Re: OT: Politics [Was:Social Contract]

"Roberto C. Sanchez" <roberto@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> writes:

Matthias Julius wrote:

- they are selling more than before
- it is costing *more* to get the oil out of the ground


I doubt this cost has gone up 50% in the last year.

So what? It is a free market. If there is more demand, then they can
charge more. Ever try to get a hotel room in a city while the Olympic
Games were in town? They are *ultra* expensive. Should congress
investigate Atlanta and Salt Lake City for allowing that to happen? NO!
Keep the supply fixed and increase the demand -> higher prices. I am
stunned that so few people understand this.

I understand. I was just replying to your statement above.



- we give them tax breaks because we want the companies to keep as much
of their business within our borders as possible


One could also penalize the import of foreign oil.

???

It is obvious that you do not understand economics. Tarrifs benefit
*noone*, except for the entrenched local base. They hurt customers more
than anything else. Seriously, you complain about gas prices and then
say we should put an additional tax on foreign oil? Don't you think
that will raise proces.

Yes they will. Unlike tax breaks that won't lower prices. They tend
to get silently ignored by the sales people.

Well, of course, a business is all about maximizing profits. This is
the way it is and I don't want to condemn any company for trying do
that (not even Microsoft). The question is whether they need special
help for that.

That's true. I hate corporate welfare with passion. If the government
needs to give a company an incentive to operate here rather than
somewhere cheaper (i.e., a foreign country), then that is fine. But
tarrifs are a no go for me, as are unnecessary incentives.

I think, here the reasons for wanting them to operate here are mostly
not economical. But, that's fine.

Matthias


--
To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to debian-user-REQUEST@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
with a subject of "unsubscribe". Trouble? Contact listmaster@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Relevant Pages

  • Thailand Crisis oct27
    ... Politics, Economy, Insurgency: Crisis Times in Thailand ... the government blocks some retail prices? ... Meanwhile, PPT, the oil company, is proud to announce that they won?t increase ... ?Consumption is recovering, as revealed by ...
    (soc.culture.thai)
  • American Energy Policy, Asleep at the Spigot
    ... American Energy Policy, Asleep at the Spigot ... JUST three years ago, with oil trading at a seemingly frothy $66 a barrel, David J. O’Reilly made what many experts considered a risky bet. ... As gasoline prices climb beyond $4 a gallon, Americans are rethinking what they drive and how and where they live. ... Nearly 70 percent of the 21 million barrels of oil the United States consumes every day goes for transportation, with the bulk of that burned by individual drivers, according to the National Commission on Energy Policy, a bipartisan research group that advises Congress. ...
    (soc.retirement)
  • OT - Fuel Prices
    ... The staggering increase in gasoline prices is taking an enormous toll ... stockpile and giving oil companies more time to pay back previous loans ... While the oil companies and their apologists in Washington have blamed ... develop alternative safe and sustainable sources of energy. ...
    (alt.sports.basketball.nba.la-lakers)
  • Re: (OT) $100 oil!?! Who wins?
    ... Who benefits and suffers from record-high crude isn't always so ... SAN FRANCISCO -- As crude-oil prices continue their ... a load of heating oil for that cranky furnace in the basement. ... at Exxon Mobil (XOM: news) and Chevron ...
    (rec.sport.pro-wrestling)
  • (OT) $100 oil!?! Who wins?
    ... With nationwide gasoline prices are averaging more than $3 for a gallon of regular unleaded, there's not a lot of public sympathy for the plight of Big Oil. ... Sifting through the industry's third-quarter scorecards shows nearly all of them saw profits pinched by the rising cost of crude. ... That's been the case almost across the board since the summer, at Exxon Mobil (XOM: news) and Chevron and right on down the line. ...
    (rec.sport.pro-wrestling)