$$$FUEL PRICES$$$ MUST READ!!!

wheelsofurtune · Oct 28, 2005

I caught a disturbing segment on the news last night regarding the
cost of fuel and "POSSIBLE" price gouging!
It was reported that two of the top oil companys,Exxon and Shell have reported last quarter profits of over 20 BILLON dollars.
Exxon at over 10 Billion and Shell in second with just under 10 Billion.

Top company officials declined interviews but one responded with a
letter that read their proffits are "In step" with big business nationwide! So the quote was investigated...
as it turns out the average reported proffits of big bizz in the last quater were 16% compared to the two oil giants reported 68%
gain!!!

DISTURBING I think is an under statement in this situation!
We have homeless people starving in the streets and these huge untouchable companys are making Billions every minute. Something must be done to make them accountable for their actions. This short news clip could easily be forgotten about in our busy lives. I would like everybody who reads this to forward it to everyone you know, forward it to people you dont know, cut and paste it everywhere and when enough people want answers change will happen!

John

greg334 · Oct 28, 2005

> I caught a disturbing segment on the news last night
>regarding the
>cost of fuel and "POSSIBLE" price gouging!
>It was reported that two of the top oil companys,Exxon and
>Shell have reported last quarter profits of over 20 BILLON
>dollars.
>Exxon at over 10 Billion and Shell in second with just under
>10 Billion.
>
> Top company officials declined interviews but one
>responded with a
>letter that read their proffits are "In step" with big
>business nationwide! So the quote was investigated...
>as it turns out the average reported proffits of big bizz in
>the last quater were 16% compared to the two oil giants
>reported 68%
>gain!!!
>
> DISTURBING I think is an under statement in this
>situation!
>We have homeless people starving in the streets and these
>huge untouchable companys are making Billions every minute.
>Something must be done to make them accountable for their
>actions. This short news clip could easily be forgotten
>about in our busy lives. I would like everybody who reads
>this to forward it to everyone you know, forward it to
>people you dont know, cut and paste it everywhere and when
>enough people want answers change will happen!
>
> John

Most people think this won’t do anything but you all have to get involved. Write your representatives.

Even if you are from Michigan and the governor wants to raise the gas tax again to pay for the super bowl (that’s a joke).

All kidding aside; seriously, write your representatives, they are in control of this problem, no one else.

I have another idea too and it will sound stupid to some but it can make an impact, start a get out and vote campaign. As dumb as it sounds, it gives exposure (politicians hate it when groups get on TV for a cause, that means they have to work) and if it is done right (remember you have to be neutral about the candidates) you can bring up specific issues that affect us professional drivers, like price gouging and high profits for the oil companies. Making some of the new voters aware of these problems and how they really affect them can make a difference.

I read the reports this morning and thought about it, are these record profits due to the same profit margin or has there been an increase in the profit margin of these companies. It is like the pharmaceutical industry, which I know a lot about. One company has a 36% profit margin and due to the Medicare bill they raised the prices of all their products across the board to maintain that 36% margin.

davekc · Oct 28, 2005

I seen that story on NBC news. It is a supply and demand issue that will not likley change short of an act from Congress.
Gregg is on the right path.
Only alot of noise is going to change something.
Or, the public starts dumping their personal SUV's and the like.
Alternate power sources are right around the corner. Looks like they are trying to gouge and cash in as much as they can, while they can.
Remember the 80's?
It isn't like this industry hasn't crashed before.

Davekc

Draco · Oct 28, 2005

If your not sure who to write in your state you can go here:
http://www.truckline.com/fuelpricecrisis they will give you the information. If you don't want to write the email your self it will give you a canned letter. You can also write your local new media there too.

dukesadog · Oct 28, 2005

They basically said its not like profits from lets say a glass company where a person needs glass once a month. Its fuel so everyone buys it everyday, everywhere if you look at businesses like that overall the profit margins are normal. By no means though am I taking sides I think gas should be .50 a gallon.

dukesadog

Crazynuff · Oct 29, 2005

Seems kind of funny the day after oil company profits were announced diesel dropped about $.30 a gallon . I've heard all incumbent senators will be in trouble election day . I heard a caller on a radio talk show saying he was a republican that just couldn't vote democrat so he wasn't going to vote . Don't stay away from the polls . Vote Libertarion and get them worried about the next few elections . I voted for Bush but it was really a vote against Kerry . My wife voted for Nader . She's a democrat but Kerry wasn't getting her vote either .

trhoades · Oct 29, 2005

Hey, Crazynuff, I agree with you on the anti-Kerry vote. I am an independent, so I always vote for who I think is the best candidate. Not for a party!!! I can't stand to watch these debates on tv between Dems and Reps. Both sides arent interested in who is a candidate, just the party designation in front of their name. That is the most ridiculous thing I have ever seen.

I think OOIDA needs to pick a candidate and support him/her. Then, try to get all truckers, freight haulers, and family and friends of such to vote for that candidate. Hopefully, this would show that we do have a voice. Maybe politicians would take a bit more interest in our cause.

You know there are over 12 million truckers on the road. Not to mention expeditors, hotshotters, etc. All we have to do is stick together on ONE election, and we will finally be heard. Politicians know trhat we are all on the road and most don't vote.

OK, I'm sorry fiends. This issue really fires me up. I'll stop now.

bryan · Oct 29, 2005

HI
I can't wait until the day we can tell the oil companies where to go.Hopefully the high prices will make it more profitable for scientist to study alternatives more closely.GM and Exxon have went together on hydrogen vehicles but I'm not sure based on Exxon's record if that was such a good partner.Dupont is using their own chemical waste to power one of their plants in Texas.They are producing enough electricity to power their plant plus, sell some to the power company.Hopefully this technology takes off.Seems like a win win situation to me.
Thanks and have a good one.

greg334 · Oct 29, 2005

> HI
> I can't wait until the day we can tell the oil companies
>where to go.Hopefully the high prices will make it more
>profitable for scientist to study alternatives more
>closely.GM and Exxon have went together on hydrogen vehicles
>but I'm not sure based on Exxon's record if that was such a
>good partner.Dupont is using their own chemical waste to
>power one of their plants in Texas.They are producing enough
>electricity to power their plant plus, sell some to the
>power company.Hopefully this technology takes off.Seems like
>a win win situation to me.
>Thanks and have a good one.

I hope you all don’t mind me getting on my soap box here.

Well tell the oil companies where to go? I don’t think so.

Let’s be realistic here, they, oil companies will own the technology (look at bio-diesel they are already taking that over), they will own the distribution system and they will own the fueling stations AND they will make a profit. GM/Ford/D-C/Toyota/Honda will partner with companies like BP and Exxon to get their technology from research to consumers. It is that simple.

Also as for research, do you do you honestly think that they aren’t funding a lot of research? They sure are, maybe a lot more than they will ever admit to and I would say it most likely be at the tune of 25% of their profits. See it is simply about money; they want to be the first company to get a patent/trade mark on something instead of their competition. I know this from working at a pharmaceutical company and knowing their business strategy, patents/trade marks rule.

Marketing some of research is done unfairly as far as I am concern. It is like ethanol, they are floating this crap around that it is far more economical to produce gasoline than ethanol because it takes more fuel to produce ethanol, BS. They are saying this to sell you the gas while working on a method to produce ethanol using 10% of the heat normally used and it can be done with waste heat from power plants and manufacturing. And they are also trying to find a way to produce Butanol which is almost like gasoline in behavior.

AND they already have done research in the 60’s and 70’s on fuel from garbage dumps and land fills (a.k.a. bio-mass gas), which can replace nature gas and they capped off thousands of landfills instead of giving it to us. Think about that when you get your $800 heating bill.

Another thing about research has to do with congress, even though our government gives BILLIONS to schools (like U of M which does not return that money in my opinion) for research; they also give the OIL COMPANIES BILLIONS through partnership programs and such. It is funny that they will give this money to the companies but will not let them write off research cost. If they can write off the research, how much more innovation would there be.

But on the other hand some groups and even states are taking into their own hands and moving ahead with ways to fuel their economy with alternate technology. California with their hybrid and electric car stuff but the most amazing thing is using something in the coal belt that has been around for 80 years, coal liquefaction. Liquidfied coal can be refined just like crude.

One last thing, I go back to my first post in this thread. If you want to have something done, get involved. Don’t depend on OOIDA to get people together; if you want to get things fixed, you start. Don’t be partisan about issues or think that one party or thought is better than another, just go for change. Oh there is another thing about politics, you know people should get term limits in their state. There is no reason any representative of the people should be in office for 50 years, look at Dingle (d) Michigan. Maybe 10 years at the most is acceptable. We have a lot of people who would like to have the job may do some good, but don’t have a chance.

Well sorry for the long speech.

cheri1122 · Nov 1, 2005

I agree that voting for the candidates who acknowledge the need for change is how we can change things, but I've received an interesting email about how we can have an impact much sooner. As Rich said, prices are supply & demand based. We can't do anything about supply - but we can reduce demand. A general "don't buy" reduction isn't practical or effective, but a targeted boycott can have an effect. The targets are Exxon & Shell, whose record profits have been published recently. If demand for their product falls enough, they will have to reduce the price. When they do, others will have to follow suit. It will take awhile before the impact is felt, but if we just stick to it, (which is easy for me, I don't buy from them anyway), they will pay attention.
Even if it doesn't have the desired effect, it's past time to send the message that we've had enough. I almost wish I had one of either company's credit cards, just so I could send it back - in pieces!

tiredofsittn · Nov 1, 2005

lets hit them where it hurts, i really like mobile delvac but will not buy another gallon or fill at a exxon or mobile station. i think i will also stop buying rottella t, that only leaves chevron. i really dont like their oil but did hear that they donated a huge tent to the storm victims. WOW

rollingstock · Nov 1, 2005

I caught a documentary on the History channel (I think) the other night. In this piece, the producers highlighted the Brazillian answer to rising oil prices. The entire of Brazil is fuled by alcohol. They have an entore infrastructre and mass produce ethanol for thier vehicles. They have done this since the early 1980's.

the kicker in this is that the Barzillians purchased this technology from the U.S. We found that it was not economically feasible to produce ethanol. Now look at us. A gallon of ethanol costs .90 per gallon in Brazil. A gallon of gasoline costs $2.90 per gallon.

Brazil is not a large country. They used to import 70% (as we now do) of their crude oil in the late 1970's. Now they import 3%.

My point is, this not only could be the U.S. but it should be the U.S. I don't know what it will take (although I suspect it would take someone willing to be ostracized by the Washington elites)but I am ready to make any adjustment necessary.

Bio-diesel and ethanol are a start in the right direction folks. We need to demand a national energy program that liberates us from imported oil. We need to capitalize on this before we go broke.

Just my two cents

joebob1_30132 · Nov 1, 2005

john

i am with u to adegree.. but nobody was crying for them when oil was 15.00 a barrel back in the 90s and there profits were nothing '...i tis a business and they r responsible to only their share holders like my dad and others who r just middle class and pay most of the taxes in this country... the market will find a way ...they always do get on your stinggy unions and your no good politicians taking the money from u with little accountability.. my money is mine not the theives who tax my labor .....give a china man a job joina the teamsters

tiredofsittn · Nov 1, 2005

oh yeah castrols got a new oil out for trucks, and they dont own filling stations, only sell oil. ive found my new brand,now only if wallyworld would carry it. i think i will boycott them to.....

Tennesseahawk · Nov 1, 2005

There's a cool parody of Wallyworld on jibjab.com... check it out :7

greg334 · Nov 2, 2005

> We can't do anything about supply - but we can reduce
>demand.

I don’t agree that we can’t do anything about supply, we can. There are a lot of things that can be done. But remember one thing, the biggest problem that everyone has only three letters in the name, EPA. In the EPA charter, there is a clause in it that make the EPA an effective agency; it simply states that it is not allow to take in consideration any economical impact when making policies and/or laws. There is two ways this can be removed, a congressional vote or an executive order.

My point is you ain’t going to find many people in the government or candidates that know what we need to get done. You have to educate them, just like any other subject. This takes time and money.

But with that said I will soon tell everyone what I am doing with my suggestions. Stay Tuned.