28 Apr 05
I was going to put this in the general forum , but it's sure to cause controversy . The news this morning was talking about oil co profits . Exxon Mobil made 7.8 billion dollars profit in the first quarter of this year alone . Other company's profits are up similarly . Industry insiders say there was no indication of predatory pricing , but they're just in the right business at the right time .
I thought of my ex-room mate , Scot . He was very pro Bush on the war , on terrorism , on domestic issues . Last month he said he thought electing Bush was a mistake , solely based on the high gas prices .
What's the first thing that pops into your mind when hear about the high oil company profits ?
28 Apr 05
Originally posted by Moldy CrowThe reason gas prices are going up is supposedly that supplying it costs more. The economic theories, on which so many govt. policies are based, state that when suppliers costs rise that consumers will bear part of the brunt in the form of higher prices and the remainder of the burden will go on the suppliers in the form of decreased profits. Economists have never been big allowing empirical evidence as a test of their theories. The government needs them to uphold the theories that justify the policies that enrich the backers that empower the politicians who finance the schools that employ the economists. Why else would such a consensus exist within a dsicipline whos most basic tenents don't stand up to scrutiny? In centuries to come we will look back on todays "science" of Economics the way scientists of today look back on the ancient practices of the Alchemists.
I was going to put this in the general forum , but it's sure to cause controversy . The news this morning was talking about oil co profits . Exxon Mobil made 7.8 billion dollars profit in the first quarter of this year alone . Other company's profits are up similarly . Industry insiders say there was no indication of predatory pricing , but they're jus ...[text shortened]...
What's the first thing that pops into your mind when hear about the high oil company profits ?
28 Apr 05
2 edits
Oil companies making big profits? What a shock. After all, OPEC is the largest cartel in the world.
The big oil companies have proven themselves to be almost totally immoral in their activities so when prices are fixed to maximise their profits who can claim ignorance? (from supporting any given warlords in norther africa or Eastern europe, gross breaches of health and saftey killing their own workforces, shocking pollution issues, corperate bribery as a 'normal' means of buisness etc).
And they paid for Bush... War in Iran anyone?
Edits: one day I'll learn to spell
28 Apr 05
Originally posted by ToeThe executives who direct the actions of a corporation are responsible solely to the shareholders. While their hearts may bleed for the people they trample, it would be irresponsible of them not to do so because, well you know, Gramma's pension fund is in their hands. The shareholders of course just made an investment with an expectation of a return. They can't held be held responsible. In fact the only thing outside its own narrow interests that a corporation is responsible for is obeying the law. That there is narry a lawmaker to be found that is not in some way beholden to the corporations is, well, just business. It may not be right but... can't dissapoint those shareholders you know.
The big oil companies have proven themselves to be almost totally immoral in their activities so when prices are fixed to maximise their profits who can claim ignorance? (from supporting any given warlords in norther africa or Eastern europe, gross breaches of health and saftey killing their own workforces, shocking pollution issues, corperate bribery as a 'nor ...[text shortened]...
And they paid for Bush... War in Iran anyone?
Edits: one day I'll learn to spell
Of course we hear the term "corporate citizenship" being thrown around a lot. There is no such thing. This is a spin given to certain PR activities. If a corporation was actually willing to sacrifice profits for the good of the rest of the world they would be in breach of their primary responsibility to shareholders. It's a cost of doing business that if it weren't necessary, let's face it, it would never be done. Of course few are willing to point this out as it might jeapordize the chances of some of this money being directed our ways.
A corporation is an organisation that has a built in lack of responsibility. Any individual is absolved and the corporation is, in the end, just an abstract entity. Like a three year old it knows only what it wants and will act in whatever way seems to be an effective way of getting it. If you look around at the world today and it seems like a bunch of three year olds are in charge you shouldn't wonder.
30 Apr 05
Originally posted by ToeAllegations of corruption against JWB come up in the threads regularly.
Oil companies making big profits? What a shock. After all, OPEC is the largest cartel in the world.
The big oil companies have proven themselves to be almost totally immoral in their activities so when prices are fixed to maximise their profits who can claim ignorance? (from supporting any given warlords in norther africa or Eastern europe, gross breaches of ...[text shortened]...
And they paid for Bush... War in Iran anyone?
Edits: one day I'll learn to spell
For the benefit of those interested parties outside America what companies sponsored him and exactly what business holdings in the oil industry does he hold that would have influenced him to send Americans to war.
For all his short comings he appears to be a guy short of a marble but not short of a buck..
30 Apr 05
It makes going to Mars and the moon seem rather ridiculous. This country needs the same resolve to have complete energy independence that it does in defeating terrorism. We are like the drunk who blames everyone else for their problems. "It's China using up too much gas." It's the Saudis who are pumping enough."
Dammit, let's start building some refineries and requiring every car that comes off an assembly line to be a hybrid.
30 Apr 05
Originally posted by Moldy CrowFirst thing that pops into mind? Fascism and dictatorships.
I was going to put this in the general forum , but it's sure to cause controversy . The news this morning was talking about oil co profits . Exxon Mobil made 7.8 billion dollars profit in the first quarter of this year alone . Other company's profits are up similarly . Industry insiders say there was no indication of predatory pricing , but they're jus ...[text shortened]...
What's the first thing that pops into your mind when hear about the high oil company profits ?
Your friend strikes me as your typical ignorant Bush voter, devoid of any form of empathy. He fails to appreciate the negative impact Bush' policies have on millions of people around the world, and only feels negatively about Bush when the tiny sphere that is his life is affected. How much stronger would he feel about Bush if his entire village including elders, women and children had just been obliterated rather than the fact that he has to pay a little extra to run his 6 litre tank?
As for oil companies, here's a great quote from the spokesman of Shell Nigeria..."For a commercial company trying to make investments, you need a stable environment; dictators can give you that".
Why do you think the u.s. government, which is compiled of either ex-oil execs, or people who are in the pockets of the oil companies, are so pro-dictatorships? Just before I was in Bolivia in 2003, the u.s. backed president killed over 100 of his own people who were protesting because an oil company wanted to steal billions worth of Bolivian gas. El Presidente's coffers were to be filled to bulging point, while the ordinary campisino was to see nothing of the billions of dollars. So basically, Bolivia would have been raped of one of her only assets, for the sole profit of the corrupt president and the oil company.
D
30 Apr 05
Originally posted by Moldy CrowThe first thing that pops into my mind is that I didn't charge them enough. I recently sent BP a bill for just shy of $1million for services rendered which they paid. I definitely should have charged them more.
What's the first thing that pops into your mind when hear about the high oil company profits ?
30 Apr 05
Geesh you guys need to speak English... Gas is natural gas...LPG
Petrol is the word lol
Hydrogen power is already in. The price of water powered cars already is coming down rapidly.
Gotta love a good conspiracy but please answer my post above...has bush got oil company interests and is he really corrupt or is all that just blurb
01 May 05
Originally posted by Moldy CrowThe first thing that pops into my head is that the conspiracy theorists who say Bush's policies are primarily intended to financially benefit oil men at the expense of the nation might know what they are talking about.
I was going to put this in the general forum , but it's sure to cause controversy . The news this morning was talking about oil co profits . Exxon Mobil made 7.8 billion dollars profit in the first quarter of this year alone . Other company's profits are up similarly . Industry insiders say there was no indication of predatory pricing , but they're jus ...[text shortened]...
What's the first thing that pops into your mind when hear about the high oil company profits ?
01 May 05
Originally posted by Tirau DanWe speak American, which is a superior form of English.
Geesh you guys need to speak English... Gas is natural gas...LPG
Petrol is the word lol
Hydrogen power is already in. The price of water powered cars already is coming down rapidly.
Gotta love a good conspiracy but please answer my post above...has bush got oil company interests and is he really corrupt or is all that just blurb
Gas = gasoline.
Why don't we just call 'natural gas' methane?
01 May 05
.Exon, Shell and BP all search for oil. They take the oil out of the ground. They transport it. They sell it. Oil prices go up who wins? They all do every time.
What's the first thing that pops into your mind when hear about the high oil company profits ?[/b]
In the UK petrol cost $9.00 (US dollars) a gallon. This is mainly tax. I believe this is a fair tax.
USA is and its gas guzzeling motor cars and suv's are killing this planet. How much polar ice must melt? how much global warming should we put up with before we look at alternative source transport fuel?
Sign up to Kyoto, cycle more and recycle more!
To those of you who are moaning about higher energy prices I say: Get off your fat arses and walk to the local shop.
01 May 05
1 edit
Originally posted by Moldy CrowI'd want to know how much their gross sales were - and how that compares to previous quarters, what their price to earning ratio is, etc. 7.8 billion doesn't mean anything with nothing to compare it too. Next quarter they may take a loss - I don't know. How many shareholders do they have? How many grandmothers are going to get a bigger dividend. If not many - maybe we should have put Grandma's social security into oil investments years ago.
I was going to put this in the general forum , but it's sure to cause controversy . The news this morning was talking about oil co profits . Exxon Mobil made 7.8 billion dollars profit in the first quarter of this year alone . Other com ...[text shortened]... pops into your mind when hear about the high oil company profits ?
P.S. All recycling gets you is longer lasting landfills - that it.