Matt Smith Now Unsponsored

[mick]

when the first Bush became president oil was $25-$30; although one
politician can not control the price of worldwide oil, one man and his
business affiliations combined with foreign policy can certainly move
the price (inline with chris cook's comments).
if i've learned one thing in the last 20-30 years; chaos in the middle east
has never lead to lower oil prices and do not think this chaos is
not orchestrated; much less our protection of saudi arabia and the Saud family
friend is currently reading 'The Family: The Real Story of the Bush Dynasty';
can't wait to buy/read it; put's together a lot of pieces how this world
is really run.

 

[Jim]

Jim, facts? Seriously?

Go back and take a look. The current deregulation has its roots in the deregulation of the transportation industries, beginning in the Eisenhower Administration to help maintain the railroad industry. Deregulation continued during the Johnson and Nixon administrations, as the government began to deregulate the trucking and airline industries, in addition to continuing to deregulate the railroad industry. The airline industry was deregulated further during the Carter administration. Add in deregulation of the utilities industry and you have a significant growth in demand for oil in this country, not counting growth in the rest of the world, such as China, that has brought increased demand for oil worldwide.

In 1971, Nixon imposed price controls on oil products (and other products) to cap annual inflation at 4%. There were arguments about oil price deregulation during the Ford Administration:

Ford and Deregulation

Jimmy Carter on deregulating oil:

Jimmy Carter

You also have to remember that the rise of OPEC and the first big hike in gas prices came in the mid 1970s, and again in 1979-80. No one who was driving in those days will forget odd-even gas rationing.

Now add to all of that the growth of oil as a commodity on the futures market and it is easy to see that the current price of oil has far more causes than the act of one president in the 1990s.

Jim

 

[clwill]

OK folks, time for a little restraint. This thread has taken the inevitable turn from the tale of a sponsor's pull-back, through the village of questioning of the sponsor's motives, down through the valley of xenophobic anti-arab sentiments, past the house of oil price blame, and is now circling the political drain. Let's turn this back into a discussion about sponsorship and drag racing, or maybe it should just be a closed thread.

 

[mw6789]

It is price fixing ... but OPEC isn't the driving factor any longer. Wall Street got involved with oil futures, petroleum based derivatives and petroleum based hedge funds and the like. Basically Wall St. bought up all the oil commodities and futures in the $20/per barrel range, held, sold and resold and drove the prices up. OPEC, in turn, increased production in an attempt to flood the market and bring prices down, but the Wall St. speculators just rode the wave up and up and up creating the opposite affects OPEC intended (not unlike Wall St did with mortgages). The price we pay at the pump is more based on complex formulas the oil companies use. If oil is selling for $120 barrel, the de facto costs of refining and transporting the finished product (gasoline) increases proportionally, thus the price at the pump increases proportionally. As bizarre as it sounds, lower cost per barrel is better for everyone (not just the consumer) EXCEPT those slimeballs in lower Manhattan.

Much like our dependence on petroleum, our unchecked corporate greed is our own dammed fault.

I am also sorry for going off topic.

Best post on here. Spend a little time researching the topic, and you will find this gentleman is right. Also Kepner's comments which are posted in an earlier link in this thread are well worth reading and explain away the "sky is falling" theory.

 

[vegasnitro]

OK folks, time for a little restraint. This thread has taken the inevitable turn from the tale of a sponsor's pull-back, through the village of questioning of the sponsor's motives, down through the valley of xenophobic anti-arab sentiments, past the house of oil price blame, and is now circling the political drain. Let's turn this back into a discussion about sponsorship and drag racing, or maybe it should just be a closed thread.

At least I apologized for going off-topic.

My whole point about Wall Street was to counter the narrow, xenophobic comments earlier in the thread. It is always easier to blame someone else for the problem than to look within.

As for drag racing and sponsorships ... this is the second time in 5 years someone came in and splashed a bunch of money around ... then left some folks out in the cold. Not much to say other than "get it in writing". Handshakes don't mean squat, it doesn't matter who you are dealing with.

 

[Toejam]

OK folks, time for a little restraint. This thread has taken the inevitable turn from the tale of a sponsor's pull-back, through the village of questioning of the sponsor's motives, down through the valley of xenophobic anti-arab sentiments, past the house of oil price blame, and is now circling the political drain. Let's turn this back into a discussion about sponsorship and drag racing, or maybe it should just be a closed thread.

Anti Arab setiments????

 

[none]

I think anyone that uses the term "xenophobic" on a post on Nitromater should have their mouth washed out with soap............

 

[Paul]

. . . down through the valley of xenophobic anti-arab sentiments . . .

You guys are way too quick to throw down the racism card. I re-read this thread and I didn't see any criticism based on anyones race, purely just of their commitment and business tactics.

My concern about this source of funding both in this thread and previous ones has always been their level of long term commitment and whether this kind of funding would be good for the sport, not the color of their skin. The colors been fine, commitment, not so much.

 

[Shaggy]

Isnt the Sheiks money from natural gas and not oil anyways?

 

[Rajunz]

I think anyone that uses the term "xenophobic" on a post on Nitromater should have their mouth washed out with soap............

I've never even heard of that word until now...........

Xenophobia - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[HEMI6point1]

You guys are way too quick to throw down the racism card. I re-read this thread and I didn't see any criticism based on anyones race, purely just of their commitment and business tactics..

Arab isn't a race, so you can't say one was "racist." Just sayin.'

 

[Randy]

Arab isn't a race, so you can't say one was "racist." Just sayin.'

Unfortunately there is a segment of the population that has deemed themselves the authority to decide when it's time to use the race card. And in the last few years they've used several decks of them.

 

[clwill]

You guys are way too quick to throw down the racism card. I re-read this thread and I didn't see any criticism based on anyones race, purely just of their commitment and business tactics.

Of course you're right. I've read so many posts on so many forums on this topic that have been so vile, I read things into the posts here that weren't there. They danced around the edges, but nothing here met my description. I apologize.

 

[clwill]

I've never even heard of that word until now...........

Xenophobia - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

And it's a great word. Very useful these days, unfortunately.

 

[clwill]

Unfortunately there is a segment of the population that has deemed themselves the authority to decide when it's time to use the race card. And in the last few years they've used several decks of them.

I never used the word race, or implied racism. I used, and meant, xenophobia.

 

[Paul]

. . . xenophobic anti-arab sentiments . . . Let's turn this back into a discussion about sponsorship and drag racing, or maybe it should just be a closed thread.

xenophobia - hatred or fear of foreigners or strangers or of their politics or culture

I believe the criticisms in the posts were all relating to the Al-Anabi's sponsorship commitment and business practices. I don't see any statements in any of the posts that are based on "fear or hatred" of "politics or culture".

Claiming that the posts were both "xenophobic" and "anti-arab" is pretty strongly stating that you feel the statements had a racial component, but they didn't.

Chris, don't go too PC on us please, using a misdiagnosis of a xenophobic or racial bias as a reason to jump to shutting the thread down is not so healthy to open discussions. But unfortunately it seems to be the way the world is going these days.

 

[Treeshaker]

How can anyone question the man's business ethics? He has brought a lot of money into the sport of drag racing. Some long term, some medium and some short (race to race). If it all stopped today, you just say thanks for the help and if we can ever work together in the future, great.

Many act as if once a name goes on a car they are indebted to the team forever. Life, and drag racing, doesn't work that way. Many teams have one race deals, and if you need a contract, the person on the other side isn't worth the time it takes to write it down.

Just an old man's opinion.

 

[clwill]

Chris, don't go too PC on us please, using a misdiagnosis of a xenophobic or racial bias as a reason to jump to shutting the thread down is not so healthy to open discussions. But unfortunately it seems to be the way the world is going these days.

I already said I was mistaken and apologized to you Paul.

 

[Mr. Fix It]

If it all stopped today, you just say thanks for the help and if we can ever work together in the future, great.

Absolutely true! Thanks for the reminder. I'd be happy with any sponsorship.

 

[Wayne]

Unfortunately there is a segment of the population that has deemed themselves the authority to decide when it's time to use the race card. And in the last few years they've used several decks of them.

+1320
Very true Randy!!!
Sad But True!!!