Gas Price.....Too High?
 

On Thu, 04 May 2006 04:43:09 GMT, "Maxprop"
wrote:


"Dave" wrote in message
.. .
On Wed, 03 May 2006 18:09:31 -0500, Frank Boettcher

said:

So what exactly is an UN_GODLY profit. I know what a hellacious loss
is. I lived through that.

Frank, in the lexicon of the left an Ungodly profit is any profit that
goes
to anything other than the speaker's favorite cause. Businesses aren't
supposed to earn profits they're supposed to do good deeds.

Since I'm not left-leaning, I guess my personal lexicon doesn't include
terms such as UN_GODLY profits, but it does include *price-gouging.* Profit
is hardly a dirty word, but when dealing with commodities that are literally
necessities for life and living, profits that substantially exceed the usual
and customary percentage of gross receipts can logically be thought to
result from price-gouging. Katrina was given as the substantive reason for
raising prices last year. Ostensibly the hurricane stemmed the flow of
crude from offshore rigs, it shut down a refinery or two temporarily, and it
made distribution complicated, at least in the southern tier of states. The
oil companies responded by raising prices to help control supply, which was
a prudent action. But those prices never fell back to pre-Katrina levels
following the relative normalization of the issues mentioned above. Rather
they continued to rise. Other reasons, some arcane and inexplicable, were
given by Big Oil for the continued increase in prices, but most people tend
to disbelieve them. My personal belief is that Big Oil has continued to
raise pump prices mostly because they can do so with impunity, thanks to
friendly faces in the government. I also believe the Bush Administration is
supporting Big Oil in this move in order to help gain acceptance for
drilling in ANWR.

For whatever reason, and despite a public outcry of "foul play" and
exorbitant profits, they continue to gouge the public's collective pocket
book in order to maximize the bottom line. Under the current governmental
situation, I honestly believe that Big Oil could raise the price of gasoline
to over $5 per gallon with equal impunity, if not public acceptance.

If we all didn't require gasoline as an intrinsic part of our lives, we'd
quit buying it and prices would fall as demand would be outstripped by
supply. But we don't have a choice. We must have fuels. And when the
producers of fuels are earning profits far beyond the normal percentage of
their gross receipts, the process is flawed.

Max


Products from oil were as much a necessity in the eighties as they are
today. I didn't hear anyone raising the issue of what might happen in
the future if something wasn't done to stop the tremendous
consolidation that was taking place and the mass panic exodus of
talent from the Industry.

Health and wellness is a much more important commodity. In the
Forties the average doctor made about twice what the average worker
made and was considered well paid. Today the average doctor makes
approximately five times and much and many specialists make 15-20
times. In an industry that controls supply side by the number of
available seats in Medical schools which is way out of proportion to
the talent available. And that has been going on most of my life. As
a pre-65 forced retiree I spend five times as much for health care as
gasoline. And I'm healthy. And I don't hear very much about that.
But let gasoline go up and the cry begins. Mostly from people driving
urban assault vehicles and throwing their plastic (oil) disposable
junk out the window. And lining up at WalMart to get that cheap
chinese stuff, which is the primary reason for the world market in
energy going through the roof.

I just wish I was still in the industry so that I could "benefit" from
the "price gouging" I certainly did my time with pay freezes and cuts
and layoffs, stock depreciation and dividend suspension, in the hard
times.

You either believe in free enterprise or you don't.

Frank

Gas Price.....Too High?
 

Maxprop wrote:
ly is no competition in petroleum production-distribution these
days. It is highly monopolistic, and they can charge whatever they wish.
And they are doing so, using any available reason to "justify" their price
gouging. Current oil company profits are waaaay beyond their usual and
customary percentage of gross receipts.

The Chief Excutive of Exxon Mobil, Lee Raymond will retire this year,
he's going to have a hard time making ends meet, his parachute is only
about half a billion, someone's got to pay for it.

Cheers
Marty

Gas Price.....Too High?
 

Google is now key to many peoples livelyhood. It's a great tool.

I use more google than gas to make a living.

Capt. Suzy
35s5
NY

Gas Price.....Too High?
 

The Chief Excutive of Exxon Mobil, Lee Raymond will retire this year,
he's going to have a hard time making ends meet, his parachute is only
about half a billion, someone's got to pay for it.

Cheers
Marty


He worked for it...he dedicated his life to the company, and he was
smart enough to make them pay for that service.

Why do you have a problem with a smart hard working man leverging his
career to the max ?

Do you think a company is going to do it for him?
Do you think they do it for every slouch with the company?

The days of a golden watch, 30 yrs with the same company... and a nice
cush retirements are OVER!

Capt. Suzy
35s5
NY

Gas Price.....Too High?
 

It's about time to.

Houston and other key oil states are long overdue.

Oil is a boom or bust cycle that runs in 10-15 year cycles.
So don't expect a break for another 9-12 years.

Have you priced carpet lately? Paint thinner? Resin? Raw plastic? Any
petro based product?

Oil exploration is going deep water now, thats going to cost MUCHO
money and require major investments in equipment, and the services of
our mariners will be in high demand, the bars will be rich.

It's boom time again! Get with the program.

Capt. Suzy
35s5
NY

Gas Price.....Too High?
 

Frank said
You either believe in free enterprise or you don't.



BRAVO!!!!! well said Frank!

Capt. Suzy
35s5
NY

Gas Price.....Too High?
 

Max,

Sorry about lumping you in with the group as I did. Frustration I guess.
Sorry.

http://community.webtv.net/tassail/ThomPage

Gas Price.....Too High?
 

OzOne wrote:
On 4 May 2006 09:41:02 -0500, Dave scribbled
thusly:

On Thu, 04 May 2006 04:43:09 GMT, "Maxprop" said:

If we all didn't require gasoline as an intrinsic part of our lives, we'd
quit buying it and prices would fall as demand would be outstripped by
supply. But we don't have a choice. We must have fuels. And when the
producers of fuels are earning profits far beyond the normal percentage of
their gross receipts, the process is flawed.
Such appalling economic ignorance!!

So please explain the process of supply and demand driving up prices.

Does it actually two or three times more to produce a gallon of petrol
when there is a high demand?

We have bananas at $11.00/kg here because a cyclone wiped out a huge
portion of our growing area.
Can you explain why it cost more to grow a banana in the unaffected
areas now?


Oz1...of the 3 twins.

I welcome you to crackerbox palace,We've been expecting you.

Gee...we could export some to you. I paid 49 cents a pound earlier
this week at the grocer's.

Gas Price.....Too High?
 

Ozone wrote
Oh yeah.
So you contend that when there is demand for a product
then production
cost rise so the producer is making less.

In my case above, the bananas that were originally sold at
about
$1.20/kilo are now being sold at $11/kilo.
Growers and distributors are making an extra $9.80/kilo.
There is no rise in any cost involved....it's called
profiteering!


well, monkey boy, no one is forcing you to buy bananas.

SV

Gas Price.....Too High?
 

"Frank Boettcher" wrote in message
...

Today the average doctor makes
approximately five times and much and many specialists make 15-20
times.

Where have you been, Frank? 15-20x? Hardly. Nearly all medical
reimbursement to physicians is now third party, and the rates of
reimbursement have been cut dramatically. Whereas a cardiologist could
reasonably presume to earn in excess of $500K per year in the mid-90s, today
they are lucky to clear $200K before taxes on average. Top-notch surgeons
used to earn well over a million per year, but work harder now, do more
surgeries and make half that or less. There are a few physicians in
private-pay only settings who still make the megabucks, but they are few and
far between.

In an industry that controls supply side by the number of
available seats in Medical schools which is way out of proportion to
the talent available.

Really? Have you chatted with emerging med school grads these days? My
recommendation to you is that you'd be well-advised to stay very healthy in
your later years. Entrusting your life to some of these new physicians
would seem riskier than skydiving. Medicine doesn't pay nearly as well as
it used to, ergo the top-notch students don't apply to the schools in the
percentage they used to. They now go into computer-related and finance
fields, where the money is. I was one of 69 optometry students chosen from
a field of nearly 1000 qualified applicants in 1980. Today the entering
class at my school is 60 students drawn from roughly 450 qualified
applicants. Med schools take about 250 students annually from a field of
roughly 1500 applicants, but of the 1250 who don't get into one school,
about 70% of them get into another school. You've implied that the supply
side of medical doctors is controlled ostensibly to keep earning high for
those in the profession. What would you propose? Would you take all of the
qualified applicants in order to spread the money around? And what would
the result of that move be? My best guess is that fewer and fewer qualified
applicants would show up each year. Money and prestige are and always have
been the primary driving force behind the interest in medicine, but are
becoming mitigated more and more each year. Stay healthy.

And that has been going on most of my life. As
a pre-65 forced retiree I spend five times as much for health care as
gasoline. And I'm healthy. And I don't hear very much about that.

Do you really believe physicians' fees are responsible for the high cost of
medical care? If so, you'd better do some research. Dr. fees are only a
small part of the equation. Hospital costs are a far larger percentage, and
profits to health care insurers is an equally-large percentage. And the
cost of absorbing the expense of hosptial and medical care for the
uninsured, impoverished masses may just be the largest percentage. In any
discussion of illegal immigration, this factor must be considered, because
it's significant. My wife had an undocumented Mexican patient on her floor
at the hospital who required extensive care and treatment for a period of 6
weeks. After incurring an unpaid and unreimbursed (by the gov't.) bill in
excess of $1million, the hospital wanted to dismiss the patient to long-term
care, but no one would take her. So the hospital covered the cost of
putting the woman on a private jet and flying her to Mexico City, where she
was turned over to Mexican authorities for extended care. My guess is that
they let her die.

But let gasoline go up and the cry begins. Mostly from people driving
urban assault vehicles and throwing their plastic (oil) disposable
junk out the window. And lining up at WalMart to get that cheap
chinese stuff, which is the primary reason for the world market in
energy going through the roof.

Yup. Do you advocate paying more for inferior, more costly domestic goods?
Do you think you'll find anyone standing in line behind you in that
philosophy?

Max