One day after Exxon Mobil announced huge profits, Chevron announced that its first-quarter profits were a record $4 billion. That’s an increase of 49% over last year. Fat bastards. UPDATE: The folks at The American Street think they know why gas prices are going up: Kellie Pickler, who’d performed the ballad “Unchained Melody” during Tuesday night’s episode became the latest … Read More
Net Neutrality Loses In House
It happened: Internet carriers would have a free hand to charge the likes of Google Inc., Yahoo Inc. and eBay Inc. extra for faster delivery of services to consumers under a bill approved by a House committee Wednesday. The vote, 42-12, brings a two-tier Internet one step closer to reality despite the wishes of a broad coalition of Web site … Read More
Exxon Records Huge Profits …Again
Read about it here. I watched The Daily Show last night, as host Jon Stewart talked with Kimberly Strassel, a Wall Street Journal senior editorial page writer. She was on to discuss the gas prices, and the reason for it. What Stewart wanted to know was, quite simply, why gas prices were so high. Strassel, clearly defending the oil and … Read More
Bush, Former Oil Man, Orders Probe Into Gas Gouging
Story here. Up next: Fox Orders Investigation Into Henhouse Slayings UPDATE: Back in 2000: President Clinton proposed to use the strategic oil reserves to offset high gas prices. This is what then-governor Bush said: "The Strategic Reserve is an insurance policy meant for a sudden disruption of our energy supply or for war. Strategic Reserve should not be used as … Read More
Gas UP; Bush DOWN
Pollkatz plots the graphs (click on them to enlarge, and remember, UP means CHEAPER in these graphs): For a detailed look: And here’s the bad news for Bush: The price of crude oil climbed higher into record territory Wednesday, topping $72 a barrel. The high cost of crude oil, along with seasonal refinery outages, is driving up prices at the … Read More
Gas Prices
With gas prices going up — and expected to climb — we recommend you put "Gas Buddy", aka www.gasbuddy.com, in your browser’s list of favorites. The site will direct you to other sites where you can browse for the lowest gas prices in your area. Below is a chart (slightly modified by me) showing current prices in and around the … Read More
No Pie For Me?
Conservatives can’t understand why more Americans aren’t happy with the economy. Billmon sheds some light on why. He uses lots of words, and you should read what he says — but honestly — these graphs are all he needs:
Slap On The Wrist
In a story related to the one below (in which the U.S. government pays Halliburton’s overcharges), we learn how our government is abdicating responsibility for making mines safe. USA Today reports how the fines assessed on Sago Mine (the West Virginia mine which collapsed last month, killing 12) were minimal. Not the number of violations — there were plenty of … Read More
Halliburton Overcharges; U.S. Pays Anyway
It kind of makes you wonder what these people are thinking. Halliburton had a contract with the U.S. Army to deliver fuel and repair oil in Iraq. (It actually was one of many no-bid contracts that Hallilburton has with the government with respect to Iraq). The contact was for $2.4 billion, but Halliburton overcharged Uncles Same by $236 million. Obviously, … Read More
And What Happens When He Leaves?
In his State of The Union address, Bush called for the United States to develop alternative energy sources, including renewable energy (wind, solar power, etc.). Now he’s on a speaking tour to push those ideas. Today, Bush is to speak at National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) in Golden, Colorado. Slight problem though: Last month, many people were let go from … Read More
I Part With My Liberal Friends Here
I think this story is being overblown by the left: The Bush administration spent $1.4 billion in taxpayer dollars on 137 contracts with advertising agencies over the past two-and-a-half years, according to a Government Accountability Office report released by House Democrats Monday. With spending on public relations and other media included, federal agencies spent $1.6 billion on what some Democrats … Read More
How’s Your Heating Bill?
Thought you might like to know that Exxon reported record profits for the 4th quarter of 2005: $10.71 billion. They broke their old record set in the third quarter of 2005. From November 2005: Oil Companies Deny Price-Gouging Senators berated oil company executives claiming their big profits are the result of gouging U.S. consumers. The senators demanded that oil companies … Read More
It’s Not Really A “Ceiling” If You Can Raise It At Will
WaPo: Treasury Secretary John W. Snow said yesterday that the United States could be unable to pay its bills in early 2006 unless Congress raises the government’s borrowing authority, which is now capped at $8.18 trillion. … The last time Congress agreed to boost the debt limit was in November 2004 — from $7.38 trillion to the current $8.18 trillion. … Read More
New Hampshire Is The Most Miserly State
Yahoo News: PORTLAND, Maine – New Englanders remain among the most tightfisted in the country when it comes to charitable giving while Bible Belt residents are among the most generous, according to an annual index. For the fourth year running, New Hampshire was the most miserly state, according to the Catalogue of Philanthropy’s Generosity Index. Mississippi remained at the top … Read More
Oil Exec Follow-up
As I wrote yesterday, it looks like oil exceutives lied to Congess (not under oath, however). Well, today I can report that the story may have legs: Democrats asked the U.S. attorney general Wednesday to investigate whether top executives from big oil companies lied to Congress when they said their companies did not take part in Vice President Dick Cheney’s … Read More