrated pill every year or so, that’s all. The whole digestive apparatus, as you knew it, was a clumsy thing that had been bloated up like a set of bagpipes through the evolution of its use!” I could not forbear to interrupt. “Have you and these people,” I said, “no stomachs—no apparatus?” “Of course we have,” he answered, “but we use it to some purpose. Mine is largely filled with my education—but there! I am anticipating again. Better let me go on as I was. Chemical Food came first: that cut off almost one-third of the work, and then came Asbestos Clothes. That was wonderful! In one year humanity made enough suits to last for ever and ever. That, of course, could never have been if it hadn’t been connected with the revolt of women and the fall of Fashion.” “Have the Fashions gone,” I asked, “that insane, extravagant idea of——” I was about to launch into one of my old-time harangues about the sheer vanity of decorative dress, when my eye rested on the moving figures in asbestos, and I stopped. “All gone,” said the Man in Asbestos. “Then next to that we killed, or practically killed, the changes of climate. I don’t think that in your day you properly understood how much of your work was due to the shifts of what you called the weather. It meant the need of all kinds of special clothes and houses and shelters, a wilderness of work. How dreadful it must have been in your day—wind and storms, great wet masses—what did you call them?—clouds—flying through the air, the ocean full of salt, was it not?—tossed and torn by the wind, snow thrown all over everything, hail, rain—how awful!” “Sometimes,” I said, “it was very beautiful. But how did you alter it?” “Killed the weather!” answered the Man in Asbestos. “Simple as anything—turned its forces loose one against the other, altered the composition of the sea so that the top became all more or less gelatinous. I really can’t explain it, as it is an operation that I never took at school, but it made the sky grey, as you see it, and the sea gum-coloured, the weather all the same. It cut out fuel and houses and an infinity of work with them!” He paused a moment. I began to realise something of the course of evolution that had happened. “So,” I said, “the conquest of nature meant that presently there was no more work to do?” “Exactly,” he said, “nothing left.” “Food enough for all?” “Too much,” he answered. “Houses and clothes?” “All you like,” said the Man in Asbestos, waving his hand. “There they are. Go out and take them. Of course, they’re falling down— slowly, very slowly. But they’ll last for centuries yet, nobody need bother.” Then I realised, I think for the first time, just what work had meant in the old life, and how much of the texture of life itself had been bound up in the keen effort of it. Presently my eyes looked upward: dangling at the top of a moss-grown building I saw what seemed to be the remains of telephone wires. “What became of all that,” I said, “the telegraph and the telephone and all the system of communication?” “Ah,” said the Man in Asbestos, “that was what a telephone meant, was it? I knew that it had been suppressed centuries ago. Just what was it for?” “Why,” I said with enthusiasm, “by means of the telephone we could talk to anybody, call up anybody, and talk at any distance.” “And anybody could call you up at any time and talk?” said the Man in Asbestos, with something like horror. “How awful! What a dreadful age yours was, to be sure. No, the telephone and all the rest of it, all the transportation and intercommunication was cut out and forbidden. There was no sense in it. You see,” he added, “what you don’t realise is that people after your day became gradually more and more reasonable. Take the railroad, what good was that? It brought into every town a lot of people from every other town. Who wanted them? Nobody. When work stopped and commerce ended, and food was needless, and the weather killed, it was foolish to move about. So it was all terminated. Anyway,” he said, with a quick look of apprehension and a change in his voice, “it was dangerous!” “So!” I said. “Dangerous! You still have danger?” “Why, yes,” he said, “there’s always the danger of getting broken.” “What do you mean,” I asked. “Why,” said the Man in Asbestos, “I suppose it’s what you would call being dead. Of course, in one sense there’s been no death for centuries past; we cut that out. Disease and death were simply a matter of germs. We found them one by one. I think that even in your day you had found one or two of the easier, the bigger ones?” I nodded. “Yes, you had found diphtheria and typhoid and, if I am right, there were some outstanding, like scarlet fever and smallpox, that you called ultra-microscopic, and which you were still hunting for, and others that you didn’t even suspect. Well, we hunted them down one by one and destroyed them. Strange that it never occurred to any of you that Old Age was only a germ! It turned out to be quite a simple one, but it was so distributed in its action that you never even thought of it.” “And you mean to say,” I ejaculated in amazement, looking at the Man in Asbestos, “that nowadays you live for ever?” “I wish,” he said, “that you hadn’t that peculiar, excitable way of talking; you speak as if everything mattered so tremendously. Yes,” he continued, “we live for ever, unless, of course, we get broken. That happens sometimes. I mean that we may fall over a high place or bump on something, and snap ourselves. You see, we’re just a little brittle still—some remnant, I suppose, of the Old Age germ—and we have to be careful. In fact,” he continued, “I don’t mind saying that accidents of this sort were the most distressing feature of our civilisation till we took steps to cut out all accidents. We forbid all street cars, street traffic, aeroplanes, and so on. The risks of your time,” he said, with a shiver of his asbestos clothes, “must have been awful.” “They were,” I answered, with a new kind of pride in my generation that I had never felt before, “but we thought it part of the duty of brave people to——” “Yes, yes,” said the Man in Asbestos impatiently, “please don’t get excited. I know what you mean. It was quite irrational.” We sat silent for a long time. I looked about me at the crumbling buildings, the monotone, unchanging sky, and the dreary, empty street. Here, then, was the fruit of the Conquest, here was the elimination of work, the end of hunger and of cold, the cessation of the hard struggle, the downfall of change and death—nay, the very millennium of happiness. And yet, somehow, there seemed something wrong with it all. I pondered, then I put two or three rapid questions, hardly waiting to reflect upon the answers. “Is there any war now?” “Done with centuries ago. They took to settling international disputes with a slot machine. After that all foreign dealings were given up. Why have them? Everybody thinks foreigners awful.” “Are there any newspapers now?” “Newspapers! What on earth would we want them for? If we should need them at any time there are thousands of old ones piled up. But what is in them, anyway; only things that happen, wars and accidents and work and death. When these went newspapers went too. Listen,” continued the Man in Asbestos, “you seem to have been something of a social reformer, and yet you don’t understand the new life at all. You don’t understand how completely all our burdens have disappeared. Look at it this way. How used your people to spend all the early part of their lives?” “Why,” I said, “our first fifteen years or so were spent in getting education.” “Exactly,” he answered; “now notice how we improved on all that. Education in our day is done by surgery. Strange that in your time nobody realised that education was simply a surgical operation. You hadn’t the sense to see that what you really did was to slowly remodel, curve and convolute the inside of the brain by a long and painful mental operation. Everything learned was reproduced in a physical difference to the brain. You knew that, but you didn’t see the full consequences. Then came the invention of surgical education—the simple system of opening the side of the skull and engrafting into it a piece of prepared brain. At first, of course, they had to use, I suppose, the brains of dead people, and that was ghastly”—here the Man in Asbestos shuddered like a leaf—“but very soon they found how to make moulds that did just as well. After that it was a mere nothing; an operation of a few minutes would suffice to let in poetry or foreign languages or history or anything else that one cared to have. Here, for instance,” he added, pushing back the hair at the side of his head and showing a scar beneath it, “is the mark where I had my spherical trigonometry let in. That was, I admit, rather painful, but other things, such as English poetry or history, can be inserted absolutely without the least suffering. When I think of your painful, barbarous methods of education through the ear, I shudder at it. Oddly enough, we have found lately that for a great many things there is no need to use the head. We lodge them—things like philosophy and metaphysics, and so on—in what used to be the digestive apparatus. They fill it admirably.” He paused a moment. Then went on: “Well, then, to continue, what used to occupy your time and effort after your education?” “Why,” I said, “one had, of course, to work, and then, to tell the truth, a great part of one’s time and feeling was devoted toward the other sex, towards falling in love and finding some woman to share one’s life.” “Ah,” said the Man in Asbestos, with real interest. “I’ve heard about your arrangements with the women, but never quite understood them. Tell me; you say you selected some woman?” “Yes.” “And she became what you called your wife?” “Yes, of course.” “And you worked for her?” asked the Man in Asbestos in astonishment. “Yes.” “And she did not work?” “No,” I answered, “of course not.” “And half of what you had was hers?” “Yes.” “And she had the right to live in your house and use your things?” “Of course,” I answered. “How dreadful!” said the Man in Asbestos. “I hadn’t realised the horrors of your age till now.” He sat shivering slightly, with the same timid look in his face as before. Then it suddenly struck me that of the figures on the street, all had looked alike. “Tell me,” I said, “are there no women now? Are they gone too?” “Oh, no,” answered the Man in Asbestos, “they’re here just the same. Some of those are women. Only, you see, everything has been changed now. It all came as part of their great revolt, their desire to be like the men. Had that begun in your time?” “Only a little.” I answered; “they were beginning to ask for votes and equality.” “That’s it,” said my acquaintance, “I couldn’t think of the word. Your women, I believe, were something awful, were they not? Covered with feathers and skins and dazzling colours made of dead things all over them? And they laughed, did they not, and had foolish teeth, and at any moment they could inveigle you into one of those contracts! Ugh!” He shuddered. “Asbestos,” I said (I knew no other name to call him), as I turned on him in wrath, “Asbestos, do you think that those jelly-bag Equalities out on the street there, with their ash-barrel suits, can be compared for one moment with our unredeemed, unreformed, heaven-created, hobble-skirted women of the twentieth century?” Then, suddenly, another thought flashed into my mind— “The children,” I said, “where are the children? Are there any?” “Children,” he said, “no! I have never heard of there being any such things for at least a century. Horrible little hobgoblins they must have been! Great big faces, and cried constantly! And grew, did they not? Like funguses! I believe they were longer each year than they had been the last, and——” I rose. “Asbestos!” I said, “this, then, is your coming Civilisation, your millennium. This dull, dead thing, with the work and the burden gone out of life, and with them all the joy and sweetness of it. For the old struggle—mere stagnation, and in place of danger and death, the dull monotony of security and the horror of an unending decay! Give me back,” I cried, and I flung wide my arms to the dull air, “the old life of danger and stress, with its hard toil and its bitter chances, and its heartbreaks. I see its value! I know its worth! Give me no rest,” I cried aloud—— * * * * * “Yes, but give a rest to the rest of the corridor!” cried an angered voice that broke in upon my exultation. Suddenly my sleep had gone. I was back again in the room of my hotel, with the hum of the wicked, busy old world all about me, and loud in my ears the voice of the indignant man across the corridor. “Quit your blatting, you infernal blatherskite,” he was calling. “Come down to earth.” I came.

can i still get a CDL to drive a semi truck if you are on medication to control blood pressure? its not sky high , been around 140 over 85 , but i take medication I was wondering if the company like SWIFT transportation will give me a job? Have you had this experience or you know somebody else who did.

can i still get into trucking? i lost my drivers licens due to a car crash i was it was not my falt the cars brakes whent out but i was not coverd by the insurence and i had to pay for the telephone pole my self i lost my job and could not pay for it so thay took my licens but i get it back on the 6th. will swift transportation still take me? or will any trucking companey take me?

blood pressure medication and CDL? Can i still get a CDL to drive a semi truck if you are on medication to control blood pressure? its not sky high , been around 140 over 85 , but i take medication I was wondering if the company like SWIFT transportation will give me a job? Have you had this experience or you know somebody else who did