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Oil Cartel


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http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060807/ap_on_bi_ge/oil_field_shutdown

 

BP will raise its price because it will cost more for it to bring gas to the market.

Everyone else will raise their prices to match BPs so as not to leave anyone off the proffit wagon.

BP will break even, everyone else will make a mad ass profit.

 

CARTEL

car·tel

noun

A combination of independent business organizations formed to regulate production, pricing, and marketing of goods by the members.

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Supply, meet demand. Demand, supply.

 

There, now that that's over with, who else here is driving frackin' ten gallon per mile H2's and shit? Seriously, if Americans would just wake the fuck up and quit buying gas guzzlers, we wouldn't be having this conversation. Instead we'd be bitching about why we don't have fusion power plants and meaningful long-haul mass transit like Europe and Asia.

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There, now that that's over with, who else here is driving frackin' ten gallon per mile H2's and shit? Seriously, if Americans would just wake the fuck up and quit buying gas guzzlers, we wouldn't be having this conversation.

 

I think you stumbled upon the wrong forum.

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Why do we have to suffer because they need new equipment. If we need new equipment at work we dont charge the customer. B/s whats wrong with people in this country? 30 years ago there would be riots in the streets if the gas companies did what they are doing now. Why cant we seem to band together as a society anymore to make change.
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Supply, meet demand. Demand, supply.

 

There, now that that's over with, who else here is driving frackin' ten gallon per mile H2's and shit? Seriously, if Americans would just wake the fuck up and quit buying gas guzzlers, we wouldn't be having this conversation. Instead we'd be bitching about why we don't have fusion power plants and meaningful long-haul mass transit like Europe and Asia.

 

IMHO, buying a 'hybrid' car/truck/SUV/whatever, is not fixing the problem. It's simply putting a Band-Aid on it. Though it is a smart thing to do in today's day and age. You shouldn't have to buy a hybrid just to cope with the rising gas prices. I also don't think that low MPG vehicles are directly causing the high gas prices.

 

Though, by buying fuel constantly for a low MPG vehicle, I guess that could continue to feed the market, whereas, if you were only buying fuel for you vehicle every 2 weeks, the oil tycoons wouldn't be selling as much fuel, and could possibly be forced to drop their prices.

 

I'm just thinking out loud. But basically what I'm saying is, I don't really know. But what I do know, is that high pump prices suck. :D

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Why do we have to suffer because they need new equipment. If we need new equipment at work we dont charge the customer. B/s whats wrong with people in this country? 30 years ago there would be riots in the streets if the gas companies did what they are doing now. Why cant we seem to band together as a society anymore to make change.

i don't have time to riot and spend my life in the streets throwing rocks at buldings like in the middle east.

 

I have a job.

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i don't have time to riot and spend my life in the streets throwing rocks at buldings like in the middle east.

 

I have a job.

 

 

You can atleast grab a handfull before you leave home and chuck them out your window as you drive by. Be sure to do your part...hit someone...with a rock. :woowoo:

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There, now that that's over with, who else here is driving frackin' ten gallon per mile H2's and shit? Seriously, if Americans would just wake the fuck up and quit buying gas guzzlers, we wouldn't be having this conversation. Instead we'd be bitching about why we don't have fusion power plants and meaningful long-haul mass transit like Europe and Asia.

 

Be careful with all of that smug. We don't want to be having a smug storm, now do we?

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Supply, meet demand. Demand, supply.

The rules of supply and demand do not apply to the petroleum industry. They can be sure that every drop that they produce, at any price, will be bought. If you think that a great demand is a natural raiser of prices, you're out of your mind, and you beleive too much of whar Rush tells you.

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Keep in mind also that some of us absolutely have to have a big vehicle.I have 3 kids and a wife so a little hybrid Honda is out of the question.My sister has 6 kids and a husband so we drive big cars and trucks.I know,we chose to have big families,so we live with it.You don't hear me crying about gas prices because it's just what I have to pay to have a big family.I would love to buy a 7 passenger vehicle that gets 30+ mpg but right now it doesn't exist.
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I think you stumbled upon the wrong forum.

Not really... I think everyone here will agree that there's a huge difference between taking out a fully modded muscle car for a Saturday afternoon of putting ricers to shame, and driving it as your everyday transport. Likewise, the vast majority of people who have those big SUVs don't need them. A parent hauling four kids to soccer practice in a Windstar? Yeah, they need it. A single 5'1" 90lb 30something woman doing grocery shopping? Hell no.

 

If we need new equipment at work we dont charge the customer.

Sure you do. It just isn't as blantantly obvious when it happens. You have to charge the customer for your company infrastructure, otherwise it'll never get built and maintained. Oil companies have neglected the maintenance aspect for years in order to make their shares look good. Now we're paying the penalty for that shortsightedness. Don't be at all surprised *when* (not if) the other big drillers find similar problems. BP's just getting the bad rap because they're the first, and they just found a 6400bbl leak.

 

...It's simply putting a Band-Aid on it...

You bet it's just a band-aid, but when you've sliced your hand open on a cross-threaded bolt, will you argue as someone hands you band-aids instead of a suture and thread?

 

Be careful with all of that smug. We don't want to be having a smug storm, now do we?

It's just the Libertarian Capitalist in me showing through. I sometimes think I may have been born about 120 years too late. I might have made a great Rockefeller or Carnegie, but for now, I'll have to make do with the stock market.

 

The rules of supply and demand do not apply to the petroleum industry. They can be sure that every drop that they produce, at any price, will be bought. If you think that a great demand is a natural raiser of prices, you're out of your mind, and you beleive too much of whar Rush tells you.

Sure they do, but not in quite the same way that they do for, say, Furbies or Tickle-Me Elmos. In the latter case, massively constrained supply resulted in product being bought and resold at extreme profit. However, because of manufacturer rules, they *had* to be sold at a "reasonable retail" price (like a car's MSRP). Oil, being a commodity, does not have an MSRP, but does have speculation (which before this whole BP thing started was something like a $20 adder to the spot market). However, companies can't charge too much for it, or they cause inflation (which pisses consumers off even more than megaprofits) and recessions (which makes politicians squirm and pass laws that do more harm than good in the name of "doing something"... remember the GOP's "Let's give everyone $100" brainfart this past spring?). Go too far, and enough people will vote for treehugging hippies that "alternative" fuels get enough research to become viable, at which point it's game over for Big Oil. The companies are smart, and they're well aware of the fact that as time goes on, supply is going to just keep getting smaller, while demand will keep going up. What we're seeing now is just the beginning of what could become a MAJOR nightmare within our lifetimes.

 

Keep in mind also that some of us absolutely have to have a big vehicle...

Yep... as I commented to MegaMan, some folks have every right to drive a large vehicle. You and your sister both fall well within that category, and I can only imagine the kind of screeching that would take place if you tried to take a family vacation in my little thing. In your case, when it comes time to replace one of them, it might be worth the time to look into diesel. They're a lot quieter and smoother than the rattlecages of the 70s, and often get better mileage than their gasoline counterparts. You've also got the advantage, if you so choose, of driving by the local McDonald's, asking for their waste fry oil (which they'll probably give you for free), and brewing your own diesel at home, either by the saucepan-full or via one of the newer commercial systems that do a barrel or so at a time.

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