Same old spiel that nobody is buying. Got anything new? Really! You are completely incapable of staying on topic or answering a friggin' question. "price fixing is a term used by socialists." Try proving this one absurd statement. Good luck.
worrying about price fixing is an unsophisticated view taken by people and politicians who dont know what they are talking about, very similar to price gouging or enforced minimum wage. a ststement that general doesnt need to be proven. when people want to control the economy, they make these sorts of claims about the free marke, that it isnt free, that corporations are engaging in trickery and price fixing. they do not understand that everything is ok as long as everyone involved has the choice to enter or not enter into contracts and transactions. in order to grow the size of government, people like you have to convince everyone that we are slaves to coporations, that we have no power at all, we are the victims. that isnt true. you say i will not answer questions, but i do. i have questions for you: is america addicted to cheap oil? is cheap oil a necessity that we cannot function without? if so, is this addiction bad for the environment? would higher priced oil be better for the ennvironment? when someone is addicted to something, who is responsible for curing that addiction? this same lie is perpetuated in many way. a friend of mine works for a major tobacco company. she is constantly dealing with the government punishing her company for the acts of individuals. the misplacing of responsibility from individuals to corporations and the collective in this country is absurd. addicted to oil? punish the seller. addicted to smoking? punish the seller. never any responsibility placed on the shoulders of individuals, never anyone willing to blame the person who has the problem. the curious thing to me red, is that you are smart enough to be in a position where you can get by without alot of oil consumption. you say you live near most things you need, and your commute is short. why do you find it necessary to worry about everyone else so much? why don't you just expect others to be have the foresight you have? but to return my original point, price fixing (the kind that is actually pushing prices above free market rates) cannot be accomplished without the application of force, either by the government or some other group with guns, like the mafia. this is the kind of thing that milton friedman would tell you, if he were alive, but would be opposed by ignorant politicians and liberals, trying to justify the growth of the government.
Vague, unsupported non-answer. NO. It is not that they do not understand, it is that they do not agree with your supposition. Yes. Yes. Obviously. But that is beside the question of oil company profiteering. The environment doesn't care what oil costs. It only cares that less oil be burned. These increased gasoline profits have not reduced consumption, only lined the pockets of Big Oil. The nation is addicted and it requires a total national effort--the citizens, the government, and the corporations. Unfortunately many oil companies are multi-national with no reason to be concerned with US national interests. I'm not as egocentric and self-serving as you are. I realize that I can be impacted by the problems of others. Maintaining my staff could become difficult, the costs of the things I buy will become more expensive, and a thousand other ripple effects. We all have to be concerned. We have a responsibility as citizens to not only be prudent in how we personally handle shortages, but also we must collectively be prudent and this requires that demands be made of government and industry as well as other individuals. I'm not referring to government price fixing, but practices to fix prices by the producers.
incorrect. oil prices clearly and directly affect the environment. cheap oil has financed a whole new american lifestyle, urban sprawl, suburbanization. you know this but you canot admit it, because you also have other plans to control us with environmental regulations. you say that as if there is something inherently bad or wrong about the oil companies making money. yes, the whole community should be involved. lets do it together. we can all communaly fix your invented problem. we need everybody to help. from each according to their ability, to each according to their needs. yes, commander. for the whole. individuals must sacrifice for the whole. liberty is for losers. that gave me a chuckle. you chastise me for being self serving, then you point out that you are concerned about others because their problems might affect you. you can only speak for red. there is no "we" what "we" must do is up to us, not red. when you speak this way it is because you want to justify controlling others. you an conserve if you like. but the rest of us may not think like you. we may care about the environment enough that we want oil prices to rise. you arent listening. producers can fix prices all they want, but only people with guns can make you buy. sellers determining prices in order to maximize profit is a normal part of the market. this is basic economics. the market consists of the buys and the seller. should consumers be arrested if they boycott a product that is too expensive? by your logic they should, because they are colluding. until you grasp the difference between voluntary exchange and government-forced manipulation of the market, you arent gonna grok what i am saying.
Whether we like it or not, gas is a necessity. If it wasn't, I could see your point. But it is and as such, if big oil companies are colluding to drive and keep the prices up, then that is not a free market. Plain and simple. Are we free not to purchase it? Yes and no. Yes, we're free not to purchase it, but the repercussions of that decision may not be worth it because a large number of people need gas to sustain their livelihoods and public/alternative modes of transportation are not an option in rural areas and smaller cities. If the big oil companies are not in collusion and this is a simple case of supply versus demand, then I have no beef. But I have a hard time believing it's not based on the record profits big oil keeps posting.
It's natural for their profits to soar when the commodity price soars. Think about it, it costs them X to produce and refine oil at $20. Price of oil goes up to $50 but their cost remains basically the same. The difference is pure profit to them. It's no different for any company whose product involves a commodity. Look at all the mineral companies and the profits they've enjoyed the last couple of years. Of course, the consumer pays for it at the counter. See copper wire as an example. Now, we can argue if they are colluding to keep oil/gas prices up, but nobody has presented any credible evidence. Just a bunch of accusations at this point. It's no fun paying these prices, that's for sure. The question is what can we do about it.
If the price per barrel goes up, then I'm sure their costs go up because they're paying more for it, right?
Exactly. It's called a windfall profit. They didn't really do anything to earn it. Their costs did not go up, they passed along increased crude price to the consumer and added huge profits based on higher gasoline prices. If their profit margin were based on gallons sold, like taxes are and their expenses are, I would have no problem. But its based on the price per gallon. Moreover, when crude prices went down, gasoline price did not follow and now have gone up! They've come to enjoy those windfall profits and aren't about to give them up. Not with an oil man in the White House. They have zero incentive to reduce gas prices. They make vast profits that aren't based on their costs and that money comes from us, the consumers.
