So much for Republican support for an unfettered free market

[JenAltArmy]

This particular question seems to stump the band each time it is asked.

I was just reading about San diego and how messed up that local government is. Normally for every $1.00 that goes out as payroll the county has to toss in $0.11 for the pension. well, since the plan is so underfunded and so many workers are NOT paying for their retirement the county is on the hook for $.44 for every dollar spent on payroll.

NUTS! Government is broken and the pension system should be buried and those that have government pension plans, well you made enough money but don’t worry as you can still collect social security.

 

[trysail]

That would require a larger advertising budget, which is a tax deductible cost.

In a competitive market, raising prices sends business to the competitors. In a less competitive market, raising prices reduces sales volume and sends buyers to alternatives.

This assumes the US gasoline business is a competitive market. Maybe it's not. Maybe all the oil companies meet every morning and agree to that day's gas prices. Is this what "Aggregate corporate capital spending decisions ultimately determine supply and, thus, price." means?

Do oil companies aggregate and fix prices?

If this is the case, we have a serious breach of the law.

Good god. I didn't realize that I was dealing with a nutjob— and one with a serious reading comprehension deficiency. Do you understand what "aggregate" means?

And you don't think that every single state's attorney or Justice Department attorney isn't drooling all over the floor in hope of catching a whiff of any such thing? That's the kind of stuff that gives them wet dreams.

It is beaten into the head of every ExxonMobil, Chevron, BP, Citgo, Conoco Phillips, Shell, Valero, Sunoco, Spur and Wal-Mart employee with any responsibility for pricing that such behavior will result in a death sentence.

Further, as you well know— the vast majority of service stations are owned and operated by franchisees. Retail prices are set by those independent owner-operators.

 

[kbate]

That would require a larger advertising budget, which is a tax deductible cost.

In a competitive market, raising prices sends business to the competitors. In a less competitive market, raising prices reduces sales volume and sends buyers to alternatives.

This assumes the US gasoline business is a competitive market. Maybe it's not. Maybe all the oil companies meet every morning and agree to that day's gas prices. Is this what "Aggregate corporate capital spending decisions ultimately determine supply and, thus, price." means?

Do oil companies aggregate and fix prices?

If this is the case, we have a serious breach of the law.

Are you wearing a tin-foil beanie today?

In a competitive market, prices are determined by demand, supply and quality.

Perceived quality also affects consumer demand thus the made in america or Not by a Trust labels which have been used in order to alter consumer preferences (much as coke vs. pepsi).

In a monopoly - raising prices cuts demand unless the product is necessary (electric, natural gas, heating oil, water). In a competitive market - some market collusion is inevitable in order to support the highest price consumers will pay for all companies selling similar products. If one raises prices - ideally he would lose business - but in reality people are stupid and simply complain and keep buying because they are used to having an orange box on their washer and don't want blue.

Were the market truly competitive - at least one local gasoline company would be able to sell @ $0.60 per gallon (then add the taxes).

 

[JenAltArmy]

“oil” is the only legal cartel that operates in the America/world


well, Wal Mart is about to become a cartel

Are you wearing a tin-foil beanie today?

In a competitive market, prices are determined by demand, supply and quality.

Perceived quality also affects consumer demand thus the made in america or Not by a Trust labels which have been used in order to alter consumer preferences (much as coke vs. pepsi).

In a monopoly - raising prices cuts demand unless the product is necessary (electric, natural gas, heating oil, water). In a competitive market - some market collusion is inevitable in order to support the highest price consumers will pay for all companies selling similar products. If one raises prices - ideally he would lose business - but in reality people are stupid and simply complain and keep buying because they are used to having an orange box on their washer and don't want blue.

Were the market truly competitive - at least one local gasoline company would be able to sell @ $0.60 per gallon (then add the taxes).

 

[bronzeage]

Do I think, that an oil company should be given a “free” check for drilling or processing for oil?

No.

Now, do I feel that if a company drills and the well is dead should that company be allowed to write off those expenses?

Yes.

My question is how do you define subsidies?

If an oil company buys mineral rights, but never drills or explores, is that a deductible expense?

If an oil company is fined for safety and environmental law violations, is that a deductible expense.

 

[JenAltArmy]

If an oil company buys mineral rights, but never drills or explores, is that a deductible expense?

If an oil company is fined for safety and environmental law violations, is that a deductible expense.

I'm sure it is legal to write off the expenses. mineral rights are an asset and should be depreciated like any other asset

the pension system is not an asset and must be terminated, or in the case of Arnold Schwarzenegger - aka the Spermminator "Shell be on her back"

 

[Sean Renaud]

“oil” is the only legal cartel that operates in the America/world


well, Wal Mart is about to become a cartel

That's the plan isn't it though? That's what you've been defending these months is that we should be looking forward to do the day that the world is under a single cartel.

::Shrug:: I guess asking consistency is too much.

 

[bronzeage]

Are you wearing a tin-foil beanie today?

In a competitive market, prices are determined by demand, supply and quality.

Perceived quality also affects consumer demand thus the made in america or Not by a Trust labels which have been used in order to alter consumer preferences (much as coke vs. pepsi).

In a monopoly - raising prices cuts demand unless the product is necessary (electric, natural gas, heating oil, water). In a competitive market - some market collusion is inevitable in order to support the highest price consumers will pay for all companies selling similar products. If one raises prices - ideally he would lose business - but in reality people are stupid and simply complain and keep buying because they are used to having an orange box on their washer and don't want blue.

Were the market truly competitive - at least one local gasoline company would be able to sell @ $0.60 per gallon (then add the taxes).

I don't need a tinfoil beanie. The "aggregate" quote is from another person's post.

There are alway inefficiencies in the market which allow some producers to charge more for their product. A person might pay more for gasoline, rather than drive 20 miles for cheaper gas.

If a local gas company could sell gas @ $0.60 a gallon (then add taxes) and the station across the street was selling for $3.70, why would he sell his gas for less than $3.70?

Earlier in this thread, I was asked how much more I was willing to pay for gasoline, in exchange for reducing tax subsidies to oil companies. I asked how this would raise prices. So far, no one has given a clear answer.

 

[JenAltArmy]

That's the plan isn't it though? That's what you've been defending these months is that we should be looking forward to do the day that the world is under a single cartel.

::Shrug:: I guess asking consistency is too much.

not my plan, you and obama can shop at wal mart, as I will never visit that place

 

[Sean Renaud]

not my plan, you and obama can shop at wal mart, as I will never visit that place

What makes you think you'll have a choice?

 

[JenAltArmy]

What makes you think you'll have a choice?

if obama gets the boot, there will be choices as obama is anti free market. if obama stays in office, well wal mart will buy obama and obama will shut down Target & Costco

Moral of the story, obama must go. This way he can be free for his next job, the replacement for BenTerminated&Buried@Sea, obama next leader of al qaeda. After all obama is set on destroying america

 

[kbate]

If a local gas company could sell gas @ $0.60 a gallon (then add taxes) and the station across the street was selling for $3.70, why would he sell his gas for less than $3.70?

Earlier in this thread, I was asked how much more I was willing to pay for gasoline, in exchange for reducing tax subsidies to oil companies. I asked how this would raise prices. So far, no one has given a clear answer.

If someone was selling gas for $0.60 - he would sell all he could produce, as fast as he produced it - leaving the station across the street without customers until he ran out of fuel. We had a station in Washington sell for $0.99 when others were at $2.85. People drove from hundreds of miles away to buy his fuel. People are stupid.

Nobody knows what would happen to the price of fuels if the $2 billion per year the big 5 oil companies receive was removed. My opinion is that the subsidy money lost would be passed onto the consumer, but since I do not know what portion of total revenue that the subsidies represent - I cannot do the math to come up with a final figure for the price increase. Quite likely it would be no more than $0.05 to $0.15 per gallon.

The only sure thing is that any lost revenue or added expense - which the lost tax breaks would represent is going to be paid for at the gasoline pump in one way or another.

If loss of the subsidy came with some relaxation of regulation on exploration or exploitation of known oil fields - then there might even be a drop in the end price.

 

[bronzeage]

if obama gets the boot, there will be choices as obama is anti free market. if obama stays in office, well wal mart will buy obama and obama will shut down Target & Costco

Moral of the story, obama must go. This way he can be free for his next job, the replacement for BenTerminated&Buried@Sea, obama next leader of al qaeda. After all obama is set on destroying america

Walmart and Costco exist because we have a government which provides large wide roads and insures we have a constant supply of gasoline (whatever the cost), so large big box stores can sell goods at a lower cost. There is no difference between Walmart, Target and Costco. You will buy from them because there will be no other choice.

We know you aren't going to grow your own food or make your own clothes.

 

[bronzeage]

If someone was selling gas for $0.60 - he would sell all he could produce, as fast as he produced it - leaving the station across the street without customers until he ran out of fuel. We had a station in Washington sell for $0.99 when others were at $2.85. People drove from hundreds of miles away to buy his fuel. People are stupid.

Nobody knows what would happen to the price of fuels if the $2 billion per year the big 5 oil companies receive was removed. My opinion is that the subsidy money lost would be passed onto the consumer, but since I do not know what portion of total revenue that the subsidies represent - I cannot do the math to come up with a final figure for the price increase. Quite likely it would be no more than $0.05 to $0.15 per gallon.

The only sure thing is that any lost revenue or added expense - which the lost tax breaks would represent is going to be paid for at the gasoline pump in one way or another.

If loss of the subsidy came with some relaxation of regulation on exploration or exploitation of known oil fields - then there might even be a drop in the end price.

A man who will sell his product for $1.86 less than his competitor across the street is a poor business man. That is over $37K lost sales on 20,000 gallons.

Not every oil company has the same costs of production. Some are more than others and some pay more taxes than others. In spite of this, the price of gasoline varies very little in any particular area.

 

[JenAltArmy]

A man who will sell his product for $1.86 less than his competitor across the street is a poor business man. That is over $37K lost sales on 20,000 gallons.

Not every oil company has the same costs of production. Some are more than others and some pay more taxes than others. In spite of this, the price of gasoline varies very little in any particular area.

gas stations don't make their money off gas, they make it off the candy and all the other crap they sell.

 

[bronzeage]

gas stations don't make their money off gas, they make it off the candy and all the other crap they sell.

Then why don't they stop selling gasoline and open a candy store?

 

[JenAltArmy]

Then why don't they stop selling gasoline and open a candy store?

Well if we are talking in obama "business sense", it’s a loss leader but they make up for the loss in volume


Yes I know, obama "business sense" is an oxymoron as obama is a master of grand illusion

 

[bronzeage]

Well if we are talking in obama "business sense", it’s a loss leader but they make up for the loss in volume


Yes I know, obama "business sense" is an oxymoron as obama is a master of grand illusion

These things would be easier for you to understand if you had ever had a real job.

 

[JenAltArmy]

These things would be easier for you to understand if you had ever had a real job.

well I'm trying to live the obama dream, to live the welfare dream! free money, free house, free college, free GM car

isn't not paying for college, a right?
isn't it a right that every american should own a home?

i love obama, the socialist

 

[bronzeage]

well I'm trying to live the obama dream, to live the welfare dream! free money, free house, free college, free GM car

isn't not paying for college, a right?
isn't it a right that every american should own a home?

i love obama, the socialist

Like I said, if you had ever had to support yourself, you would understand these things and not talk so silly.

 

[JenAltArmy]

Like I said, if you had ever had to support yourself, you would understand these things and not talk so silly.

one thing that I've leaned in life; money doesn't buy love, it just rents it

and I talk about those things as many here belive that education should be free. that's just nuts. also, many feel that home ownership is a right. both are wrong and nuts.

the fault with your logic, is that welfare should be 86'd as with government pension plans

 

[bronzeage]

one thing that I've leaned in life; money doesn't buy love, it just rents it

and I talk about those things as many here belive that education should be free. that's just nuts. also, many feel that home ownership is a right. both are wrong and nuts.

Do you use a random sentence generator to make these posts?

 

[JenAltArmy]

Do you use a random sentence generator to make these posts?

if only, that was a bad joke on my part. clearly, I should have made an obama joke, oh wait obama is the joke

 

[mercury14]

This particular question seems to stump the band each time it is asked.

Exactly. We're looking at more boring Republican backpedaling bullshit. They're pure hypocrites that stand for nothing. And where the F*UK is the tea party that swore an oath to hold it's elected officials accountable???

They're dead-silent on this, revealing themselves as hypocrites too.

 

[mercury14]

I was just reading about San diego and how messed up that local government is. Normally for every $1.00 that goes out as payroll the county has to toss in $0.11 for the pension. well, since the plan is so underfunded and so many workers are NOT paying for their retirement the county is on the hook for $.44 for every dollar spent on payroll.

NUTS! Government is broken and the pension system should be buried and those that have government pension plans, well you made enough money but don’t worry as you can still collect social security.

off-topic much?