Gas prices and profit (2 Viewers)

[Draw 3D]

I beg to differ!

They are already in every facet of our lives now......

So your answer is MORE government?

 

[clwill]

Since Everyone's tied Big oil to Bush/Cheney, who will get blamed "IF" oil prices Don't come down once they leave office?

It took them seven years to get the prices up where they wanted them, it'll take some time.

 

[megadeth]

So your answer is MORE government?

No Paul just stating they have a lot of control already over almost every facet of our lives now.

 

[JAG]

No Paul just stating they have a lot of control already over almost every facet of our lives now.

Bob,

A more true state couldn't have been brought out. It's real simple, follow the money trail. One Oil Company profits for the quarter 4.3 billion, Fed Tax 3.4 Trillion in the same quarter.

 

[none]

The global market sets the price for crude; not the US government, not the oil companies.

The oil companies that sell refined fuel here in the US make somewhere around 9 cents per gallon, and the margin is less than that of many other industries, which no one ever seems to ***** about.

10 bil may seem like an obscene profit to some. However, the margins say otherwise. Its just that the scale of the oil industry is huge; some forget that and only see that one big number.

 

[Eddie]

Everyone's bemoaning the price of gas in the U.S. It's really not that bad when you compare the average price to other countries. The US is 108th of 155 countries surveyed in April '08.

Why gas in the U.S. is so cheap - May. 1, 2008

Great point Mark. Americans are the most spoiled people on the planet. Where else could one enjoy the highest standard of living in the world, buy $1.50 doughnuts and $5 cups of coffee on the way to work, yet B*TCH that a gallon of gas costs almost a third of what it costs in some other places?

 

[Nitrohaulic]

While they're at it, they could open federal supermarkets since the price of food is raising, then federal utilities because they're raising also!

Where would they stop?

That is socialism, NO THANKS!!!

Dittos. Unless there's proof of collusion, I don't want the government involved.

I don't see credit card companies or lotteries going out of business.

 

[Nitrohaulic]

Bob,

A more true state couldn't have been brought out. It's real simple, follow the money trail. One Oil Company profits for the quarter 4.3 billion, Fed Tax 3.4 Trillion in the same quarter.

I heard somewhere years ago that when you add up all the ways, income tax when you make it, property tax when you keep it, sales tax when you buy it, and all the other licenses, tolls, etc. that we pay, about 50% of everything you make goes to the government.

I was in line to buy a tag for the $600 car I bought the other week and some of us started talking about this stuff (with the government employees getting wide eyed! LOL). I said "Can you imagine if, in the 1800s, you even SUGGESTED that the government start collecting tax on a horse each time it's sold, requiring the purchase of a license plate to hang on it's ass, required riders to purchase licenses, required liability insurance, wrote tickets for not having a strap to hold the rider on, etc?" I said the LAWYERS would have even shot you!

 

[clwill]

I heard somewhere years ago that when you add up all the ways, income tax when you make it, property tax when you keep it, sales tax when you buy it, and all the other licenses, tolls, etc. that we pay, about 50% of everything you make goes to the government.

And here again, just as with gasoline prices, we're on the low end. In much of Europe, that number is more like 75%, and in Scandinavia it is closer to 90%. But of course, in much of Scandinavia they have fully funded health care, fully funded college education, and six weeks a year of vacation to start with. But, who'd want that stuff...

 

[Nitrohaulic]

And here again, just as with gasoline prices, we're on the low end. In much of Europe, that number is more like 75%, and in Scandinavia it is closer to 90%. But of course, in much of Scandinavia they have fully funded health care, fully funded college education, and six weeks a year of vacation to start with. But, who'd want that stuff...

I agree on the lower percentages here. I spend a LOT of time touting the virtues of this country's economic system while cursing the government that seems to grow and grow.

In the early 1900s they got income tax to pass by promising that it would never go to over 2% because, as they proclaimed, that would be "sinful." That should tell anyone all they need to know about letting the government get it's toe in the door on anything.

I'll even go along with you on some social programs IF we could have a government that's fiscally responsible so that we can have a way to pay for them in the first place! That's something that neither party has been in a long time. Just give me politicians who are as fiscally conservative as 60s Democrats were.

 

[Mike]

So your answer is MORE government?

Thank you Paul. Well said.

 

[megadeth]

And here again, just as with gasoline prices, we're on the low end. In much of Europe, that number is more like 75%, and in Scandinavia it is closer to 90%. But of course, in much of Scandinavia they have fully funded health care, fully funded college education, and six weeks a year of vacation to start with. But, who'd want that stuff...

That's because in Europe 1/3 of the cost is taxes! They are taxed big time on fuel in all these countries you are talking about.

Our government gets their money by other ways through taxes.

For example; Luxury Tax, Recreational Tax and one of my favorites Gas Guzzler Tax!
The last time in this country crap like this took place we had a party didn't we!
Were the hell does Eddy come off with spoiled most of us here earned what we have it wasn't given to us!

How come the gas varies so much from state to state?

 

[megadeth]

Thank you Paul. Well said.

It was a question....

 

[Eddie]

The global market sets the price for crude; not the US government, not the oil companies.

The oil companies that sell refined fuel here in the US make somewhere around 9 cents per gallon, and the margin is less than that of many other industries, which no one ever seems to ***** about.

10 bil may seem like an obscene profit to some. However, the margins say otherwise. Its just that the scale of the oil industry is huge; some forget that and only see that one big number.

So true Steve. How come nobody BI*CHES about Walmart making a profit?

 

[Nitrohaulic]

That's because in Europe 1/3 of the cost is taxes! They are taxed big time on fuel in all these countries you are talking about.

Our government gets their money by other ways through taxes.

For example; Luxury Tax, Recreational Tax and one of my favorites Gas Guzzler Tax!
The last time in this country crap like this took place we had a party didn't we!
Were the hell does Eddy come off with spoiled most of us here earned what we have it wasn't given to us!

How come the gas varies so much from state to state?

Here's what gets me. I've seen signs on pumps in the past letting you know that 43 cents or whatever the number was what you were paying in taxes per gallon! It's the reason taxes were figured into gas already instead of having sales tax added at the register like they do everything else. In other words, they were putting it to us that badly.

Now I've heard that some states are b*tching because they're getting such a low percentage of tax since the price of gas has gone up so much. That's how the b*stards think! It's not about what they NEED. It's about whether they're getting from us what they somehow think they're ENTITLED to! How about instead, they give us some rebates for all the outrageously high screwings they already gave us for years when gas WAS only a buck or so a gallon! When half of everything we make goes to the government, how can we even HAVE a national debt? That's insane!

One example. New Jersey collects fuel tax on every gallon it sells like every other state, along with collecting tolls on the turnpike (Which I'm sure has only paid for itself thousands of times over), not to mention that you have to pay to get out of the state on almost any bridge you cross to do so. Now they want to turn I-78 and I-80 into toll roads. They want to add tolls to roads that are already paid for! WTF are they doing with the taxes they ALREADY COLLECT???

It's the same state that wanted to put a meter on my girlfriend's parents' well to charge them taxes on the water they pump out of their own ground (because, I guess, making them pay over $2,000 in property tax EVERY QUARTER to live in their own house isn't enough) because, as they tried to reason, that's not their water. It flows through their property from somewhere else! I was there the other day and her mom put some potted plants outside to catch some rain water that was falling. I was thinking "Boy, don't let the government catch you doing that because, that's water that's falling on your property from somewhere else!

If they could put meters on our mouths and charge us for the amount of air we breathe every day (Cuz, that's air that comes from somewhere else, obviously NOT ours!), they would have done it already!

The only reason all our taxes are spread out the way they are is, IMO, that there WOULD be a revolt in this country if you just took half off the top as soon as people make it.

 

[Eddie]

Were the hell does Eddy come off with spoiled most of us here earned what we have it wasn't given to us!

Truth hurts like hell, doesn't it Bob? I never said or even implied that, at least most of us, haven't earned what we have. What I said was: AMERICANS ARE SPOILED!! I stand by that statement.

Why is it that so many of you feel that you're ENTITLED to cheap gas? If the price of gas dropped tommorrow to $3/gal., you'd be happy for a while....but, before long, you'd start Bi*ching again that it was too much and you'd be screaming for govt. action so you could get $2/gal. gas. SPOILED!!

In this thread, as in others about gas prices, the prevailing theme is that gas prices are too high and that the govt. should do something about it. NO WHERE, I repeat, NO WHERE have I seen anyone suggest that you change your habits. Hell no!! We're ENTITLED to hop in our cars and go where we want to go, when we want to, and BY GOD, it ought to be cheap!! Don't you dare suggest to me that I change my habits and not drive as much or buy a more fuel efficient car. How dare you suggest that I walk, ride a bike, ride a bus, or just stay home!! I'm an American, and I'm entitled to what I want, when I want it!! And, it's the Government's JOB to make sure I get it!!!

Some of you people crack me up.

 

[Nitrohaulic]

If someone says we're spoiled compared to other places, what I really hear is "You're not getting screwed NEARLY as badly as the rest of the world is so, you should appreciate your position!"

It's still a bent over position.

 

[Eddie]

If someone says we're spoiled compared to other places, what I really hear is "You're not getting screwed NEARLY as badly as the rest of the world is so, you should appreciate your position!"

It's still a bent over position.

If you're talking about getting screwed tax-wise, I agree. And, it's going to continue as long as we keep sending the same people back to congress every two years.

When I say "Spoiled" though, I'm talking about those people who don't give a second thought to spending $5 for a cup of 'mocha-java frappa whipped beverage' at some drive through; or $1.25 for a little 20 ounce bottle of 'spring water' ($8/gal for WATER!!), and yet complain about the price of gas. Just doesn't make sense to me, and it still cracks me up.

 

[Mike]

Eddie, if the goverment would stay out of business and let the market control the price gas would probably be a lot cheaper than it is now. Oh but wait, GAS TAX! Calif has taken in a extra 2 BILLION this year alone because of the increase in the price of gas. Because of the goverment spendfest with our dollars we still have a budget shortfall.

 

[Eddie]

Eddie, if the goverment would stay out of business and let the market control the price gas would probably be a lot cheaper than it is now. Oh but wait, GAS TAX! Calif has taken in a extra 2 BILLION this year alone because of the increase in the price of gas. Because of the goverment spendfest with our dollars we still have a budget shortfall.

Or, as some apparently want, the government could just take over and become our supplier of gas and then it'd be $6.50/gal. THAT would be sure to make everybody happy.