Oil Companies Post Record Profits While Hatians Eat Dirt
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What a world we live in!
I’m not necessarily anti Oil Company. But I am anti human suffering. So when I follow up reading about oil companies and their record profits with an article about poor Haitians eating dirt because they can’t afford even staple food like rice, my blood boils. We live in a nation of privilege, and with that privilege we have a moral obligation to help promote the welfare of those less affluent then we are.
Exxon reported record profits of 40.6 billion dollars! Just imagine how much good that meager .6 could do for the starving Haitians. Think of how that money could buy them community land and fertilizer to grow their own food, you know, out of the dirt they are already eating.
The scary thing is, how far is this from the truth?
Don't look for government protection
Of course, our politicians won't take this disgusting report lying down. No, they have to pay for oil too right? After all, there have been probes into the rising cost of oil and the skyrocketing profit margin.
Bush calls for a probe in 2006
What came of these actions? Well, we sacrificed the environmental standards put in place for the long term good of the planet for the immediate gratification of reducing the cost of gas by a few cents. Mind you, no one ever suggested that the oil companies make any sacrifices for the greater good. Why should Exxon demonstrate its patriotism by helping out its fellow citizens?
Of course, I don't think reducing the cost of oil is the answer to the problem. Frankly, that is like using a bandaid to cover a gunshot wound. You know, inadequate. The only way to permanently solve the problem for good is to get America off of oil. When our government put its mind to it, it came up with a nuclear bomb for crying out loud. If so much effort can reap destructive success, there is no reason it cannot also produce something beneficial.
Mike Gravel says it best
Help Exxon out, Buy Now
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So what am I saying?
I guess I'm saying that:
1) I'm tired of spending a dollar more for gas than I'm used to, to a company that doesn't appear interested in helping the environment or humanity.
2) I'm tired of my politicians taking money from oil company lobbyists and walking on their greasy leash.
3) I'm tired of reading about oil company CEOs making 400 million while minimum wage Americans can't afford housing and Hatians are eating dirt.
4) I'm tired of people telling me I can't do anything about it. If I let people tell me that, then it will be true! So I won't accept it, and I won't shut up. I will vote for fringe politicians who don't accept lobbyist contributions and I will keep working for change.
So do the patriotic American thing. Work to change the world you live in. Free us from the oil choke collar we are wearing. Make changes now to live green and help leave your children a healthy planet. This is your moral duty.
Also, I'm thinking that things have changed with the times, perhaps a new saying is in order.
Freedom from oil IS the great American dream.
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Comments
Imagine a solar powerplant in the desert.
Now that's an idea. It's not just the oil companies either. Take a look at this hub, there is a link to a great website called story of stuff - It's scary - Oh, and spare a thought for those of us in Europe - $8 a gallon.http://hubpages.com/hub/Whats-hot-for-2008
Another good hub Mark.
Don't feel you have it all on your own. Those same greedy oil companies are here in Australia
Up to a $1.50 a litre here and in NZ up to a $1.80
Government tell us they are going to do something about IT.
They won't, they are more than content to be making their 65 cents per litre.
Oops i Should not have said that.
True MrMarmalade, the only solution is to free ourselves from the oil. It will have the added bonus of ending wars.
BTW - How many cents per dollar does the California state government add to the cost of gasoline?
Solar power for sunny climates.
Wind power for windy climates.
Tidal power for coastal regions.
Hydro power for rainy climates.
Methane energy for everyone.
Geothermal heating.
There is so much we could already do to limit our dependance on oil. So why aren't we?
Money RFox - it's all about money. From the fed's point of view its Federal income tax and from the state's pov its sales tax and income tax. The profits are huge! They can't tax the sun so we're going to have to run out oil before we go to fuel cells and solar.
Yes, my question was somewhat rhetorical. I'm sure they could figure out a way to tax solar and to be honest I wouldn't mind being gouged if it's for renewable energy sources instead of oil. Maybe that's what we should be focused on instead of protests and research. Just come up with an inovative tax structure for green energy that will make everyone lotsa money and they'll switch in a heartbeat.
There are a couple of things we need to keep in mind. 1st of all the cost per Gal or Liter is not determined by the oil companies. Its determined by the gas stations themselves and ultimatly us as consumers. If we used less oil (drove less, carpooled, used alternate fuels, etc) then the cost would go down. But even here in idaho when its over $3 a gal people are lined up with there boats, suv's and 4-wheelers. Now im not saying we shouldn't enjoy ourselves its just that we shouldn't complain when we help to drive the cost up.
Its my understanding that part of the profits that these oil companines are making aren't allways from high cost of gas, in many cases that have learned to cut costs to make them more money.
I'm not supporting them i'm just saying that all of us have a part in these high prices
All great points. Thanks for reading the hub.
Oh and four, I have no clue what California tacks onto the cost of gas.
I don't see any link between two. More, I think promoting hate is not the right thing to do.
actually that's not true about gas stations. I know for a fact that gas is extremely low profit. the gas stations do not tack much at all on for the gasoline, they tend to make their profit off cigs and candy and every other overpriced thing. they make barely a few cents a gallon off gas and their prices change with what oil companies charge them.
Mish, if you click the link in the article, it points out that the rising cost of fuel is driving up the cost of food, which is why they can't even afford rice.lunn (what is that symbol?) exxon doesn't own the gas stations, they are franchises, we're talking about profits made from the sale of crude oil here and the profits of gas sold to the franchises.
yes, I agree. that's what I was trying to say to runsrealfast.
Well, we did discuss this several times with several people here. I tend to think that people are poor not because of some bad guy making them poor, but because of them wanting to be poor. Or, may be, them not wanting to do things that make them richer. Either way it is their internal problem and has to be solved by them, not for them - if at all. This is on Haiti side of your story.
On enourmous profits - I never count money in foreign pocket. I find this tactless and unproductive. It breeds greed and leads to "rob the robber" mentality - and we all watched and some of us took part in what happened when this mentality was given a green light - I'm talking about Soviet Union. Not everybody learned the lesson, though...
On a side note, I think oil prices are seeing a bubble similar to stock market and real estate, and we'll see oil prices heading south shortly.
You actually think people choose to be poor?!? On that point we can never agree.
misha, I agree with blot on poverty but I do understand you are working from an entirely different perspective. I agree with you (misha) that oil is in a bubble but I think it's far from bursting anytime soon.
blot is right about oil prices being the direct cause of hunger in 3rd world nations. I suggest this film: "life+debt" which lays the connection out pretty clearly.
Blot, yeah, I do. They choose not to get richer, to be precise. Often unconsciously, based on cultural norms, but still choose. And before you start telling me I don't know the life cause I was born rich - I was born poor in that same Soviet Union. I kinda have insider info, you know :)
By the way, one of the character traits preventing people from getting rich is hating rich people. If you hate rich people, you are going to sabotage all your conscious efforts to get rich on unconscious level :)
Idunn, we talked about that already and agreed to disagree I think, did we? We can have another round somewhere on forums if you want to, I don't think comments are the best place for such a discussion :)
let's just leave it as agree to disagree, at least for now. :p I'm too lazy to chase down data to make my points. lol.
Great Hub
Please check out my related hub oil co Rio Tinto
very poinyant title and a great hub. A topic that obviously causes allot of debate but no action, like most things in life.
cpa, I'm not familiar with Rio Tinto. In fact, this hub only came about because after reading about the oil company profits, I next read that Haitians are eating dirt. It definitely sets me off, but then I'm far left, I'm a liberal, and I don't think liberal is a dirty word. I wish you had written more info into your hub.
Misha, I know a stale mate when I see one, so there's no point in much arguing. So long as our differences are our beliefs based upon our experiences, we won't agree. But, I'm still glad you read my hub.
Want the price of oil to go down? Reduce demand. A simple way of doing that is to stop buying Chinese products. A large part of the amazing wealth that the oil companies gain is from the economic growth in places like China and India. It's not just oil either... it's all of our natural resources. I was chatting the other day with a friend who builds high rises here in Las Vegas. Their copper prices (for electrical) were somewhere around 500% more than what they had budgeted because of the increases. The world appetite (mostly American) for cheap products will continue to erode each of us of our wealth until we refocus our spending on products made locally, wheter it's in the UK, Russia, Australia, or the U.S. Buy your products from home and from partners where you get a fair trade arrangement. Economics will take over and oil, gas, copper and many other prices will come back down....
wow..sorry, a bit of a rant there.
Nice debt free. Actually, I think high oil prices are good, if they get Americans searching for an alternative that is. My beef is really the contrast of profits and dirt eating.
"My beef is really the contrast of profits and dirt eating." <----- nicely phrased, blot.
Sorry, we did get a little off topic, but the rant felt good anyway. :) As you stated in your article, the reason they are eating dirt is because of the cost of food, which related to the cost of oil. By the way, I think it's funny that you used the word beef in a sentence with oil profits and dirt eating....
As for the Hatians, I believe it's all about education. The more information a people has, the more change can be implemented. Unfortunately, there is no utopia and there will always be societies that are underdeveloped.
Just a little observation...Did anybody notice that the majority of the comments regarding the hub were in relation to the high cost of oil and not the fact that the Hatians had to eat dirt?.... kind of revealing isn't it?
Good point Debt Free. The Haitians eating dirt should have captured our attention more.....says a lot about where we are at doesn't it?
Excellent point debt free, specially considering I wouldn't have just written a hub ranting at the oil profits. Then I would be SO like everyone else.
I thought their was ELEGAL agianst price gouging. But i gess i was wroung. The big companys make all the money .AND THIER BIG WHEELS DON,T EVEN HAVE TO PAY FOR THERE FUEL. If they were us they would bitch too.from JAMES IN OKLAHOMA CITY . i gave 3.19 yesterday and today the price is 3.30. I remimber filling my car up for what one gallan cost now.
Yeah, I paid 3.43 today.
working
jormins says:
6 months ago
That does really get to me all the times I've had to pay $3+ per gallon and then to find out Exxon makes 40 billion profits. I can't wait til we have someone in DC actually doing something to end our reliance on oil. Imagine solar panels on all house roofing and car roofing, it would be cheaper in the long run if we could integrate the technology to make it common.