Oil prices down, demand down, gas up?

[Yoder]

What should be done?

Should the government force oil companies to sell a barrel of oil for less than what someone is willing to pay? It isn't like Shell and those set global oil prices. They build an extraction operation and start pulling up crude. Their costs are mostly fixed, so if the price per barrel of that crude goes up of course their profits will rise.

If you mean that refiners are screwing us all, why aren't the usual competitive pressures working? Why doesn't Marathon take the hit, charge less for their refined products than Shell, and steal the whole market? It would be easy and would better serve their greed over the long term. If you've ever driven by a station that is a dime cheaper, you cant even get in the parking lot. Marathon could use Standard Oil as a model.

Further, how much should a gallon of gas cost? Is $0.99 enough or too much? Explain how you would go about delivering that as a pump price.

 

[hornadylnl]

You can't be serious.

Very serious. Isn't Your post a reflection of communism? Big oil must reduce prices and profits for the greater good?

 

[hornadylnl]

Come on man. You know as well as I do that this ain't working. Statis quo Conservatism and Corporate Greed played a big part in putting NObama and his cronies in office. And that's what you are preaching here--statis quo.

The lack of an ethical and moral standards in today's "business as usual" is not doing our economy any good. Conservatives--as well as corporations--need to wake up and smell the coffee or they going to get our backsides handed to them again in 2012. Meet the new boss, same as the old boss...

If you think I'm preaching the status quo here, you couldn't be more wrong. I'm preaching 100% absolutely unfettered free market. If I had my way, corporations wouldn't pay 1 red cent in taxes. They don't now but I'm advocating that we eliminate the charade that they do.

The repubes will get beat again because they are trying to out democrat the democrats. I likely won't vote for a single repube in the near future.

 

[hornadylnl]

What should be done?

Should the government force oil companies to sell a barrel of oil for less than what someone is willing to pay? It isn't like Shell and those set global oil prices. They build an extraction operation and start pulling up crude. Their costs are mostly fixed, so if the price per barrel of that crude goes up of course their profits will rise.

If you mean that refiners are screwing us all, why aren't the usual competitive pressures working? Why doesn't Marathon take the hit, charge less for their refined products than Shell, and steal the whole market? It would be easy and would better serve their greed over the long term. If you've ever driven by a station that is a dime cheaper, you cant even get in the parking lot. Marathon could use Standard Oil as a model.

Further, how much should a gallon of gas cost? Is $0.99 enough or too much? Explain how you would go about delivering that as a pump price.

Pay what you're willing to pay and no more. That will set the market price.

 

[Lucas156]

Why don't we blame the government for the taxes on gas? They make more profit on gasoline than oil companies do. I think they make about forty cents a gallon or more?

 

[hornadylnl]

Why don't we blame the government for the taxes on gas? They make more profit on gasoline than oil companies do. I think they make about forty cents a gallon or more?

Not only the actual exchange of money in taxes, but what about the cost of complying with regulations?