There should be NO RECORD OIL PROFITS at a time when Americans

[bribri16]

are paying through the ass for gasoline and trying to buy food to feed their families on low-paying jobs.

That's the wedge issue the truckers and DUers should be talking about and putting out there in front of the public.

AND there is a natural link to what Cindy is doing in Crawford. Iraq was invaded not for freedom and democracy but for the control of the oil resources and the DSM and revelations in other reports and documents prove it. Once the big oil conglomerates control Iraq's oil they can create and count on the shortages that invasion would bring and thus reap the windfall profits that have surged out of sight since Bush came into office. This is what the Republican party is all about; creating one crisis after another to benefit the corporate cabal!

[whistle]

1. Correct, all of the hikes in gasoline prices should be fully taxed...

...and also include federal excise taxes on each gallon sold. The profits are being skimmed by the companies and not a dime is being put into rebuilding obsolete refineries and development of new or alternative energy sources. So the dollars for every gallon of gas that consumers buy goes directly into the pockets of the middle east oil sheiks and the big oil companies preferred (not common) stock holders and top executives who pay dividends on the preferred stock while leaving common stock up to speculators. In the end, the billions needed for investing in alternative energy sources is being pissed away into the pockets of the wealthiest people in the country.

[Squatch]

14. Tax whom? The companies or the consumers?

[whistle]

18. Companies right away to get control of the wind-fall profits.....

...and substitute a regulated profit level based on ROR (rate of return) and immediately install the excise tax forcing the price up to a level sustainable with both supply and conservation. The economists love this sort of shit and would figure out just where that level is. As for the Arab oil cartel (former OPEC), it would be immediately shattered.

Again, you can see where the high prices currently are going, into the pockets of the Middle East sheiks, big oil companies, black marketeers and corrupt U.S and foreign government officials. Oil has become a scarce commodity and must be regulated not by OPEC and oil companies, but by government to balance supple for those who need it and producer who supply it. Demand is totally inelastic.

Demand marches onward and upward regardless of price, so the realm we find ourselves in is rapidly soaring prices with no end in sight which will deplete supplies much faster.

In the last three weeks here in Central Florida, the prices have risen by nearly $0.30 per gallon at my local station which prior to three weeks ago has regular unleaded at $2.189 per gallon. Now that futures have bolted ahead to almost $67.00 per barrel today, I see gasoline here hitting $3.00 per gallon by early September. Many people will be parking their automobiles and taking mass transit or figuring out other ways to get around besides driving. Call it socialism if you like. What we are seeing right now is not capitalism, but rather corporate fascism and consumers and truckers are getting screwed big time.

[LisaM]

2. There should be no oil profits, period

Oil is a natural resource and it should belong to everyone.

[etherealtruth]

3. Not just record profits, Bribri

... the energy bill gave these same companies tax breaks ... A banner year for corporate America (esp. energy producers)

[bribri16]

11. Is there any way to get the "red staters" to understand what is happening

to them and the rest of us working fools out here? Can they just swallow their racism and false pride for once to take back our country for the common people?

[etherealtruth]

13. Not the religious zealots ...

... who are willing to eat cat food if it means that there will be no gay marriage or abortions ... They are so consumed by hatred I am sure they will never "come around" ... I think the non-religiously insane "common-folk" will come around; I'm just afraid it will be too late.

[bribri16]

12. Is there any way to get the "red staters" to understand what is happening

to them and the rest of us working fools out here? Can they just swallow their racism and false pride for once to take back our country for the common people?

[ClintonTyree]

4. Tell our "oil man, war president" that.........

I remember him talking tough about "jawboning" the Saudis if the price of oil got out of hand. I guess his "jawboning" worked about as well as the rest of his foreign policy nightmares have.

Our pretzelnit and his pals are getting filthy rich(er) at the expense of the American people. Another classic neo-con redistribution of wealth ploy, along with piratizing Social Security, Wall Street nose dives and those glorious tax cuts for the rich. It's class warfare at it's worst, and it's dividing this country into the poor, the working poor and the rich. Mr. "uniter, not divider" is doing such a great job, he'll probably give himself a medal. :eyes:

[Madrone]

20. Jawboning...

As usual, Bush tells the TRUTH. We just didn't know that in phony Texan speak "jawboning" = "lovingly performs fellatio on..."

[Vinca]

5. The oil companies are empowered because of what's sitting in

the White House. If something like this was happening to another administration, they might take action to curtail the obscene profiteering by big oil. It's going to take Grandmas freezing to death because they can't pay the heating oil bill to get anything done and not just one dead Grandma. Shrub will wait until more Grandmas are dying than service people in Iraq before he tries to rein in oil profits.

[Just Me]

6. It's just another example of how Americans are being exploited,...

,...by the corporatocracy.

[Miss Chybil]

7. Write your Representatives! Here's my letter to Jon Kyl.

Yes, I know... but he's all I've got. I already wrote to McCain.

Dear Senator Kyl,

It is becoming increasingly difficult to afford the gas it takes to get to work everyday while at the same time oil companies are posting record profits. What is happening to our country? What are you doing to help alleviate the burden rising gas prices are placing on the wage-earners of America? This is going too far. Record oil profits at the expense of the common man is not what America stands for. At least, it didn't used to.

Sincerely,
(Miss Chybil)

[soothsayer]

8. I say this all the time! Disgusting! How is it even POSSIBLE!

Thank god * gave them new tax breaks last week. What an a-hole crook.

[lectrobyte]

9. In WW2, didn't they use to put people in jail for war profiteering?

Oh wait, we're not at war, we're in a Global Struggle. Never Mind.

[EC]

10. To top it off

here in WI we just got notices in our bills of a price increase request, because they are building new power plants and need the money...Ha, Ha, screw you, I'm cutting back my usage and going solar as soon as I can...


And remember those record profits are for only 3 months...

[cthrumatrix]

15. corporations are using OUR soldiers and tax $$$'s to protect their profits

[HereSince1628]

16. Globalization knows no national loyalty. Why expect otherwise?

This is what the Corpos have been after for neigh on 20 years...

And just because gas gets a little pricey you are gonna get all weak-kneed? Damn.

Vote Windrip, he and Lee Sarason have a plan.

:sarcasm:

[bribri16]

17. i guess i just don't understand why people are not in the streets. n/t

[many a good man]

19. WHERE'S THE WINDFALL PROFITS TAX WHEN WE NEED IT?

President Carter deserves credit for finding a way out of the mess in 1979. He took the bold and controversial step of removing price controls on oil but at the same time proposed a windfall profits tax on producers, which Congress enacted in 1980. The tax didn't take away all of the windfall profits––the excess generated by prices above the previous controlled prices––but it did take anywhere from 30 percent to 70 percent of them (depending on the price of the crude). The proceeds were recycled to consumers and to support of development of alternative energy sources. The windfall tax was removed by Congress in 1988, when crude prices were far lower and the tax was no longer generating revenue.

http://nomoreapples.blogspot.com/2005/08/wheres-windfall-profits-tax-when-we.html