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During one of our discussions about the snow dump we had recently, a friend told me how she saw her neighbor trying to get her car out of the driveway. Seeing that her neighbor needed help, my friend went to help her push the car. While the two women were attempting to free the car, another neighbor (male) told my friend she needed to rock the car back and forth as she pushed, but did not offer to help push. My friend responded that she could do it by herself and he wasn't helping the situation.
The US has decided to help free the world from Saddam's tyranny and all we hear is advice on how we're doing it wrong AND we're not getting any help to do it "right." It's the easiest thing in the world to sit back, relax and criticize. "Not my problem"??? Terrorism has affected everyone and the US is the only country willing to do something about it?!
If the problem is Saddam - take him out, right? The U.S. can't do that because then we create a martyr out of him. Attempts to talk things out have obviously failed. Yet I have not heard of any other nation sitting down to have a heart-to-heart with Saddam or any other peace keeping mission to avert War.
The US is in a situation where we can't back down and have no support from our Allies.
Also, who is supporting the Iraqi Embargo? It's hard to keep track anymore.
Everyone else is willing to let Saddam be - until when? They recently had elections in Iraq (an opportunity to oust Saddam) and he won an overwhelming victory. It doesn't matter that their literacy rate is 60% (I'm sure India's is less and they're the largest democracy). We could wait until he dies a natural death (we've been doing that with Castro for over 40 years) only to be replaced by his son or other like minded person - and a new round of fun begins.
Funding of terrorism takes many forms and cannot always be traced directly to governments. We all know it happens. Monies are funneled through other groups. Anyone else remember the $300 toilet seat?!
Prices on gasoline have been going up ever since the Feds and local governments realized that there was no public outcry on raising gasoline taxes. Political suicide is telling the citizens of the US that their (income) taxes are going to be increased. Taxing gas, liquor/beer, cigarettes (aka luxury items) is a better way to raise revenue.
Personally, I'm glad the French are a people who prefer to make love and not war. Maybe we can learn from their example.
I would love to see what would happen if the US took a vacation from "defending the world" and focused on domestic economy issues and defending our borders. No more coming to the rescue of the International Community. We had Laissez-Faire government in the 80s, let's try Laissez-faire diplomacy.
I hate to throw water on such an eloquent post, but the fact of the matter is that the taxes on gasoline have NOT been raised. The price of gas has been raised. What is particularly galling is the fact that the gas we are using now is the same gas that was selling for 18 cents a gallon less a week and a half ago. That gas was refined a while back as well.Someone pointed out that the $35 per barrell price has remained constant throughout...fixed by OPEC.....If the cost hasn't risen......and the Taxes haven't risen...... and the retail price HAS risen........Who is making out on this deal?
If you suspect that its the OIL companies....I don't think thats far from the truth. If you take a close look at the leadership of this country....can you find anyone with ties to the oil industry?? What this all means is beyond me, but someone (not in the optical business) is getting rich!
Not to get off the subject of the thread :).. but the changes in taxes on gas , are on the city and county level.. they tack on as well as the federal...
The other part about the price of oil per barral and how the companies can change prices (well there reasoning) is oil is futures and commodities... so even though the crude that has been refined was at a lower price per barrel that you are using right now the crude at the higher rate we have not even got yet, so it is really a numbers game... oh I'm selling refined gas that I got from barrels that actually only cost me $30.. but I change my prices now to make up for the barrels I will pay $35 for I have NOT gotten yet ... this is when oil companies just LOVE, you can actually adjust charges NOW for something that cost more down the road while actually selling what you have you got for a lot less...
Here is an easy way to think about it...you bought 14 frames for $5 a pc.($70.00)...you sell 7 of them for say $20 a pair..when you go to reorder the frame company raised the price from $5 to $8...so you raise your price RIGHT NOW to $25 a pair...you get to sale the other 7 from the FIRST order at the new adjusted price.. there by socking away an XTRA $2 bucks profit on those first 7 BECAUSE of the future price..
NOW multiply that number out by the amount of gas we consume NATIONALLY and how raising gas .20 to .25 a gallon over the last few weeks to allow for the future price.. Want to bet the oil companies show a nice increase in profit this next time they have to post the numbers
Jeff "wish I could live MY life using these guys math" Trail
Oh! I imagine they'll find a way to expense that out of the picture. Nothing like a raise for the exec. officers, and then there;s the lobbyists.....and then theres the politicians....
everybody gets a piece!
hj
"Always laugh when you can. It is a cheap medicine"
Lord Byron
Not to defend oil companies, but what happens when the price goes down? Don't they find themselves selling oil they bought at the higher price at the new lower price? Isn't this the essence of commodities and specifically futures markets?
If you suspect that its the OIL companies....I don't think thats far from the truth. If you take a close look at the leadership of this country....can you find anyone with ties to the oil industry?? What this all means is beyond me, but someone (not in the optical business) is getting rich!
My dear and respected friend Harry... With great hesitation, I must disagree with your statement here (considering that you are my elder and all, and therefore apt to be more wisened).
;)
Do oil companies make a profit on the product they sell? Well, I would assume so- else they would be out of business. I would suggest, however, that we take a look at the overall trend in gas prices since the 70's. Has the cost of gasoline really raised all that dramatically when indexed to inflation? I honestly don't know (I'm sure one of us will be happy to look this up and report in), but my sense is- not really.
Assuming a successful invasion of Iraq, I wouldn't expect to see a huge windfall for the gasoline companies. If anything, prices will fall if stability is brought to the region. The problem right now isn't that we really need Iraq's oil production- the problem is that the area isn't stable with him there.
Anyone who thinks everything in the Middle-East would settle down if we would bring all of our troops back home just isn't being realistic. As it stands, we are threatening about as hard as one can, and Saddam is begrudgingly doing just enough to retain a few allies in the U.N. Take away the U.S. threat and what do you suppose Mr. Hussein would do?
I find it amazing how well anti-business rhetoric still seems to resonate in this country. Sue the tobacco companies, call the gas companies opportunists, as so on. For all the griping about gas prices, I still don't see many people acting in their own way to bring down prices (i.e., decreasing their consumption- which, in turn, decreases demand). Naw, its just easier to blame the "evil corporation," isn't it?
I'm not labelling you as such a person, BTW, Harry. I just used your comment as a springboard... I do see a lot of these folks on the news, in the papers, and even in my daily conversations, and it is wearisome and tedious.
Pete Hanlin, ABOM
Vice President Professional Services
Essilor of America
chm2023 said:
Not to defend oil companies, but what happens when the price goes down? Don't they find themselves selling oil they bought at the higher price at the new lower price? Isn't this the essence of commodities and specifically futures markets?
Actually no, this was a "class project" type thing I had in statistics at school, if I can find the stuff I'll post it (trends vs. cost)
what it amounted to when you see gas prices drop as barrel prices drop we found the % was not in line when it went the opposing direction..both in cost and reduction of cost in relation to price per barrel.
Especially when we included the factors of refinery production, reserves and reduction of reserves..
Just my two cents on Irish American funding of the IRA.
I was involved in a number of Irish American groups in Washington and Philadelphia. Did Irish Americans fund the IRA.....You bet they did! Did the US government fund the IRA....as a group, no....individually, yes!
Till 9-11 made it political suicude to do so.
Make no mistake, if the Northern Ireland peace accords completely fail, the provos could be up and running in a matter of a couple of months. Decomissioned weapons can be replaced very quickly.
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