Now whether or not you place full blame on those big bad oil companies for the mess with oil prices, you have to admit that THIS IS SO RIDICULOUS IT'S SCARY.
Think about this: our government, in our "free and democratic society," our blessed republic, is harassing PRIVATE companies about what they are doing with their "excessive profits," going so far as to accuse them of not using their "excessive profits" well enough by investing more in alternative energy. These are private citizens for crapping out loud! It's their money! Where in the Constitution does it say that Congress has the right to do this?
But I love what one of the oil execs said when questioned about why his company hadn't invested more in non-oil energy. He said, basically, "Um...we're an oil company. Why the hell would we want to do that?"
Seriously. It's like asking McDonald's to invest in Burger King, and then being confused and offended that they don't want to.
But even if our government had the right to question a company's use of their own excessive profits, what makes us think that the oil companies' profits actually are excessive? If you take the time to look at the numbers, you would realize that their profit margins are actually right in line with other industries, if not on the low end.
Here's an interesting statistic. Of the price you pay at the pump, 15% of it is taxes that go to our government. But, only 4% is profit for the oil company. So if 4% is excessive, then 15% is just ridiculous. Maybe the oil companies should hold their own hearings with Congress and ask what they have been doing with all the money we've been giving them, cos we actually have the right to hold our government accountable, because IT'S OUR MONEY.
Nevermind the fact that our government is simultaneously telling the oil companies that they need to produce more, and also that they are not allowed to drill here in the US.
"Oh, but that would be harmful to the environment! Remember how much that nasty ol' Trans-Alaskan Pipeline decimated the precious caribou population?"
...Um, actually, the pipeline isn't harming them at all. In reality, they really like it cos it's nice and warm. They even sleep and mate near it.
And speaking of alternative energy, why not more nuclear? I mean, people are always saying we need to be more progressive like the Europeans. Do we realize that the majority of the energy in countries like France and Sweden is nuclear? Why not us?
Ok, now for that quiz. It's pretty simple. Just one question:
Why the hell is it in style for men to leave the bottom button of their suit jackets unbuttoned? I mean, for my suits anyway, they look much better when all buttons are buttoned. Anybody have an answer for this? It's been confounding me for some time.
4 comments:
Dick Cheney buttons the bottom button.
The House Judiciary Committee task force investigating competition in the oil business, the president of Shell Oil, John Hofmeister, testified. Maxine Waters said to Hofmeister: "Can you guarantee the American people that the price of oil will go down if oil companies are allowed to drill wherever they want to off US shores?"
HOFMEISTER: I can guarantee to the American people, because of the inaction of the United States Congress, ever increasing prices, unless the demand comes down, and the five dollars will look like a very low price in the years to come if we are prohibited from finding new reserves, new opportunities to increase supplies.
RUSH: Now, that's a "yes," right? He basically said yeah, he went about it answering it in sort of a fatalistic way, said, "I can guarantee the American people because of the inaction of the US Congress --" meaning you, Maxine, "-- ever increasing prices." I mean, you people in Congress are going to be the reason the prices keep rising, unless the demand comes down, and that five dollars that people are expecting to be paying soon is going to look like nothing if we are prohibited from finding the reserves. So basically he said yes, right? Here's Maxine's reply.
WATERS: And guess what this liberal would be all about? This liberal would be all about socialize -- uh, uh, would be about basically taking over and the government running all of your companies.
http://redstate.com/stories/congress/weve_got_people_seeing_4_30_or_so_gallon_for_gas_now
Good graphic in that story.
Answer your quiz: I never knew. If I want to look professional, I button them all. If I want to be comfortable I have my jacket open. In other words, I never gave a damn about fashion.
I like your piece on oil. While I do like the govt. looking into it to at least see why the prices are up, it's stupid to think "It's all Exxon's fault." Frankly, I'm pissed at ourselves for allowing us to be under the thumb of oil companies in every aspect of American life (food, mail, etc.) and not focusing on fixing our shitty public transport issues. I also think it'd be good to drill here since the purpose of reserves is to use them when we need them and guess what...WE NEED THEM (mind you, I'm a moderate lefty so don't tell anyone I said that, okay?), but still keep taxes on the oil companies and use 100% of those oil taxes to advance alternative fuel sources (not ethanol since food prices will become insane) including clean coal research and getting that electric car that came to be in the 1990's back in production! Maybe solar? I dunno, just pay the damn scientists because I'm becoming crippled by the prices!
Yeah, I'm with you on the "not ethanol" thing. Apparently, for the amount of corn it takes to fill one tank with ethanol, you could feed a grown man for a year. Doesn't seem like the technology is where it needs to be with that one.
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