GAS IS UP AGAIN! RANT Thread, WHO's FAULT IS IT?

Earlier comment: All I'm saying is what do you expect the oil companies to do differently? Should they be charity organizations and keep prices artificially low? If they did that, then people would continue buying gas in more and more quantities, then we're all screwed even more.


I think I have the answer to that question here:

"Oil companies today are enjoying record profits, and while they could use those profits to invest in more production capacity, instead they use the money to buy back shares in the markets," complained Rep. John Conyers Jr., D-Mich., the panel's chairman."

THIS is why I think government needs to step in. Gas is not a WANT. It is a NEED..or REQUIREMENT ..much like electricity. I am not for BIG government BUT it is time the government steps in and forces oil companies to step up especially if they are making outrageous profits. Sure we live in America and it bases success on a Gross Domestic Product but that doesn't mean it is an all or nothing. It is a balance.
 
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"Oil companies today are enjoying record profits, and while they could use those profits to invest in more production capacity, instead they use the money to buy back shares in the markets," complained Rep. John Conyers Jr., D-Mich., the panel's chairman."

Oil companies are doing all they can to increase capacity. If they could, they would, and they'd probably be making more money because of it. As I said, before, strict environmental rules are keeping them from building new refineries, so they are doing what they can by updating current ones. Also, they'd love to drill in Alaska, and Bush has been trying to get that done, but he has been criticised for that, which would reduce foreign dependence and increase our supply (possibly even lowering prices?), and then he's attacked for not doing enough to keep gas prices low......the poor guy can't win.

Also, corporations buy back shares of their own stock all the time for many reasons, one reason having to do with trying to balance outside control of the company. There are other reasons that I learned last semester in my financial accounting class, but I forgot them already...:bang:
 
didnt bush just pass a bill to increase gas prices his theory is that cost more less people will use but what he doesnt relize is that it will happen and the people who can afford it are rich(millionaires) and those that cant afford it will lose jobs creating more poor and unemployed people.

HE NEEDS TO LEAVE OFFICE HE HAS'T DONE ANYTHING FOR THE PEOPLE BUT SCREW US ALL.
 
I am all for drilling in Alaska. I don't understand what the big deal is if they still preserve the environment. There is really no reason they can't do both in my o. Either way, gas is too high.
 
didnt bush just pass a bill to increase gas prices his theory is that cost more less people will use but what he doesnt relize is that it will happen and the people who can afford it are rich(millionaires) and those that cant afford it will lose jobs creating more poor and unemployed people.

HE NEEDS TO LEAVE OFFICE HE HAS'T DONE ANYTHING FOR THE PEOPLE BUT SCREW US ALL.

Do you think you could be a little more dramatic? :rlaugh:
 
Oil companies are doing all they can to increase capacity. If they could, they would, and they'd probably be making more money because of it. As I said, before, strict environmental rules are keeping them from building new refineries, so they are doing what they can by updating current ones. Also, they'd love to drill in Alaska, and Bush has been trying to get that done, but he has been criticised for that, which would reduce foreign dependence and increase our supply (possibly even lowering prices?), and then he's attacked for not doing enough to keep gas prices low......the poor guy can't win.

Also, corporations buy back shares of their own stock all the time for many reasons, one reason having to do with trying to balance outside control of the company. There are other reasons that I learned last semester in my financial accounting class, but I forgot them already...:bang:


Did you do a term paper on oil companies? You seem to have some inside knowledge or study on them. Also, are you saying that the liberals are blocking them from making more refineries? If so, the global warming push is going to hurt the economy in the short term, especially if environmental concerns want to keep refineries out.

Still, I think some government regulation on the oil companies is in order to balance out the power, take some of those outrageous profits and put them to use for a solution CONSIDERING this is a NEED not a want for Americans...and a show stopper for our economy. I know you don't agree with me on that issue there but thats just my o. :)
 
No, I didn't do a paper on oil companies. I'm just recalling information I learned from my 100 level economics class.

Its not necessarily the liberals who are blocking the building of new refineries, its environmentalists (whom, I guess, are mostly a liberal bunch).

And yes, we disagree, but that's cool. If everybody thought the same, this world would be pretty boring...and kinda scary.
 
Next question this leads to..a little off topic .. but how bad are refineries in terms of poluting the environment and does the environmental offset justify such high gas prices? Anyone for that one?
 
Until we stop buying gas, the prices will never fall. They will always increase every year, not-stop. We will buy it if it costs $5 or $100/gallon. If the demand never drops, the price always increase!!!!

The only solution is hydrogen fuel cells. Once our cars can convert water to hydrogen, we will be finally free of the oil companies.
Scott
 
Until we stop buying gas, the prices will never fall. They will always increase every year, not-stop. We will buy it if it costs $5 or $100/gallon. If the demand never drops, the price always increase!!!!

The only solution is hydrogen fuel cells. Once our cars can convert water to hydrogen, we will be finally free of the oil companies.
Scott

GM and others have been working on this for a while now, however, nothing has been perfected. I believe that one of the issues is "hydrogen Embrittlement", which causes the metal to prematurely fatigue, drastically shortening the life span of an engine burning hydrogen.

I've only heard a little about this. Maybe someone more technically inclined than myself could shed some more light on this. Hydrogen could solve many problems, even some emissions issues.
 
I think one day we will have a drastic change in the composition of cars. Like instead of metal, all fiberglass, much lighter and such and some people could be driving 1 passenger cars like those in europe. I think the yare MB's. Wasted space will be a thing of the past like 1 person driving a car with a capacity for 4-6 that is not being used. Anyone seen those little tiny cars?
 
I think one day we will have a drastic change in the composition of cars. Like instead of metal, all fiberglass, much lighter and such and some people could be driving 1 passenger cars like those in europe. I think the yare MB's. Wasted space will be a thing of the past like 1 person driving a car with a capacity for 4-6 that is not being used. Anyone seen those little tiny cars?

If you're talking about smart cars, they're all over the place in my city. They don't bother me as long as no one is forcing me to drive one.
 
I think one day we will have a drastic change in the composition of cars. Like instead of metal, all fiberglass, much lighter and such and some people could be driving 1 passenger cars like those in europe. I think the yare MB's. Wasted space will be a thing of the past like 1 person driving a car with a capacity for 4-6 that is not being used. Anyone seen those little tiny cars?

Yes I have, and I can see your logic, but I'm also going to say that there is no way I'm letting my future wife and future two kids merge onto the highway with an 18 wheeler barreling down on them using a battery powered toy making 50 HP.

There is a company that makes a hybrid two seated roadster that I would probably rock though. My girlfriend is looking at a new Ford Escape hybrid... 4x4 and knocks down 36mpg on the high way.

Adam
 
Yes I have, and I can see your logic, but I'm also going to say that there is no way I'm letting my future wife and future two kids merge onto the highway with an 18 wheeler barreling down on them using a battery powered toy making 50 HP.

There is a company that makes a hybrid two seated roadster that I would probably rock though. My girlfriend is looking at a new Ford Escape hybrid... 4x4 and knocks down 36mpg on the high way.

Adam


Yep. Safety would be a big concern for me too.
 
Yes I have, and I can see your logic, but I'm also going to say that there is no way I'm letting my future wife and future two kids merge onto the highway with an 18 wheeler barreling down on them using a battery powered toy making 50 HP.

There is a company that makes a hybrid two seated roadster that I would probably rock though. My girlfriend is looking at a new Ford Escape hybrid... 4x4 and knocks down 36mpg on the high way.

Adam

That's very impressive for a 4x4 SUV:nice: