{OT} gasoline price gouging

Which of course has nothing to do with skyrocketing profits. Why is it that right wingers go out of their way to make excuses for the oil companies? Just another example of their blind faith to the party line. None of this explains why the oil companies profits have sky rocketed since the start of the Iraq war, CEO's taking home 80 million dollar bonuses, and profits setting a record each year after the invasion. Take your red colored glasses off and wake up.

These are the same bureaucrats who will not let you buy R-134 coolant and fix your own car air conditioner. I plan to look at what I buy in the future and if it is a product of Wisconsin, I will put it back on the shelf and buy from another state's seller. If we make these idiotic bungling bureaucratic regimes cost the citizens enough, they will send them away from the public trough.

Do you think we haven't been consuming more gas in America since a few years ago? What about all these pickup trucks and SUVs that aren't very efficient? Besides, the oil companies are using their profits to produce more and explore more. They are putting up the capital to bring more to the economy. I'm not in favor of CEOs getting huge bonuses but that is capitalism. You pay the guy who produces for you or you pay everyone the same amount and they have no incentive to do better. What does the government produce other than a bunch of bureaucracy? Capitalism vs Socialism, take your pick.

Please back your claim that this is the case.

Yeap. And the roads just repair themselves.

And this has what to do with price gouging? Have taxes gone up recently?

Jeff

Actually, the US demand hasn't increased. World demand has, mostly due to China. Selling more gas certainly could mean more profit, but it doesn't explain the huge price increases.

Then that would cut into their profits, but it just shows that they are spending far less as a percentage of their profits as they used to.

Capitalism requires fair competition. This doesn't exist in the Oil industry.

I'm not in favor of socialism either, but I'm less in favor of an administration controlled by the war profiteers and starting a war for their profits. .

None of this explains the rampent increase in profits. If anything it would explain a cut into profits. Bottom line is that they are making a lot more on a gallon than they did 5 years ago. You think that's OK cause they can. That's fine, but they are taking advantage of the War in iraq

Sorry, you're right. This is a stupid law. I missed the article below in the original post.

Tom old boy, I think you need to look deeeeepper into this profit for oil companies stuff that keeps going around the horn. Far more complicated than excessive oil profits. Anyway dig a little deeper into the history books regarding oil supplies, profits and price at the pump.

This statement is ridiculous. You have really become indoctrinated into the far left mantra. Use your common sense and really consider whether the President of the United States would use 9/11 as a profit-making scam. He is taking the fight to the terrorists in their own region and keeping it out of ours.

I have a bigger problem with government mandating the minimum profit someone can make. Especially in this case where this guy is trying creative forms of selling to establish a customer base.

I have, but I guess I need you to explain it to me. I'll keep it simple. Oil company profits are up because they are charging more for gas. Why? because they can. What's not to understand? Of course the oil companies want you to belive it is far more comlicated than that, and that there is nothing they can do about their record profits and

80 million dollar bonuses. Then of course when they went in front of congress to testify, Repuplicans blocked any effort to make them testify under oath (gee do I see a pattern?), I wonder why?

Try again.

Note the part about how people are using more gas this year than last year.

Actually, oil companies are making good profits. What would you do if you were an oil company? Keep the prices low?

However, no one has been able to say how much money the oil companies should be making.

How? If Chevron raises prices and ExxonMobil doesn't, people will buy Exxon or Mobil gas.

Gee, our adminstration started the war because Saddam posed an imminent threat to the US.

No, they are taking advantage of Bush's stupidity and lack of foresight. The worldwide demand for oil is going up, especially with the development of India and China. Anything we can do to decrease our dependence on oil will only strengthen our economy and country.

Jeff

Al Gore's dad worked for Occidental Petroleum.

And the Petroleum companies supported Democratic legislators, too.

The fact is that the economy is ruled by supply and demand. Americans are using gasoline more than ever before. The ability of oil companies to refine more oil has not gone up that much. What do you expect to happen?

The smart thing to do would be to decrease the use of oil products and other fuels, by conservation and using alternative fuels when it is beneficial to the economy (and I don't mean ADM's economy, but the country's). The fact is that the more efficiently we use energy, the more competitive we will be.

Jeff

Because they were planning the Iraq invasion before 9/11. This is a fact. It's doesn't take much to see who has profited the most from the Iraq war. All of whom have strong ties to the white house. If you think this is ridiculous, then your the one that's been indoctrinated. The terroists wern't in Iraq, and the insurgents we are fighting are Irai nationals. But of course youd rather believe whatever propagana the white house feeds you, rather than the facts.

Well, I'm not commenting on some law in Wisconsin, because I don't know anything about it and it has nothing to do with oil company profits. Maybe you could go to a Wisconsin discussion group and talk to some people more familar with it. If I had to guess, I'd say it was put there by lobbiests working for the gas stations.

LOL - so you mean they were to ignore that we were in Iraq for 10 years before 9/11, that we were protecting the people in the north/south in Iraq... Only a fool would not have at least considered a plan, and only a larger fool would not have made one. Bet clintons group had one too.

Prove it!

I believe very little of what comes out of Bush's mouth. What comes out of his mouth is about as useful as comes out of the other end of his digestive system.

It is a general law affecting all businesses. It is to make sure that one business doesn't drive out of business another one.

Jeff

Try reading this:

I know I know, you will say it's from an oil company therefore bogus. Well not anymore bogus than what you read from the blogs.

Cheers

Oil demand has gone done in the last couple years in the US. The refinery excuse doesn't cut it this time.

I agree.

To bad he didn't have a plan to go after Bin Laden before 9/11. But fact is 9/11 and terrorism was just an excuse for the invasion.

Really? How many refineries are working at their capacity? Are any working below capacity for repairs or anything?

Last month and so far this month, gasoline consumption was up compared with the last few years for the same period.