Gas soars; voters whine; oil profits boom; politicians pander
From the Wall Street Journal (subsc. req.):
Booming crude-oil prices and improved refining profits are poised to put a firecracker under Big Oil’s first-quarter earnings and set the stage for a year that could come close to rivaling the industry’s record year in 2008.
First-quarter crude prices averaged about $100 a barrel, or about 20% higher than a year ago, pushed upward by oil-supply concerns due to political unrest in the Arab World and a recovering global economy. That spike is expected to lift earnings by about 50% at Exxon Mobil Corp., and about 33% each at Chevron Corp. and ConocoPhillips, compared with a year earlier….
“Major oil companies are firing on all cylinders,” says Fadel Gheit, an analyst with Oppenheimer & Co. “Their first-quarter earnings are going to be much, much better than a year ago.”
If oil prices continue to climb, they could at least rival 2008. That year, U.S. producers reported astronomic profits as crude hit $147 a barrel for a time. Exxon that year earned $45.2 billion, more than any other U.S. publicly traded company in history.
And of course, those numbers don’t become any easier to swallow when you consider the $4 billion in subsidies that the American taxpayer coughs up each year on behalf of Big Oil. Efforts in Congress to eliminate those subsidies have failed because Republicans have cast the reform as a tax hike. So even in the midst of a deficit panic, government is required to keep on subsidizing one of the most profitable industries on the planet, a practice defended by the party that proclaims itself the champion of the free market.
Intellectually, the current situation is not that complicated. People are demanding more oil than the market can supply — an economic recovery is boosting consumption at the same time that disruptions in the Arab world threaten oil output. So the price is jumping.
However, that market-driven fact of life is hard for people to accept. With the price of gasoline approaching $4 a gallon — close to the record average of $4.11 in 2008 — consumers don’t want an explanation, they want a solution. And politicians in turn are motivated to give them one, or at least the illusion of one.
Republicans, for example, want to cast government, and more specifically the Obama administration, as the villain. They propose that the federal government drop environmental restrictions and open additional areas to oil exploration and production, suggesting that such steps will lower the price at the pump. But among energy experts, there’s really no debate. Even if we removed all environmental restrictions on domestic oil production — and last summer’s Deepwater Horizon tragedy in the Gulf suggests such a step would come with a heavy price — the amount of additional oil that could be produced in the United States would be too small to move the global market, where the price of oil is set. We may not like to acknowledge that fact — it drives home our relative helplessness — but it remains fact nonetheless.
(And of course, every additional barrel of oil pumped from beneath American territory today makes us even more dependent on foreign oil tomorrow.)
For his part, President Obama is following the futile course set by his predecessor. Last week, he announced a federal investigation into the role of speculation in driving up oil prices, just as President George W. Bush did in 2005 and 2006. Those investigations turned up little or nothing, as will this one. But politically, it gives Obama an alternative villain to whom he can point, which in his situation is important.
The uncomfortable truth is that because the need for oil is so ingrained in our economy and lifestyles, oil prices have to move a lot in order to produce even a slight decrease in demand. They have to rise high enough to make it hurt before people will curtail consumption.
So … are you hurting yet?
– Jay Bookman
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824 comments Add your comment
BADA BING
April 25th, 2011
1:35 pm
Monday Mumblings…..If you have eaten at Hosea’s Feed the Hungry dinners at Easter and Thanksgiving for, say 5 years, it might be time to re-examine your life choices.
getalife
April 25th, 2011
1:36 pm
Again, cons.
Stop attacking our vets.
What is wrong with you?
Where are scout and del to pile on?
Normal
April 25th, 2011
1:36 pm
Harry Callahan
April 25th, 2011
1:35 pm
Cheap shot Harry, and wrong. I was talking about you. Clear enough?
Harry Callahan
April 25th, 2011
1:36 pm
“harry
Al gore did serve in the army and went to vietnam, where was george in alabama?”
My bad. I’m not an expert on liberal politicians and their military careers.
jm
April 25th, 2011
1:37 pm
AngryRed 1:24 – there is gobs of truth in what you say. The antiquated stop light control systems in this city and country are beyond absurd. Sandy Springs is ahead of everyone else, but still pretty rudimentary. They’ve cut trip travel times on roswell from 285 to abernathy by 50%.
Think what would happen if Atlanta got up to speed…..
Bosch
April 25th, 2011
1:37 pm
Hi blog peeps, late to the game today. In regards to oil subsidies — I’ve never had a problem with that, even with their record profits — the reason you might ask?
From what I’ve read, they are the leaders in working on alternative fuels and technology, which is good considering they are probably the best equipped to do so.
Paul
April 25th, 2011
1:38 pm
afternoon, poison pen
“how in the Hell can you equate Illegals with going over the speed limit. DUH!”
Simple. The only comeback many here have, not matter what they are presented with, is “it is illegal. They are breaking the law.”
So, if their absolute standard of what is right and wrong is “they’re breaking the law” then they cannot put themselves in the position of deciding what laws they can keep and which laws they can violate.
Or do you think it’s okay to break some laws and not another? If you do, then it doesn’t really matter, but you shouldn’t use ‘it’s the law’ as a bludgeon regarding illegals.
Harry Callahan
April 25th, 2011
1:38 pm
“Cheap shot Harry, and wrong. I was talking about you. Clear enough?”
I’m not angry at all, certainly not at anything said or written by anonymous bloggers, but you are certainly entitled to your opinion.
By the way, you seem very angry with me.
Thulsa Doom on those evil ole oil companies
April 25th, 2011
1:38 pm
Leave it to MPercy to come through with something that makes all the sense in the world. Hard to argue against this point.
Still, when government at all levels is garnering more than 5x in “profit” than the oil company does, it hardly seems right to rail against a profit margin of 7-8% as “obscene”, “excessive” or “out-of-line”.-MPercy
UGA1999
April 25th, 2011
1:38 pm
Getalife….did you support the service of W?
joe
April 25th, 2011
1:38 pm
And what does Obama do about it…he authorizes a task force to look into it…heck a second grader can tell you why…Obama shuts off drilling in the gulf, won’t expand drilling in Alaska or in the Dakotas (where the 8th largest oil reserves in the world rest untouched) and allows the Brazillians to drill on our gulf waters. When you have a president who appoints a left wing lib to the energy czar post, who comments that we have to raise the price of gas to those of Europe, what do you expect? If you want jobs and lower gas prices…and an administration that doesn’t spend out the wazzou, you need to vote out Barry. Everybody now…Nobama, Nobama, Nobama…
Mick
April 25th, 2011
1:39 pm
harry
Why are you so hung up on liberals? I’d like to think we are all americans first and the political differences of labeling has run amok.
Chris
April 25th, 2011
1:39 pm
Demand is NOT outstripping supply. Speculation over the middle east instability is driving up prices.
Wow. Learn the fundamentals around the price of oil before you bash the Right.
UGA1999
April 25th, 2011
1:39 pm
Mick….why dont you ask the same question of getalife and AmVet?
Thulsa Doom on those evil ole oil companies
April 25th, 2011
1:40 pm
Bosch @ 1:37,
Dadnabit. Aren’t you usually supposed to be on the left? Not always I know but usually.
THE TRUTH
April 25th, 2011
1:40 pm
deegee
April 25th, 2011
1:25 pm
I have total respect for the men and women that serve in the military. My dad served in the Pacific during WWII. He never talked about it and neither did any of his friends and acquaintances. They might have said a few quiet words about it to each other and then the subject would change. Why do this generation wear their military service on their sleeve? Even when we asked my Dad about the war he would tell us that he didn’t really want to talk about it.
I agree my family members and my freinds and co-workers have never worn their service on their sleeve, it some personal, or perhaps once a Marine always a Marine, you just don’t let anyone in.
JKL2
April 25th, 2011
1:40 pm
LeeH1- Brazil drivers use cars that take 85% ethanol and 15% gasoline. We can do this.
Short answer: No we can’t. Brazil uses plentiful sugar cane which easily turns into alcohol to fuel its cars (I believe it’s more like 97%). We use corn to make ethynol which takes as much energy (or more) to turn into alcohol and reduces our food supply, making corn flakes more expensive as a by-product. Wish we could but we don’t have the current ability or technology to do what they do.
Harry Callahan
April 25th, 2011
1:40 pm
“harry
Why are you so hung up on liberals?”
The older I get, the less tolerance I have for fools.
Lil' Barry Bailout
April 25th, 2011
1:40 pm
BADA BING: Monday Mumblings…..If you have eaten at Hosea’s Feed the Hungry dinners at Easter and Thanksgiving for, say 5 years, it might be time to re-examine your life choices.
———-
No need to give up the cell phone, though, because the folks who work for a living are having their property confiscated to pay that bill for you.
getalife
April 25th, 2011
1:40 pm
“Getalife….did you support the service of W?”
As President?
No.
getalife
April 25th, 2011
1:42 pm
“The older I get, the less tolerance I have for fools.”
Yet, you will vote to end your own Medicare.
Pot to kettle.
UGA1999
April 25th, 2011
1:42 pm
Getalife….I was speaking if his military service.
UGA1999
April 25th, 2011
1:42 pm
Getalife….why are you so hung up on Medicare?
jm
April 25th, 2011
1:42 pm
Dems are rotten.
The Democratic negotiating team is an odd mix.
Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-Mont.) voted against the White House fiscal commission report, and Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Daniel Inouye (D-Hawaii) is the self-proclaimed “king of pork.” Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) is the ranking member on the Budget Committee. Rep. James Clyburn (D-S.C.) is a centrist dealmaker. But neither is a known leader on deficit issues.
Read more: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0411/53613_Page3.html#ixzz1KYeYHUvb
Harry Callahan
April 25th, 2011
1:43 pm
getaclue,
Disagreeing with AmVet does not equate to attacking veterans.
Lil' Barry Bailout
April 25th, 2011
1:43 pm
JKL2, we could import cheap ethanol from Brazil, but the government taxes it to protect Iowa corn farmers. Ain’t government interference in free markets great?
Bosch
April 25th, 2011
1:44 pm
Doom,
” Aren’t you usually supposed to be on the left?”
That’s the thing here, lots of times, people make assumptions and are constantly using rhetoric or sound bytes to try and “prove” their points, whatever. I’m constantly having folks here TELL me what I believe or think, and 9 times out of 10, they are wrong. If you ASK me what I believe or think, I’ll be glad to tell you.
Wanna know what I think about the death penalty for instance?
Harry Callahan
April 25th, 2011
1:44 pm
“Yet, you will vote to end your own Medicare.”
Maybe I have a better plan than Medicare.
getalife
April 25th, 2011
1:44 pm
Yawn.
Need new trolls.
Paul
April 25th, 2011
1:45 pm
Billings
“It is all about risk. If speeders are willing to pay the fine then the risk is theirs to take. The same cannot be said for illegals. We pay the freight on the risk they take.”
Really? You should ride with the police around here sometime. Lots of those ‘it’s all about me, I can take the risk” speeders cause lots of death, crippling injuries and ruined lives.
You can try to justify lawbreaking any way you want, especially by minimizing the results that occur, but the fact is, those who condemn others find myriad ways to justify their own hypocrisy.
MPercy
The vehicles I cited belong to the ‘light truck’ category. That’s separate from the “Passenger Car” category. Within a few years the light truck category will have to average 30 mpg, which does indeed mean some may get significantly less mileage, which means other trucks will have to get significantly higher.
Thulsa,
What gets me is, if I’m understanding it correctly, regardless of who drives up prices, oil companies profit. Their production costs remain the same, distribution and other costs are about the same, but the commodity price rises, their prices rise. It’s a distortion of the market.
UGA1999
April 25th, 2011
1:45 pm
Harry….any plan would be better than the current welfare Medicare system.
Harry Callahan
April 25th, 2011
1:45 pm
“Obama shuts off drilling in the gulf, won’t expand drilling in Alaska or in the Dakotas (where the 8th largest oil reserves in the world rest untouched) and allows the Brazillians to drill on our gulf waters.”
I heard that a George Soros controlled company stands to profit substantially from the Brazilian oil scam, by the way.
getalife
April 25th, 2011
1:46 pm
“current welfare Medicare system.”
You pay for it troll.
Dang.
Aquagirl
April 25th, 2011
1:47 pm
deegee @ 1:25, they didn’t come home to chickenhawks who think the Military is synonymous with “cheap forced labor.”
Paul
April 25th, 2011
1:47 pm
Thulsa
make the end of that post ‘their profits rise.’
UGA1999
April 25th, 2011
1:47 pm
Getalife…..you pay for it…..
I pay for it…..so?
Doesnt mean it is effective….doesnt mean it is the best system possible.
Open your eyes.
Bosch
April 25th, 2011
1:47 pm
“any plan would be better than the current welfare Medicare system.”
Really? I hear very few complaints from the folks on it.
AngryRedMarsWoman
April 25th, 2011
1:47 pm
“So if Amvet was in boot camp in november of 1972 how much time did he really spend in Nam when all combat troops were gone in 1973?”
Seriously? Even a minute in the suck of Vietnam is admirable. But let’s assume he never made it over – I get the impression he volunteered rather than being conscripted and he presumably had no idea that combate would be over before he would be sent….so, he was ready, willing and able to get sent to a craphole where dudes were dying.
If he is lying about his service that is something he has to live with, but it ain’t my place to doubt him. Any time he did in the service is more than I have done – and let’s face it that especially nowadays anyone who is in has a good chance of being sent into the suck in the desert so no matter why they joined or what their MOS I thank them for doing it cuz I am sure too much of a chicken to do it.
UGA1999
April 25th, 2011
1:48 pm
Bosch…..really? You should speak to more of them.
Left wing management
April 25th, 2011
1:49 pm
“we could import cheap ethanol from Brazil, but the government taxes it to protect Iowa corn farmers. Ain’t government interference in free markets great?”
More neoliberal garbage from Lil’ Barry Bailout.
Bosch
April 25th, 2011
1:49 pm
Hi Paul! Happy Easter with the grandkids? I cooked a ham that should be highlighted in the next Southern Living, or Food Network Magazine. It was pure art and very tasty too!!
BADA BING
April 25th, 2011
1:49 pm
JKL2….you are right, I have been to Brazil. Local farmers grow cane and make fuel in small local plants. They sell it locally, so no shipping costs. Brazil and Mexico were the last countries to produce the old, classic VW Beetles. The ones in Brazil were built to run on the sugar cane alcohol fuel, and hundreds of thousands are still on the road there.
Harry Callahan
April 25th, 2011
1:49 pm
“Is it a coincidence that Obama backer George Soros repositioned himself in Petrobras to get dividends just a few days before Obama committed $2 billion in loans and guarantees for Petrobras’ offshore operations? Hmmmmmmmmmm.”
Bosch
April 25th, 2011
1:49 pm
UGA99,
“You should speak to more of them.”
I do, every day. You?
Mr Anonymous
April 25th, 2011
1:50 pm
It’s quite simple really. I won’t vote for Republicans until they stop playing political games with OUR money. 4 billion in subsidies..REALLY? Stop. Just stop.
getalife
April 25th, 2011
1:52 pm
The st upid hurts my head.
It is not welfare ug.
Admit one fact.
UGA1999
April 25th, 2011
1:53 pm
Bosch….same. And although some may not complain about the coverage. The fact is that it is a broke program that is costing Americas too much. There has to be a more efficient plan for us all.
UGA1999
April 25th, 2011
1:54 pm
Getalife….it is welfare…it is a government run program that is broke like all of the rest of them. I know you think “if it is free I want it”….but believe it or not, we ALL pay for it.
Parasite.
Bosch
April 25th, 2011
1:55 pm
” And although some may not complain about the coverage. The fact is that it is a broke program that is costing Americas too much. There has to be a more efficient plan for us all.”
Yeah, I agree, that’s called single payer. It’s the only way to actually control costs.
getalife
April 25th, 2011
1:56 pm
I know you will vote to end your own Medicare ug.
We get it.
Just don’t use it and stop crying like your speaker.
UGA1999
April 25th, 2011
1:57 pm
Getalife….you are the one crying about us “Cons” ending medicare….dude you are hilarious!
BADA BING
April 25th, 2011
1:58 pm
Our car engines are not built to run on a mixture of fuel that uses large percentages of ethanol. The ethanol has water in it that degrades plastic and rubber gaskets in the fuel system. Special engines would have to be used for newer fuels, requiring expensive manufacturing changeovers.
Paul
April 25th, 2011
1:58 pm
Hi Bosch!
Glad to hear it went so well. If you can find a good ham, you’re lucky. We’ve a local meat shop that gets them from a place in downtown Dallas that’s smoke’em the same way for the last 30 years. Price isn’t that much different than the supermarkets, either. I ordered one from Harrington’s of Vermont last year. Really good, but the Dallas ones are on a par and quite a bit less dollars.
Spent Easter with Mrs. Paul’s sister and her dad. Tradeoffs are part of marriage, but next year the twins’ll be old enough to chase after the eggs and stuff, so I’m fine with it.
“The stupid hurts my head”
Forget t-shirts. We gotta accumulate these and publish a book. Getalife’ll make us rich, I tell ya!
Disgusted
April 25th, 2011
1:59 pm
Hydrogen, on the other hand, is easy to generate, transport, store, and will burn in the car you now own and the only by-product is water.
Ever hear of the Hindenberg blimp? Ever wonder why helium became popular to replace hydrogen?
What a moronic idea. Given the sheer number of vehicle accidents in metro Atlanta alone, I can already hear the traffic reports: “Large parts of three blocks in downtown Atlanta are now ablaze after the collision of two hydrogen-fueled cars.” And hey, there’s a reason they call it a hydrogen bomb.
Harry Callahan
April 25th, 2011
1:59 pm
“It’s quite simple really. I won’t vote for Republicans until they stop playing political games with OUR money. 4 billion in subsidies..REALLY? Stop. Just stop.”
LMAO. As opposed to the #3 TRILLION of our money that the Democrats plat political games with?
Thulsa Doom on those evil ole oil companies
April 25th, 2011
1:59 pm
jkl2,
The other problem with corn based ethanol is that growing that much crop means a lot of fertilizer and nitrogen is getting into the miss. and draining into the gulf and we now have a large dead zone in the gulf that scientists say is the result of growing so much corn for ethanol. For this reason alone I am against corn based ethanol.
deegee
April 25th, 2011
2:00 pm
Yes, Aquagirl. I suppose that the WWII vets had a better definition of their job. God only knows what we are still doing in Afghanistan.
Harry Callahan
April 25th, 2011
2:00 pm
“Getalife….why are you so hung up on Medicare?”
Same reason he’s hung up on all the other welfare programs. He is a lazy parasite.
UGA1999
April 25th, 2011
2:01 pm
Harry…..AMEN!
Paul
April 25th, 2011
2:01 pm
Bada Bing
And as we speak, higher percentages of ethanol in gas are due to debut. Couple years’ back Congress mandated the amounts of ethanol that would be used. Think it was a Republican Congress. Couple gov’t agencies charged with certifying it’s okey dokey keep pointing fingers at each other with “you certify it!”
Bottom line, if your care is earlier than 1995, you’re toast. And things don’t look to good for lawn mowers, blowers and weedeaters, either.
getalife
April 25th, 2011
2:01 pm
I am just telling the truth ug.
Try it.
CNN is running more proof about the birth certificate from a Repub.
You will ignore that fact too.
Thulsa Doom on those evil ole oil companies
April 25th, 2011
2:01 pm
Bosch,
Come on now. You usually but not always lean left. Death penalty? Hell I’m against the death penalty for a number of reasons- cheaper to keep them in prison for life, lack of deterrence because it takes so long to execute someone, and what if you get the wrong man? Plus I’m just not 100% sure a Christian should believe in the death penalty. That’s just me though and I see the pros and cons of it.
MPercy
April 25th, 2011
2:03 pm
Paul @12:25 pm The quick check I did for 2008 showed they had revenues of nearly $88 billion for one quarter alone.
Revenue does not equal taxable income. You might examine their statements (e.g. http://www.stock-analysis-on.net/NYSE/Company/Exxon-Mobil-Corp/Financial-Statement/Income-Statement).
Exxon Mobil had total revenues of $383.221B in 2010. That paid for $197B of crude oil, $35B in production and refining expenses, $14B in marketing and general administrative costs, and a few more billion for other expenses (depreciation, exploration, etc.).
They paid $28.547B in “sales-based taxes”, $36.118B in “other taxes and duties”, and $21.561B in income taxes. All told, they paid $82.226B in various taxes and duties.
They had net income before income taxes of $52.959B and a final net income after income taxes of $30.46B.
Taxes as a share of revenue: 21.45%.
Profits as a share of revenue (profit margin): 7.95%.
getalife
April 25th, 2011
2:03 pm
Yeah, I am using the health care I paid for all my working life.
So, you are wrong as usual hairy.
USMC
April 25th, 2011
2:03 pm
Hey guys, I think Obama knows what he is talking about when it comes to Domestic Oil Drilling.
Heck the guy has been to all 57 states. Can anyone of us say the same? I think not.
Obama’s 57 state Remix:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4esTpYc4-cs
Bosch
April 25th, 2011
2:03 pm
Paul,
“We gotta accumulate these and publish a book. Getalife’ll make us rich, I tell ya!”
And if we just go on stupid things people say, this blog is a gold mine!!
UGA1999
April 25th, 2011
2:04 pm
Getalife….way to change the subject!!!
oldguy
April 25th, 2011
2:05 pm
Wow; when it comes to misstating the facts Jay is 100%
consumption in the US is down….
Prices for crude oil are up because the speculators see thia administration is prepaired to do nothing; as a fact the administration has stated that it would welcome $6 a gallon gas to help drive users off driving ……
The devaluation of the dollar by printing money as fast as the presses will run is the major reason for all the rising prices……
The administration is doing all it can to block any opening of new resources..oil or otherwise (coal,oil shale, natural gas, nuke) unless it is “Green” blessed…..
Congradulations Jay! Unlike the Braves you are batting 1000!!!
OBAMA LIES…CONSUMERS CRIES!!!
BADA BING
April 25th, 2011
2:05 pm
Unfortunately we are stuck with gasoline for many years. Ethanol doesn’t give the same energy per gallon that gas does, so less MPG. Natural Gas or LPG systems require larger tanks and you have to find alternative fueling stations in your area. Solar powered electric cars are still far off. Gas will be King for many years.
deegee
April 25th, 2011
2:05 pm
My brother works as a project manager for one of the big oil companies. We had a discussion about alternative energy sources. He claims that we could run on all of the liquid natural gas that we want. He says that the problem is that the market won’t bear the higher cost of LNG. So, big oil couldn’t take some of their profits on petroleum to subsidize the ramp up to LNG. No, that would be wrong, I suppose.
Bosch
April 25th, 2011
2:06 pm
Doom,
Yes, I do usually lean left, but for most folks around here, anything left of slobbering wingnut is “liberal” (whatever that means)
getalife
April 25th, 2011
2:06 pm
The intellect level from our cons has never been lower.
The gop attack on education is mission accomplished.
I mean seriously.
mm
April 25th, 2011
2:07 pm
Why do wingnuts continue to defend our greedy corporations? Because that’s what their bought and paid for politicans tell them to do.
UGA1999
April 25th, 2011
2:07 pm
Getalife…..HAHAHA you changed the subject again! You cant win one single point and keep changing the subject. HAHA
getalife
April 25th, 2011
2:09 pm
ug.
MPercy
April 25th, 2011
2:09 pm
Paul @12:27 pm But I really, really get a kick out of the bloggers here (not you) who, when discussing immigration like to type “WHAT PART OF ‘ILLEGAL’ DON’T YOU UNDERSTAND???” but when it comes to their breaking the law by regularly driving over the limit they become very, very quiet.
Off topic a bit. I try to always obey the speed limit and all other traffic laws. I expect there to be police on the roads who are looking for violators. If I happen to break a law by speeding, I expect that if I am caught I will be punished in accordance with the law.
I expect our immigration police to do the same thing. Illegal immigrants are knowingly violating a number of laws and with full intent to do. They should expect that when caught they will face the punishment prescribed by the laws they break (and they are often laws that if I were to break, as a citizen, would swiftly land me in jail but when done by honest law-abiding hard-working illegal immigrants are simply ignored).
Thulsa Doom on those evil ole oil companies
April 25th, 2011
2:10 pm
Thulsa,
What gets me is, if I’m understanding it correctly, regardless of who drives up prices, oil companies profit. Their production costs remain the same, distribution and other costs are about the same, but the commodity price rises, their prices rise. It’s a distortion of the market.-Paul
Paul,
I hear ya but so what if they make more money. It just means they pay more in taxes and as we’ve already seen the various govts make exponentially more money on a gallon of gas then the oil companies that actually do the dang work. At least the oil companies provide a tangible product. What does govt do with that money that they make off of oil? Saddle us with more debt is all.
oldguy
April 25th, 2011
2:10 pm
I’m going to watch SPONGEBOB now….. He makes a lot more sense that Jay!!
Thulsa Doom on those evil ole oil companies
April 25th, 2011
2:10 pm
For Pete’s sake the tax on gas here in Georgia goes up 3 cents on May 1st because of the rise in gas prices. Can anyone splain the gubment logic behind that one?
Bosch
April 25th, 2011
2:11 pm
Paul and MPercy,
I don’t know about where you live, but in my neck of the woods, the cops are usually the worst offenders in the speeding department.
Lil' Barry Bailout
April 25th, 2011
2:11 pm
Left wing management
April 25th, 2011
1:49 pm
———
Oopsies!
Don’t fear facts, libbtards.
http://mobile.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE6B74PU20101211?irpc=932
getalife
April 25th, 2011
2:11 pm
“Why do wingnuts continue to defend our greedy corporations? Because that’s what their bought and paid for politicans tell them to do.”
fox, rush, drudge and other rw sources contribute also.
The call Medicare welfare.
So, they want to end it.
USMC
April 25th, 2011
2:12 pm
“The intellect level from our cons has never been lower.”
Yeah, tell that to the Democratic Congresswoman here:
Go gata!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KgbBP9Em00A
UGA1999
April 25th, 2011
2:13 pm
Getalife…..And?
UGA1999
April 25th, 2011
2:14 pm
Getalife and USMC…..”The intellect level from our cons has never been lower”
HAHA tell that to Hank Johnson who thought Guam would tip over HAHAHAHAAH!!!!
Harry Callahan
April 25th, 2011
2:14 pm
“Why do wingnuts continue to defend our greedy corporations?”
I don’t know what a wingnut is, but conservatives defend corporations because they believe in freedom and free enterprise.
If you don’t like corporations, just don’t work there, don’t buy their products, and don’t own their stock. Seems pretty simple.
getalife
April 25th, 2011
2:15 pm
Well, that was silly racism USMC.
Geez.
Redneck Convert (R--and proud of it)
April 25th, 2011
2:15 pm
Well, while everybody’s fussing about gas prices, nobody’s saying anything about the punks that painted a statue of Jesus Christ pink down in Roswell and got away with it.
We need Law and Order right now. If we don’t get it, next thing you know somebody will defile a statue of Saint Ronald Reagan.
Dave R.
April 25th, 2011
2:16 pm
“The gop attack on education is mission accomplished.”
This from the blogger who can’t put a coherent thought together if their life depended on it . . .
Aquagirl
April 25th, 2011
2:16 pm
deegee, we’re still in Afghanistan because it doesn’t directly affect 95% of the US population. We have a very strange hero worship/hatred of our military. Just say you’re “for the troops” and then go back to blogging. Usually to blather we should bring those sainted troops home, not to rest or retrain—so they can hang out in the godforsaken Texas scrub, shooting unarmed illegal immigrants.
UGA1999
April 25th, 2011
2:16 pm
Getalife….racism??? hahahah here we go!
Harry Callahan
April 25th, 2011
2:16 pm
“…..”The intellect level from our cons has never been lower”
Or so says the guy who blows all his money in strip clubs and then wants taxpyers to provide his health care.
USMC
April 25th, 2011
2:17 pm
“The intellect level from our cons has never been lower.”-getalife
Democratic Congressman Hank Johnson:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zNZczIgVXjg
When did they legalize drugs in Dekalb County?
Peadawg
April 25th, 2011
2:18 pm
“”The intellect level from our cons has never been lower”
I don’t think you can get any lower than saying you’ve visited/will visit all 57 states….
getalife
April 25th, 2011
2:18 pm
Pink Jesus?
Code pink did it.
Harry Callahan
April 25th, 2011
2:18 pm
Cynthia McKinney is a really smart liberal.
USMC
April 25th, 2011
2:18 pm
“Well, that was silly racism USMC.”–getalife
How predictable:-)
Thulsa Doom on those evil ole oil companies
April 25th, 2011
2:19 pm
Getalife,
So now you wanna switch the topic to education. Lemme guess your solution. I already know it- spend more money! Read below- source is USAToday
The United States spends more public and private money on education than other major countries, but its performance doesn’t measure up in areas ranging from high-school graduation rates to test scores in math, reading and science, a new report shows.
The United States spent $10,240 per student from elementary school through college in 2000, according to the report. The average was $6,361 among more than 25 nations.
Harry Callahan
April 25th, 2011
2:20 pm
getaclue,
I notice most of your posts are 5 words or less. When did you intellectuals start communicating in the Dick/Jane/Sally vernacular?
mm
April 25th, 2011
2:20 pm
I bet half the righties on this blog are on SS, Medicare, or both.
My wingnut neighbor constantly spout the GOP talking points, but yet he is on disability. Typical hypocrite.