But they are actually hurting their own interests with this voting habit, because the hyper-capitalism that claims to be “free market” (even though it’s about stomping out free entrance into the market and real competition) pits corporations against small businesses as much as against working people.

If you hadn’t just clarified that you were talking about the GOP it wouldn’t have been obvious, unfortunately.

Which explains the enormous profit margins of domestic oil companies.

Wait, no, it doesn’t do that at all.

Yes, it does. They’re in partial control of a resource which hasn’t gotten any more expensive to produce but has become much more in demand. That means that the price gets set higher. They could set the price lower, I suppose, but if they do that then you run into shortages. This is extremely iintroductory economics.

The fact that large chunks of the world oil resources are controlled by governments that would like to see higher oil prices doesn’t help, but again, that’s not the companies’ fault. Yeah, their profits may be grotesque, but that’s just how private control (or even public control) over a limited resource works. It’s not like there are vast stores of oil that Exxon is sitting on to drive the price up.

Refinery engineering still has one of the highest GPA bars of any job you can get with an engineering degree.

Which explains the enormous profit margins of domestic oil companies.

Wait, no, it doesn’t do that at all.

The Mexican Government.

Few listen, though.

how does one DEFINE middle class anymore,anyway???

but, from where i am sitting, there is VERY little middle class, and it keeps shrinking… shrinking…

gone.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/e/e0/Income_Education_91_to_03.jpg

Heck-of-a-job Bush-tard…

Not even in the top 5%. Guess I better sell the Bentley…

Haw haw…

And that ‘House in the Hamptons’…

Now wondering what drugs the guy was on…

American corporations are subject to American regulation.

Under the current administration American corporations are subject to regulation superintended, ultimately, by a President who is an ex-oilman, if not a terribly successful one, and by a Vice-President who’s hand-in-glove with the energy interests and who’s still on the payroll of a major contracting firm (though he’s going to have to wait ’till he’s out of office to collect his boodle). IOW, what we’re seeing now is the clearest imaginable illustration of what happens when a skulk of foxes inherits a henhouse. I’d be willing to be subject to regulation too, if I could be sure that the people who were regulating me were my own true loyal thanes. That would not be such an unpleasant prospect.

Unless you’d advocate imposing it [cheaper gas] by military force.

Now, now. That was their idea, not mine…and come to think of it, we didn’t even come out of the deal with cheaper gas. So I guess we’re just effed over all the way ’round.