tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12208632.post114600334352732805..comments2024-02-15T10:11:52.163-08:00Comments on Beer and Firkins: Price Gouging?Beermehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02220164574786223737noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12208632.post-1147052043868383342006-05-07T18:34:00.000-07:002006-05-07T18:34:00.000-07:00kajun,Well said, sir!Used only a tank of gas over ...kajun,<BR/>Well said, sir!<BR/>Used only a tank of gas over the past two weeks in my truck. Parked the guzzler and drove my wife's Saturn when we drove further than a few miles. Didn't like it, but saved a bunch of money on gas.<BR/><BR/>No problem.Beermehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02220164574786223737noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12208632.post-1146260647644967522006-04-28T14:44:00.000-07:002006-04-28T14:44:00.000-07:00Possumtrot,Toooo right, my friend!The government i...Possumtrot,<BR/><BR/>Toooo right, my friend!<BR/>The government is all about making political hay while doing NOTHING helpful or intelligent. It's all about the evil corporations making money and the government helping us poor abused consumers.<BR/><BR/>The fear factor has quite a bit of valid reasoning behind it. For example, some of the oil finds that are now paying off for the oil companies, were researched and developed, starting 10, 15, or even 20 years ago. When a company has to look that far ahead for the end production of their commodity, they NEED to know how stable a government is if that's where they plan to drill. Now, the flip-side of that (and a reason for the ungainly profits being made this year) is that if you start developing an oil field 17 years ago when oil was $30 a barrel, and you sell the oil 17 years later when oil is $72 a barrell, you tend to make enormous profits. Keep in mind that there was risk and is always risk involved: enormous monetary risk.<BR/><BR/>As for China drilling near Cuba, I tend to think China will pay someone else to do the drilling, but they are all over the world looking for oil and paying top dollar for it. They need it badly and since their government isn't burdened with social programs and third world aid programs, as we are, they will get what they want. We could have long ago worked something out with Cuba to keep the area American. We didn't and we'll have to eat this one.Beermehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02220164574786223737noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12208632.post-1146180660385997492006-04-27T16:31:00.000-07:002006-04-27T16:31:00.000-07:00Those People seem to have their own elegant soluti...Those People seem to have their own elegant solution: give everybody a two month "holiday" from federal gas taxes (lowering prices by about 18¢ per gallon), while they draw up a scheme to "bust up" the "Oil Monopoly" into "Baby Shells". When the federal tax is reinstated, they'll have a lot more companies to collect from, increasing the revenue from Other People's Money.<BR/><BR/>I'd post something about this over at United Possums, but I keep passing out from holding my breath while waiting for the government to do something positive. So far, the only non-partisan response has been the usual demogogary.<BR/><BR/>Latest estimates say there is about a $20-per-barrel "fear factor" built into the speculations on oil futures.<BR/><BR/>And what about this business with the Chinese drilling 70 miles off <I>our</I> coast?Roberthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10658526498243992232noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12208632.post-1146133497496618942006-04-27T03:24:00.000-07:002006-04-27T03:24:00.000-07:00Total agreement. And I keep saying the price of a ...Total agreement. And I keep saying the price of a cup of coffee is right up there! And Sneakers. And there is the thing with a sweatshirt. No logo: $5 with a Nike Logo $55... hello.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12208632.post-1146090369641949062006-04-26T15:26:00.000-07:002006-04-26T15:26:00.000-07:00camojack,Taxes are much more influential on the pr...<B>camojack</B>,<BR/><BR/>Taxes are much more influential on the price of gas than the oil companies' profits. As stated in the article, in some states, the federal and state taxes amount to over sixty cents on a gallon of gas (The least amount taxes add to a gallon among the fifty states is around 44 cents). Compare that to the average 9 cents the companies net.<BR/>Which leads me to ...<BR/><BR/><B>maggie</B>,<BR/><BR/>I checked out your link and watched the ads. This is a good idea. Beats the hell out of whining about a company that is making nothing but a fair profit on a commodity they sell, doesn't it?Beermehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02220164574786223737noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12208632.post-1146089801169149072006-04-26T15:16:00.000-07:002006-04-26T15:16:00.000-07:00Hawkeye®,Oh yeah, there are LOTS of other factors....<B>Hawkeye®</B>,<BR/><BR/>Oh yeah, there are LOTS of other factors. As I was explaining to my son yesterday, the cost of oil has alot to do with the instability of the countries in which it is produced. Oil companies put their people and capital at risk by working in these countries, and must provide much more expensive and effective security for those assets. That cost, just as every other cost, is passed down to the consumer. Market manipulators do have an effect on oil prices, for sure, but it takes quite a large amount of money to shift the cost of these expensive stocks. Fortunately for them, even if they move the stocks a few pennies, when they effect is mutliplied by hundreds of thousands of shares, the gain can be quite handsome.<BR/><BR/>And a nice IPA sounds like a good choice, indeed!Beermehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02220164574786223737noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12208632.post-1146020001329157962006-04-25T19:53:00.000-07:002006-04-25T19:53:00.000-07:00We pay a lot less for gasoline than quite a few ot...We pay a lot less for gasoline than quite a few other countries...but if there weren't so many <B>taxes</B> included in the price of gasoline, <I><B>THAT</B></I> would make it cheaper in a hurry.camojackhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07636605293846764764noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12208632.post-1146012119434230082006-04-25T17:41:00.000-07:002006-04-25T17:41:00.000-07:00There are a few more variables than even the ones ...There are a few more variables than even the ones you talk about here, but you are going in the right general direction. Gas prices are higher because oil prices are higher... for sure!<BR/><BR/>But who really raises the price of gasoline? I believe it's the commodity traders. You've got traders on the NYMEX and the COMEX who are taking into account factors like Hugo Chavez in Venezuela, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in Iran, Abu Musab Al-Zarqawi in Iraq, etc.<BR/><BR/>And when traders worry that supplies might be cut off by these jerks, they start bidding up the price of oil because they know it might be more valuable down the road (at which time I suppose they'll sell their shares and make a killing).<BR/><BR/>The "Big Oil" companies that Chuckie "Schmukie" Schumer likes to complain about don't set the oil prices... it's the commodity traders!<BR/><BR/>I'll drink to that! Maybe a nice IPA? Whaddaya think?<BR/><BR/>Regards...Hawkeye®https://www.blogger.com/profile/15719046062819366641noreply@blogger.com