Re: [Amc-list] semi-OT: Days of Whine & Roses

[adh@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx (Sandwich Maker)]

" From: Brien Tourville <hh7x@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
" 
" " From: Frank Swygert <farna@xxxxxxx>
" " 
" " 
" " Of course we can't execute or prosecute someone for making a killer
" " profit. Nationalizing the refineries would be unconstitutional
" " (confiscating private property) as well, and I don't think the
" " government is the best entity to run them.
" " 
" " Both prosecuting and nationalization are not realistic -- any
" " congressman who thinks so is an idiot and has no idea about how a
" " refinery or the economy in a free country works.

i agree.  there's gotta be a way to rein them in, but this isn't it.

" ..
" 
" []
" 
" Air Traffic Controllers struck for improvements, that genuinely were
" needed as the FAA were ignoring Safety issues.
" 
" []
" 
" They stuck to their Guns - and every last one of them lost their Jobs
" - Nationwide - and were not permitted to be re_hired - period.
" 
" 
" Ours is a Free Country as long as what you're doing isn't negatively
" impacting the Nation as a whole.

not a fair comparison.  atcs are federal employees working for a
government department, and like firemen are explicitly banned from
striking.  firing them was strictly within the letter of their
employment.

yes, their concerns were and are valid.  the atc system needed, and
still needs, a lot of work.

" The last Hearing had the Corp. Execs stating bluntly to the Committee,
" that they were in Business answering to share holders seeking
" profitable returns on investment.
" 
" They defended their position by saying Retirement Pensions were
" heavily invested in them as if this alone provided Economic stability
" to the Nation.
" 
" []
" 
" In short, they believe they've got the Nation by the short hairs and
" there's nothing anyone can do about it - let alone a fumbbling Senate
" Hearing Committee who didn't hear them correctly the first time round.

i wouldn't be surprised if our senators did hear them correctly, but
just want to be seen by their constituents as 'doing something'.  they
get free gas at the pump in the senate garage.

" Their ever increasing Profits when compared Quarterly against the last
" Senate Hearings negated any compassion toward true laissez-faire
" Capitalism old school Bush League style.

it's *just*business*.

a corporation is one-dimensional.  it doesn't have 'wiggle room';
it's solely about money and that's the purpose and scope of its
existence.  it does not have morals, ethics, consciences, empathy,
regrets, kindness, or feelings of any sort.  to the extent it appears
to exhibit any such tendencies it's most likely in compliance with
regulation, less likely enlightened self-interest ['good pr'].  it
will never go against its bottom lines unless forced to.

what it does have is money.  the oil cos have a lot of money.  they
can buy a log of influence on capitol hill, in direct and underhanded
ways, as with fear-mongering about energy shortages [even if they're
real] and secretly funding groups with green-sounding names to push
their agendas sometimes unknowingly.

" As to Government involvement:
" 
" I'm an Independent Populist and don't sing the 'returning the
" government to you by less government' is better mind set - cooked up
" by recent Political Spin.
" 
" That view is for suckers.

this is big business working behind the scenes to convince voters that
its profits - and attendant rewards to top execs - are right and
proper.

" Regulation gets enacted for a reason - only the swindlers want less
" regulation as has been shown with this Administrations performance
" over the last eight years.

i disagree.  corporations want less regulation when it would only
interfere with their profitable operations, but want -more- regulation
when it would interfere with their -competitors'- profitable
operations.  consider international trade barriers.

it's all about what maximizes their profits.

[hawaii was annexed as a territory because of an agricultural trade
barrier intended to protect american farmers against imported crops.
it would've ruined the pineapple industry there - so the [american]
plantation owners hornswoggled the us military into overthrowing the
kingdom.  the plantations were then -inside- the barrier...]

" Our Energy Production is run by a group of private profiteers not
" interested in anything beyond Quarterly Reports.

no public corporation in any business is interested in anything beyond
quarterly reports.  they are all private profiteers; that's their
reason for existence.  as far as stockholders care, what they do to
make money is merely a byproduct.

the oil corporations are behaving like corporations.  why would you
expect anything different?

this is not to say i like the way they act, but if we're to
effectively control them with regulation we need to understand them
and their -business- first.  shooting from the hip may look like
prompt and decisive action, but you can bet their lawyers will be the
first to spot the loopholes.

" Leaving our Nations Energy Production in the control of those only
" seeking maximized profits makes the same sense as leaving the Health
" Care Availability in the hands of those seeking to deny access to
" insure their profitability.

i'm with frank here; make gas a regulated public utility like
municipal gas, electricity and water.  it looks like this might be
necessary to make the industry accept sources they don't control /
make money from, eg. biofuels, also.

one could argue that public health care could be so considered too.

" Personally I'd like to see our Energy Sector Nationalized.
" 
" The Army Corp of Engineers could handle recruitment, training,
" exploration, drilling and delivery logistics.

these are the guys who wanted the trans-florida canal, and built the
new orleans levees that failed?  they were supposed to drive the
pilings down 60' [or something like that].  they looked at the records
and said 'well -on-average- they're 60 ft...'  guess which parts blew
out.

" EXXON - Mobil are getting out of Fueling Station ownership.
" 
" Read that on the Drudgereport.com just the other day.

that suggests that station operation is becoming unprofitable, so
they're going the franchise path, making the little guys take the hit
on payroll, health care and retirement, insurance, taxes -- profits...
while they sell their branded supplies through sole-source contracts
to the 'independent' stations at non-negotiable prices.

this has gone on way too long, but i couldn't help myself.
________________________________________________________________________
Andrew Hay                                  the genius nature
internet rambler                            is to see what all have seen
adh@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx                       and think what none thought
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