Watch Big Oil spin it!

Fairweather Pure · Post by **Fairweather Pure** » October 21, 2005, 11:49 pm

Next week, 3rd quarter profits will be revealed, and looks like there will be yet another round of record profits for big oil companies.

I can't fucking wait to see how thier PR talking heads try and explain that they've made 20+ billion dollars with research and development. I'm sure it has absolutely nothing to do with record breaking gas prices!

It's criminal what they are doing to us, and they do it with a smile.

Kelshara · Post by **Kelshara** » October 22, 2005, 12:54 am

I have yet to see anybody make a valid argument for why it should be considered criminal, especially in the most capitalistic country on Earth.

kyoukan · Post by **kyoukan** » October 22, 2005, 2:03 am

federal carte blanche and even assistance to artificially shorten supply to create higher demand is acceptable to you in a capitalist state? what's your stance on pillaging and raping?

Winnow · Post by **Winnow** » October 22, 2005, 3:21 am

Don't mind Kelshara. He's not a real American yet.

I normally don't mind companies making a buck any way they can but when goverment corruption is involved on the scale it is with the oil companies, it's not something to brush aside. In the case of oil, greed has taken too big a bite in the name of national security and the preservation of our fat lifestyles.

Marbus · Post by **Marbus** » October 22, 2005, 2:36 pm

Yet you voted for an "oil" man for President? or did you come to this revelation recently?

Marb

Sumdaor · Post by **Sumdaor** » October 22, 2005, 4:09 pm

Bring on the hybrid cars!

Winnow · Post by **Winnow** » October 22, 2005, 4:51 pm

Marbus wrote:Yet you voted for an "oil" man for President? or did you come to this revelation recently?

Marb

It's no revelation. I understood this fully when I voted for Bush. A politician isn't going to get anywhere near the White House unless they are already in bed with big oil whether they own any of it themselves or not.

I'm sure Kerry had a plan to prevent 12 major hurricanes from hitting the U.S. in the past 17 months. He would have had the foresight to build more oil refineries. He would have saved everyone. Oh yes, he would have been GREAT! There goes Kerry with his Ketchup wife, wading through the sewage water in New Orleans to help rebuild the city as a pool of orange water follows his every move from the washed off fake tan spray...the infection he legitimately receives from an open plastic surgery wound earning him a metal.

Kerry was a joke. Bush is a tool of the powers behind the throne but I knew what I was going to get with him; our precious oil which keeps our country happy and functional. In 2008, you'll get McCain or Rudy and whatever democrat gets thrown up against them and nothing will change with regard to the oil companies no matter who gets elected so look to other issues to make your decision on which front man to vote for.

I'm leaning toward McCain. He's got the experience to take care of our number one priority - national defense and security, while remaining active in many aspects of government. If you want a president that will at least attempt to get some things done before he dies (better pick a good VP), McCain is your man. He's tough but isn't a pussy national guard pilot or exaggerated riverboat hero. He sat and rotted in the Hanoi Hilton for seven years. That's got to make any man take the consequences of military action seriously. Nothing heroic, just matter of fact. He's been around politics long enough to know what can and can't be changed. You won't get sweeping changes from any president but McCain is the best choice to make lots of baby steps in the right direction to get us started.

Nick · Post by **Nick** » October 22, 2005, 4:54 pm

Yes, deflect the blame and mockery onto Kerry, thats a reasonable argument and highly intellectual to boot.

So you think Oil would be more expensive with Kerry leading than it currently is? Since you claim to be worried about losing your "precious oil".

Winnow · Post by **Winnow** » October 22, 2005, 5:07 pm

Nick wrote:Yes, deflect the blame and mockery onto Kerry, thats a reasonable argument and highly intellectual to boot.

I didn't deflect blame. I did mock Kerry though. He was our other choice. If you're going to hate Bush for everything, you've got to consider what the alternative would have been. If you don't, you're merely whining.

"Hey, lets go hit that Bush sucks rally over on Central street and then grab a frappuccino afterwards."

"Cool! I'm in! Hang on, let me grab my Birkenstocks."

Nick · Post by **Nick** » October 22, 2005, 5:18 pm

Generalise anyone who doesn't blindly support Bush atrocities much?

What a joke.

Whining? What are you smoking? They are called legitimate grievances, ask 70% of your country if you're unclear as to what they are.

Sumdaor · Post by **Sumdaor** » October 22, 2005, 5:23 pm

Hasn't there been a worldwide increase of oil prices not just in the us? I think VV talked about rising gas prices in different countries on this messageboard.

Compound that with 2 hurricanes that crippled oil refinery, not to count the countless hurricanes hitting the gulf.(That stops all oil production for the offshore rigs)

Get off the reefer, Nick, its not bush's fault anymore then its tony blair (insert any other country's leader)

kyoukan · Post by **kyoukan** » October 22, 2005, 5:49 pm

Sumdaor wrote:Hasn't there been a worldwide increase of oil prices not just in the us? I think VV talked about rising gas prices in different countries on this messageboard.

the price of crude has gone up significantly, mostly because of increased demand from china for it. it's also skyrocketed because opec is gouging the fuck out us while we smile and beg for more.

this has effected the price at the pump by quite a bit. there is also a large effect because the bush administration buys enormous amounts of gasoline to fill up the reserves which he never plans to use. this massively increases demand and decreases supply, which obviously drives prices up in the united states. big oil companies that the bush administration takes their orders from sell the government (well the taxpayer) millions of gallons of fuel per week at premium prices and get violently wealthy off of it while you stare blankly at your television screens and comment about how wonderfully everyman george bush is and thank god he's keeping the queers and the niggers from taking over america.

Neroon · Post by **Neroon** » October 23, 2005, 11:44 am

As much as I hate monopolies and "Big Oil", if you look at the figures it's not that bad.

ExxonMobile had revenues of about $170B in the first half, with profits of about $15.5B. Now, 15.5B is a huge mind-boggling number, but that's like 9% profit. Is that really unreasonable?

If I had a business, and someone told me 9% profit was too much, I would tell them to take a flying f***.

The only thing that really bothers me about ExxonMobile is their size. The government didn't break up Standard Oil in 1911 (I think?) just so they could happily reform 90 years later.

Wulfran · Post by **Wulfran** » October 23, 2005, 12:21 pm

kyoukan wrote:
Sumdaor wrote:Hasn't there been a worldwide increase of oil prices not just in the us? I think VV talked about rising gas prices in different countries on this messageboard.
the price of crude has gone up significantly, mostly because of increased demand from china for it. it's also skyrocketed because opec is gouging the fuck out us while we smile and beg for more.

There is also a "terror premium" added to this because of the situation in Iraq raising fears among those sheep known as commodity traders, of more widespread instability in the middle east. Iraq kinda compounds things because there were thoughts that once Iraq was "free" and stable, more oil would be making it onto the world markets to help offset some of the Chinese (and Indian) demand and instead its creating more uncertainty.

Voronwë · Post by **Voronwë** » October 24, 2005, 1:09 pm

our government is not doing anything to lessen our dependency on foreign oil, which adversely effects the economy for most Americans as well as exascerbates a strategic vulnerability.

in fact we are further entrenching our dependency on Middle Eastern Oil with our position in Iraq. We may have 10 or 20 years of great access to those fields, and a government willing to capitulate to us.

But what is going to stop that population from eventually taking THE SAME stance that every Arabic populace has taken towards Western interests gaining disproportionate advantage from their relationships?

hopefully a burgeoning middle class? Iran has a growing middle class, and that hasnt stopped their government from being extremist or anti-Western.

Mr Bacon · Post by **Mr Bacon** » October 24, 2005, 2:42 pm

Neroon wrote:ExxonMobile had revenues of about $170B in the first half, with profits of about $15.5B. Now, 15.5B is a huge mind-boggling number, but that's like 9% profit. Is that really unreasonable?

So you're saying 15,500,000,000 dollars in pure profit isn't unreasonable?

Fairweather Pure · Post by **Fairweather Pure** » October 25, 2005, 1:22 am

Check out Exxon's profits listed here:

2004: $25.3 billion
2003: $21.5 billion
2002: $11.5 billion
2001: $15.3 billion
2000: $17.7 billion
1999: $7.9 billion
1998: $8.1 billion
1997: $11.7 billion
1996: $10.5 billion
1995: $8.8 billion
1994: $5.1 billion
1993: $5.3 billion
1992: $4.8 billion
1991: $5.6 billion
1990: $5.0 billion
1989: $3.5 billion

Bush took office in 2001. Gas prices atarted getting absolutely fucking crazy in....wait for it....2003. The energy bill Dubya and his cronies passed around July of this year actually gives tax breaks to Exxon and other energy companies. Keep in mind that Exxon just broke the record for the largest profit in history. Yes, let's give them tax breaks. They certianly need them! You don't see anything wrong with that? Are you fucking nuts?

I found this link funny too:

http://www.leanweb.org/qoflife/exxonpr.html

Marbus · Post by **Marbus** » October 25, 2005, 11:25 am

I was reading an article in Newsweek yesterday while getting my mom's car worked on. The issue was sometime in Sept and was primarily about Katrina. The important part was that they had a whole section of statistics in there regarding the current state of our Nation... VERY scary.

Did you guys know that the only industralized nation with a higher infant mortality rate than the US is China? Did you know that we have more people below the poverty line than any other industrailized nation (they didn't list China or maybe we would have gotten #2 there as well). Did you know that we also have more people without basic healthcare than any other industrailized nation? In fact, some of our numbers are almost more akin to some thrid world countries than the most powerful nation in the world.

One last thing, did you also know that the number of people below the poverty line is the highest it's been since 1960? Yup.

Yet we are giving tax breaks to Exxon...

Marb

Neroon · Post by **Neroon** » October 25, 2005, 11:44 am

Rellix wrote:
Neroon wrote:ExxonMobile had revenues of about $170B in the first half, with profits of about $15.5B. Now, 15.5B is a huge mind-boggling number, but that's like 9% profit. Is that really unreasonable?
So you're saying 15,500,000,000 dollars in pure profit isn't unreasonable?

I'm saying if they were a company that made $170 million in the first half, and claimed $15.5 million in profit, we wouldn't be having this discussion.

Fairweather Pure · Post by **Fairweather Pure** » October 25, 2005, 1:44 pm

I'm saying if they were a company that made $170 million in the first half, and claimed $15.5 million in profit, we wouldn't be having this discussion.

Why yes, there is quite a difference between millions and billions. What an astute observation. Regardless of the point you are trying to get at, you seem oblivious to the fact that this isn't just any ol' business making a hard earned buck.

miir · Post by **miir** » October 25, 2005, 2:06 pm

Fairweather Pure wrote:
I'm saying if they were a company that made $170 million in the first half, and claimed $15.5 million in profit, we wouldn't be having this discussion.
Why yes, there is quite a difference between millions and billions. What an astute observation. Regardless of the point you are trying to get at, you seem oblivious to the fact that this isn't just any ol' business making a hard earned buck.

They are making record profits by price gouging consumers for what is essentially a required commodity (for a lot of people) at the same time getting tax breaks from their biggest customer... your government.

That doesn't seem a bit fucked up?

Voronwë · Post by **Voronwë** » October 25, 2005, 3:15 pm

well to be fair, they do have to pay hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes to the government for those tax breaks.

i mean they werent a GIFT

Sumdaor · Post by **Sumdaor** » October 25, 2005, 3:35 pm

I could care less if the oil companies make a bazillion dollars in profit as long as I am not getting raped at the pump.

nobody · Post by **nobody** » October 25, 2005, 5:50 pm

Sumdaor wrote:I could care less ...

wait does that mean you DO care?

Post by **Xouqoa** » October 27, 2005, 1:31 pm

Link to article

Article wrote: IRVING, Texas - Exxon Mobil Corp. had a quarter for the record books. The world's largest publicly traded oil company said Thursday high oil and natural-gas prices helped its third-quarter profit surge almost 75 percent to $9.92 billion, the largest quarterly profit for a U.S. company ever, and it was the first to ring up more than $100 billion in quarterly sales.

Kluden · Post by **Kluden** » October 27, 2005, 4:12 pm

Don't companies like Exxon-Mobil get large "income redistributions" or whatever because they do R&D as well? Like a big cash hand over from the government, taken from our tax dollars, to companies who make profits like that....just because they do R&D? Double "Oh My!"

Animalor · Post by **Animalor** » October 27, 2005, 4:29 pm

LOL That's an interesting way to spin it.

We made more profit because we charged more for the product.

And people claim noone tells the truth anymore.

Fairweather Pure · Post by **Fairweather Pure** » October 28, 2005, 9:51 am

In a file photo Exxon Mobil Corp. Chairman and CEO Lee Raymond laughs at you during a news conference in Dallas, Wednesday, May 25, 2005. Exxon Mobil Corp., the largest publicly traded oil company in the world, on Thursday, Oct. 27, 2005, said third-quarter profit surged, buoyed by higher crude-oil and natural-gas prices, even as the period's hurricanes hampered production. Revenue grew to $100.72 billion from $76.38 billion in the prior-year period.