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Old 07-31-2008, 02:45 PM
 
Location: Wilmington, NC
8,577 posts, read 7,804,756 times
Reputation: 835

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no, I am one of the americans who realizes supply vs. demand. I am one of the americans who recognizes profit vs. profit margin. I am also an american that RIDES A BIKE. can you hear that? it's me, playing the worlds smallest violin, just for you.

Quote:
Originally Posted by quelinda View Post
You must be one of the only Americans to not have a problem with oil prices or to connect the oil industry to the prices. Like the prices have nothing to do with oil and the industry just profits gratuitously to the tune of $90,000 per minute. No, this was EIGHT YEARS in the making!

Wake me up when you start caring about your energy prices.
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Old 07-31-2008, 02:47 PM
 
12,772 posts, read 7,930,684 times
Reputation: 4332
Quote:
Originally Posted by quelinda View Post
Yeah, but the oil companies are causing other businesses into precisely that result.
So Exxon is setting the price of a barrel of oil? Are they also forcing China and India to use more oil than ever before in their history? Are they forcing us to be at war where those actions alone cost us something like 800k barrels a month?

Exxon is at fault for other companies not having adequate financial plans and savings to weather a storm? Downturns in the economy help to eliminate the businesses that are not as well run and are not as efficient. It is a fact of basic economic life cycles.
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Old 07-31-2008, 02:53 PM
 
5,524 posts, read 9,913,960 times
Reputation: 1867
Quote:
Originally Posted by walidm View Post
Don't forget those who pay taxes, those attempting to sell their homes, those who buy groceries, those who buy gas, those who pay for health insurance, those who pay multiple taxes on phone bills, those whose companies have downsized, who can't refinance due to falling neighborhood values, those whose equity disappeared....
And they can thank those who decided that they could afford a home they could not and use a stupid way to purchase a home at that. If the housing debacle does not occur, most likely we are in a bit of a better place to afford $4 gas (well not me but others as I have a nice small compact by choice)

IT'S YOUR FAULT REALTOR!
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Old 07-31-2008, 02:59 PM
 
Location: Virginia
654 posts, read 1,207,438 times
Reputation: 345
Liberals/lefties never cease to amaze me with their "logic"

They complain that the big oil companies are so devious and evil that they are conspiring to rob all of us at the gas pump. Yet they obviously think that they are at the same time stupid, for if they weren't stupid they wouldn't have waited until today, 2008, to "manipulate" and "hike up" gas prices.

If it is not big oil they are blaming then it is the speculators. Yet I guarantee that not one person who complains that speculators are artifically manipulating and inflating the price of oil can explain what exactly it is speculators do.

This is all nothing more than an emotional appeal to populism and it has little, if anything to do with the reality of how the market works.

For the idiots, yes idiots, who think that the solution to high gas prices is to implement more government control over oil companies and/or nationalize oil refineries I have just one question: Are you happy with how the government has been running public education, the Hurrican Katrina recovery, Social Security, etc.?
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Old 07-31-2008, 03:02 PM
 
Location: Wilkes-Barre,Pa
272 posts, read 999,710 times
Reputation: 136
Quote:
Originally Posted by quelinda View Post
"Record earnings for the world’s largest publicly traded oil company have become almost as predictable as the surge of gasoline prices at the pump in recent years, and for the second quarter income rose 14 percent, to $11.68 billion.

It was the highest quarterly profit ever for any American company, as Exxon made nearly $90,000 a minute."

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/01/bu.../01oil.html?hp

Which president do you believe can somehow get these prices down? Clearly drilling in ANWAR is not the reason why oil prices are high. Doesn't it seem like the oil companies are just lovin' our PAIN AT THE PUMP?

Did you know oil companies spend MORE on ADVERTISING about how they are exploring alternative energy than they actually spend on exploring other energy sources? That's how shady they are.

Why are Americans putting up with prices like this, and profits like this for the oil companies, for a commodity that is a necessity? I mean how far can they take this before this country's economy completely crumbles.

Do you believe in a windfall profits tax on these outrageous oil company earnings?

Since the Republicans got us into this mess, do you really trust them to get us out?!

Our poor country is going down..
For every $1 profit in first quarter 2008, Exxon Mobil paid almost $3 in taxes, according to University of Michigan economics professor DR. Mark J. Perry.

Over the past 25 years, oil companies paid more than $2.2 trillion in taxes to federal and state governments-not including local property taxes, state sales and severance taxes and onshore royalty paymements-more than three times their profits during the same period,according to the Bureau of Economic Analysis and U.S. Department of Energy.

In 2006 U.S. oil companies paid more in corporate income taxes to the irs $138 billion, than the individual taxes paid by the more than 100 million individual tax payers in the bottom 75% of all individual taxpayers.

Over the last three years, Exxon Mobil has paid an average of $27 billion annually in taxes-as much as the bottom 50% of individual taxpayers,65 million people.

The total effective tax rate on oil is abouy 40%, the average income tax rate for all corporations is 35%.

On average, 15% of the cost of gasoline at the pump goes for taxes, while 4% represents oil company profts.

According to Ernst&Young, from 1992 to 2006 the U.S. oil industry earned profits of $900 billion-but spent $1.25 trillion on long-term investment--exploration,development, etc.

OIL IS NOT THE ENEMY
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Old 07-31-2008, 03:03 PM
 
Location: Charlotte
12,642 posts, read 15,549,772 times
Reputation: 1680
Quote:
Originally Posted by tluv00 View Post
And they can thank those who decided that they could afford a home they could not and use a stupid way to purchase a home at that. If the housing debacle does not occur, most likely we are in a bit of a better place to afford $4 gas (well not me but others as I have a nice small compact by choice)

IT'S YOUR FAULT REALTOR!
Lol, I know, I know....a lot of folks dropped the ball. But not I, I personally take serious the mantra of performing the highest ethical standards and I didn't need the Realtors pledge to make it so. My mom & dad, aunts and uncles deserve all of the credit!!

My soul and karma, let alone sleep cycle, wouldn't permit me to do what has been done to some of these folks. I take it extremely personal that someone has trusted me to help them with not only the largest purchase a person or business can make, but also an increasingly complicated financial and legal transaction.

It's easy to do the right thing - do it.
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Old 07-31-2008, 03:06 PM
 
Location: Charlotte
12,642 posts, read 15,549,772 times
Reputation: 1680
Quote:
Originally Posted by fp1978 View Post
Liberals/lefties never cease to amaze me with their "logic"

They complain that the big oil companies are so devious and evil that they are conspiring to rob all of us at the gas pump. Yet they obviously think that they are at the same time stupid, for if they weren't stupid they wouldn't have waited until today, 2008, to "manipulate" and "hike up" gas prices.

If it is not big oil they are blaming then it is the speculators. Yet I guarantee that not one person who complains that speculators are artifically manipulating and inflating the price of oil can explain what exactly it is speculators do.

This is all nothing more than an emotional appeal to populism and it has little, if anything to do with the reality of how the market works.

For the idiots, yes idiots, who think that the solution to high gas prices is to implement more government control over oil companies and/or nationalize oil refineries I have just one question: Are you happy with how the government has been running public education, the Hurrican Katrina recovery, Social Security, etc.?
Nope, but I bet everyones happy with their 401K managers....speculators
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Old 07-31-2008, 03:06 PM
 
5,524 posts, read 9,913,960 times
Reputation: 1867
Quote:
Originally Posted by walidm View Post
Lol, I know, I know....a lot of folks dropped the ball. But not I, I personally take serious the mantra of performing the highest ethical standards and I didn't need the Realtors pledge to make it so. My mom & dad, aunts and uncles deserve all of the credit!!

My soul and karma, let alone sleep cycle, wouldn't permit me to do what has been done to some of these folks. I take it extremely personal that someone has trusted me to help them with not only the largest purchase a person or business can make, but also an increasingly complicated financial and legal transaction.

It's easy to do the right thing - do it.
Good for you!

According to C-D I need to spread the love so I will give you a public shout out
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Old 07-31-2008, 03:09 PM
 
9,873 posts, read 10,780,418 times
Reputation: 3108
Anyone care to guess what the governments profit was from the oil companies?
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Old 07-31-2008, 03:13 PM
 
Location: SC
9,101 posts, read 16,402,321 times
Reputation: 3619
Quote:
Originally Posted by quelinda View Post
"Record earnings for the world’s largest publicly traded oil company have become almost as predictable as the surge of gasoline prices at the pump in recent years, and for the second quarter income rose 14 percent, to $11.68 billion.

It was the highest quarterly profit ever for any American company, as Exxon made nearly $90,000 a minute."

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/01/bu.../01oil.html?hp

Which president do you believe can somehow get these prices down? Clearly drilling in ANWAR is not the reason why oil prices are high. Doesn't it seem like the oil companies are just lovin' our PAIN AT THE PUMP?

Did you know oil companies spend MORE on ADVERTISING about how they are exploring alternative energy than they actually spend on exploring other energy sources? That's how shady they are.

Why are Americans putting up with prices like this, and profits like this for the oil companies, for a commodity that is a necessity? I mean how far can they take this before this country's economy completely crumbles.

Do you believe in a windfall profits tax on these outrageous oil company earnings?

Since the Republicans got us into this mess, do you really trust them to get us out?!

Our poor country is going down..
As we all know, Ron Paul is the only one with a good grasp of the economy. We can either stand by and let the economy tank as someone without the brains or experience takes office and is clueless how to fix the problems or elect the only one who knows -- Dr and Congressman Ron Paul!
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