bzarcher: A Sylveon from Pokemon floating in the air, wearing a pair of wingtip glasses (Default)
[personal profile] bzarcher
Read this.

Submitted without comment.

Date: 2005-09-07 09:21 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] valkyrwench.livejournal.com
Uh-huh. I heard today that Exxon-Mobil's profit for the last quarter was $43 billion. Yes, that's billion, with a "b". For a quarter. I'm boggled that this is allowed to go on.

Date: 2005-09-07 09:25 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] bzarcher.livejournal.com
I'd really, really like to hope that maybe this tragedy will help change that.

Yeah, I know.

Still.

Date: 2005-09-07 09:32 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] chaoticgoodnik.livejournal.com
Yeah, in my world oil belongs to the earth, and profits beyond what's required to provide a living wage for the staff and recoup overhead are not allowed. And there's fantastic mass transit everywhere.

Actually, scratch that. Everything runs on solar or wind power.

I wish. :/

Date: 2005-09-07 09:40 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] bzarcher.livejournal.com
Bah. Nuclear. Pebble bed reactors are safe, clean, and relatively easy to make.

Date: 2005-09-07 09:46 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] chaoticgoodnik.livejournal.com
Maybe on your planet - not on mine. ^^;;

Date: 2005-09-07 09:52 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] bzarcher.livejournal.com
As good as solar and wind energy can be, they can't help everyone. You have to think about throughput and some of the absolutely nasty parts of our planet.

Geothermal and well regulated, clean nuclear power? Suprisingly go-anywhere.

Date: 2005-09-07 10:37 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] chaoticgoodnik.livejournal.com
Yes, but we're talking about my shiny imaginary planet here. ;)

Though more seriously, a bit of Googling suggests that nuclear power is quite expensive, plus there's the problem of disposing of the waste.

Date: 2005-09-07 09:22 pm (UTC)
ext_32976: (Default)
From: [identity profile] twfarlan.livejournal.com
Okay, here's my question and comment all rolled up neatly:
Who is this supposed to surprise?

Date: 2005-09-07 09:25 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] bzarcher.livejournal.com
Sadly, probably no-one.

Date: 2005-09-07 09:32 pm (UTC)
ext_32976: (Default)
From: [identity profile] twfarlan.livejournal.com
It certainly didn't surprise me. The main problem here is that there's really no one or any way to stop the oil companies from doing this just as much as they like. This administration surely won't go after Big Oil; Shrub is in their collective pocket. I honestly doubt any administration would take on Big Oil at this point, though, at least not directly by trying an anti-trust or price fixing case against them. No politician is willing to give up his or her chances at reelection and all the fattening they can give to one's political funds.

I'd love to see it happen. I really would. The Federal anti-trust case against Microsoft and even the ups and downs of the case against Big Tobacco would look tame compared to a fight with Big Oil.

Date: 2005-09-07 09:35 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] chaoticgoodnik.livejournal.com
I seem to recall that *checks Wiki* yeah, Bush the elder made his money in the oil business.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_H._W._Bush#Post_war:_Yale.2C_family.2C_oil_business

Date: 2005-09-07 09:38 pm (UTC)
ext_32976: (Default)
From: [identity profile] twfarlan.livejournal.com
I feel fairly certain the whole Bush family has been profiting mightily from this whole situation. I don't doubt for a second that ShrubCo has gotten their cut of these record reported profits. Which is why I do doubt we'll see this bullshit stopped anytime soon.

Date: 2005-09-07 09:39 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] valkyrwench.livejournal.com
Yes, and the Shrubbery was given his own oil company to play with and ran it into the ground. In the state of TX, where you strike oil wearing spike heels on the croquet lawn, he managed to drill dry well after dry well...

Date: 2005-09-07 10:18 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] las.livejournal.com
Dubya has run every business he's been in charge of into the ground.

re: oil in Texas: it's not that simple to find oil in Texas now, but that was why the Bush family came to Texas in the first place. Modern-day oil boom carpetbaggers. When the oil bust hit Texas in the 80s, they moved their business back to the East Coast, but kept the Texas ranch to foster the cowboy image.

Dubya is about as much of a Texan as I'd be a Canadian if I bought a summer vacation cabin in Vancouver. He wasn't born in Texas (he was born in Connecticut) and he didn't go to school there. He made Governor because, well, Texas politics are famously corrupt, and the Republicans figured he could win.

Date: 2005-09-07 10:50 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] valkyrwench.livejournal.com
Unfortunately, our lege is legendary for corruption, not to mention stupidity. I didn't vote for him for governor or president. Personally, I wouldn't mind having Ann Richards back in the governor's seat - much better than Governor Goodhair.

Date: 2005-09-07 11:19 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] las.livejournal.com
Ann Richards rocked.

Best. Lines. Evar.

Date: 2005-09-07 10:11 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] las.livejournal.com
And of course, the oil companies also fund massive political lobbies. Politicians may be in no hurry to take them to task.

California Oil Company Lobby Expenditure Figures for 2003/2004

Date: 2005-09-07 11:08 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] gigerlicious.livejournal.com
Sounds like it's time to buy more BP stock.

Date: 2005-09-08 05:24 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] degraine.livejournal.com
It's not a new tactic. How long have the diamond cartels been doing exactly the same thing?

Date: 2005-09-08 09:05 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] duskpaw.livejournal.com
You mean -the- diamond cartel, right?

*fist shakes at DeBeers (sp)*

Date: 2005-09-10 02:20 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] degraine.livejournal.com
Okay, cartel. I knew there was at least one, but I couldn't remember if there were more. :)

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