Argument against high gas prices

On Jun 7, 10:32 am, "gatt" wrote:
"M" wrote in message

oups.com...

I agree with you that high gasoline price maximizes oil company
profit. However as a pilot you can easily hedge on that by buying oil
company stock,

And if you pay the mob, thugs won't keep trashing your store.

I'm quite certain that I made far more from the oil companies than what I
paid
extra for the fuel, and I only have a small part of my 401k in the
energy sector.

I have an ethical problem with the idea that the way to combat corrupt
practices and preditorial pricing--which hurts the American economy--is to
invest in it.

Sorry. My conscience prevents me from doing that.

-c

There's nothing predatory about it. We have about the cheapest gas in
the developed world, by far.
They don't come get your money--you drive to them and willingly give
it to them, generally in an inefficient car that has more available
horsepower than a small airplane and more cupholders than a country
bar.
The American economy has been hurt by its becoming drunk on cheap
energy instead of learning to do things efficiently, in terms of
outright efficiency as well as lifestyle. Hangovers hurt, but they do
serve their purpose.

"gatt" wrote

Ah. Okay, so everybody's hollering about the price of gasoline because
there's nothing better to do. Thanks for clearing that up.

They complain, but they don't curtail their use much, if at all. What does
that tell you?

You don't think gas station owners are suffering right now?

Maybe, maybe not. It might be time for some of them to consider
alternatives if they are. However, since consumption hasn't gone down much
I suspect the gas station owners are doing just fine, thank you.

The oil industry is making record profits in the history of the world.
All
anybody is asking them to do is not make so much so that America isn't the
loser.

Their shareholders love them for it. You might even know some of the people
who are sharing in those record profits - some of them are probably your
neighbors, fellow pilots, and maybe even an FBO owner or two.

BDS

In article ,
"gatt" wrote:

[snip]
That's because the latter can't seem to deliver a fuel efficent vehicle, at
least until the Escape came along. (One of the Toyota buyers bought an
Escape hybrid and loves it.)

btw - I believe the Escape hybrid technology is from Toyota.

--
Bob Noel
(goodness, please trim replies!!!)

gatt wrote:
"Gig 601XL Builder" wrDOTgiaconaATsuddenlink.net wrote in message
...

All America has to do to stop Exxon from making record profits is to
but less gas.

Since the amount of discretionary driving this past Memorial Day weekend
didn't drop it seems that the American people really aren't
that concerned with the current price of gas.

Ah, yeah. All the people talking about it all the time aren't really
concerned.

Sure they are talking about it. But when push comes to shove they still
drive the same way they did when gas was 1.50/gal.

How's GM doing these days? How about the airlines? Taxpayers gotta
keep bailing them out. Must be a reason nobody wants a Hummer
anymore, but, I wonder what it could be.


If you think GM problems are caused only by the price of gas you are nuts.
Their problem is they produce a sub-par product.


Fuel costs are part of the problem especially in the recreation
sector I don't think that's all of it.

Naw. $4/gallon at the boat fuel dock for gas that cost $2/gallon in
2002 at the same pump has nothing to do with why I don't put my boat
in the water anymore, and kayak instead. And, nobody's at all
curious as to why the cost of gas nearly doubled in the last two
years. Fuel costs. Naaah. Gotta be something else.

For some reason people just don't seem to won't their own airplane.
People are spending just as much on boats that burn just as much if
not more gas than aircraft do.

I don't drive my boat anymore because of the cost of gas. Nor do my
wife and I take long roadtrips in our jeep. Nor do my friends. Back
during and right after college, you'd not have caught a friend
of mine buying a new vehicle that wasn't American made. But now,
they're buying Toyotas which, you might remember, is wiping the
world's ass with Ford and General Motors. That's because the latter
can't seem to deliver a fuel efficent vehicle, at least until the
Escape came along. (One of the Toyota buyers bought an Escape
hybrid and loves it.)
-c

You and your friend are the exception. Not the rule.

gatt wrote:

The oil industry is making record profits in the history of the
world. All anybody is asking them to do is not make so much so that
America isn't the loser.
The oil industry is never the winner.

-c

The point is they aren't asking them in the right way. All they have to do
is reduce demand.

"Bob Noel" wrote in message
...

"gatt" wrote:

That's because the latter can't seem to deliver a fuel efficent vehicle,
at
least until the Escape came along. (One of the Toyota buyers bought an
Escape hybrid and loves it.)

btw - I believe the Escape hybrid technology is from Toyota.

Yeah, pretty much. They got on the Escape waiting list and for two years
or so all they got was an occasional glossy newsletter showing them what
their vehicle would look like, etc. In the meantime, they tired of waiting,
got on the Prius waiting list and took delivery of the Prius first. When
the Escape became available, they bought it too. Now they have two hybrids.

-c

"gatt" wrote in message
...

"Ken Finney" wrote in message
...

Is that what Jesus would do? I wouldn't do it if I was making
billions while my neighbors and my nation suffered.

YOUR NATION ISN'T SUFFERING!

Ah. Okay, so everybody's hollering about the price of gasoline because
there's nothing better to do. Thanks for clearing that up.

My entire life, I've planned trips. I don't drive to the grocery store,
then go home, then go to the hardware store, then go home, then go someplace
else, then go home. I plan to visit all the places I need to, construct the
most efficient route (even factoring in as many right turns as possible),
then make the trip. MOST people don't do anything like this, I know more
than a few that drive down to their mailboxes and back. When I had inlaws
in Florida, they would run outside, start the car to run the air
conditioning, run back inside for 5 minutes while the car cooled down, run
back outside, drive less than 100 feet to the mailbox, then drive back to
the house and go inside to read the mail. And they weren't handicapped.
Since the real issue isn't how much gas costs per gallon, but how much money
a person spends for the gas they consume, people can make choices to keep
that number down. That is a much more efficient use of their time than
hollering. Plus, it keeps more money out of the hands of evil "big oil"!
;^)



Some people are suffering, other's aren't. If everyone had a "Mr.
Fusion" powering their cars and planes tomorrow, would that be a good
thing? Think of all the suffering of the gas station owner

You don't think gas station owners are suffering right now?

I think most gas stations make most of their money on non-gas purchases, so
they might be, at least a little.


FBO, etc.

You don't think FBOs are suffering right now?


I'm not very familiar with larger FBOs, but smaller FBOs have pretty much
been a disaster zone since 1947. What was that line from "The Grapes of
Wrath"? "People shouldn't have to live like that." "Them aren't people,
them's Okies." Just substitute "FBOs" for "Okies".



And the funny thing under such systems, is that even in an absence of
winners, there will still be losers.

The oil industry is making record profits in the history of the world.
All anybody is asking them to do is not make so much so that America isn't
the loser.
The oil industry is never the winner.

-c

"Paul kgyy" wrote in message
ups.com...
In response to the original post, the oil companies are doing what
they are supposed to do; maximize value to their shareholders, which
you could become if you care to.

In the long run, though, it's worth considering that worldwide oil
production will probably peak and trend down in the next 5 years,

No, it won't (short of a nuclear conflagration, or Middle East nuke fest).

The only limits to production are POLITICAL.

In about 1960, a mile deep well was a big deal; now it's an undergrad school
project.

"BDS" wrote in message
et...
"gatt" wrote in message
...

"Paul kgyy" wrote in message
ups.com...
In response to the original post, the oil companies are doing what
they are supposed to do; maximize value to their shareholders, which
you could become if you care to.

I could become a pornographer, pimp or mercenary, too.

Ethics.

It is not unethical to sell your product for the highest price possible.

Quite! As it is with one's salary demands; your pay rate is YOUR price for
YOUR services and depends on the MARKET.

"Ken Finney" wrote in message
...

"gatt" wrote in message
...

"BDS" wrote in message
et...

It is not unethical to sell your product for the highest price possible.

It is if people are going hungry or out of business because of it.

I don't believe that the price is anywhere near as high as it could
actually go before the people doing the complaining
start to think about conservation.

Don't think about recreationalists, think about FBOs, flight instructors,
charter services, independent truckers, couriers, farmers and everybody
else who is suffering because people still make excuses for record
profits.

BTW, I suspect that if you had your own business you would sell your
products at the highest price possible too.

Is that what Jesus would do? I wouldn't do it if I was making billions
while my neighbors and my nation suffered.

YOUR NATION ISN'T SUFFERING!

If it is, maybe it should pull it's head out of it's ass and stop whining.

"YOU GET A GODDAMN JOB BEFORE SUNDOWN, OR WE'RE SHIPPING YOU OFF TO MILITARY
SCHOOL WITH THAT GODDAMN FINKENSTEIN **** KID!!!"