Y2KPSD said:
Stroker,
Sorry, but I don't agree with you either. I don't want government regulation of anything. But fuel oil is a necessity, cheerios, or tennis shoes and football tickets and not. The oil companies are holding the American people hostage and someone should find out what the hell is going on.
theshyguy says, "The reason our(Americans) gas is so high is because the lack of refineries. We keep shutting em down but never replace them, therefore limiting the amount of gasoline and diesel we can make".
Whose we? The oil companies! That's who! They're playing games with us. And all the boys in Washington are in bed with them so they don't have to worry about anything. They have a monopoly going on and they're putting the squeeze on the American public. "Therefore limiting the amount of gasoline and diesel we can make", that kinda puts it in a nut shell right there!
Reduce our consumption? We're not talking about just diesel fuel here. Have you ever been to Las Vegas? Then you've seen the lights at night? Talk about a waste of energy! That's only a drop in the bucket and you and I are supposed to start driving fuel efficient cars and trucks to conserve energy! You are correct about reducing our consumption and there will always be those who abuse the system and refuse to conserve on anything. So what's the answer? I just can't stand around and let the greedy oil companies gouge me to death all the while making record profits.
Well, I'm done venting. Thanks for listening. And of course this is only my opinion so I hope it doesn't ruffle anyone's feathers.
Y2KPSD
Gar,
Its ok, we can disagree on things here.
As far as fuel oil being a necessity and the other I listed not being, dont get hung up on what I listed. They were just examples of free enterprise and capitalism. Govt regulations have no business anywhere in that sector (as far as price fixing).
I might be considered just a bit biased since I work in the oil and gas industry, but I can also offer a unique perspective from the inside. From where I sit in my corporation (which is damn low on the totem pole) I dont see oil companies holding the American citizen hostage. We have environmental regulations out the whazoo to comply with. The fuel we produce has to meet increasingly stringent EPA demands that adds to our refining costs. When old refineries get shut down in the US the oil company decides not to rebuild a new one due to the exorbinant cost to build a plant that can operate within todays emissions guidelines and put out the fuels that meet todays requirements. Especially at risk in this game are the independent producers (your mom and pop refiners of years ago), they simply dont have the capital to play in todays game, so they get bought up by your Chevrons, your BP's, your Shell's etc etc. The old worn out refinery gets shut in and mothballed, the workers get laid off and the crude oil that used to supply that refinery goes to another refinery that has been retro-fitted to comply with the EPA regs.
I wont comment on Washington cronies being in bed with anybody, thats business and politics and thats how it has always been. Been to the doctor lately and had a perscription written? Talk about highway robbery.
And your quote that I highlighted in red is the sum total of all of it. Until we as a nation recognize how disgustingly wasteful we have become on nearly every aspect of our lives how can you blame an oil company for wanting their piece of the pie too? Just as soon as the fountains get shut off in Vegas, and the Big Mac goes by the wayside and every driveway having two (or three or four) BRAND NEW cars in the driveway of a home that you know damn good and well has a $300K mortgage on it realize how wasteful they (we) are being is when things might begin to straighten out again. But if everybody can afford to pay for all those things (and they can or else those things would not exist) then I guess folks can afford $2.50 to $3.00 per gallon too.
Everything you have just read is JMVHO. Not at all intended to **** anybody off, but maybe just maybe spur some thought.