The Jetfuel Conspiracy

[FlyFastLiveSlow]

Actually, airplanes are relatively fuel efficient and getting more so. The problem isn't aviation.

Oil is aviation's problem though.

 

[Dizel8]

Oil is aviation's problem though.

It is indeed, but I don't believe it is the cause of said problem.

 

[apdsm]

...And all these people do not NEED to fly.

Apparently you do not understand capitalism....or maybe you just don't believe in it.

 

[lowecur]

Should the oil futures market be shut down?

Leon Hess thought so almost 20 years ago:

Hess Senior testified before the Senate Committee on Government Affairs hearing on the role of futures markets in oil pricing back on November 1st, 1990 (no mistake, yes 1990):

"I'm an old man, but I'd bet my life that if the Merc (the NY Mercantile Exchange) was not in operation there would be ample oil and reasonable prices all over the world, without this volatility".

Future's markets are fine, until they become so large that manipulation outweighs basic fundamental truths. OPEC and other enemies of the West are laughing all the way to the bank, and many would like nothing better than to see the spread of radical islam throughout the world as capitalistic/democratic nations crumble.

Oil as a commodity needs to be delisted from the futures market. It is the one commodity that controls future prices of hundreds of other commodities and the future of life as we know it.

Will our gov't respond at some point. Yeah, but as usual it will be way past midnight and the carriage will have turned back into a pumpkin.

imp: ​

 

[vetteracer]

Actually, airplanes are relatively fuel efficient and getting more so. The problem isn't aviation.

AGREE. There are diesel city busses that run around all day long with one or two people on them. What a waste of fuel and tax payer money.

 

[JFReservist]

Apparently you do not understand capitalism....or maybe you just don't believe in it.

Winner winner, chicken dinner.

FlyFast, I don't NEED much of anything... we should redistribute those things right - or maybe have a select few who get to decide my 'rights' or 'needs'? You'd have me off to a 're-education' center in the Dakotas while you and yours would be in the dachas drinking cognac and warming yourselves by the fire.

Oil is the problem? Really? Who are you to decide what is good or bad? I thought all of you anti-religious intellectuals tought us that there wasn't a good or bad, right or wrong. Your brand of philosophy, although it seems pleasing and easy - a panacea for the mass ills of any society -has enslaved and killed more people than anyone can count. I'll take my NEEDS thank you very much, and do with them as I please.

Granted, our system is not perfect, and our energy policies are even short of that - but I remember that both parties have had their shot in DC over the past 20 years of my adult life and we're still in the same mess.

Telling me and my neighbors out in the hinterland what we need and don't need isn't going to fix the problem.

I'd tell you to take the log out of your eye first, but I can see that your superior intellect has ruled that out as well. I'm just a country bumpkin, but I do know that elitism is a rotten, festering wound. You should get that taken care of.

 

[patq1]

Capitalism is a great system and will provide the answers to the energy problem. I forget who it was that said "the cure for high prices is high prices" but that is generally pretty accurate. Conservation is only a stop gap measure. In the long run it won't make any difference whether your car get's 20 mpg or 40. In one way the high oil prices are a good thing. It is making many alternative energy sources economically feasible. It's not the oil companies or the Government keeping you from getting solar, wind, geothermal, wave energy, etc It is the fact that when oil prices were low all of the alternatives were not economically feasible. In other words, very few people are willing to pay the equivalent of 2 dollars per gallon to heat their house when heating oil was 1 dollar per gallon. Eventually, if the price of oil stays high enough for long enough, economically competitive alternatives will become available.

Yes, it really sucks that oil and gas are so expensive right now and yes the speculators in the futures market are driving the price way up. but in the long run it will help us all. Hopefully we can survive the economic turmoil in the mean time.

 

[N1atEcon]

Holy Crikee! What is the world coming to that after all these years I finally agree with one of Lowecur's post.

Oil as a commodity needs to be delisted from the futures market. It is the one commodity that controls future prices of hundreds of other commodities and the future of life as we know it.

What is next, "dogs and cats living together?"

 

[p3flteng]

Nationalize the industry, make these greedy bastards work for us by taking away the private profit motive. All profits can then go into the treasury and be earmarked for subsidizing alternative energys.

Mexico, Saudi Arabia, Venezuela, and Russia have all done this, just to name a few. I'm not one for creating bigger government, but when Oil Companies take record profits( Largest profits in the history of ANY industry/company EVER) and the cost of energy drives the economy further into a recession this can be justified as a way to control it.

 

[Carl_Spackler]

Greed is greatly understood. All greed really is, is wanting more for yourself. Do you think the potato farmer in Idaho gets up early every day so a diner in NYC can have a potato with their steak? Maybe if they met in person they would even hate each other. But the farmer grows the potato's for the NYC diner, because he is "greedy".

You want the same govt that run the post office to run the gas and oil business? Do you know what the profit margins of the oil companies are? Try 10% or less. We even have politicians, some running for president, who want to seize profits from these companies. That's an idea that is so far out there, I don't know where to begin.

 

[Gulf-front]

And who's fault IS that?

FlyFastLiveSlow, You are now on my ignore list. "May GOD have mercy on your soul"!

 

[Ticker]

http://www.slate.com/id/85223/

 

[Smacktard]

Nationalize the industry, make these greedy bastards work for us by taking away the private profit motive. All profits can then go into the treasury and be earmarked for subsidizing alternative energys.

Mexico, Saudi Arabia, Venezuela, and Russia have all done this, just to name a few. I'm not one for creating bigger government, but when Oil Companies take record profits( Largest profits in the history of ANY industry/company EVER) and the cost of energy drives the economy further into a recession this can be justified as a way to control it.

Great idea Comrade, next we re-write the Constitution and while we're at it, let's make sure no company makes a profit, put ALL profits into the general fund. I nominate this as the most ridiculous post in FI this month.

 

[atrdriver]

I'm not one for creating bigger government, but when Oil Companies take record profits( Largest profits in the history of ANY industry/company EVER) and the cost of energy drives the economy further into a recession this can be justified as a way to control it.

You need to get some education, fast. The profit margins for oil companies are half that of banks, insurance companies, and many others. The fact that they sell something that EVERYONE needs, and the fact that those people buy a LOT of it is what led to those large profit numbers (not profit margins). But you probably don't know the difference between profit and profit margin, do you? You just listen to all the liberals who want to demonize all those evil oil companies.

 

[Ticker]

You need to get some education, fast. The profit margins for oil companies are half that of banks, insurance companies, and many others. The fact that they sell something that EVERYONE needs, and the fact that those people buy a LOT of it is what led to those large profit numbers (not profit margins). But you probably don't know the difference between profit and profit margin, do you? You just listen to all the liberals who want to demonize all those evil oil companies.

...and, their profit is somewhere around 8 cents / gallon. Our government profit (tax) is a percentage of the dollar ammount of the sale. Currently, that stands at about 50 cents / gallon (over 7 times the oil companies take). When the price goes up, the oil companies profit is still about 8 cents / gallon whereas our lovely gubments take increases as the price goes up.

I for one support profit caps for our lovely gubment!

And lets not forget that the refineries have to make somewhere around 30-40 different summer blends of fuel to pacify the state by state (and sometimes city to city) enviro-facists. How about one summer blend and one winter blend.

If we do need to take control of anything...control Big Gubment!

 

[Smacktard]

Nationalize the industry, make these greedy bastards work for us by taking away the private profit motive. All profits can then go into the treasury and be earmarked for subsidizing alternative energys.

Mexico, Saudi Arabia, Venezuela, and Russia have all done this, just to name a few. I'm not one for creating bigger government, but when Oil Companies take record profits( Largest profits in the history of ANY industry/company EVER) and the cost of energy drives the economy further into a recession this can be justified as a way to control it.

Disregard, it's not worth the effort...

 

[T3700]

Nationalize the oil companies? Why not nationalize all industries? That would allow the government to decide what we are paid and what we may consume.

If we nationalized the auto industry, govt employees, (who are much smarter than the rest of us), could set a standard for automobile production producing only a few styles of fuel efficient autos. The government could assess your need and determine which model you would be authorized to buy. SUVs could be eliminated in one fell swoop!

The Government could require passes in order to drive your personal vehicle between cities, that would reduce oil consumption!

We could set up huge housing complexes in the cities in order to get people out of the suburbs so they can commute on public transport.

Wait a minute, I think this has been tried before!

 

[Smacktard]

Nationalize the oil companies? Why not nationalize all industries? That would allow the government to decide what we are paid and what we may consume.

If we nationalized the auto industry, govt employees, (who are much smarter than the rest of us), could set a standard for automobile production producing only a few styles of fuel efficient autos. The government could assess your need and determine which model you would be authorized to buy. SUVs could be eliminated in one fell swoop!

The Government could require passes in order to drive your personal vehicle between cities, that would reduce oil consumption!

We could set up huge housing complexes in the cities in order to get people out of the suburbs so they can commute on public transport.

Wait a minute, I think this has been tried before!

Something along the lines of "...except for communism, nazism, and fascism, war never solved anything". Isn't that someone's signature in here?

 

[JFReservist]

Well... its nice to know I'll have company in the 're-education centers' when one of the three socialists takes over.

 

[Two Feathers]

One thing that is certain is that the days of cheap, abundant oil WILL end. Our way of life will change dramatically.

With the consolidation frenzy begun, eventually whoever is left standing will have to charge at least the cost of a flight. Those prices will be significantly higher than current levels and most likely sap demand considerably. That would translate to many more of us losing our jobs.

Even at the current cost for fuel the picture doesn't look all that pretty for our industry. Double it again and things are gonna get down right ugly.