BP, Chevron,Conoco,Exxon will have profits of over 33.6 billion this quarter alone in addition to being awarded the biggest tax break in the history of the industry by republican congress with Bush's backing.

Hey I am okay with it...I think america will not demand values and change until they feel direct pain of this leadership. This will aid in conservation, decrease pollution and unfortunately begin to create hardship on middle America.

An Exxon executive said their success was very simple..They are producing more fuel and charging higher prices for it.

Is everyone out there okay with this?

They operate at a 32% profit. The muffler for your Toyota is 60%. Most jewelry is 200%. Starbucks is 300%. Microsoft is 500%. Actually big oil should get off their asses and look out for us shareholders.

The sectors you name are different for a reason. Most(except) diamonds are not a limited natural resource required for national security and sustaining our economy. Most people require gasoline and the goods(whose prices will increase Food etc) to live so diz they are very different. I can live well without my starbucks and a new diamond but if I cannot get to work or lettuce prices go up to 9$ a head that is different.

I am not really argueing with just making a valid point. In addition the industry I am in regulates costs somewhat. I doubt Starbucks or the local clothing store or most businesses got the tye of special tax break the oil companies received. I think this what happens when an oilman is in office.

Also please be reminded I am not whining at all. In fact on my evening mountain bike ride I stopped and picked up something at the store i needed for tomorrow.

Still Dizzy,

are you referring to profit or profit margin? I read somewhere a few months back that their actually profit was 9 cents a gallon, if that is accurate, the government is the biggest beneficier.

Sam,

I agree to a point but there are many more people involved than just the "evil" oil companies. If Bg Auto could make more fuel efficient cars like their foreign counterparts. The government could remove taxes, reduce drilling restrictions, increase funding for new technologies (notice the alternative ethanol has the powerful agriculture lobby behind it, surprise surprise!). Consumers could change their habbits.

For those than frown on electric cars check out this link, there may be hope:

http://www.wired.com/news/wiredmag/0...?tw=wn_index_1

Sam,

The question to me is what is their rate of return. If I owned a pizza shop and every year more people wanted my pizza I would generate record profits every year. Now, if the rate of return is the same then they're doing nothing wrong. I don't think our concern should be who's to blame but rather how do we fix it. Think about it, even if prices were lower we're still puting our economy in the hands of one of most instable regions of the world, a very bad idea. The real problem in my opinion is Americans don't like change even if its neccessary.

There is nothing wrong with profits but price gauging and subsidies in the way of tax breaks to oil industries that are choking the middle class is wrong. The profits I quoted were the profits directly of the four major oil companies that all received a blank check from this administration in the way of a 9 billion dollar tax cut this year. Maybe prices are high due to other reasons.

Anyway like I said I persoanlly can adjust my lifestyle but I do feel for the guy working 50 hours a week to support his family and this profiteering impacts his ability to buy groceries or take his kids to a game or movie.

I only hope strong thinking Americans will then get more support for conservation and alternative energy. This is values!

Price gauging, supporting wealth of a few billionares while others working hard struggle are not values. Invading oil rich countries causing death and destruction are not values. Be clear on that. For those of you that think this war is promoting Chrisitianity it is the antipathy of that. Notice the poor countries with no resources under dictatorships we do not care about converting them to Coulter style immorals and hate.

Get informed and get real.

Oil rights are for all intentions given to big oil. It is a racket the government and oil co's have set up to rip off the Am. people. Wealth redistribution. Us to them.

The biggest problem for consumers is that everyone in the supply-chain has there hand int he cookie jar. For example, my local gas station will race gas 20 cents as soon as the price for a barrell goes up on TV. I know for a fact they don't fill up until around midnight and they don't fill up everyday (Becuz I asked them). They're simple taking avantage of the propaganda. All the way down the supply chain, people are skimming. We just have to slap more hands than we thought.

Yep Roman, good points...and we are complete idiots for not DEMANDING more Ethanol as a % put into our tanks...and the cars (engines) that can burn it. And how many of use go to our dealerships and say..."nope, won't buy that SUV until you put a cleaner duel fuel engine with much better mileage in it." I have been test driving cars and want one but I am not going to buy a little tin can, econo box bacause I will get pushed off the road by freight trucks. Why can't I have a Ethanol engine, bigger car/sedan/SUV? THE AMERICAN CONSUMER DOES NOT DEMAND IT!!!! I can't even find a f***ing Ethanol station in this city...that is BULLS***!!!

Costs are basically driven by the consumer in this country and we are idiots moving in the wrong direction; the internal combustion GASOLINE engine is way out of date and we do not give a s*** enough to really do something with our consumer $s to change this.

Hitler was an evil man but he did have to run his war machine on alcohol/ethanol cars and they did just fine (and pollute a lot less too). Man, this has been around for years, we are fools.

WE are driving the cost up and making the oil companies $.