I was off a little bit with the billion dollar salary...so I was exaggerating. But the oil companies charge us ridiculous prices for gas, yet are making more and more money. Why is that? They keep saying that oil is becoming more expensive, yet they're making record profits. Here's the article you can decide if this is right or not.

http://www.bizjournals.com/dallas/st...24/story4.html

That's why they are making record profits. Jeez.

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I wasn't born with enough middle fingers.

Tell your party to come up with more ideas than taking money from people who work and giving it to people who don't work or taking money from people who made the right choices in their lives and giving it to those who didn't and then maybe we can have a serious discussion.

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All you need to know about the energy crisis:
ANWR Exploration Republicans: 91% Supported. Democrats: 86% Opposed.
Coal-to-liquid R's: 90% YES. D's: 78% NO.
Oil Shale Exploration R's: 90% YES. D's: 86% NO.
Outer Continental Shelf Exploration R's: 81% YES. D's: 83% NO.
Increased Refinery Capacity R's: 97% YES. D's: 96% NO

SUMMARY: 91% of House Republicans have historically voted to increase the production of America’s own oil and gas. 86% of House Democrats have historically voted against.

An interesting article, even though it is 7 years old and is specific to the top 10 incomes of one market (Dallas).

Personally, I'm less angry with Oil companies making "record profits" in an industry where WE (comsumers) continually buy MORE every year. By the pure volume of our own consumption, Oil companies would gain record profits. Now, add the price component, and it's even better for the Oil execs.

But here's why it doesn't bother me as much as it may bother other people...

The Government (all levels) tax gasoline at more than twice the profit margins of Oil companies. Hell, in NY, the tax per gallon hovers around 50 cents. That bugs me more. Why? Because the same people who are taxing us with these insane percentages, are the same people on TV every night talking about how evil Oil Execs are for charging us half as much.

Additionally, I'm probably a little less passionate about the prices at the pump, since I don't need to drive all that much - and my personal experience at the pump is much less expensive than many other peoples' as a result.

Still, I understand the complaint... but honestly... in the last 20 years the costs of...

• * tuition is up over 300%
  * medical Care is up over 200%
  * rent and housing is up over 100%
  * food is up about 100%

....So really, I'm not all that surprised that the price of gas is up as much as food is (and 1/3rd as much as tuition.

Hell, the US Government buys its currency at a 22% profit margin too, and that's more than double the profit margin of oil companies... but we never hear about that.

It really is easy to hate the Oil Companies. No one likes them. Neither do I. They're a necessary evil (unless we miraculously stopped buying their product), and we'll never like it.

Anyway, I think it's less about "right" versus "wrong", and more about "right" versus "left" using the topic to divide and conquer while stimulating respective voting bases. And neither party is serious about doing anything.

Hell, alternative fuel has been mentioned in over 20 State of the Union Addresses dating back over 30 years ago (1975), by every President that has ever held office during that time. And we're still in this mess.

Unfortunately, I don't honestly think that anything will happen unless A) we're FORCED to do without Oil imports -OR- B) a brand new energy source takes hold in the marketplace... and even then, I would expect the same negative stigma to be attached to whoever succeeds in that industry.

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"Politicians, like diapers, have to be changed frequently... and for the very same reason."

One thing I've never understood is why so many Americans go over to other countries and help out and take care of everyone else, but they fail to recognize that there is a big homless population here. I mean I'm all for helping out other countries, but you'd think we would try to put our own first in line.

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"People should not be afraid of their governments. Governments should be afraid of their people." -V

[quote]You got that right, sport.

So what?

The IFs are destroying iraq. Does the US set off bombs in marketplaces? Noooooo...... Your hysterical anti-americanism has REALLY warped your perception of reality.

Than don't read them, idiot.

Your problem with labels would be exactly what??

No, it's easier to hate when you see a particular group of people destroying my country.

No - I stay awake at night thinking up ways to get them.

Mostly the dem leaders - they marshall a lot of uniformed brainwashed dupes.

Yeah, and Oswald Mosely was a BRITAIN!!

Uninformed pap.

Parties in power of little business changing any so called "gap". Socialists want people to be equal - equally poor.

Whaaaaattttttttt???????????

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Read this post quick before the mods delete it!

Yea, while it is admirable to go help others, you don't have to look very far and you defenitely don't have to go outside the country to find people in need. But when you look at some of the things going on in places like Darfur, nothing like that is happening here. It's awful and it does deserve our attention.

Listen to me, you geetar playing yokel - in the very unlikely event I require your opinion on anything, I'll ask for it.

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Read this post quick before the mods delete it!

Tell your party to come up with more ideas than silly talking points and then maybe we can have a serious discussion.

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See, free nations are peaceful nations. Free nations don't attack each other. Free nations don't develop weapons of mass destruction.

- G.W. Bush, 10/3/2003

Why dont BOTH parties stop pointing the finger and playing silly games, and instead focus on what is important??

That is a good HONEST dialogue where our politicans do what they were hired to do, and that is to do what is best for the American people.

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"The marvel of all history is the patience with which men and women submit to burdens unnecessarily laid upon them by their governments"

--George Washington

"Never spend your money before you have earned it."

--Thomas Jefferson

"One man with courage is a majority."

--Thomas Jefferson