I'm pissed as hell! Not going to take it anymore

I'm pissed as hell! Not going to take it anymore (Full Version)

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Terrah -> I'm pissed as hell! Not going to take it anymore (8/1/2008 9:15:49 AM)
Recently on the news, I heard about Exxon's profit for the last 3 months. It's profitted 11.3 billion dollars. I was absolutely taken aback by this. So they can make that much and the government is doing nothing about it?? What is there to do? Suggestions!! That's what I need. Perhaps getting people together and going down to the Corporate Headquarters to picket them for what they are doing not only to the small guy who can't buy gas, but the airlines, the busses, the trucking industry, all the facets they are hurting by blantantly rising the cost of fuel to outstanding limits when they are raping the pocketbooks of the American people. Are we going to stand for this? I say no.. not just no, but hell no. I encourage everyone to write an email to them and tell them and the other giants to stop it now! http://www.exxonmobil.com/corporate/ http://www.shell.com/ They are easy enough to look up! I am so angry about this! Some of you may know from being a bit older that the government broke up AT&T because of their profit margins and the fact they were giants making and breaking others. Do you see this happening to the gas producers? I don't. I want to know how much stock Bush or others have in this company and other oil companies who allow this to go on uchecked. I want to know that something in being done about this outrageous profit margins they are raping the people of who are just trying to exist in this world to feed their families and going back and forth to work. When we sit and do nothing, nothing happens. Please take the time to give suggestions as to what you think we can all do to prevent this from continuing on. I wish you well Terrah

servantforuse -> RE: I'm pissed as hell! Not going to take it anymore (8/1/2008 9:22:41 AM)
I am recently retired ( as coincidence, from at&t ). Part of my retirement income, and that of millions of other investors in this country own stock in energy companys. If our government steals money from these companies in lieu of profit taxes they are also taking investors money as well.

servantforuse -> RE: I'm pissed as hell! Not going to take it anymore (8/1/2008 9:29:18 AM)
When the Justice Dept. filed an anti-trust against at&t it had nothing to do with profit margins. They were a regulated utility and were only allowed by the govt. to make a certain amount of money. MCI caused the suit when they tried to enter the long distance market. I was working there in 1974 when the suit was filed...michael

Ravenous -> RE: I'm pissed as hell! Not going to take it anymore (8/1/2008 9:30:39 AM)
in russia, putin took over privately held energy companies and that move was effective yet brutal. (he jailed a billionaire owner to get him out of the way while he gutted the company) we have a free market economy. the government can't force a company to hand over its' profits, nor tell them what to do with it. the only thing consumers can do is not to buy the company's product or services. the thing that freaks me out is "how come you are just noticing the outrageous profits now?" they have been pulling in billions of profit per quarter for YEARS.

bipolarber -> RE: I'm pissed as hell! Not going to take it anymore (8/1/2008 9:31:18 AM)
Stop using gasoline. Sadly, I made a decision to sell off my WVO diesel truck and get a used Bonco II. I'm beginning to wonder if I made a mistake. Okay: here's something you CAN do. There's an election coming up. DON'T VOTE FOR THE GUY WITH TIES TO THE OIL COMPANIES. (This would be McCain, who just accepted $1.3 million from oil interests, in exchange for his support for offshore drilling, and (we can assume) supression of finding alternatives. Honestly, we have two guys who made their fortunes in the oil industry as Pres, and VP in office for eight frickkin' years, and the price of oil almost triples... and people are acting SURPRISED about it?

popeye1250 -> RE: I'm pissed as hell! Not going to take it anymore (8/1/2008 9:33:53 AM)
Nothing. It's called "Capitalism" and we live in a Capitalistic society.

servantforuse -> RE: I'm pissed as hell! Not going to take it anymore (8/1/2008 9:39:57 AM)
I have to wonder just how many folks out there who hate 'big oil' actually have some of their own money invested in those companies. Any one with a 401k or other employee saving plan probably is invested the oil companies and utilities. If you are not I would get a new investment advisor..

FirmhandKY -> RE: I'm pissed as hell! Not going to take it anymore (8/1/2008 9:41:31 AM)
Fiddle sticks! Only 11 Billion? They pay about 2.5 times that in taxes to our government already. Figure about $25 Billion in taxes a year. You just want more of it, huh? How much do ya think they are "entitled" to make? $1 sound about right? Firm

Musicmystery -> RE: I'm pissed as hell! Not going to take it anymore (8/1/2008 9:58:05 AM)
We could, though, let Congress know we want them to move ahead on the investigation whether oil speculators illegally manipulated the price. High oil prices hurt us all, even investors, as it drives the price of plastics, fertilizers, food production, and transportation. We could also insist on better developing real alternatives instead of listening to the silly off-shore drilling answer (U.S. oil companies already hold considerable leases they aren't drilling--this is a manipulative grab, but a solution). Tidal production looks promising. Solar companies have moved to using mirrors to produce heat to drive turbines rather than more expensive solar panels--except they have a hell of a time getting permits. I live far in the country among now three large wind farms, and they work very well, not even obtrustive. We also need more refineries. We have for a long time--it's a major bottleneck. We could construct houses with earth or other insulation that would require very little energy. All of this would lower demand, freeing supply and bring lower prices. But not if the markets are manipulted upward. Some alternatives are even blocked--it's illegal to convert your car to run solely on vegetable oil, for example. Geez! Wonder why....

housesub4you -> RE: I'm pissed as hell! Not going to take it anymore (8/1/2008 10:04:19 AM)
Yes it is and it's also free market. So with these huge profits I see no reason why Bush keeps giving the oil companies taxpayer money. It was in the WSJ a couple of weeks ago that they are using their profits to repurchse stocks, with less than 2% going into exploration. So I won't bitch about their profits if they stop accepting taxpayer money so they can explore for new sources.

FirmhandKY -> RE: I'm pissed as hell! Not going to take it anymore (8/1/2008 10:07:01 AM)
quote: ORIGINAL: housesub4you Yes it is and it's also free market. So with these huge profits I see no reason why Bush keeps giving the oil companies taxpayer money. It was in the WSJ a couple of weeks ago that they are using their profits to repurchse stocks, with less than 2% going into exploration. So I won't bitch about their profits if they stop accepting taxpayer money so they can explore for new sources. Not sure where you get the 2% from. * Briefing: Exxon increases budget for oil exploration Bloomberg News, The Associated Press Published: March 7, 2007 Exxon Mobil, the world's biggest oil company, plans to spend almost $21 billion exploring for oil and expanding refineries this year as a worldwide shortage of drilling rigs inflates costs, the chief executive, Rex Tillerson, said Wednesday. * Firm

Termyn8or -> RE: I'm pissed as hell! Not going to take it anymore (8/1/2008 10:10:09 AM)
They won't listen. The law of supply and demand does exist though, even though they manipulate it. This through military and political means, as well as speculation. Thing is, we are dependant on their product. Other such products' suppliers are nationalized in some countries. But they know we need it and they are taking advantage of the situation. We don't have a ballot box to remove the crooks at Exxon, Haliburton, Shell, BP, the list goes on. Only the stockholders do, and they are making more money because of the malfeasance going on. Who do you think they vote for, a nice honest guy who won't rip the People off ? Hell no. Only a huge stock market crash will fix this, and that will hurt. Because the stock and commodities markets need to be abolished, and there are so many people with vested interests all over the place that it is simply impossible to stop now. The big one is coming, and it is probably going to make 1929 look like a minor fender bender. It may or may not come in my lifetime, but it will come. And it will be bad, many people will no longer get their retirement checks, almost all entitlements will be off the table. But when it happens folks, that is the time to apply the solution. When the market crashes, don't resurrect it. We would be better off if it stayed dead in 1929. They are a load on every publicy traded business, they produce nothing. Go back to the old way, let the company's profits pay for their expansion. Go back to the old way in alot of things. But to simply stop and shut it down now would not be right, it would be too harsh and too unfair to do voluntarily. Don't worry though, eventually we will do it involuntarily. The whole thing is, just don't start the same shit again. They lowered the proce of gasoline, you think they did that because the price of oil fell ? No, they did it because they knew that we heard it fell. Ruthless. T

popeye1250 -> RE: I'm pissed as hell! Not going to take it anymore (8/1/2008 10:24:01 AM)
Their profits next quarter won't be so rosy. Yahoo News had an article a few days ago about "rapidly falling demand" for gasoline. Thing is "the market" just can't support $4 per gallon gas prices in this country (U.S.A.). There was tremendous resistance even at $3.75! Europe can support $6-$8 per gallon but their social, medical systems etc are "built in" to those prices. The U.S. (could) support $6 per gallon *IF* we had a National Healthcare Plan that covered "everything" and that was funded by additional gas taxes. I.E. you'd pay $6 per gallon *but* you wouldn't have private monthly healthcare insurance policy payments of $300-$700. I know that in this area most restaurant's business is down 25-30% "year over year" from last summer.

housesub4you -> RE: I'm pissed as hell! Not going to take it anymore (8/1/2008 10:44:13 AM)
$300-$700 mine just went to $1200 for 3 people with BCBS through an employer

popeye1250 -> RE: I'm pissed as hell! Not going to take it anymore (8/1/2008 11:08:37 AM)
quote: ORIGINAL: housesub4you $300-$700 mine just went to $1200 for 3 people with BCBS through an employer Holy Shit! Is it that much? I get everything through the V.A.

Musicmystery -> RE: I'm pissed as hell! Not going to take it anymore (8/1/2008 12:06:29 PM)
quote: Thing is, we are dependant on their product. Other such products' suppliers are nationalized in some countries. But they know we need it and they are taking advantage of the situation. We don't have a ballot box to remove the crooks at Exxon, Haliburton, Shell, BP, the list goes on. Only the stockholders do, and they are making more money because of the malfeasance going on. Who do you think they vote for, a nice honest guy who won't rip the People off ? Hell no. Only a huge stock market crash will fix this, and that will hurt. Because the stock and commodities markets need to be abolished, and there are so many people with vested interests all over the place that it is simply impossible to stop now. The big one is coming, and it is probably going to make 1929 look like a minor fender bender. It may or may not come in my lifetime, but it will come. Two different issues here. First, we don't have to be so dependent on their product. We DO have to stand up and resist the control their industry has on government decisions. All the money dumped into oil over the years could have developed any number of other technologies. But why build an energy efficient house if it won't keep using your product? Why separate oil producers from food production--which only started in the 1970s--when you can control a product people have to have? The stock market views here seem pretty confused. Why shouldn't people be able to own a piece of Apple as well as buy and sell those interests? Problems come when manipulation and leverage are allowed unfettered--which is why the stock market is regulated, and overall, rather well. The commodities market, however, suffers from excesses, and needs similar regulation. Yes, a market trading ownership technically produces nothing, but public financing allows a company to grow, and much of the time, this works well. Without such markets, however, such investment would be harder to find, and limited to the wealthy (as small investors wouldn't be worth the cost of finding).

kdsub -> RE: I'm pissed as hell! Not going to take it anymore (8/1/2008 12:12:42 PM)
quote: ORIGINAL: popeye1250 Nothing. It's called "Capitalism" and we live in a Capitalistic society. Popeye there is such a thing as capitalism without greed and with human decency. Just because you can do something does not mean you must. I believe these thoughts were in the minds of our forefathers. I think they expected free enterprise to increase the welfare of the common person not unnecessarily enslave them to a necessity they have no control over. Butch

servantforuse -> RE: I'm pissed as hell! Not going to take it anymore (8/1/2008 12:25:26 PM)
The people who run the oil companies are hired for one reason and one reason only. To make money for the shareholders who OWN the company. They are not running a charity to give the profits away. If they don't run a profitable company the investors go elsewhere with their money and they get fired..

Evility -> RE: I'm pissed as hell! Not going to take it anymore (8/1/2008 12:59:31 PM)
quote: ORIGINAL: Terrah Some of you may know from being a bit older that the government broke up AT&T because of their profit margins and the fact they were giants making and breaking others. Nice revisionist history. The most asinine thing that the justice department ever did involved the divestiture of Ma Bell. They gutted the greatest research and development laboratory in the history of mankind. You need to read "The Rape OF Ma Bell" sometime so that at least you can get your facts straight.

servantforuse -> RE: I'm pissed as hell! Not going to take it anymore (8/1/2008 1:03:26 PM)
The number of patents that 'Bell Labs' churned out on a daily basis was astronomical. A subsidiary of the past...

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