Yeah, we're not paying too much for gas...

**Shpoone** · 07-27-2006, 05:55 AM

Not sure if the link will work, being AOL

http://articles.news.aol.com/busines...90035?cid=2194

IRVING, Texas (July 27) - Exxon Mobil Corp. said Thursday it earned $10.36 billion in the second quarter, the second largest quarterly profit ever recorded by a publicly traded U.S. company.

**third_shift|studios** · 07-27-2006, 05:57 AM

i think i'd shoot people if i read that article...

**Ice Spiral** · 07-27-2006, 05:58 AM

Gas prices are a mother fucker, its 2.89 for 87 grade gasoline and usually costs almost 50 bucks to fill up my little slowass 4 banger Celica.

**Zboner** · 07-27-2006, 05:59 AM

yea i heard that on a talk show today, what a joke, i dont understand why the company has to lie about the war and all this BS to make us pay higher prices, they should come out and say hey were greedy and your going to pay whatever we set the prices at so deal with it. because that is pretty much what they are doing, if there really was a crisis, or shortage like they tried to say or the war then they would only be making a few million dollars each year i could even understand 1 billion, but over 10 billion!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! thats a joke i mean how much money do people really need?? they are honestly making the rest of the world poor if you think about it? they taking money away from other corporations because people have to spend money on fuel. its just a joke.

**Zboner** · 07-27-2006, 06:00 AM

Originally Posted by Ice Spiral

Gas prices are a mother fucker, its 2.89 for 87 grade gasoline and usually costs almost 50 bucks to fill up my little slowass 4 banger Celica.

um its 3.10 here for 87

**Zboner** · 07-27-2006, 06:00 AM

and over 3.30 for 93 its a joke amoung jokes

**Ice Spiral** · 07-27-2006, 06:01 AM

Originally Posted by Zboner

um its 3.10 here for 87

Jesus man, I've never seen gas prices above 2.89 here for 87 grade.....

MOVE DOWN SOUTH, homeboy.

**Zboner** · 07-27-2006, 06:02 AM

Originally Posted by Ice Spiral

Jesus man, I've never seen gas prices above 2.89 here for 87 grade.....

MOVE DOWN SOUTH, homeboy.

i would if i could but i cant afford to pay for gas to move, lol

**Zboner** · 07-27-2006, 06:03 AM

yea i costs me 40 bucks to fill up my tank in the Z and if i drive it every day to work it will cost me 120-160 a week just for gas

**SSwt00SS** · 07-27-2006, 06:15 AM

what's even more fucked up is that here in Dallas where Exxon is based we pay the highest gas in all of Texas.

**Zboner** · 07-27-2006, 06:21 AM

hey they need to buy there island

**DJ Red Barron** · 07-27-2006, 08:23 AM

Fucking bastards. I just love spending $60+ a pop to fill up.

**FuxOnTheFirstDate** · 07-27-2006, 09:37 AM

I sold my Camaro the other day because I only ran premium in it. Premium (90)here in New Mexico is between $3.38 and $3.42 per gallon and regular (87) is between $3.08 and $3.12 per gallon. It normally costs me $35-$40 to fill up my 4 banger's tank from 1/4. Luckily I don't drive it much because it only gets 17 in town and 23 on the interstate.

**gwballin** · 07-27-2006, 01:22 PM

Originally Posted by Zboner

yea i heard that on a talk show today, what a joke, i dont understand why the company has to lie about the war and all this BS to make us pay higher prices, they should come out and say hey were greedy and your going to pay whatever we set the prices at so deal with it. because that is pretty much what they are doing, if there really was a crisis, or shortage like they tried to say or the war then they would only be making a few million dollars each year i could even understand 1 billion, but over 10 billion!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I agree with you that they are using excuses (some even say lies) to increase profits. But we live in a country that, to the best it can, allows the free market to determine price. Think about it, if I am selling something, why shouldn't I sell if for as much as I can? They are not running a charity, their job is to increase stockholder wealth and they seem to be doing a great job at it.

Originally Posted by Zboner

thats a joke i mean how much money do people really need??

It is not about need. That's like saying who needs an 11 sec car? They are providing a product that people are willing to pay for and are being rewarded accordingly. If we start deciding as a whole what others need, we might as well live under the communist rule of Cuba. That is the reason that Cuban's risk their lives to get here, we won't tell them what they need.

Originally Posted by Zboner

they are honestly making the rest of the world poor if you think about it? they taking money away from other corporations because people have to spend money on fuel. its just a joke.

I also don't see how they are making the rest of the world poor. Everyone has decisions to make. If I choose to buy gasoline instead of some other product (opportunity cost), then the gas must be more valuable to me than the other product I was considering buying. Since I now have the more valuable product (measured by my willingness to buy it) then I am better off than if I had bought the less valuable product.

Don't get me wrong, I don't like having to pay for 93 octane, but that is how it goes.

The big oil corporations are really only going to be hurt in the long run. As gas prices increase, alternatives become cheaper by comparison. As alternatives become cheaper, more people will be willing to buy those alternatives. As more people by the alternatives, more people and business will produce the alternatives and earn profits. The bigger the profits, the more people/businesses are willing to create those alternatives. The more alternatives that are produced (assuming steady demand) the cheaper the alternatives will be. That is the beauty of the free market. This process doesn't happen over night, but this is what is happening.

**Zboner** · 07-27-2006, 02:03 PM

Originally Posted by gwballin

I agree with you that they are using excuses (some even say lies) to increase profits. But we live in a country that, to the best it can, allows the free market to determine price. Think about it, if I am selling something, why shouldn't I sell if for as much as I can? They are not running a charity, their job is to increase stockholder wealth and they seem to be doing a great job at it.

It is not about need. That's like saying who needs an 11 sec car? They are providing a product that people are willing to pay for and are being rewarded accordingly. If we start deciding as a whole what others need, we might as well live under the communist rule of Cuba. That is the reason that Cuban's risk their lives to get here, we won't tell them what they need.

I also don't see how they are making the rest of the world poor. Everyone has decisions to make. If I choose to buy gasoline instead of some other product (opportunity cost), then the gas must be more valuable to me than the other product I was considering buying. Since I now have the more valuable product (measured by my willingness to buy it) then I am better off than if I had bought the less valuable product.

Don't get me wrong, I don't like having to pay for 93 octane, but that is how it goes.

The big oil corporations are really only going to be hurt in the long run. As gas prices increase, alternatives become cheaper by comparison. As alternatives become cheaper, more people will be willing to buy those alternatives. As more people by the alternatives, more people and business will produce the alternatives and earn profits. The bigger the profits, the more people/businesses are willing to create those alternatives. The more alternatives that are produced (assuming steady demand) the cheaper the alternatives will be. That is the beauty of the free market. This process doesn't happen over night, but this is what is happening.

u make valid points, but our gov't needs to step in here and give the middle class( the class that is dissaperaing) a break, we are the ones loosing here. the reason your forced to buy gas is so u can keep your job, if you do not buy it you can not get to work and therefore loose your job and are unable to buy the gass. its just a cycle. making people poor in a sense.

**gwballin** · 07-27-2006, 02:18 PM

Originally Posted by Zboner

u make valid points, but our gov't needs to step in here and give the middle class( the class that is dissaperaing) a break, we are the ones loosing here. the reason your forced to buy gas is so u can keep your job, if you do not buy it you can not get to work and therefore loose your job and are unable to buy the gass. its just a cycle. making people poor in a sense.

After rereading my post I'm glad that you recognize that I wasn't trying to come down hard on you. I appreciate your post and the thought that went into it and I'm glad that know I was just trying to offer a different point of view.

I just think that this is a case where two reasonable people are going to have to agree to disagree. I think that government interference in the natural cycle of business is usually not the best solution. If the government puts caps on the price of gas, we'll have shortages at the pumps and how are people supposed to get to work when there is no gas to buy? We know this will happen because we've already tried this disastrous experiment once. Another side effect of artificially setting the price lower than the market clearing price is that the big oil companies are under no obligation to sell their products in the US. If they can get more for it in China, India or Europe they will and there will be even less of a supply here.

There is no easy solution, but my vote is to let the market sort it out. I am afraid that we will always be in a situation where we will have to prioritize and allocate resources accordingly.

**Shpoone** · 07-27-2006, 03:18 PM

Originally Posted by gwballin

It is not about need. That's like saying who needs an 11 sec car? They are providing a product that people are willing to pay for and are being rewarded accordingly.

Bullshit. It is entirely about need, because there is not a single person on this Earth that I know of that can make it to work daily without gas. These motherfuckers have taken the way of the overpaid CEO and Enron to literally rape the entire population of this country, and the world, just to beat us like readheaded stepchildren at K-Mart for trying to earn a fucking living. Of all the products in the universe that need regulation and fair distribution, I can think of no other.

As for alternatives, while the pricks running the oil industries continue to own the world, how fast do you think those are going to come our way?

**Zboner** · 07-27-2006, 03:34 PM

Originally Posted by gwballin

After rereading my post I'm glad that you recognize that I wasn't trying to come down hard on you. I appreciate your post and the thought that went into it and I'm glad that know I was just trying to offer a different point of view.

I just think that this is a case where two reasonable people are going to have to agree to disagree. I think that government interference in the natural cycle of business is usually not the best solution. If the government puts caps on the price of gas, we'll have shortages at the pumps and how are people supposed to get to work when there is no gas to buy? We know this will happen because we've already tried this disastrous experiment once. Another side effect of artificially setting the price lower than the market clearing price is that the big oil companies are under no obligation to sell their products in the US. If they can get more for it in China, India or Europe they will and there will be even less of a supply here.

There is no easy solution, but my vote is to let the market sort it out. I am afraid that we will always be in a situation where we will have to prioritize and allocate resources accordingly.

but there needs to be regulation in this market, im spending about $120 a week in gas, and make about $850 in two weeks, now i have to save to pay for college on top of that and try to live also, and make my car payments on top of that, i can afford to pay 2:20 a gallon but 3:30 is out of hand its just stupid and they cant expect people to pay those kind of prices. and i have to get to work, im sure not going to find another job that pays a 20 year old kid as good as the one im getting paid at now, so i have to drive 85 miles round trip and that kills my gas.

so insted of me going out and buying CD'S at Best buy or wherever or video games or going out to dinner and going out on friday nights i have to spend my money on gas. this 'extra' money i spend on gas takes away from other industries and brings the economy down as a whole and will eventually put the United States in a depression, so many people are in debt its not even funny, i for one are in serious debt.

this is why i hope the other industries start to complaine that people are spending less and less money on their products.

take wallmart for example, what would you say the majority of shoppers at wallmart are??? middle to lower class people(not trying to offend anyone) but they do not have much disposable income and they shop at wallmart because the prices are low and can afford that. now what happens when those people have to use there extra income to pay for gas? and they stop buying at wallmart? then what is wallmart going to do?? bitch complaine? its the same old thing, the rich get richer and the poor get poorer.

**gwballin** · 07-27-2006, 04:19 PM

Originally Posted by Zboner

but there needs to be regulation in this market, im spending about $120 a week in gas, and make about $850 in two weeks, now i have to save to pay for college on top of that and try to live also, and make my car payments on top of that, i can afford to pay 2:20 a gallon but 3:30 is out of hand its just stupid and they cant expect people to pay those kind of prices. and i have to get to work, im sure not going to find another job that pays a 20 year old kid as good as the one im getting paid at now, so i have to drive 85 miles round trip and that kills my gas.

I remember what it was like to be in college and not have any money. It sounds like you are on the right track to set yourself up properly for the rest of your life.

But you said it yourself, you choose to have such a long commute by weighing all of the negatives and positives of accepting that job. I was on my own when it came to paying for college and everything else (family was not able to help financially), so I understand where you are coming from. You just have to sacrifice now for it to really pay off later.

But if you are interested in price caps I assure you the shortages of gas I predict will happen. If you are not in favor of price caps, what other regulation would you suggest?

**Zboner** · 07-27-2006, 04:33 PM

i just think that if they set a cap at say 2.00 or something i dont know we cant do much about it anyways so i guess its not even worth bitching, the gov't will never cap it cause they make to much money off of it