Oil Producers or government: Who is "gouging" Whom at the Pumps?

J.B. Williams (Written during the previous administration, but an excellent lesson in economics.)  "But the fact is, the gross profit margin for a gallon of gas in America today, is what it has always been, on average, .08 cents per gallon, (2.5% at $3.00 per gallon). Though retail gas prices fluctuate with crude prices and supply vs. demand, the gross profit margin per gallon remains roughly the same at all times. (No evidence of price gouging here.)
"However the federal government profits approximately .59 cents per gallon through gasoline taxes, 7 ½ times or 750% that of the oil producers themselves and 20% of the price at the pumps. Pay attention here, Washington liberals are attacking oil companies for their 2.5% gross profit margin, while Washington is profiting 20% per gallon. Democrats answer? Tax some more?
"If oil companies cut their profit margins by 50%, it would drop the price of a gallon of gas by only .04 cents per gallon. If Washington law makers cut their take by 50%, gasoline would cost .30 cents per gallon less."
"Based upon a $3.00 gallon of gasoline, the average break-down is as follows."

Gasoline Retailer $.01 cents per gallon
Oil Company $.08 cents per gallon
Refining $.29 cents per gallon
Marketing/Distribution $.32 cents per gallon
Taxes $.59 cents per gallon
Cost of crude $1.71 per gallon (delivered)

"Who is gouging who? "

http://townhall.com/political-cartoons/michaelramirez

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  

Yes, Virginia, Obama Foreign Policy Is Ignorant and Stupid Rather Than a Conspiracy

Barry Rubin "The most common question — or remark — that I get from readers is to say that I’m wrong to talk about how Western policymakers (and especially the Obama administration) are ignorant, ideologically deluded, and unable to learn from experience. They claim that these problems arise from a deliberate malevolent effort to destroy America.

"It tells something about how bad a lot of the administration’s policies are that such a conclusion is possible. Nevertheless, it’s not correct."

Ideologically-driven strategic ineptitude "Confronting the Obama administration's assault on reason in the interest of ideological faithfulness, Israel is faced with very few good options. The threats Israel faces stem largely from the rising forces of jihad, Islamic terrorism and religiously justified nuclear adventurism embraced by Islamist politicians and religious leaders. That is, the threats facing Israel stem largely from the forces the Obama administration has elected to ignore and deny."

Obama Presents A Greater Danger Than The WikiLeaks "Indeed both are giant problems and will have long term deleterious consequences. Unfortunately, Obama’s ineptitude, lack of leadership, arrogance, ideological perversions and intellectual challenges have created a dangerous situation for America and engendered international recriminations with these document leaks that were totally avoidable if he had any shred of competence.
"Obama MUST be removed from office ASAP. The danger that he represents is incalculable. "
John Bolton guardian.co.uk, Sunday 5 December 2010

Animal lovers should stop calling their furry or feathered friends “pets” because the term is insulting, leading academics claim.

UK Telegraph  Quoting the Journal of Animal Ethics, a new academic publication devoted to the issue.


"It argues that “derogatory” language about animals can affect the way that they are treated.

“Despite its prevalence, ‘pets’ is surely a derogatory term both of the animals concerned and their human carers,” the editorial claims.
“Again the word ‘owners’, whilst technically correct in law, harks back to a previous age when animals were regarded as just that: property, machines or things to use without moral constraint.”
It goes on: “We invite authors to use the words ‘free-living’, ‘free-ranging’ or ‘free-roaming’ rather than ‘wild animals’
“For most, ‘wildness’ is synonymous with uncivilised, unrestrained, barbarous existence.
“There is an obvious prejudgment here that should be avoided.”

The preceding spawns this comment from American Thinker:  "I don't know about you, but when was the last time your dog was "insulted" when you called him a flea bitten mutt? Or your cat's feelings were hurt when you called him a "Crazy Critter" for jumping on your head in the middle of the night?"

U.S. Religious-Freedom Commission Recommends Egypt Be Listed Among Worst Offenders

GlobalSecurity.org  "A U.S. government commission has recommended that Egypt be placed on a list of the "worst of the worst" countries for religious freedom, for its record of increasing attacks on Christians and a culture of impunity.
"The U.S. Commission on Religious Freedom made the recommendation on April 28 to the Obama administration via its annual report, which it wrote after researching conditions for religious freedom in 28 countries."
We anxiously await Mr. Obama's actions in the light of this.

Carter says US withholding food from NoKos a 'human rights violation'

Rick Moran "Jimmy Carter is a walking, talking human rights violation. He is violating the right of the entire world to be rid of this meddlesome twit and his pious moralizing. No mention by Carter of how Kim and his gangsters brutally oppress their own people, making them into the most regimented, fearful, hopeless nation in the world. Instead, he takes his own country to task for not giving food aid that would end up in the hands of the military, not ordinary people."

About.com

Muslim Group Cancels Protest Outside Royal Wedding

ABC  ""Careful plans were laid out," said the group in its online statement, "in order to inflict maximum damage both to the reputation of the Crusader and Nazi Prince William as well as Queen Elizabeth II and the British government in general. Unfortunately, it is has recently come to our attention ... that the threat of an imminent attack against those attending the royal wedding on 29th April 2011, is too strong to substantiate the presence of any Muslims within the locality." "

Superman Renounces U.S. Citizenship in 'Action Comics' #900 (Updated)

JAWA Report

Fox News  "The Man of Steel, created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster in 1938, has always been recognized as a devoted American warrior who constantly fought evil, but as of Thursday, he is no longer the country's own to claim."

Superman Renounces His U.S. Citizenship in 900th Issue of Action Comics   Were these people taught American History from  Howard Zinn's history books?

http://townhall.com/political-cartoons/mikelester

Whoopi Goldberg: ‘I’m Playing The Damn [Race] Card Now’

Pajamas Media  "“I’m getting tired to trying not to find things slightly racist. It is very difficult, on a daily basis, to see this stuff and not say, you know, this is what it is. I have been raised to think, ‘Well, maybe that’s not what they mean. Let me figure it out.’ But, being black, when you say, ‘Y’know, this is racist,’ 9,000 people say, ‘Oh, you’re just playing the race card.’ Well, you know, I’m playing the damn card now.”"
The article also cites this gem from Whoopi: 


Toonpool



 Whoopi Goldberg Entertains Moon Landing Conspiracy Theories

Whoopi plays the ever predictable race card against The Donald on The View.  "Only an absolute dumb ass or a racial manipulator could come up with a premise that if a person supports the strict interruption of the constitution, he or she must somehow support a return of slavery." How's this for street cred? This comes from Wake up Black America

Video of Whoopi Asking McCain If His Court Appointments Would Bring Back Slavery  "In response to Goldberg's ridiculous question, McCain says that she made an "excellent point." Why did he say that?"

Hysterical Attack Machine in Full Force Targeting Ryan Plan

Heritage  "The right way to reduce spending is complete transformation of the program in a way that empowers patients and allows market forces to achieve better value for each dollar spent. The only other option is to empower government to reduce costs from the top down, which would entail across the board cuts, restricted access to providers, and more government intrusion into health care decisions.
"The truth about the Ryan plan is much different than its detractors would have America believe, but their attacks are par for the course given the utter lack of seriousness accompanying the left’s approach to the budget crisis."

Then this: Gen Xers, Baby Boomers and Seniors Prefer Ryan’s Budget Over Obama’s Plan

Brian Williams Wonders If Tornadoes Caused by 'Something We Have Done?'

MRC  "On Thursday night, looking at the tornadoes across the South, ABC’s Sam Champion ridiculously claimed “everybody is asking if climate change played a role here.” Brian Williams blamed humans: “What's going on here? Is this something we have done?”"
These people not only vote- they tell other voters what to think and how to vote.

Victor Davis Hanson: Our 21st-century political correctness can have us behaving like 20th-century denizens of Leningrad or Moscow.

National Review "...we know that Israel is supposed to be culpable and that we are asked to praise the “aspirations” of the Palestinians, but if we were to go to the Middle East we most certainly would not stay in Gaza or the West Bank or visit unescorted a Christian shrine. We would wish to dine with people like the Fogels, but not their killers or the people who ordered them to kill."

Krauthammer: The Obama doctrine: Leading from behind

Charles Krauthammer  "Who truly reviles America the hegemon? The world that Obama lived in and shaped him intellectually: the elite universities; his Hyde Park milieu (including his not-to-be-mentioned friends, William Ayers and Bernardine Dohrn); the church he attended for two decades, ringing with sermons more virulently anti-American than anything heard in today’s full-throated uprising of the Arab Street.
"It is the liberal elites who revile the American colossus and devoutly wish to see it cut down to size. Leading from behind — diminishing America’s global standing and assertiveness — is a reaction to their view of America, not the world’s."