Fuel Prices.
My take.
Although it's easy for certain politicians to drag in oil company execs in front
of congress and grill them for public consumption, what does the stock price, profit margins, and manager's pay have to do with the price of gasoline and diesel?
Not much.
Government involvement in the business of selling a commodity such as gasoline
has only made problems worse, not better. Domestic drilling? Forget it. Upgrading, and building refineries? Once again, government stands in the way.
Regulating futures trading? I don't know. Cafe standards? No, that's not good, either. It forces regulatory problems into what should be a free market solution.
Overrestrictive EPA requirements have made it far too cost prohibitive to do business in the US anymore. Although cutting pollution is an admirable and necessary goal, the point of diminishing returns has hit the point where it's nearly impossible to justify. And the bearuceratic paper chase is a major part of the cost.
Drivers: I still observe people driving oversized vehicles way too fast.
Those people can just STFU about prices. Flooring an escalade to get 11 mpg
is not justifiable. Driving a extended dually with a crew cab, just to have a bigger truck, more power to you. Too often these trucks are pristine clean, and empty. So, consumption is a personal choice, and those people are part of the problem.
I'm not here to defend overpaid CEO's. But it is the superstar league at that level. The price of the CEO's is based purely on competition. And the financial health of the oil companies is nothing to brag about. Steel is doing better, as a commodity. And so are many other invesment choices.
Opportunistic politicians sicken me more than the CEO's of the oil producers.
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