Congress Whining About Oil Company Profits

I was reading a news story on myway.com this morning, and I've got to unleash my thoughts on the entire debacle of Congress whining about the oil companies high profits.

"On April Fool's Day, the biggest joke of all is being played on American families by Big Oil," Rep. Edward Markey, D-Mass.

No, Mr. Markey, the biggest joke of all being played on American Families is the insanity of us not drilling for our own oil and building new refineries.

What would bring lower prices? asked Rep. James Sensenbrenner of Wisconsin, the committee's ranking Republican, "We need access to all kinds of energy supply," replied Robert Malone, chairman of BP America, adding that 85 percent of the country's coastal waters are off limits to drilling.

I've been saying this for how long now?  The demand is higher than the supply.  Where are the new refineries to keep up with (1) the ever rising demand, and (2) the 20(?) formulations of gasoline mandated by the government?  Oh wait, the environmentalists don't want us to drill for oil and construct new refineries. We're all just supposed to sit around and watch ourselves basically bleed to death as a nation instead.

Isn't China drilling off Florida's coast?  By the way, where are the environmentalists on that?  Don't hand me the "international waters" crap either, it never stopped organizations like Greenpeace in the past.

But Markey wanted to know why the companies aren't investing more in energy projects other than oil and gas - or giving up some tax breaks so the money could be directed to promote renewable fuels and conservation and take pressure off oil and gas supplies.

Hey Mr, Markey, how about the insane amount of taxes the federal and state governments tack onto the price of a gallon of gasoline?  We don't hear a whimper emanating from you about that do we?  And what member of your political party wants to impose a 50 cent tax on each gallon of gasoline, Mr. Markey?  What do you have to say about that? *crickets chirping*

"These companies are defending billions of federal subsidies ... while reaping over a hundred billion dollars in profits in just the last year alone," he said. The companies are reaping "a windfall of revenue" while poor people have to choose between heating and eating because of high energy prices.

Mr. Markey, you sir, are a moonbat. Don't blame the oil companies for the high prices at the pump.  It's the fault of those who cater to the demands of the environmentalists.  We need to drill for our own oil - what part of that can you not understand?  Not drilling for our own oil is absolute madness.  While the alternative sources look promising, they won't be ready for prime time for years to come; right now, we need oil. Mr. Markey and the environmentalists need to get over the fact that oil is where it's at.  We *need* to start drilling for oil.  We *need* to construct new refineries.  We *need* an infrastructure which is capable of keeping up with the demands of not only today, but tomorrow.  How in the hell do you call not drilling for our own oil "progress?"  How in the hell do you call not building new refineries to keep up with the ever growing demand "progress?"

By the way, the environmentalists are now seeking to put the polar bear on the endangered species list.  Why?  They want to use the polar bear as an excuse to keep us from drilling for our own oil because of global warming climate change, it's that simple.  The hell with this global warming climate change bullshit already; I am sick of it.

And finally, I'd like to know if Rep. Edward Markey and the environmentalists would be whining about oil company profits if they held stock in Exxon (I am using Exxon as an example). I'm sure there wouldn't be a peep spewing from any of them if they knew those dividend checks were arriving in the mail.  See, the term oil "company" is just that...a "company."  A company with share holders.  Get it? 

Damn that evil capitalism again!

Print | posted @ Wednesday, April 02, 2008 9:46 AM

Comments on this entry:

Gravatar # re: Congress Whining About Oil Company Profits
by david drake at 4/2/2008 7:52 PM

"And what member of your political party wants to impose a 50 cent tax on each gallon of gasoline,"

SPOT ON Braden!
  
Gravatar # re: Congress Whining About Oil Company Profits
by Andy at 4/2/2008 10:05 PM

The environmentalists were not the ones that got us into this oil predicament. They are the absolute LEAST to blame for the price of oil.

Also, you can build hundreds of more refinaries and oil will still be 120 dollars a barrel.

Also, other forms of energy may be far off in the distance before they are ready to be used, but so would the oil that you are talking about. It would take at least DECADES to scout it, contract it, drill it, transport it, economize it, refine it and distribute it.

Besides, all of the above costs A LOT of money. Who will pay for it all? Either the federal government or the people at the pump in 2028. We all know where the feds get their money, so even if they decided to start drilling for oil they would just raise taxes to fund it. So the cost would come back on the consumer no matter what.

Your plan won't work, Braden! I have said it time and again: The only way to reduce price is to reduce consumption and demand. The only way to do that is for 1) every American to do their part to conserve 2)Keep on developing alternative fuels 3) Be patient.

There is no easy fix to the oil crisis. NONE! Drilling for our own oil is not a solution...no matter where we drill...I won't even get into the environmental problems surrounding the filthiness of crude oil because I know you don't want to hear it..

Economicists and geologists in the 1950s predicted that there would be an oil crisis. But, did anyone in America (or in the world for that matter) listen? NO!

My personal prediction is that the next world war in a couple hundred years will not be about oil but will be fought over fresh water. I predict that America will get invaded so that some other country can harness the water in the Great Lakes. Then again, I may just be a wack job, but I bet everyone thought those guys in the 50s were CRAZY and that we would NEVER run low on oil and gasoline would NEVER get above 50 cents a gallon! If we would have taken those wackjobs seriously, we probably would not be in as bad of shape as we are now.
  
Gravatar # re: Congress Whining About Oil Company Profits
by Braden at 4/3/2008 3:00 AM

Andy, you will never make sense to me in terms of what you think about our current price of gas crisis.

For you to say the environmentalists at the very least do not have a hand in this problem is futile at most.

How do you explain the environmentalists being against drilling in the first place?

And why is China drilling for oil off the coast of Florida?

And then you said:

"The only way to do that is for 1) every American to do their part to conserve 2)Keep on developing alternative fuels 3) Be patient."

Be patient? Be patient, Andy? Give me a break, dude. So like, we're supposed to sit back and basically bleed to death as a nation while we wait and "be patient" for alternative sources of energy to mature? That's real progress, Andy. Forgive me, but your suggested methodologies are complete madness!

"My personal prediction is that the next world war in a couple hundred years will not be about oil but will be fought over fresh water. I predict that America will get invaded so that some other country can harness the water in the Great Lakes. Then again, I may just be a wack job, but I bet everyone thought those guys in the 50s were CRAZY and that we would NEVER run low on oil and gasoline would NEVER get above 50 cents a gallon! If we would have taken those wackjobs seriously, we probably would not be in as bad of shape as we are now."

Andy, I am not even going to respond to because I honestly don't know if that paragraph you wrote is serious or not. It's so far out in left field, Al Gore turned his head backwards.

C'mon Andy, Did you even bother reading what I wrote before you went on your rampage in defense of the environmentalists?

And Andy, just like those who push this global warming/climate change crap say: "Every little bit we can all do helps." Well, using that same line of thinking, "Every little bit of oil we can get helps."

To just sit here on our asses and NOT drill for oil is suicide. Heck, we might as well shut down the nation now and get it over with. Why? We should "be patient" as you suggested.
  
Gravatar # re: Congress Whining About Oil Company Profits
by david drake at 4/3/2008 7:29 PM

Andy...???

"I won't even get into the environmental problems surrounding the filthiness of crude oil..."

It comes out of the earth. It's organic. It's as organic as dirt, or clay.

  
Gravatar # re: Congress Whining About Oil Company Profits
by Braden at 4/3/2008 8:08 PM

I smell a major can of worms being opened here me thinks.
  
Gravatar # re: Congress Whining About Oil Company Profits
by gage at 4/4/2008 1:34 PM

Well, then, David, let's see you drink a cup of it.
  
Gravatar # re: Congress Whining About Oil Company Profits
by Braden at 4/4/2008 1:48 PM

Gage, you are an absolute imbecile. What the hell kind of response is that? Other than the fact that you KNOW David is correct, you can't bring yourself up to acknowledge facts even when they're presented to you.

You're just another prime example of when reality gets in the face of liberalism, reality itself must give way.

God damn man, how can you be so fucking clueless? What the hell does drinking a cup of it have to do with it being natural. Piss is natural, too. Would you care to drink a cup of that?

Asshole.
  
Gravatar # re: Congress Whining About Oil Company Profits
by david drake at 4/4/2008 7:43 PM

Piss is natural, too. Would you [Gage] care to drink a cup of that?

Ahem...how do we know Gage hasn't? ;-)

Gayge, You better put your tail between your legs and run back to InsaneKay and only comment over there. You know how she gets when her loyal heard of Kaybots strays to other sites! BWA HA HA HA HA HA HA! OH - COUGH COUGH SPIT - BWA HA HA HA HA HA!
  
Gravatar # re: Congress Whining About Oil Company Profits
by Braden at 4/4/2008 9:04 PM

LOL David.
  
Gravatar # re: Congress Whining About Oil Company Profits
by david drake at 4/5/2008 3:23 PM

whoops, and upon proofreading my comments I stand to correct myself - it shoule be "herd". I'm a pretty good proofreader of other people's material, just not my own. This is not uncommon among anyone who writes.
  
Gravatar # re: Congress Whining About Oil Company Profits
by Andy at 4/5/2008 6:54 PM

Since it is so natural and clean, lets go ahead and mix it with our ground water and rivers and oceans. Can't hurt...
  
Gravatar # re: Congress Whining About Oil Company Profits
by Braden at 4/6/2008 2:57 AM

No one said it's "clean," Andy. You put that in there. Here's a thought Andy:

Let's not drill for oil, bleed to death as a Nation, and shut the entire nation down as we "wait" for the alternative energies as you suggested.

After all, that's "progress." :)
  
Gravatar # re: Congress Whining About Oil Company Profits
by Andy at 4/6/2008 2:05 PM

Fine. I will agree with you. Lets start drilling for oil tomorrow. Alaska, The Arctic, Rocky Mountains, Kansas, South Texas, offshore...Hell lets invade Mexico and start drilling there. I'm up for it. The problem is, we won't see any progress for YEARS and YEARS and YEARS. Progress takes time, money and energy and human progress usually ends up harming the environment. Drilling tomorrow won't do a dang thing for us at the pump. When that oil finally makes it to the market we wouldn't hardly notice a difference. Oil prices are not going to go down unless we force them to go down by lowering our consumption. We can drill and drill and drill and then drill some more. In the long run that is simply NOT the solution.

If a person has an open gash the first thing that they need to do is cut off blood by either applying pressure or tying a tournaquette above the wound. This will help them by reducing the amount of blood loss. They can worry about getting a blood transfusion later.

Same for America. Lets all work on applying pressure to the wound that expensive oil prices have inflicted on us as a nation. Down the road we can maybe look into harnessing our oil reserves (see, I am not TOTALLY against it, I just think we need to be smart about it) and alternative energy but for now the only solution is damage control and that is reducing consumption and riding out the tough times. Drilling is not a quick fix. There is NO quick fix.

I would have rather seen Bush lower or eliminate the federal fuel tax than give us these stupid economic incentives. That would have saved us about 25 cents a gallon at the pump but why would Bush want to do something rational like that?
  
Gravatar # re: Congress Whining About Oil Company Profits
by david drake at 4/6/2008 5:03 PM

"we won't see any progress for YEARS and YEARS and YEARS." Andy you are correct. I agree with you. The same can be said for alternative fuels.

"Progress takes time, money and energy and human progress usually ends up harming the environment." Again I agree. Recent studies show ethanol and other alternative energy also harming the environment.

"I would have rather seen Bush lower or eliminate the federal fuel tax than give us these stupid economic incentives." Again I am in agreement with you Andy. States could also reduce or eliminate their taxes on gasoline as well. Why do suppose they haven't?

And as Braden mentioned in a post, what's his name the Democrat wants to add another 50 cent per gallon tax onto it already. Is that a good idea Andy?

Andy, I'm not trying to pick any fight with you on energy independence. We may differ on how we get our nation to that point.

I hope you would agree that building refineries would be a step in the right direction, considering none have been built for 30-some years.

Oil, for all its "evils" still is the most economic fuel around. It is the most plentiful of any fuel.

We could and should also be building nuclear facilities and using nuclear power. It is the only source of energy that is pollution free and all its waste is containable. Yes, disposing of the waste so that it doesn't contaminate its surroundings is the million dollar question, but how is France doing it? They've been pro-nuclear power for years.
  
Gravatar # re: Congress Whining About Oil Company Profits
by Andy at 4/6/2008 8:05 PM

I will admit that I am not knowledgeable enough about politics to even begin to theorize as to why the states haven't lowered or dropped the fuel taxes. Hell, I am not even knowledgable to spell the word "knowledgable" correctly. And yes...adding the tax to gasoline would be a catastrophe. You and Braden are correct when you talk of how insane of an idea that would be. I don't have the answers to a lot of the points I am trying to make, here. To me, a lot of them just sound like the right thing to do, I guess.

Why have we not done more to develop more nuclear power? Because there is too much money to be made in oil! Ahhh, capitalism...

I just got done reading an article on MSN GREEN that said we could save 2 billion barrels of oil per year if everyone properly inflated their tires. These are the kinds of things I am talking about. We could all do so much at limiting our consumption and dependence on oil and therefore drive the cost down. But, God bless America, if we can't find an easy way to make something work, then we just argue about it in the political arena and nothing ever gets accomplished. Case in point: Nuclear Power.

And I totally agree with you on the environmental impact of Ethanol. Here in Iowa they knock down so many acres of trees to make room for more corn for the ethanol demand. Less trees just makes for more carbon in the air. Sure, ethanol burns a little cleaner but it sure does mow down a lot of trees. I see it happening before my eyes.
  
Gravatar # re: Congress Whining About Oil Company Profits
by Braden at 4/7/2008 7:53 AM

"Why have we not done more to develop more nuclear power?"

Ask the environmentalists, Andy
  
Gravatar # re: Congress Whining About Oil Company Profits
by Braden at 4/7/2008 1:32 PM

Giving my previous comment to Andy further thought:

Andy, the environmentalists are against Nuclear power, too. After all, they don't want another Three Mile Island, or another Chernobyl.

I've told you time and time again, Andy: The environmental movement cannot be satisfied. Why? Most of them are Anti-American, Anti-Capitalists. Plain and simple.

Sorry man. Nice try, no cigar.

  
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