Exxon

ND13

F1 +1
Amulford +1

I'm in a business that is HIGHLY susceptible to fuel cost and so are many of you, I'd think. These record profits have just about put thousands of small business owners OUT OF BUSINESS. You can say all you want about survival of the fittest and that BS, but America was built around and upon small business. Before the gas prices started escalating a few years ago, the small dealership I work for(40-50 employees) was profitable. They have lost money three years straight. We were looking to be on the way to at least a small profit for this year, until about 3-4 months ago when the prices soared past the $3 mark. Yes, I know they have dropped, I have a Speedway directly across the street that is down in the $2.20s, but it will be all but impossible to recover from a third of the year that has gone down the crapper in a HUGE way.

Mazeroth

F1nut wrote:

My .02, Fuxxon and all the other slime ball oil companies are bending each and everyone of you over and it seems that a lot of you like it. Fuxxon made a net profit of $10 billion, Shill made $9 billion. In fact, every oil company made huge profits this past quarter from HIGH gas prices, nothing else. It scares me that some of you think this is ok. I mean, you can't even tell when smoke is being blown up your arse!!! How effing stupid are you?

F1, you are now on my list of idols

scottnbnj

yeah, so who has the same venom for gov't, taking several times what evil oil takes? no business, not even evil oil, sets up barriers to new business and gets in the way of existing business more than gov't.

)

amulford

MacLeod wrote:

Want cheaper gas? Drill for more oil and build more refineries.

If demand is increasing, increase supply. Works everytime its tried.

Are oil companies saints? No.
Are they the reason we havent built a new refinery in this country in nearly 30 years? No.
Are they the reason we cant get to the immense oil find in Alaska? No.

There is a larger problem here and it aint the oil companies.

You are very right. It's time for the tree huggers to get off the "not in my backyard" ****. It HAS to go somewhere. Screw it, if they want MY yard, I'll gladly sell it to them, and I GOT some yard...

The oil companies ARE f#cking us, though...

Demiurge

MacLeod wrote:

Want cheaper gas? Drill for more oil and build more refineries.

If demand is increasing, increase supply. Works everytime its tried.

Are oil companies saints? No.
Are they the reason we havent built a new refinery in this country in nearly 30 years? No.
Are they the reason we cant get to the immense oil find in Alaska? No.

There is a larger problem here and it aint the oil companies.

BINGO!!! *DING DING DING* WE HAVE A WINNER!

George Grand

Somebody.......anybody.......ALL OF US, have to try and be more sensitive and compassionate to those in this world that don't have, and will probably never develop the means to have, what WE have. If anybody is waiting for most of corporate America, or most of the robber barons that are running this place to join the ranks of the sensitive and compassionate, you need to pack an extra lunch for the wait.

There are probably a great many of us on the forum that can indeed afford the ridiculous energy prices. Fun to shell out? No. But we are in a much better position than an awful lot of other Americans, to whom $3.00/gallon gas is absolutely devastating.

George Grand (of the Jersey Grands)

faster100

well it seems around here, if you have stock in the company.. ah great we love it and eff the ones who don't.. for people who aren't set making killer money this increase effects you big time.. I don't give a **** what other countries are paying for fuel, Fact is we were paying 1.30 -1.50 last year and now we are paying 2.50 - 3.00+ for gas. I know for us it hits the budget we are already on, We talk about the rich get richer yada yada.. seems that people who have the means give a crap less long as they are taken care of. screw people who don't have it as good.. as a family of 4 who use 1 vehicle for everything i tell ya at 45 bucks + every 4 -5 days sucks!! Thats going to work, bring the kiddies to school and to the grocery store, we aint taking no trips and live 10 -15 minutes from anything and still use a tank full in days.
grant it its the same gas we were useing it's just double the money to fill it now.

This whole, shut up and deal with it attitude sucks ****!! Feel for your fellow man instead of thinking solely for yourself. I'm good and that's all that matters.

I also won't get into government taking 40% or what ever, they have been doing what they have for years before the gas hike, has nothing to do with what the oil companies are doing, NOTHING... the raise the price, reap the rewards and we sit here paying for it..


This other **** about, "well we have to change our habits" to save on gas, I shouldnt have to stop because someone decides lets double the price of a commodity and proffit on everyones hardship, stop being crase(sp) dicks and again feel for your fellow man..

way to many shut up and deal with it people in the world and here in CP.. MY 0.02 cents


EDIT: I also agree with F1 and also just read George grands statement, exactly what i was trying to say only longer winded.. I agree

trubluluc

.....some of you aren't too clear on what a CARTEL is. Look up the word.

CARTEL- a consortium of independent organizations formed to limit competition by controlling the production and distribution of a product or service; "they set up the trust in the hope of gaining a monopoly"

Currently, (eventually there will be, but not right now) there is no shortage of oil.........just as there is no shortage of diamonds.
The prices are not set according to the cost of operation, they are set by what the sellers think the market will pay.
There are millions of tons of diamonds sitting in warehouses that won't be released into the market place beause a glut of diamonds on the market would drive down the prices.
Oil is the same thing, they base production on the amount they need to keep prices stable, or to make them go higher.
Refine too much...and there is a surplus, and that drives the prices down...not a good thing if you're a oil seller.

Those who own stock in oil? They are simply giving you back some of the EXTRA money they took from you in the first place.
Nobody in a free market society objects to a company making profits, and succeeding in business, but when it's gratuitous profiteering,
yeah.... we mind.

Jesse hit the nail on the head......we are all taking it in the ****.....
and some of you are rationalizing it......and making excuses..... for the dicks who are drilling us.

-Luc

jdhdiggs

What I don't understand is everyone getting so pissed that a non-government entity is trying to make money... Just like the small businesses and everyone else.

If you are a small business owner selling antique furntiture restoration, is it fair for me to demand that you only make say $10 on restoring my whole living room? But I NEED it done.

Come on, expecting these companies to be altruistic is horrible. Where do we draw the bar and say that this is too much profit?

Every country in the world has at least double our cost of gas and they are still surviving. One of the things that we are educating clients on is to pass this cost on to the end consumer.

Noel, unless your selling hybrids and no trucks/SUV's, your hosed for a while.

If you don't like paying $3/gallon, move closer to work and ride a bike or use public transportation. Get a deisel or a hybrid. The only two people here I see really getting screwed is Jesse and Noel. Everyone else could actively do something to fix their situation but would rather whine and have someone else fix it for them. Expecting a company to give up its profits to let you have a little more in your pocket book is very uncapitalistic.

It sucks, I know, but so does spending $4 for a cup of coffee, or a dollar for a bottle of water. People in the rest of the world have figure it out, so can you.

Demiurge

I think saying 'just deal with it' is wrong, while that is in a lot of ways the only thing a lot of us can do, it's not true for everyone. I also think if you're a blue collar worker in a welding shop somewhere sticking money into your company's 401(k) plan you most likely have money invested in one of these companies. You probably also have a small percentage of it stuck into technology, more if you're young.

What I would like to see in response to Exxon and all the other oil companies out there is some more extensive competition. Alternative sources of fuel. The problem with the hybrid stuff is that it hasn't been anything that's been marketable. We've been regulated into changing our vehicles to the point of absurdity. Nobody wants it, and that's not Exxon's fault or any other oil company.

Believe it or not, if we're serious about changing how we fuel our automobiles and other machinery and equipment we need companies to research it. People need to become steaming mad and people need to go to work on creating an economically viable and attractive alternative source to oil.

There is just way too much business is trying to screw everyone mentality, and while some companies are not engaging in good business, it's a minority that are. If people didn't start businesses you wouldn't have jobs. If there are no jobs there are no products. No products, no jobs, no economy. If these people don't take risks in starting a business you don't have the products or services you love.

What's going to save us from the oil business? It's certainly not going to be government, it's going to be another business. When people are effectively not willing to pay the money they are for gas and someone decides to offer something new is when things will change.

The nail has already been hit on the head here, though. There hasn't been a refinery built in this country in about 30 years, that's obviously a problem. It's a supply and demand issue. The demand is NOT for oil, it's for gas, and without refineries you don't have gas. The oil companies are making money hand over fist because of high demand, demand increases prices, not because of price fixing. Demand goes down, which won't happen, price goes down. If supply goes up, price goes down. It's simple economics, and until we have more refineries in this country or someone comes up with a viable source of energy that people want, we will not see 'low' energy costs.

The value of anything is what someone is willing to pay for it.

BlueMDPicker

George Grand wrote:

Somebody.......anybody.......ALL OF US, have to try and be more sensitive and compassionate to those in this world that don't have, and will probably never develop the means to have, what WE have. If anybody is waiting for most of corporate America, or most of the robber barons that are running this place to join the ranks of the sensitive and compassionate, you need to pack an extra lunch for the wait.

There are probably a great many of us on the forum that can indeed afford the ridiculous energy prices. Fun to shell out? No. But we are in a much better position than an awful lot of other Americans, to whom $3.00/gallon gas is absolutely devastating.

George Grand (of the Jersey Grands)

Most excellent, George. Any time I get too absorbed in the impact various things have on me and my family, I stop and give some serious thought to the many, many American families just "getting by".

With a multi-Trillion dollar national debt, multi-Trillion dollar trade deficit, multi-Trillion dollar shortfall in SS funding, and multi-Trillion dollar consumer debt level you have to give serious thought to what the future holds for us all.

Regards,

Mike

faster100

Well said blue,
again their is a way to tackle this problem/concern without belittleing people..



Moveing, walking to work and such isnt always a option. Gas prices are high in alot of countries because their own government jacks up prices to screw thier own people.. Not so for us in the US, here it comes straight from the oil companies. AGAIN i don't care what they pay in relation to what we used to pay for gas.. and what we pay now.

Sami

faster100 wrote:

Gas prices are high in alot of countries because their own government jacks up prices to screw thier own people..

Where do you think that money goes into? Back to the people in some form. Like building roads. If you go to Europe you see that the highways and other roads are kept in at least decent condition, unlike here in the US where majority of the roads are in horrible condition. Not to speak of social security.

faster100 wrote:

Not so for us in the US, here it comes straight from the oil companies. AGAIN i don't care what they pay in relation to what we used to pay for gas.. and what we pay now.

Yes, in here the higher gas prices go to the pockets of oil producers and gasoline refiners. Much smaller portion goes to the government and that money goes back into the circulation to benefit the people of USA (minus the corruption money that's pocketed by the rich.)

BobMcG

F1nut wrote:

My .02, Fuxxon and all the other slime ball oil companies are bending each and everyone of you over and it seems that a lot of you like it. Fuxxon made a net profit of $10 billion, Shill made $9 billion. In fact, every oil company made huge profits this past quarter from HIGH gas prices, nothing else. It scares me that some of you think this is ok. I mean, you can't even tell when smoke is being blown up your arse!!! How effing stupid are you?

As you can see by the responses the only people in here who appear to enjoy bending over and taking it up the arse are the ones benifiting from and sharing the record profits the oil companies are making. (And by the way, did that happen due to everyone in the nation selling their cars and going out and buying the biggest gas hogging vehicles made on earth or through a bit of price gouging after a natural disaster. I forget.) Well at any rate, good for them. Life couldn't be better for them. We live in such a climate that we all could and thus should be living high on the hog like they seem to be. Why, they wouldn't be negatively affected if the price of gas and heating fuels went up another five dollars a gallon over night. Along the way it would mean more for them too. You see, they don't feel they are doing the bending over because they aren't. Others are and they don't mind it at all. Remember, if you don't like it it's your own damn fault. If you can't see the light that you should just up and quit your pathetic, mediocre paying jobs you freaken slouches and get a much better one, than you're a bunch of lost causes. And if you can't or don't... well then there has got to be something really F'ed up with you bros. After all it's your choice and hey, it worked for them.

ND13

Bob is now my newest and bestest hero.

Dennis Gardner

ND13 wrote:

Bob is now my newest and bestest hero.

And I thought all he did was play "cowboys and indians" all day..............

aaharvel

i don't know about many of you, but I'm glad I live in the city. I filled up my car with gas (from empty as always) only twice last month. I walk wherever I can. Good thread.

faster100

BobMcG wrote:

Remember, if you don't like it it's your own damn fault. If you can't see the light that you should just up and quit your pathetic, mediocre paying jobs you freaken slouches and get a much better one, than you're a bunch of lost causes. And if you can't or don't... well then there has got to be something really F'ed up with you bros. After all it's your choice and hey, it worked for them.

amen brotha, some people have a screwed sense of what's right..

BobMcG

Dennis Gardner wrote:

And I thought all he did was play "cowboys and indians" all day..............

Come on, lets get it right, it's French and Indians and it's not only all day it's all night too.

ND13

Has anyone else noticed that diesel is now, at least here, up to $3.60 per gallon. I guess they have decided they've screwed us long enough, now it's the truckers and freight companies turn to suffer.

And when these people and companies suffer, we all will feel it, I promise.

Dennis Gardner

I see truckers pay $500 for a tank. I don't envy the independent trucker that can't pass it on to consumers each time fuel spikes. They have got to be hurtin'.

faster100

I just got the cheapest gas in months at race trac 2.43 for regular.. Bad when we get excited about gas prices at that cost... anyways its a good sign, they have gone from 2.79 - 2.50 in 2 weeks.. lets keep it coming down

PolkThug

Gas is down to $2.25 where I'm at.

faster100

Nice, i'm convinced 2 bucks would be OK, 2.50 2.60 and up is just high..

BobMcG

aaharvel wrote:

i don't know about many of you, but I'm glad I live in the city. I filled up my car with gas (from empty as always) only twice last month. I walk wherever I can. Good thread.

That's really convenient.

Over two decades ago I too was a walk away from work. Worked for peanuts though. Hooked up in a (then) new line of work for good money and ever sense haven't been any closer than 180 miles from work. I guess I for one won't be walking or biking to work any time soon.

Dennis Gardner

Hey Bob,

I think that getting up off your **** to change your track in life has become a thing of the past. Most just like to **** about their place.

BTW guys, of Forbes top ten richest Americans, 7 out of 10 have nothing higher than a high school diploma and oh yeah...............none of them are in oil and gas.

faster100

i either read bobs thread wrong or the last part i quoted wasnt being sarcastic like i thought sarcastic in a good way that i agreed with.. if not well, i dunno

ND13

faster100 wrote:

i either read bobs thread wrong or the last part i quoted wasnt being sarcastic like i thought sarcastic in a good way that i agreed with.. if not well, i dunno

I read it the way you did. If not, sorry Bob, I'll just have to remove you from my hero list

Demiurge

BobMcG wrote:

As you can see by the responses the only people in here who appear to enjoy bending over and taking it up the arse are the ones benifiting from and sharing the record profits the oil companies are making. (And by the way, did that happen due to everyone in the nation selling their cars and going out and buying the biggest gas hogging vehicles made on earth or through a bit of price gouging after a natural disaster. I forget.) Well at any rate, good for them. Life couldn't be better for them. We live in such a climate that we all could and thus should be living high on the hog like they seem to be. Why, they wouldn't be negatively affected if the price of gas and heating fuels went up another five dollars a gallon over night. Along the way it would mean more for them too. You see, they don't feel they are doing the bending over because they aren't. Others are and they don't mind it at all. Remember, if you don't like it it's your own damn fault. If you can't see the light that you should just up and quit your pathetic, mediocre paying jobs you freaken slouches and get a much better one, than you're a bunch of lost causes. And if you can't or don't... well then there has got to be something really F'ed up with you bros. After all it's your choice and hey, it worked for them.

Far as I know I'm not making any money off any oil compaines, cept for maybe in my 401(k) and in my IRA portfolios, but in general my mutual fund companies choose which companies I'm invested in. It's not personal stock choices. I also drive a 4 cylinder car and drive about 40 miles to and from my office, daily. I can't stand the gas prices.

That said who is going to do anything about these money grubbing **** (I'll accept your premise)? The Government going to turn socialist and start telling businesses where they can set their prices and effectively take them over? Not while I'm alive. Are we going to whine them to death? That won't work, annoying, but it won't work.

S&D man. Low supply of gasoline, high & consistent demand, and it will not wane. Solution? Allow more refineries to be built to increase the supply. We could also do away with some of these ridiculous restrictions and taxes on gas as well, which is what's preventing these from being built. Until then you will take your high gas prices and you will have to deal with it.

Aside from that the other option is someone who wants to get an alternative source of energy that is desireable and economical. That would be the most American thing that could happen. Until then let's keep blaming Exxon for making money in a capitalistic society. Nobody thinks about the fact that Daddy Warbucks isn't sitting in his mansion with his vault full of gold coins that he swims in everyday. That money is circulated in various ways throughout the economy. I'm far from rich, but it's not hard to see that the monetarially rich do more to add to our economy than the poor. They start business, give folks jobs, etc. I really don't see why this thread is degenerating into class warfare. Some of you are way the hell better off than I am, at least if we're using your A/V gear as a baromteter.

Instead of squaking over the 'haves and the have nots' take note of how the 'successful' became 'successful'. The majority of the time it wasn't a hand me down from mommy and daddy, yet they'll be demonized once they get it.

Exxon wasn't always a gigantic corporation. It had roots like any other business, they did something right. Whether you agree with their actions or not is irrelevant when you look at the number of jobs and the influx of money they throw back into the economy. That nice new multi-million dollar home that some CEO buys...who built it? Robots who don't have a use for money that were sent down here to serve the 'rich'? No, it's your buddy that owns a contracting company down the street who got the job and can now afford the boat he and his wife always wanted, which in turn fuels another section of the economy.

Until you can show me the miserable **** sitting on his castle of gold and bags of money I will never buy into the 'rich get richer and the poor get poorer' defeatist menality. You have some responsibility for your economic position.

BobMcG

Dennis Gardner wrote:

Hey Bob,

I think that getting up off your **** to change your track in life has become a thing of the past. Most just like to **** about their place.

It would be sad if it was a thing of the past. I really hope not. However, I'd like to think there are more people out there than not who are doing the best they can and not afraid of change, taking a chance or going the extra yard to better their position in life. I think it's only realistic though to think that not everyone is going to make the same gains in life no matter what they try, just as not everyone can be a doctor or lawyer or astronaut or scientist. I'm sure you're right that there are those who seem happier just complaining rather than doing something about it. I just like to think they're sadly out numbered.