Cutting to the quick...

[beemanbeme]

The ideal leech is one which draws a hearty meal (aka living) from the host without killing it.  However, too many leeches (aka politicians and bankers) can attach the same host and in their fervor to get the most blood for themselves kill it.  Sometimes, however, the host sees the peril in time and devises a means to purge itself of the leeches (aka French Revolution).

[kevthebassman]

The ideal leech is one which draws a hearty meal (aka living) from the host without killing it.  However, too many leeches (aka politicians and bankers) can attach the same host and in their fervor to get the most blood for themselves kill it.  Sometimes, however, the host sees the peril in time and devises a means to purge itself of the leeches (aka French Revolution).

Unfortunately, I don't think that the American people will realize what is going on until it's too late.  The vast majority of people in this country are too wrapped up in themselves to even begin to see what is going on, much less work on a solution to the problem.

[ironglow]

OldandSlow;

   I can see by the lengthy post TM put up, that it may seem quite credible. There are other points of view however. Sure, some of the problem is caused
   by speculation..that's capitalism !...But the vast majority of the price jumps are engineered by the OPEC cartel !
  I posted one that is taken from the CONCISE ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ECONOMICS, that quite well explain where the gerrymandering of oil prices comes from !
   You can read both and then decide, but note that the "authority" he cites at the end of his lengthy post is a "New World Order" type of authority..

     Give it a look..    www.econolib.org/library/Enc/OPEC.html

[oldandslow]

Well, Ironglow, I guess your response was directed to me even though I'm not sure because of the spelling. I mentioned TM7's post because it stated what a lot of other other reading of the news also states. OPEC is not blameless either, all they have to do is increase production. But can they? There is a lot of speculation that OPEC's position is because they cannot increase production but won't admit it. Who knows? I just read an article predicting oil prices at the end of the year. The oil industry is predicting lower prices for crude oil by year's end. About a 20% drop. Goldman Sachs, who is one of the largest commodity speculators, is predicting much higher prices, around $180 a barrel or more. Who you gonna believe?

I can state this from personal observation after over 40 years working in the oil industry. In my small area, at no time did the company I was employed by and it was one of the seven major oil companies, ever shut in a well unless it's production would not pay it's cost to operate. Also, they never quit drilling if a project was up and running until it was finished. When oil prices were so low that they would not justify new drilling (making a profit) then no new drilling was planned until prices went up to where it was economically feasible to resume drilling.

What is strange to me is the irrational mindset of the public about the oil business. I see a four pack of Red Bull energy drink costing a great deal more than a gallon of gasoline and it sells like crazy. I see people wagging cases of bottled water out of stores that cost more than the same amount of gasoline in an area that has some of the best drinking water in thousands of square miles and no one is concerned. But the oil companies are robber barons because they expect a return on their investment in the 7 to 10% range. Do some research on the profit margin of companies like Coca-Cola, Pepsico, Coors, Budwiser, etc., all of which are of a want to have, not necessity, nature and tell me who is actually ripping off the consumer.

Sorry about the rant. Just needed to get this off my chest although I doubt it will change anyone's opinion about anything. But it makes me feel better. I'm done.

[deltecs]

IG,,,that link doesn't work for me, and I'm not opposed to reading loooong articles.   Questionable and arguable if 'speculation' is really capitalism....if it is then it is a perversion in the predatory sense.  The cartel was set up to assure petro trading was in US dollars, establish an orderly market, and was a Harvard Business school idea along with world banking.  Seems 60% of barrel pricing is now speculation/futures borne, because of the shakey dollar.

u can read both and then decide, but note that the "authority" he cites at the end of his lengthy post is a "New World Order" type of authority..

   Maybe,,,as a critic,  but so are you as a proponent.

...TM7

Why is it that anyone who posts comments with different opinions than yours, is always a proponent of the "New World Order", yet you are only a critic?   It is my belief in a constructionists application of the Constitutional principles in government.  I beleive in conservative business practices, Yankee ingenuity, and individual rights.  I vote for the best candidate that possibly can win for President, who's stands on current issues are most in line with my own.  I do not believe in everything I read, nor do I agree with a turn the other cheek philosophy in dealing with other governments having a negative impact on our citizens welfare and economy.  I believe in a strong individual right to possess, bear, and use firearms for legal purposes, especially self defense and detente against tyranny, whether internal or external.  
Now, just what positions above are so supportive of those supporting the "New World Order"?   There are many others who post here having similar beliefs.  The attacks against others comments and conclusions that differ from yours, are similar to the attitude of Rev Wrights' misconception of blaming a government for racial inequality and injustices.  This government has done wonders for enacting laws against racial injustice for its black citizens.  I suppose this too is part of the New World Order.  Is the ME problem with radical jihadists and terrorism a factor not included in this New World Order as envisioned, or is it that you dislike the Israelies so much that your common goal is to side with Muslims?  Hitler, Mussolini, and Tojo also envisioned a New World Order.  And it certainly did not inlcude Americans as an independent nation.

[beemanbeme]

Old and Slow, they've got to whine and bitch about something. I haven't seen anybody slowing down and I've seen only token TV ads directed toward gas economy. The ads are still geared toward "Hey, bubba, drive this rediculas heap to and from your job at McDonalds and the girls will think you've a big willie". 
I've said before, back when I was making a $1.00 an hour --and  I've made less-- I didn't even think about paying $.25 a gallon for gas. But now, folks make a hell of a lot more than that --the zitheads around here want $10.00 an hour for weed eating around your yard-- and folks scream about $4.00 a gal.

The question is, why should OPEC increase production?  When they can afford to have solid silver cars made, when they can have "winter wonderlands created in the middle of the desert with imported snow and ski slopes and such", why should they? So that some fat American doesn't have to walk a half block to the store?  A mile to school or work?  Maybe they are doing like the Amish: "Living within their harvest". 

[SHOOTALL]

what did the GREEN movement do to raise gas prices ?

[rex6666]

oldandslow
You make a very good point, but then for some reason people have for years paid more for what they want than what they need and complain about the price of what they need.

[SHOOTALL]

In business most raise price when materials , labor or both go up . Profit  % is not changed until market competition forces it down or lack there of allows it to inflate . The oil business has not been allowed to create new plants to produce what is needed as a rule and the few times they were the cost was inflated to build green plants , all this while other countries did not put stupid control on producers . How stupid ? around here if a bird builds a nest in a piece of equipment and running the equipment could hurt the bird or heaven forbid make the bird move , it stays off ! Sometimes they can't place elec. meters on new homes for the bird nest of an endangered bird .
We have allowed those with to little to do sit around and screw up our country !

[oldandslow]

I know what you are talking about SHOOTALL. The prairie chicken is a perfect example. There used to be enough here to support a hunting season and they were expanding their range. All this was happening right in the middle of huge amount of oil exploration and production. In the spring you would see the birds using oilfield roads and locations for their booming grounds. If you drove by close to them they would just fly out in the shinnery a little way and go an about their business. Then drought conditions set in and the prairie chicken went in to decline. Environmentalist groups jumped on this and since they couldn't make it rain they had to find some other reason for the decline. One thing was to limit work hours in the oilfield.  Didn't make a bit of difference, it still hasn't rained much and the prairie chicken is in bad shape. The BLM just declared a moratorium on further oil related activities in prairie chicken habitat last week. If we can ever get a few years of decent rainfall the problem should resolve itself. In the mean time the oil is still in the ground.

[ironglow]

oldandslow;
   Sorry about the typo; these keyboards are just not built for big old, blacksmith hands...LOL i try to correct as I go, but sometimes don't get them all..
   It's corrected now !

   I must agree..at $1 per pint, folks are paying $8 for a gallon of water and not even flinching..

[oldandslow]

I understand about the hands. I have old, arthritic welder's hands and can't remember how to spell anymore. I read over my posts three or four times and still leave mistakes in them.