Gas Wars

 

1. Us’ns here in Indiana have suffered for years from the scourge of Low Gas Prices. Fortunately for the Peoples Demokratic State of Minnesota there are bureaucrats unafraid of being exposed as drooling, micro-cephalic Moonbats and willing to stand up for the revered, long-successful principle of government price controls.

   Posted by Oink       02/24/2006  at  09:56 AM  



2. That law is a two-edged sword; it prevents price competition which hurts the consumer (the little guy) while it tries to protect smaller businesses (other little guys).

   At one time, gas stations were mostly privately owned or leased from big oil companies, and every gas station was a small business.  The operator may have had an Esso or Shell sign out front, but was free to buy gas and other products from anyone and charge whatever prices he wished.  Big oil changed that practice over the last twenty years, buying independents or refusing to renew leases and took over the operation of the retail outlets. Big oil now controls exploration, extraction, transportation, refining, distribution and retail sale. Major oil companies have merged with other major oil companies.  That sounds like we’re moving back toward the monopoly practices of Rockefeller, and that’s probably not a Good Thing.

   There is a delicate balance between government meddling and reasonable oversight, but anti-trust laws have been around for good reason for a century.  Might we be better off if major oil (I hate to sound like a whiney Leftist and call it Big Oil) companies were restricted to only production or only refining or only retailing of gasoline?

   Posted by dick       02/24/2006  at  10:27 AM  



3. That’s why we refer to it (not fondly) as The People’s Rebublic of Minnesota!

   Posted by Noodles       02/24/2006  at  11:55 AM  



4. Since i’m under 40,i’m not going to comment ha!

   dick: very good point

   

   Posted by SouthernDoll       02/24/2006  at  01:20 PM  



5. dick: Just so!  Old Man Rockefeller dropped prices until the competition was bankrupt, then charged what he wished. Our local gas station franchise was driven out by The Company, which wished to take it over.

   There is no way anyone can ‘set up’ a capitalistic economy; establish the Rule of Law, and it will set itself up. Thugocracies/Theocracies want the benefits without the necessary precursors. Tough titty. “Cutting the competitions throat” must be a metaphor for the system to work.

   But, using the government to solve every ‘injustice’ has a dismal record. Once that happens, the rich and powerful soon control the process.

   Posted by Oink       02/24/2006  at  01:40 PM  



6. Under Socialism, they’re all going to get the “American Dream” even if we have to kill them!

   Capitalism is not a pre-planned scheme—like our language, it just grows. And like a language it needs intelligent application on specifics. Capitalism is not Utopian; it takes people where they are, accepts avarice and competition as inevitable, and harnesses them. Also it encourages them to cooperate with each other; unlike the “Socialist Brotherhood” leg shackles are unnecessary. Their “sharing” is what we used to call “armed robbery”.

   ALL schemes to make Heaven on Earth, WITHOUT EXCEPTION, have produced Hell On Earth.

   You may have noticed the close correlation between Capitalism and political freedom? No? Hint: start with the Muslim Theocracies. (AKA “the axxholes of the earth—where I never wanna be”.)

   Posted by Oink       02/24/2006  at  04:16 PM  



7. Please list the successful, long-term communal living communities. 
   Take your time, I’ve got five seconds. 
   Hint: New Harmony, here in Indiana ain’t one of them.

   One second! I got one. My family, but that don’t count—all good people are communists at home.

   Posted by Oink       02/24/2006  at  04:41 PM  



8. "recycled” = “OCM lost another one”

   Posted by Oink       02/24/2006  at  05:07 PM  

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