OMG gas prices are high and big oil companies are making huge profits! Panic, scream, run around with your hands in the air yelling that the sky is falling.
Folks … if you haven’t seen this coming in the last 20 years you are BLIND. I’m not going to say a whole lot on this as I don’t have nearly the time it would take to fully write a rant about the misrepresentation of this situation. I will, however, point out a few facts. Please feel free to look up more information on the matter though most of the media is not giving the full picture.
US oil production has dropped something along the lines of 40% in the last 35 years, no new refineries have been built in the US in the last 30 years and we are still down roughly 5% of our refining capacity due to last years hurricane season. The refineries that we do have (many of which are outdated) are operating at or near 100% capacity.
Add to that the fact that in the last 30 years or so the price of a barrel of crude oil has increased over 400%, while gas prices at the pump have increased less than 175% in that same time frame. This means that ‘big oil’ is actually making less profit per gallon than they were 30 years ago … a lot less.
So how are they posting ‘record profits’? … come now … is it THAT hard to figure out? They are selling a LOT more gas and oil. US consumption is up by a huge amount over the last 20-30 years, as is consumption from countries around the world.
Surely that means that they could lower their prices, right?
Not necessarily. Oil companies generally make their money through volume … meaning they operate on a small profit margin. Meaning that if you take their profit margin out of the cost of a gallon of gas at the pump … chances are pretty good that it wouldn’t be a significant change in the cost of a gallon.
High Gas Prices No Mystery (Bug Me Not)
'Green' Politicians Add to Gas Price Woes
Oily politicians: Part II
Friday, April 28, 2006
Thursday, April 13, 2006
Rocem Socem Congresswoman
Okay … I’m sick and tired of Rep. Cynthia McKinney and her antics. Oh … I don’t just mean over the issue that’s had her face in the news for the last couple of weeks … I mean in general.
On the one hand I am amazingly grateful that I don’t live in the area of Georgia that she represents, and therefore am not represented by McKinney. Not that any of the people that actually DO live in her district are actually receiving any representation anyway … but they were the ones that foolishly sent her BACK to capital hill (she lost her seat to a fellow democrat in a previous election, but the person that beat her decided to run for senate and lost in a senate race that she never had a hope in Hades of winning). McKinney is viewed in congress as loose cannon and a loon … she’s not taken seriously and as such has no political pull. All of the other Georgia representatives have said that they have NEVER once had a substantive discussion with McKinney over ANY issue.
On the other hand, it means that I can’t vote to get her out of office.
For many in the country this is their first exposure to ‘the cutest little Jihadist in congress’ (a nickname by local talkshow host Neal Boortz based on the fact that a large percentage of her campaign funds in the election that she lost came from Middle Eastern contributors.) but it is not the first time McKinney has caused waves. I’m not going in to her history here though … a good write up can be found on Town Hall Congresswoman Cynthia "Zsa Zsa" McKinney's greatest hits.
The fact of the matter is simple … she struck a police officer that was just doing his job. He did not over step his authority; a woman that he did not recognize was bypassing a security checkpoint. He called out to her three times before reaching out and grabbing her to prevent her from continuing. She turned and struck him in the chest.
Okay … if she really felt she was being ‘profiled’ then file a complaint, hold a press conference (she IS a congresswoman she has the power of the bully pulpit), call the NAACP. No, she can’t do any of that she has to hit him. With the plethora of appropriate responses she goes straight for the inappropriate one.
She could have stemmed the tide early on with an apology, but her first press conference wasn’t to say that ‘she was sorry’ or that she made a mistake … no … it was to ‘regret that the incident occurred’ and to tell the media that the officers there are ‘required’ to know the members of congress on sight. (she latter changed that statement to ‘expected’ rather than ‘required’.)
And she couldn’t leave it there … rather she had to reach for her tried and trusty trump card and made it an issue of race.
So know this terrorists and criminals alike! If you are black (or Hispanic) security guards are not allowed to stop you if you try to bypass a security checkpoint! Due to your minority status you get a free pass in that area. If they don’t recognize you then they should either assume that, since you’re trying to bypass the checkpoint, you’re supposed to be there, or they should quake in fear at the fact that you MIGHT accuse them of *gasp* profiling!
McKinney (and many of the black ‘leaders’ in this country) need to realize that the more they through the ‘race’ card around the less weight it carries. They are hurting the issue more than they’re helping.
McKinney is a disgrace. She needs to be charged with felony assault and pay the price of her actions.
On the one hand I am amazingly grateful that I don’t live in the area of Georgia that she represents, and therefore am not represented by McKinney. Not that any of the people that actually DO live in her district are actually receiving any representation anyway … but they were the ones that foolishly sent her BACK to capital hill (she lost her seat to a fellow democrat in a previous election, but the person that beat her decided to run for senate and lost in a senate race that she never had a hope in Hades of winning). McKinney is viewed in congress as loose cannon and a loon … she’s not taken seriously and as such has no political pull. All of the other Georgia representatives have said that they have NEVER once had a substantive discussion with McKinney over ANY issue.
On the other hand, it means that I can’t vote to get her out of office.
For many in the country this is their first exposure to ‘the cutest little Jihadist in congress’ (a nickname by local talkshow host Neal Boortz based on the fact that a large percentage of her campaign funds in the election that she lost came from Middle Eastern contributors.) but it is not the first time McKinney has caused waves. I’m not going in to her history here though … a good write up can be found on Town Hall Congresswoman Cynthia "Zsa Zsa" McKinney's greatest hits.
The fact of the matter is simple … she struck a police officer that was just doing his job. He did not over step his authority; a woman that he did not recognize was bypassing a security checkpoint. He called out to her three times before reaching out and grabbing her to prevent her from continuing. She turned and struck him in the chest.
Okay … if she really felt she was being ‘profiled’ then file a complaint, hold a press conference (she IS a congresswoman she has the power of the bully pulpit), call the NAACP. No, she can’t do any of that she has to hit him. With the plethora of appropriate responses she goes straight for the inappropriate one.
She could have stemmed the tide early on with an apology, but her first press conference wasn’t to say that ‘she was sorry’ or that she made a mistake … no … it was to ‘regret that the incident occurred’ and to tell the media that the officers there are ‘required’ to know the members of congress on sight. (she latter changed that statement to ‘expected’ rather than ‘required’.)
And she couldn’t leave it there … rather she had to reach for her tried and trusty trump card and made it an issue of race.
So know this terrorists and criminals alike! If you are black (or Hispanic) security guards are not allowed to stop you if you try to bypass a security checkpoint! Due to your minority status you get a free pass in that area. If they don’t recognize you then they should either assume that, since you’re trying to bypass the checkpoint, you’re supposed to be there, or they should quake in fear at the fact that you MIGHT accuse them of *gasp* profiling!
McKinney (and many of the black ‘leaders’ in this country) need to realize that the more they through the ‘race’ card around the less weight it carries. They are hurting the issue more than they’re helping.
McKinney is a disgrace. She needs to be charged with felony assault and pay the price of her actions.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
