AMERICAblog: OPEC, hoping to push the world into a depression, to cut oil production again
jcgraham77
· 1 year ago
they really do have us over a barrel LOL
SCLiberal
· 1 year ago
I'd like to have them over an electric car!
Older_Wiser
· 1 year ago
Oil futures are trading this hour at $47/bbl. Come on, John, they gotta make a profit, you know! Create scarcity! And Blackwater is gonna need the work, too, protecting their asses. They don't mind where the money comes from.
unrepentant_expat
· 1 year ago
..." and let them know that the next time their existence is threatened the American people won't be so disposed towards saving their greedy, ungrateful asses,"
Though from their point of view it is usually the Americans and their proxies that are threatening the existence of Arab and Iranian people. John, it's not your oil, and you shouldn't be blaming the pusher for your own addiction.
Fireblazes(cheetohsandcatfood)
· 1 year ago
It is not about the addiction. It is about them seeking to raise the price of oil during a worldwide recession. Seeking to force money out of other struggling economies by cutting production thereby raising prices will just add to the disaster. Yeah, we have been tough on some of them, but by far we are their biggest ally, militarily and economically. Kuwait and Saudi Arabia owe there continued existence to us. Egypt gets the second biggest chunk of aid. We sell them our weapons, our grain and finished goods. Our military supports almost every middle eastern military in some fashion or another.
Soundboy_jeff_meanie
· 1 year ago
however, over the weekend OPEC actually stated that demand wasn't lessening (remember, 'demand' was the word they threw out when we asked them to increase production to lower prices... which they didn't do).
so... Oil speculation has finally gotten under control, nobody's making money at it so the price reflects what the product is really worth.
the addiction is there, yes... but OPEC was making ASSLOADS of money off of oil speculation, and they aren't now.
they're being greedy as hell... they got used to tons of money rolling in without increasing volume, now its gone.
to me, there's no difference between OPEC and the self-regulating investment banks... except maybe that OPEC actually sells something tangible?
Soundboy_jeff_meanie
· 1 year ago
ue...
"John, it's not your oil, and you shouldn't be blaming the pusher for your own addiction."
As much as I'd love to have Obama's 'green' policy up and running now... that isn't the way it is.
and I don't think John's 'blaming the pusher'... he's essentially saying that without the US protection... THEY wouldn't have the oil to sell in the first place.
.
woodroad34
· 1 year ago
It's also not necessarily an addiction. True, the big 3 have a lot to answer for by not making the fuel efficient cars that they should have--they've had over 30 years to do it; but oil is so embedded in everything we do from fuel to plastics to heating. It's so indemic, that it really should be a regulated utility like water, gas, or electricity. And for those deregulation rock trolls out there, we've already seen what deregulation does for one's pocketbook (not ours, their's) especially since they don't use the grace we've given them to come up with new and better fuel sources or use the land we're giving them and that they're letting sit fallow by not drilling on it.
larry
· 1 year ago
The Saudis and Kuwaitis? Excuse me John but we have spent 600-700 billion dollars of American wealth, we have sacrificed over 5,000 of our own, injured another 30-40,000 of our own citizens in a country with the SECOND LARGEST PROVEN OIL RESERVES ON THE PLANET.....from the beginning this was a war of revenge and oil. Why threaten the Saudis or Kuwaitis...Send W's ass to Iraq and no Texas retirement for him until there is a pipeline of oil at NO CHARGE from Iraq to the Texas and New Jersey refineries! Excuse me but FUCK OPEC.
RitornaVincitor
· 1 year ago
Did we have a stern talk with the Saudis after some of them drove our planes into the Pentagon and the World Trade Towers?
He looked into their souls (or was that soles as he prosletyzed to them?)
RitornaVincitor
· 1 year ago
Twue! ;0)
JohnInTexas
· 1 year ago
No but we flew their family members home first class a.s.a.p.
RitornaVincitor
· 1 year ago
Yes we did!
Soundboy_jeff_meanie
· 1 year ago
King Yerbuti needs a new Ferarri. .
woodroad34
· 1 year ago
Precisely.
JohnInTexas
· 1 year ago
I hope the next time their existence is threatened, they are obliterated and forced to live like the filthy heathens they are. No country who's people wipe their ass with their bare hands should be in control of so many others livelihoods.
unrepentant_expat
· 1 year ago
When you speak like that, you only make them want to stick it to you. Sometimes it comes in the form of a hijacked airliner aimed at an awesome tower.
MNPundit
· 1 year ago
Hey at least if the price goes up people will be more into actually creating alternative sources of energy.
Cold Fusion FTW!
woodroad34
· 1 year ago
Unfortunately, if that were the case, Europe would be a leader in alternative fuel. They just have smaller cars with $4-$6 a gallon.
woodroad34
· 1 year ago
Oh, yeah--right. As the UC acquaintance of mine says "leave the market alone and it will shift to a leveling point". So, we leave it alone and we have an economic crisis for which the Saudis and their ilk (the UC does agree that they're snakes, though) want to deepen further because, Allah knows, they can't do without their Rolls Royces, jewels, islands shaped like a palm tree or indoor ski resorts. We really don't need them, we need a strong leader who is hell bent on alternative fuel--we have the resources: intellect, and creativity--a natural resource that can be exploited and replenished, which is an amazingly magical combination. These people and Exxon, Mobil, and BP are holding us hostage (I hold the oil companies in league with Opec because they don't do enough to develop new fuels--just minor alterations to what they have), in effect they're economic terrorists. Whatever happened to not dealing with terrorists? What happened to our independence?
truebluecoondog
· 1 year ago
I agree. There must be SOME way to get the oil companies to bale out the auto industry.
woodroad34
· 1 year ago
Interesting idea, actually. They're constantly asking for favors--tit for tat, I say.
Boycottutah
· 1 year ago
OT According to the Washington Post there are approximately 40,000 polygamists in the United States, most of them in Utah. Yet it seems that the mostly Mormon state of Utah looks the other way. Perhaps people from California should get a ballot initiative in Utah to get the the Attorney General of Utah to enforce anti-polygamy laws.
... and let them know that the next time their existence is threatened the American people won't be so disposed towards saving their greedy, ungrateful asses."
Like was done in Rwanda, Darfur and the Congo
beep52
· 1 year ago
It's not just OPEC that has it's eye on the next big buck, the oil companies seem to be sowing the seeds of the next pricing crisis...
By pocketing their windfall profits and not investing those monies in planned investments for new refining and exploration projects the fossil fuel industry is creating a new future energy crisis when the demand for fuel returns as the economy stabilizes.
Kyle
· 1 year ago
Maybe we can get one of the Democratic leaders in the Congress to send them one of their patented Sternly Worded Letters. Those letters were used with great abandon against BushCo officials who refused to honor subpoenas and we all know how that brought them to heel. Oh wait, . . ..
Matthew Saroff
· 1 year ago
You are misreading the news.
OPEC put off a production cut, which is why oil fell.
jebauer
· 1 year ago
Or hey, might be nice to have a planet left too. Wonder what the shortage of breathable air would do to the dollar.... oh wait... it won't matter.
hawkseye
· 1 year ago
I'm just trying to visualize a "greedy, ungrateful ass".
Bruce
· 1 year ago
Better yet, why don' t we wean ourselves off of oil and then OPEC won't have us by the balls. I agree that they are ungrateful bastards, but we have only ourselves to blame for our current predicament.
jlassen
· 1 year ago
I for one feel that the more OPEC artificially inflates Gas and Oil prices, the sooner alternative fuels and energy becomes cost effective. You know what got people selling their SUV's this summer? $4 a gallon. You know whats got them driving them again? Less then $2 a gallon. Go OPEC! Every production cut helps justify massive federal spending on new energy initiatives, and helps Obama's huge "energy" plans gain and keep popular support. Lets try and keep an eye on the Long Game.
I for one suffer directly when fuel costs go up. I"m a small business owner who ships stuff across the country via UPS and Freight companies regularly. Yet I'll pay those fuel surcharges with glee if it means getting people out of their SUV's and spurring alternative fuel vehicles.
All Comments
Though from their point of view it is usually the Americans and their proxies that are threatening the existence of Arab and Iranian people. John, it's not your oil, and you shouldn't be blaming the pusher for your own addiction.
so... Oil speculation has finally gotten under control, nobody's making money at it so the price reflects what the product is really worth.
the addiction is there, yes... but OPEC was making ASSLOADS of money off of oil speculation, and they aren't now.
they're being greedy as hell... they got used to tons of money rolling in without increasing volume, now its gone.
to me, there's no difference between OPEC and the self-regulating investment banks... except maybe that OPEC actually sells something tangible?
"John, it's not your oil, and you shouldn't be blaming the pusher for your own addiction."
As much as I'd love to have Obama's 'green' policy up and running now... that isn't the way it is.
and I don't think John's 'blaming the pusher'... he's essentially saying that without the US protection... THEY wouldn't have the oil to sell in the first place.
.
http://unitedcats.files.wordpress.com/2007/11/b...
.
Cold Fusion FTW!
According to the Washington Post there are approximately 40,000 polygamists in the United States, most of them in Utah. Yet it seems that the mostly Mormon state of Utah looks the other way. Perhaps people from California should get a ballot initiative in Utah to get the the Attorney General of Utah to enforce anti-polygamy laws.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/ar...
Like was done in Rwanda, Darfur and the Congo
By pocketing their windfall profits and not investing those monies in planned investments for new refining and exploration projects the fossil fuel industry is creating a new future energy crisis when the demand for fuel returns as the economy stabilizes.
OPEC put off a production cut, which is why oil fell.
I for one suffer directly when fuel costs go up. I"m a small business owner who ships stuff across the country via UPS and Freight companies regularly. Yet I'll pay those fuel surcharges with glee if it means getting people out of their SUV's and spurring alternative fuel vehicles.
peace