Time to spill some beans. I did my acts of "credit stupidity" with my first race car, and learned a valuable lesson, thankfully, when there was opportunity to turn it around. Lately I can't get out of my head the stories told by mine and my wife's grandparents about the great depression and how they saved every resouce they could to survive.
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Originally Posted by Jeff Lee
Last I heard, the oil company's were operating on the same profit margins as any other successful business in the USA, around 8% - 10%. If you want to lower the gross profits of the oil companies, stop buying petroleum based products.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Steve Polhill
And yet i just heard this morning that one of the big oil companies made a record 44 BILLION DOLLARS LAST YEAR!!! Yes thats right $44 BILLION with a "B" and just gave the CEO a raise to 22 million a year.. I wonder when we will get to the point where enough is just enough and they just can't get anymore blood from this stone..
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Jeff, I've heard different numbers, depending on who says it, and what side of the money table they're sitting on. Steve, I'll vouch for your info.
I had the unfortunate experience to live in Fairfield County CT. between 1981 - 1985. I say this with conviction since it was the most miserable 5 years of my life, having to survive on the outside of the most vulgar of high society hippocrites in this country. The town I lived in was home to Raleigh Warner, then chairman of Mobil, and his slimy-marry-into-wealth son in law Percy Pyne. Raleigh was a cold blooded businessman, understanding the future of oil and how it would drive this country to incomprehensive dependency. He didn't care about humanity, only how much wealth it would generate for himself, and his legacy. Percy cashed out (the last I checked) and became a "real estate barron" in NYC. These kind of people have so much capital behind them they can afford to buy the media and shield the truth from our unsuspecting nation.
This truth is becoming increasingly difficult to shelter almost daily each time those numbers on gas station signs increase by ludicrous increments. What's more vulgar is listening to many of those so-called "expert" Wall Street mouthpieces (CNBC, CNN, Bloomberg) try to sidestep this truth, explaining how "oil will not have an impact on our economy, and will continue to be stable"??????????? WTF does that mean? How stupid do these idiots think American consumers really are? When pockets are empty, game over...period. Only now add in the housing and subprime "bubble" markets, although a separate crisis', but ultimately the price gouging from oil business actually burst the bubble. Otherwise we'd be watching rapid double digit inflation take off like a rocket, making the Carter era look like child's play.
Enter hurricaine season 2004. I saw this train coming after we were hit by two storms then another in 2005, witnessing "For Sale" signs pop up on lawns in droves. Nonetheless until we as a nation change our habits on how we spend, what we listen to or watch, and understand who and what we're voting for, I fear the big storm is yet to hit, and the death of drag racing will be the least of our worries. But I pray I'm wrong.