Give me my profits, when you get home...

Exxon Mobil profit surges on high oil prices
Second largest quarterly profit ever recorded by public U.S. company

DALLAS - 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.
The earnings figure was 36 percent above the profit it reported a year ago. High oil prices helped boost the company’s revenue by 12 percent to a level just short of a quarterly record. Its shares rose to a new high in morning trading.
Exxon Mobil’s report comes as many drivers in the U.S. are paying $3 for a gallon of gas — increasing the likelihood of further political backlash in Washington.
But the company isn’t alone. Royal Dutch Shell PLC said Thursday that second-quarter earnings jumped 40 percent to $7.32 billion as high oil prices offset production difficulties in Nigeria and the Gulf of Mexico.
Other oil companies reported big numbers for the quarter this week as well. BP PLC reported its quarterly profit rose 30 percent to $7.3 billion and ConocoPhillips said its earnings rose 65 percent to $5.18 billion.

Second largest quarterly profit EVER recorded. And yet, gas prices are still aroudn $3.00 a gallon, and set to go higher at the smallest thing.

But why is gas so high? Well obviously, it's increased demand. Or China sucking up all the supply. Or the damn enviornmentalists who won't let us drill in Alaskan wildlife preserves. Or it's all the taxes on the gas. Or, as I heard one of the far right nutwags warbling on TV explain, it was actually Clinton's fault (I don't know how, I was laughing too hard and didn't hear).

No, it certainly could have nothing to DO with Oil companies CEO's being greedy sons-of-bitches, now could it? Ya think maybe, JUST maybe, they could have given us a more decent price on gas and only taken, oh, say 8 billion in profits instead? Wouldn't that have made them happy?

God, I am so pissed about this! This and the American public complete and total apathy about it. You'd think, with something THIS blantant, there'd be protests in the streets. But now, we'll sit back in our gas guzzling SUV's and pay the exorbitant prices and just bitch to our buddies and vote right back in the same legislators that are in the back pocket of the oil companies.

What SHOULD we do, you ask? I'll tell ya. We tell the oil as of RIGHT NOW, gas is $1.50, $1.60, and $1.70 a gallon for each of the three grades. And will be for the next 6 months. And whatever your output of gasoline was TODAY, you will produce exactly that much every day for the next 6 months OR you will be fined X amount of dollars for every day you are under that production level (X being a very exorbitant fine). And if that means that you have to take some of these obscene profits that you've gouged from the AMerican public, then just consider this a refund to them all. Plus, if you don't behave, we'll extend the dela another 6 months or perhaps a year beyond it.

I have no problem with a company making a profit, even a large profit. But when they make that profit by overcharging for thier product AND forming a monopoly style outfit by having all the companies producing that product band together to charge high prices, well THEN something drastic needs to be done.

I know this will never happen, our government is happy to wage war on our civil rights, and the poorest of us, and a country that had never attacked us, nor had the capability to do so, but God FORBID they event hink about taking on a corporation.

Lord, where is Teddy Roosevelt when we need him?

POLT = listening to "Hot Stuff" by Donna Summer

I think we all agree the past is over. - Bushie