The "Gas" Thread

[BobH]

Word.



I agree for the most part but I do have to state that I think the term "corporate greed," is an oxymoron. A corporation's sole purpose is to generate a profit. To do that effectively they have to do it at the expense of others. Just like in sports; for one to win another has to lose. "It's not personal. It's just business."

Well, it is true that corporations must make a profit as that is the sole reason to be in in business. The problem is in the past what constituted a reasonable profit year over year has changed. It has now gotten to the point of quarter over quarter using whatever means possible. In the long run, that is not sustainable or healthy for the consumer, the employees, the environment and other countries they operate in. That is full blown corporate greed. There is good capitalism and bad capitalism with degrees of each in between. Personally, I'd say for the most part we are at the bad stage. I'm not against capitalism, everyone needs to make a decent living, but there has to be some balance in the system.

The no holds barred winner take all approach creates far more losers than winners and leads to an unstable society. Gut the middle class and you have trouble.

Bob

[PaulFLUS]

Well, to quote Will Rogers, "Things ain't what they used to be. Probably never was."

Surely you can't think that the days of the robber barons (Vanderbilt, Rockefeller, Carnegie, Chase) were better. And let's not forget the great depression. Honestly I think where we are today is not so bad in comparison.

[BobH]

Well, to quote Will Rodgers, "Things ain't what they used to be. Probably never was."

Surely you can't think that the days of the robber barons (Vanderbilt, Rockefeller, Carnegie, Chase) were better. And let's not forget the great depression. Honestly I think where we are today is not so bad in comparison.

I don't think the robber barons ever disappeared completely and there is a whole new batch today. Where we are today is bad compared to the post WWII boom years that carried on until the 1980s or so before the slide backwards to where we are today. You may recall the days when the middle class included a large number of blue collar workers. Not so much today.

Bob

[PaulFLUS]

Well, I'll almost agree with that. I do think that the robber barons disappeared for the most part. The labor unions took credit for it but it was mainly due to workplace reform legislation protecting workers from unfair employment practices.

There was.however a period during the baby boom when it was pretty golden. We could go on and on about what went wrong with that and there is plenty of blame to go around but one big enemy we have in the US at least, really largely the western world as a whole but especially in the US, is consumerism. Entitlement is another one that plagues us but that is a whole other rabbit hole to rant about.

[Bill31521]

It's all.about Saudi Arabia. They're the only country with instant capacity. The current administration is not on good terms with them. The prior administration was. And that has to do with Iran and Yemen.

[tcrideshd]

Gas thread? Ok I’m loving gas prices

[sharptonn]

Gas thread? Ok I’m loving gas prices

Perhaps I am wrong, Tc. In the past high oil prices was a sure sign drilling and jobs were cranked-up and all in the industry benefited.

It seems now, the shutdowns and regulations imposed by this admin have soured the industry.

It's like nobody cares to crank things up just to have them shut down again.
Even as some blame the high prices on drillers not drilling. Irony by design?

Sort of like truckers not trucking.

[BobH]

Well, I'll almost agree with that. I do think that the robber barons disappeared for the most part. The labor unions took credit for it but it was mainly due to workplace reform legislation protecting workers from unfair employment practices.

There was.however a period during the baby boom when it was pretty golden. We could go on and on about what went wrong with that and there is plenty of blame to go around but one big enemy we have in the US at least, really largely the western world as a whole but especially in the US, is consumerism. Entitlement is another one that plagues us but that is a whole other rabbit hole to rant about.

Yes, the old robber barons did die off but that class of people still exists today under a new guise so they really did not disappear entirely. Without unions there never would have been work place reform to begin with.

Yes, certainly the rise of rampant consumerism is part of the problem but then without incubating that trait which is in part how corporations continue to increase profits. You are going to hear a lot of squealing in the future as interest rates rise and consumers are debt loaded to previously unimaginable heights. We got there by encouraging the rampant consumerism through cheap and easy money loans. There are very many pieces to the puzzle of what got us to the present situation.

Bob

[thebigspendur]

Personally, I think it's worse now. The wealthy control this country lock, stock and barrel. They get whatever they want and the degree of control and the way the wealthy have snaked their way into the Economy and beyond is way beyond the late 19th and early 20th century. Whatever gains the greater majority of the population realized have all but melted away.

All this divisiveness in the U.S didn't just happen by serendipity. This has been an orchestrated act by the wealthy. It's the old story. Divide the country and while the masses are duking it out no one is watching the minority taking over. They are the real masters.

Most of these folks are busy buying citizenship in other countries and buying and building fortresses to weather any storm. As soon as things start going downhill they are outa here so fast your head will spin.

[Bill31521]

Personally, I think it's worse now. The wealthy control this country lock, stock and barrel. They get whatever they want and the degree of control and the way the wealthy have snaked their way into the Economy and beyond is way beyond the late 19th and early 20th century. Whatever gains the greater majority of the population realized have all but melted away.

All this divisiveness in the U.S didn't just happen by serendipity. This has been an orchestrated act by the wealthy. It's the old story. Divide the country and while the masses are duking it out no one is watching the minority taking over. They are the real masters.

Most of these folks are busy buying citizenship in other countries and buying and building fortresses to weather any storm. As soon as things start going downhill they are outa here so fast your head will spin.

The golden rule is and will always be. Those bozos in office are bought and paid for. The ones who scare me the most are the ones who say they are going to help the poor.