Posted on 07/23/2007 6:17:52 AM PDT by Daffynition
It's your point you are trying to make, so the burden of proof is upon you. You want a chart, you go make one. Meanwhile, I will stand in support of big business over governmental control, as I am a conservative capitalist. They make money, that's what they are supposed to do, and as an investor, i'm damn glad they do.
See #21.
I’m not trying to make a point. I have done that, and it clearly shows that it takes longer for prices to drop than to rise. I am also in favor of free enterprise over government, but that doesn’t make it right.
Most refineries are huge Brobdignagian complexes that incorporate machinery that spans up to 100+ years. It’s a wonder they aren’t all off line at once a dozen times a year. The one that a former coworker of mine is at now still has areas with valves embossed with swastikas on them, they were sold by the Germans to the plant before WWII...
Making a far less than average profit margin is obscene? Besides Walmart, can you name any other businessthat runs on such miniscule margins? So, because they are big (and HAVE to be by nature) they should be penalized?
I don’t get your point. Anti-capitalism is good? Nah. Hundreds of independant businesses are in collusion (and have never been caught)? Nah. I don’t know what that point is you are trying to make. I dout it really matteres anyway, because it has to be anti-capitalist, or showing a profound lack of understanding in market economies.
My dad is a Vice President and Chief Economist for Tesoro, a refining company based in San Antonio. He’s been doing a lot of PR stuff lately trying to explain to everyone why prices are so high. Here is a link to an interview he did for E&E Daily. I think it will answer some of your questions. I just wish more people would realize what he’s saying.
http://www.eenews.net/tv/video_guide/643
You are so right but Congress has the ability and bully pulpit to make it look as though they are looking out for us when in effect they are robbing us blind with taxes. Their insatiable appetite to tax is only exceeded by American ignorance.
They don't just rob us and that's the end of it.. They use that money to further abuse us. It's like they have a key to your house. Once they've scoped out your lifestyle they make duplicate keys and pass them out to several alphabet agencies headed by their fraudster cronies.
The slave master takes citizens money so he can flog them evermore. Those tax dollars are used for things like passing environmental laws that limit or prohibit full use of private property. The government doesn't compensate the property owner by paying fair market value for their loss.
The FDA uses tax dollars to run miles of red tape so that a drug that has for years been successfully used in Europe is stalled for several years in the FDA's approval process. When approval is finally announced at a press conference the FDA proudly states that the "new" drug will save fourteen thousand American lives a year. Doesn't that mean that the FDA killed fourteen thousand people a year?
And on and on it goes...
Corporate conglomerates and Monopolies don't answer to the people, without government regulation corruption would be just as common here as it is in 3rd world countries.
The FDA APPROVES these drugs, but when the drug is found to be unsafe they blame it on the drug companies.
Typical government, never accepting responsibility for the damage it does.
I can list a dozen oil companies that compete against each other for your gas dollar. How does that meet your description of “Corporate conglomerates and Monopolies don’t answer to the people”?
I guess regulation is working, but the list continues to get smaller over time.
I wasn’t aware that it was a requirement to understand all the economics of an industry to hold an opinion. The general public doesn’t know and doesn’t care about the details. They want the prices lower.
Which invites opportunity for a new small independant!
Yeah, without knowledge, you can have an uninformed opinion, but to discuss a subject intelligently, you should be able to back it up with knowledge and facts.
When you can compare rising profits, to rising consumer cost, what more do you need to know?
The fact is that it takes longer for prices to drop than to rise. That is what people see. That is where the perceived unfairness is to the consumer. As long as the consumer sees his gas prices rising, and the oil companies profits rising, he is not happy. Have a nice day.
Yep, it happens. Do you know why? I didn't think so. Does it happen in any other indstry. Yeah, I thought so.
If the government used Adam Smith's laissez-faire philosophy, we wouldn't be in this petroleum industry cluster-fcuk.
It is the government and the envir-whackos causing these problems. Not the "big evil oil companies."
IMOHO of course.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.