It’s on: House GOP’s oil protest to resume tomorrow; Update: Obama’s flip-flop inspired us, say sources
posted at 4:36 pm on August 3, 2008 by Allahpundit
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Said the boss this morning, “Seems to me House Republicans should be holding a public event every day in Washington from now until the end of the Democrats’ vacation to call attention to Nancy’s anti-drilling intransigence and her refusal to hold votes on the issue.” From her lips to the leadership’s ear. Just across from Boehner’s office:
Washington, Aug 3 - House Republicans will be back on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives again Monday to continue the unprecedented protest that began last Friday, when dozens of Republicans joined hundreds of American citizens on the House floor to protest Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s (D-CA) decision to send Congress home for the rest of the summer without a vote on legislation to lower gas prices and move America toward energy independence.
In an urgent memo sent to GOP Members and staff Saturday (“A Call to Action on American Energy”), Republican Leader John Boehner (R-OH) and Whip Roy Blunt (R-MO) hailed Friday’s action, which was led by Reps. Mike Pence (R-IN), Lynn Westmoreland (R-GA), Tom Price (R-GA), and others, and encouraged House Republicans to return to the Capitol beginning Monday morning to help keep the historic effort going.
“It’s not a request we make lightly. But the American people are suffering,” Boehner and Blunt said in the memo. “The consequences of continued congressional inaction on gas prices are unacceptable. We’ve called on the Speaker to call Congress back into an emergency session this month and schedule a vote on the American Energy Act. We must continue to make a stand until the Speaker complies.”
More than a dozen Republicans have already committed to being there; Pete Hoekstra, leveraging the buzz the GOP got in the blogosphere on Friday for its use of new media, sent forth the good word this afternoon via Twitter. No word yet on what they’re planning, but if you’re not yet convinced that the wind is at their back on this, go read the transcript at Newsbusters of Stephanopoulos beating his head against a wall trying to get a straight answer out of Pelosi on why she won’t allow a vote on drilling.
Update: At least 30 Republicans are in now, says ABC. Sweeter still:
One House Republican says, “I’m a 25 year veteran of the U.S. Congress, and I’ve never seen anything like this.”
GOP members say they would not be holding this debate tomorrow, if the Democratic nominee had not modified his position on off shore drilling.
They believe that with Obama and his Republican opponent John McCain, appearing to be in “agreement” about off shore drilling, then Speaker Nancy Pelosi should recall the Congress from recess, and put an energy bill on the floor in August.
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Point taken again Michael. Really.
But I believe most of us here have seen this posted here yesterday.
Video: “Guido Beach” [content warning]
This is what really scares the crap out of me this year…these could very possibley be registered Dhem. voters.
Between them (the nimrods) and the MSM we (the conservatives still around) have got to put in a last ditch effort to put the word out.
Over.
1GooDDaDDy on August 3, 2008 at 5:59 PM
Ok dont get me wrong, this is good and I support it but… It feels like a show being put on for the base in an election year, you know?
Where was this when you had the congress, you jackasses.
Anyway, yes keep it up.
Dash on August 3, 2008 at 6:00 PM
The American oil companies are the ones who have increased the price of oil sixfold since we stumbled into Iraq,
I guess you missed the day in Economics that covered Adam Smith…
gmoonster on August 3, 2008 at 6:00 PM
Adam Smith…isn’t he that beer guy? :-)
coldwarrior on August 3, 2008 at 6:01 PM
That’s because they don’t listen to Rush enough.
You are right, the Dems have put themselves in a rightous position that they, and only they, know what’s good for America and the American people. They did that during the war also and continue to do that with this gas crisis.
It’s not Bush’s problem, it’s the GOP leaderships problem.
Make noise, LOUD noise.
Kini on August 3, 2008 at 6:02 PM
Ignorance is annoying.
reaganaut on August 3, 2008 at 6:05 PM
The particulars of Nancy’s itinerary were posted by “the boss” here.
Blackacre on August 3, 2008 at 6:07 PM
On MM’s site, fluffy said:
RushBaby on August 3, 2008 at 6:07 PM
GAWD ALL MIGHTY,
That’s just one of the reasons why I left New Jersey… where the license plates should read the Toxic State.
Kini on August 3, 2008 at 6:07 PM
alphie and ninjapirate, I now believe that the solar power from just you two little rays of sunshine can power the world. I believe, I believe. Hope and change you bring the light.
Cindy Munford on August 3, 2008 at 6:09 PM
Road repairs are harder to pay for already. Ethanol is subsidized to the tune of $.51 per gallon.
fluffy on August 3, 2008 at 6:10 PM
Remenber economics 101?
Johan Klaus on August 3, 2008 at 6:10 PM
Exactly. But I do have total faith that we will come up with an alternative to oil as our primary fuel source eventually. You’re absolutely correct that we need to drill to get us there, though. As a total guess, I’d say we need 2-3 decades. Even if some brilliant scientist comes up with the miracle alternative breakthrough tomorrow, it will take many years to develop the infrastructure to mass-produce and distribute whatever it is and to phase the gasoline-powered vehicles out of use.
Dems seem to have no concept of this kind of thing and the need to bridge that gap. They like to portray us as not wanting to pursue alternatives, when the opposite is true. We just understand that leaving oil behind is an extremely long-term proposition no matter how perfectly the quest for alternatives goes.
Plus, we’ll still need oil for all the countless non-fuel products made from petroleum-based ingredients. Another thing the Dems seem to be clueless about.
aero on August 3, 2008 at 6:11 PM
“The American oil companies are the ones who have increased the price of oil sixfold since we stumbled into Iraq”
alphie
So let me get this straight. AMERICAN oil companies INCREASED the price of a commodity that they PURCHASE 70% OF from someone else?
If you don’t mind my saying so, that sounds like a very weird business practice. Almost like something the government would do. After all, to them ‘a penny saved is a penny overlooked and undertaxed’.
GarandFan on August 3, 2008 at 6:11 PM
gmonster,
Adam Smith talked about oligarchies..which is what the oil industry is.
“Market Forces” is just code for how high can we jack up the price of gas?
alphie on August 3, 2008 at 6:14 PM
The American oil companies are the ones who have increased the price of oil sixfold since we stumbled into Iraq
alphie
What a stupid prick (my sincere apologies to all the other stupid pricks)
TexasJew on August 3, 2008 at 6:15 PM
Get some, Republicans; GET SOME!!!
dhawbake on August 3, 2008 at 6:16 PM
I’ll confuse you with a couple facts here.
Oil is a commodity traded and produced worldwide. American oil companies are only a small part of that big picture. Buyers are paying pretty much the same high prices everywhere, even without American involvement. Supply and demand kick in here. India and China are industrializing rapidly. They both have populations over a billion people and thus they have a large appetite for oil. There is an increasing demand chasing a relatively fixed supply. That causes prices to go up.
fluffy on August 3, 2008 at 6:17 PM
Aren’t there still like almost 200 Republicans in the House?
Maybe if they promise to start at 9am and end at 4pm with four half hour breaks and a two hour lunch they could get a few more.
MB4 on August 3, 2008 at 6:18 PM
Okay, you CANNOT be this stupid.
You do understand that the oil companies pay three times as much in taxes as they keep in profits, right? And that they have to pay for the crude itself, which is at record prices. And that they have to pay to transport it halfway around the world. And they have to pay union salaries to the workers who refine it. And they have to meet ridiculous state refining standards, which are different in almost every state. And the truckers who carry it to the gas stations have to be paid. And the gas station owners have to be paid. And that the evil oil companies keep a grand total of about 8 cents per gallon?
Oil companies have a much smaller profit margin than, say, Microsoft does. They just sell something that ALL OF US NEED, every single day. Of course they bring in more money than anyone else. If Microsoft were selling millions of copies of Vista every day, that all of us have to replace every week, they’d be the company raking in mind-bogglingly huge amounts of money each quarter.
Why reward them? Because they’re providing something I NEED, which I can’t produce myself. Duh.
I repeat: You cannot be this stupid.
aero on August 3, 2008 at 6:18 PM
There should be an investigation on big congress on the profits that the congress has made off of the oil companies. After all, congress has no competition.
Johan Klaus on August 3, 2008 at 6:20 PM
I’m pretty sure “alphie” gets off on making nonsensical statements just to get a rise out of us while he giggles in his basement.
darwin on August 3, 2008 at 6:21 PM
Yeppers. So how do you unfix a relatively fixed supply? Drill Here. Drill Now. Pay Less.
Most of us learned all that in Junior High.
The Democrats are fixin’ ta get run over! With help from the people it’ll happen!
Ordinary1 on August 3, 2008 at 6:21 PM
aero,
Repeat after me…”It’s the oil companies that set the price of gas at the pumps.”
I kinda like this stunt, though…just makes it obvious who the Republican party works for these days.
alphie on August 3, 2008 at 6:21 PM
I second this … absolutely.
darwin on August 3, 2008 at 6:22 PM
You know Alphie, you might be making sense if the U.S. was the only place paying $125 a barrel and where the local/state/federal government wasn’t making more per gallon then the oil companies but that’s not the case. They make that much money because of the sheer volume that is sold all over the world. At this moment in time the world is run by oil. Where were you when the oil markets collapsed twenty years ago.
Cindy Munford on August 3, 2008 at 6:22 PM
If you just stopped going to work, or heating your house, or using plastics of any kind you wouldn’t need oil.
Problem solved ;)
fluffy on August 3, 2008 at 6:23 PM
Please do not confuse the issue with facts.
Johan Klaus on August 3, 2008 at 6:24 PM
Well, well, well. Tomorrow is off to a great start. I’m excited/pleased.
Spirit of 1776 on August 3, 2008 at 6:24 PM
Cindy … good try. “alphie” will just giggle as he reads your post.
darwin on August 3, 2008 at 6:25 PM
Well I’m sure she is going by horse and buggy or at least in a Prius. Maybe she will be traveling in a hot air balloon.
MB4 on August 3, 2008 at 6:25 PM
The oil company sets the price? Hide and watch as the state adds to the cost per gallons because of all the conserving going on it this company. It has already hurt government revenue, they are talking about tax hikes and making old roads into new toll roads. The Dems said that we can’t drill our way out of it, I think we have proven that we can’t conserve our way out of it. Alphie, please buy some oil stock, you will feel better.
Cindy Munford on August 3, 2008 at 6:27 PM
So, she’s not going to allow a vote? Or is she? I would just love it if history shows that Comrade Pelosi and Comrade alone, lost the 2008 election to the GOP. The Democratic Party USED to be able to call itself the Party of the People. Now it’s the Party of the environmentalists, the unions(sort of, but even they want drilling I hear)), the welfare state, the lunatic fringe,the control freaks and the groupies!! Can Speakers be impeached? If so, how?
jeanie on August 3, 2008 at 6:28 PM
Supply vs. Demand. Note world-wide emerging markets: China, India, etc all increase demand.
Spirit of 1776 on August 3, 2008 at 6:28 PM
Another thing or two about “Big Oil” and “speculation.”
Who owns big oil? Investors everywhere. Your 401K. Your grandma’s retirement account. Your Dad’s pension. We the people are Big Oil!”
“Speculation” is also known as trading. How does Southwest Airlines stay profitable when the other airlines are tanking? (pun intended) They “speculated” correctly about the price of oil! Restrict “speculation” to an unhealthy degree and you will hurt businesses and do nothing to help the price of oil. Trading will still occur overseas and we’ll be in a worse condition then we are now.
Gee. Maybe we should use some of our vast resources of energy? You think???
Ordinary1 on August 3, 2008 at 6:29 PM
Darwin, that’s okay. We are enjoying the renewed spine in our party so Alphie might as well be happy to. I don’t begrudge him that.
Cindy Munford on August 3, 2008 at 6:29 PM
I check this site several times a week to see where commodity prices are. I believe that the ‘Brent’ price in the second line is the London commodities market.
fluffy on August 3, 2008 at 6:29 PM
I repeat: You cannot be this stupid.
aero on August 3, 2008 at 6:18 PM
I think alphie’s comments speak for themselves.
He’s bought on to Divo’s concept of “Dare to be Stupid”
So a troll is as a troll does. We are a oil driven society, we will always be a oil driven society. That’s just a fact because there are no alternative fuels that will support today’s transportation and industries as we know them. Maybe someday the development of alternative fuels will come about, but that’s not today’s reality.
Facts are facts, alphie, we don’t live in a Walt Disney world.
Kini on August 3, 2008 at 6:29 PM
Spirit of 1776 … good try, but I don’t think “alphie” cares. It doesn’t fit in his “world view” of things. Plus, he’s gigling too much.
darwin on August 3, 2008 at 6:30 PM
You sure she’s got enough hot air to last? :)
Kini on August 3, 2008 at 6:30 PM
Who do you think sets the price of gas at the pumps, aero?
Don’t embarrass yourself by saying something dumb like “the market.”
There are only a few big oil companies…and they set the prices.
alphie on August 3, 2008 at 6:31 PM
Alphie’s plan is actually quite brilliant. He keeps folks occupied responding to him on the internet so that they won’t be out driving around wasting gas.
MB4 on August 3, 2008 at 6:32 PM
Fix it pal.
1GooDDaDDy on August 3, 2008 at 6:32 PM
OK … he doesn’t seem very happy to me though.
darwin on August 3, 2008 at 6:33 PM
There are only a few big oil companies…and they set the prices.
alphie on August 3, 2008 at 6:31 PM
Like Aramco.
TexasJew on August 3, 2008 at 6:33 PM
Every moment of the Republican protest is an opportunity to offer an education to the public about energy and the economy and how the markets work.
The explanations can be quick and simple enough to be grasped by those who have weak understanding.
Following the explanation, the Reps can hammer home how the Dems are destroying the value of the dollar and its purchasing power; are abetting in creating fuel shortages and thus driving up the price; are escalating the costs of food, heat, transportation, etc.; are threatening current jobs and preventing new energy jobs from coming online. The topics are endless.
Reps can explain what the purpose of the Strategic Reserves is and why release of those fuels jeopardizes national security and provides only temporary relief.
Reps can explain how market speculation is tied to perceived futures in energy sources, in this case oil. Build on that point to show how prices drop when supplies go up.
Reps should point out the assorted amendments on energy expansion/ independence that they have offered besides drilling, amendments that Nancy Pelosi will not allow to come to the floor.
Reps need to offer concrete evidence with backup information from industry leaders how quickly America can become re-energized with the plentiful resources that we have.
The Dems have mocked Republicans as “fear mongers”. It is time to point the finger of projection back at them, demonstrating the cleanness of current energy resources and production, their cost-effectiveness, and their plenteousness. Who is it that are generating FEARS of depletion, of pollution, or of capital enterprises that benefit vast swaths of the population? The Dems.
Pelosi has created her own narrative of the situation, and she has to be rebutted in a very direct way with facts. She may think that she has a “signature issue”; she may delude herself that she is “saving the planet”. However, she needs to be confronted with reality, both short term and long.
onlineanalyst on August 3, 2008 at 6:35 PM
Alphie
if the oil companies set the price of oil, why do they set it so low? It’s only $4 or so. Why don’t the evil oil companies demand that stupid people who buy gasoline pay 25 bucks or 50 bucks a gallon. Why do they sell it so cheap, since we all have to buy it?
Those oil companies are really stupid. They should be charging a lot more for gas.
rockhauler on August 3, 2008 at 6:35 PM
Ah, to be a young student again, with no responsibilities.
Johan Klaus on August 3, 2008 at 6:35 PM
alphie doesn’t want that because he/she wants energy prices high so the donks can justify nationalizing the whole energy industry and let the government run it as well as it does Medicare and the Postal Service.
a capella on August 3, 2008 at 6:36 PM
She will probably have enough left over to swap for enough carbon offsets to be able to power her mansion without guilt.
MB4 on August 3, 2008 at 6:36 PM
Point taken. I haven’t read through the whole thread.
I don’t understand the argument that big oil is evil because price is high though, when liberal policy has been to increase gas prices to decrease use.
Nor do I understand the (silly) argument, we’ll use all our kids oil, which I read somewhere here yesterday. Not only is that extremely unlikely, it’s also dumb. Oops, our kids can’t use oil because their kids won’t have any, etc. Technology progresses. Just because enviros think we are going back to the ice age, oh, ’scuse me lava age now, doesn’t mean we’re going to regress to the stone age technologically.
Selling fear.
Spirit of 1776 on August 3, 2008 at 6:36 PM
That’s an excellent point.
One that each of us should be making when we contact our Reps this week.
Drill here! Drill Now! Pay Less! More American Jobs!
Michael in MI on August 3, 2008 at 6:37 PM
All excellent points
Ordinary1 on August 3, 2008 at 6:37 PM
The same can be said for the minimum wage.
Johan Klaus on August 3, 2008 at 6:37 PM
Alphie:
I’ll be very blunt: You are completely ignorant here. If a company could provide dirt cheap oil, it would do so, because people would buy out their supply over their competitors. You are alleging price fixing, and there is no evidence presented of such dirty dealing. The oil companies aren’t DeBeers. Just present some evidence instead of snarking off about Republicans.
OmegaPaladin on August 3, 2008 at 6:38 PM
I gave you this link before … which answers how prices are set. You apparently ignored it, like you do all inconvenient facts.
Gas Price Primer
darwin on August 3, 2008 at 6:39 PM
There once was a blogger named alphie
Whos thoughts about oil was a bit daffy
He said it was true, cause he didn’t have a clue
He was lost, so the rest of us just laughie at alphie
Kini on August 3, 2008 at 6:39 PM
Heh, I can remember my first beer
Kini on August 3, 2008 at 6:41 PM
Since you do not want to drill in the U.S., then do you want our children’s oil patch jobs to go to China. ” China drilling fifty miles south of the Florida Keys”.
Johan Klaus on August 3, 2008 at 6:42 PM
darwin,
Suppose the Dems said that any oil company that’s selling regular gas at their pumps for $2.00 a gallon is welcome to drill offshore?
Would that make you happy?
alphie on August 3, 2008 at 6:42 PM
Darwin, you are right, Alphie does not appear to be a happy soul. The late great Jack Spencer would say, “He’d bitch if you hung him with a silk rope.” Don’t ask me how that makes sense but he had a million of them.
Cindy Munford on August 3, 2008 at 6:43 PM
Then why isn’t Chavez’s gasoline at his Citgo franchises any cheaper than those American franchised gas stations?
Chavez has a wonderful opportunity here to win the hearts and minds of American consumers.
Inquiring minds want to know?
Texas Gal on August 3, 2008 at 6:43 PM
I can’t remember that far back.
Johan Klaus on August 3, 2008 at 6:44 PM
Suppose we just take the “dems” out of the equation all together … or how about government? Why is the government in any position of telling a private company what it can and cannot do, or how much they should charge for anything?
I see a Venezuelan vaction for you in the future.
darwin on August 3, 2008 at 6:46 PM
Ever hear of a country named ‘Zimbabwe’? Their president, some guy named ‘Mugabe’ tried to set prices by government fiat. You should go look up what happened when he tried it.
rockhauler on August 3, 2008 at 6:47 PM
onlineanalyst on August 3, 2008 at 6:35 PM
This is an excellent post and excellent suggestion for the GOP. The problem remains, though, that it depends on the attention-span and the intelligence of the American public to understand the explanations and the facts presented to them.
We are a sound-bite and headline nation with most people not able to spend even 60 seconds of their day reading through your comment, let alone taking the time to learn and understand everything presented in your comment. People seem to be more comfortable with “It’s Bush’s fault! Because of his oil buddies!” or “It’s Big Oil’s fault! For their insane profits! We need windfall profits tax to punish - PUNISH! - them!”
You are correct in everything you state that the Republicans need to do. But what mass media outlet is going to give them the platform and time to do that? Most interviews and shows spend but 5 minutes on an issue and then move on. Which only allows a person to touch on the superficial parts of an issue, without getting into the details. So they are relegated to providing talking points.
What we need is a show which is like Bill Bennett’s radio show or Rush Limbaugh’s radio show where they conduct interviews and give people 1 or 2 or 3 7-10 minute segments to explain their positions. That is what we need on the news as well.
I just don’t know if the mass media will give the Republicans a fair shake like that, considering they definitely don’t want to help Republicans.
Michael in MI on August 3, 2008 at 6:48 PM
Ms. Malkin must have become the Republican whip.
Johan Klaus on August 3, 2008 at 6:50 PM
alphis is kinda like a little mascot on the blog. A little goofy doofus, educated by Donks, displaying an absolute amazing depth of economic and political knowledge. Very entertaining. Gives us an opportunity to sharpen our knives for the real fight.
JonRoss on August 3, 2008 at 6:51 PM
Guess what alphie, if there was more to sell, they would still make money. In volume. I think $2.00 maybe a little optimistic (so we know you won’t believe that) but it will come down and it will come down immediately. Just on the promise of new supplies.
Cindy Munford on August 3, 2008 at 6:52 PM
What ever happened to the country uniting around a common common sense goal?
We were content to let the Environmentalists get a foothold because oil and gas was relatively cheap. Now that it’s not, the America people are saying, “who cares about global warming, I can’t afford to drive to work.”
The Chinese are going to be drilling in our backyard. Russia is exploring drilling the Arctic where there are vast deposits of oil. (while we won’t even drill ANWAR) We are sending 100s of Billions of $$s to Saudi Arabia and Iran (and Canada and Mexico). Money we aren’t gonna get back. Talk about a giant sucking sound!
It should be obvious to EVERYBODY that we need to Drill Here and Drill Now, not just to Pay Less, but to SAVE AMERICA from becoming a third world country.
The Democrats are killing us for attempted political gain and socialist power. I hope I’m witnessing it backfiring on them!
Ordinary1 on August 3, 2008 at 6:53 PM
Gas Prices in Europe - European Gasoline and Diesel Prices
Find current gas prices in Europe and learn how to save money on gas
By James Martin, About.com
See More About: Europe gas prices driving in Europe
One of the big questions for budgeting a European vacation is the price of gas. In short, European prices are considerably higher than they are in America, about 2.3 x higher.
Make no mistake: the price of the raw gas is about the same as the U.S., but Europe taxes gasoline at a higher rate. At the moment, taxes in France make up about 70 percent of the pump price. For comparison, the U.S. federal gasoline tax of of 2005 was 18.4 cents per gallon, with each State adding between 10 and 33 cents of tax, according to Widipedia. That makes the maximum gasoline tax rate 17% in the U.S.
Ahh.. those evil American Oil Companies obviously have their Jedi mind tricks working on those European Oil Companies .. They want to control the WORLD!!
Right alphie?
Texas Gal on August 3, 2008 at 6:54 PM
Agreed. But all you have to do is look back to the Nixon administration in this country. He tried the same stuff and we had an horrendous recession because of it.
JonRoss on August 3, 2008 at 6:55 PM
Why not guarantee the price drop, Cindy?
The Dems set the price oil companies have to sell gas at if they want to drill on public land…$2.00 a gallon seems fair.
Or are we gonna depend on the kindness of oil executives again?
hahaha
alphie on August 3, 2008 at 6:56 PM
In promoting her book, maybe Pelosi can drive cross-country in Jane Fonda’s vegetable-oil-mobile, sort of a Thelma and Louise adventure in alternative reality. In the process, the two may have to come face to face with real Americans who have real problems that could be solved by releasing the restrictions that are choking our economy.
onlineanalyst on August 3, 2008 at 6:56 PM
Oh, I know I shoudn’t go there, but I’m having too much fun with alphie and all…. so!
Ms. Malkin must have become the Republican whip, with thigh high boots and black leather….
Sorry, but it’s my Family Guy’s Klause impression.
Kini on August 3, 2008 at 6:58 PM
Lately, in fact for quite a while, the libs have not actually been responding to argument. They simply keep saying the same thought over and over and over. Alphie is a perfect example. Pelosi is another. It’s not a case of cirling around the point to be made, it’s a case of ignoring it altogether. Pelosi’s “bipartisan” mantra is a perfect example. Doesn’t matter if it’s true or not. If one says it often enough the Gods of Reality will make it so, The Gods of Reality being the MSM. However, it looks as if parts of the MSM have decided they care enough about the Country to start reporting fully and carefully?
jeanie on August 3, 2008 at 6:58 PM
No, alphie. Your response should be “heehaw, heehaw,” for you are an obtuse ass.
What kind of expenses and investments do you think that oil companies incure both before and after drilling?
onlineanalyst on August 3, 2008 at 6:59 PM
Why or why have any of us thought of this. I say print this off and send to your congressional representative. All of our friggin problems have been solved. Yee hah
JonRoss on August 3, 2008 at 7:01 PM
Seriously folks…..
Stop Feeding the Troll.
Kini on August 3, 2008 at 7:04 PM
Good grief. The bad, bad oil companies don’t make any more profits, sometimes less, than many other companies. But to shout out their total profits is disingenuous. They are so much larger than other companies that their profits look obsene. Talk about per cent of profit, and that giant, disproportionate (is that an oxymoron) amount looks about normal.
TimothyJ on August 3, 2008 at 7:04 PM
Most liberals don’t have a clue about oil, drilling or energy. They’re simply against drilling because we’re for it. That goes for pretty much everything … so maybe if we all come out against drilling, they’ll vote for it.
darwin on August 3, 2008 at 7:07 PM
I would contend it was high interest rates needed to choke off the high inflation that caused the recession.
But your example of Nixon imposed price controls also made products disappear. I would then respond with the controlled economy of the old Soviet Union with bare shelves an a black market.
Alphie isn’t really engaged in debate, he is just trying to be provocative, and it appears everyone is enjoying being provoked, myself included.
So I’m backing the continuation of the Republican ’stunt’. Make speeches, get on TV, act up! Annoy the [expletive] out of Ms Speaker and her cronies. Make’m respond. Make her stutter, keep her talking. Let’s see what kind of control she has over her temper.
rockhauler on August 3, 2008 at 7:08 PM
online…the price of oil was $26/barrel just a few years ago.
Now it’s well over $100/barrel.
Oil company expenses haven’t gone up that much lately…that’s why they’re making record profits.
alphie on August 3, 2008 at 7:09 PM
Still trying to get an answer to yesterday’s inquiry as to whether alphie is the mother of John Edward’s love child. A response to that would be more pertinent than alph’s opinion on economics.
JonRoss on August 3, 2008 at 7:09 PM
All I gotta say is:
Why isn’t my Congressman going to be there Monday? He lives in Maryland just 30 miles away? I never see him standing up and he is from a conservative part of Maryland.
winged on August 3, 2008 at 7:11 PM
Ordinary1, considering the polling data on drilling at this moment I believe this might be the subject that most can agree on. That’s why the Speaker doesn’t want to to be voted on.
Alphie
I am okay with the Dems setting the price at $2 a gallon, how much of their cut are they willing to concede to that price?
Cindy Munford on August 3, 2008 at 7:13 PM
We the peasants can be involved also. I called her office in SF and DC Friday early in the day and phones were being answered in both places. I was politely obnoxious. No threats, no raised voice, just slow and calm pointed questions. It really pissed the staff in both places. Never done it before. It was fun.
JonRoss on August 3, 2008 at 7:14 PM
?????????????????????????
They have to pay whatever the going rate is … if the price is $120 a barrel they have to pass that on to the customer or else they lose money.
What are you thinking?
darwin on August 3, 2008 at 7:15 PM
Here’s a basic demonstration.
Take a dollar bill (with or without someone who doesn’t look like Obama on it) and set it on one side. This represents what the oilk companies have to ante up.
Then take nine or ten pennies. Set them on the other side.
Look at the pennies in front of you.
These pennies represent what American oil companies have left after their expenses — taxes, costs for leases used or unused, cost of design, costs for reseasrch and development, costs for working on altrernative energy sources (which most oil companies are doing, by the way), cost of building oil rigs (the ocean rigs can easily cost half a billion dollars these days for just one of them, even before it is towed out to sea), costs of transportation for those rigs, salaries for employees, payments for royalties, payments to share holders….and a lot more.
Now…doesn’t that pile of pennies look really impressive?
coldwarrior on August 3, 2008 at 7:16 PM
Kini,
You are absolutely right, this should be a thread of celebration of newly acquired spines. I am going to call my representative in Florida and Virginia to urge them into the fight. Thanks for the nudge.
Cindy Munford on August 3, 2008 at 7:16 PM
Yes … new spines, hopefully permanent.
darwin on August 3, 2008 at 7:20 PM
Yeah alphie conveniently ignores the facts I present here and on other threads since they don’t support it’s hyperbole.
Texas Gal on August 3, 2008 at 7:22 PM
Did y’all notice the Trapper site story in the headlines? The One wants to count all the votes in Florida and Michigan. And the crowd goes wild. Very very funny.
Cindy Munford on August 3, 2008 at 7:27 PM
“…These pennies represent what American oil companies have left after their expenses…”
Dammit, again!
“These pennies represent what the Amnerican oil companies “earn” after their expenses…” This is there profit. Pretty impressive, isn’t it?
Too many people cannot understand profits nor profitiability…and they are not the same thing. Most people cannot understand the scale of the oil companies. When was the last time you shelled out half a billlion dollars on a hunch? Hopefully an educated hunch. This is called risk. Guess it is just that most people see that dollar sign and all those zeros after it and immediately think, ohmigod, look at all that money they have!!
coldwarrior on August 3, 2008 at 7:27 PM
alphie, Ronald Reagan is not proud of you. You harp against most of what he stood for.
Entelechy on August 3, 2008 at 7:28 PM
alphie, also, how could you go from a RR believer to where you are today? It simply doesn’t compute.
Entelechy on August 3, 2008 at 7:29 PM
Entelechy on August 3, 2008 at 7:29 PM –
I heard meth will do that to ya…
coldwarrior on August 3, 2008 at 7:30 PM
I don’t have time to read the whole thread now, but I just saw this and had to express my happiness.
I might be making that trip to visit my husband/DC this week after all. : )
Anna on August 3, 2008 at 7:32 PM
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