Seriously, do some homework into Latin America. Mexico is one of the most debt ridden countries there is. Back in the 80s they took some ridiculously heavy loans and weren't able to pay them back. They're still working on that same debt today. That is why the Mexican government is having a bit of a rough time providing for its own. Secondly, this country has prospered largely due to the explotation of raw materials from other countries and simply taking raw materials from other countries ie. Mexico in the Mexican American War. We can thank them for the gold rush. Go 49ers! And then finally I have to put forth the suggestion that maybe if we weren't so busy spending money on B.S. wars in far and exotic lands then maybe we could make the diplomatic gesture of offering Mexico a little debt relief. And if you come back with the idea that we shouldn't be giving countries money, then my God you must hate Israel.

Well, the production itself isn't the problem. The demand for the production is the problem. Oil isn't pumped for ornament decoration, but rather to burn. Burning of hydrocarbon fuels creates a carbon surplus from which has been building up in the pasts carbon debt (more carbon being stored in liquids/oil than in gas/air). So we pump to fuel all the SUVs and cars to burn and that causes global warming. Produce all they want! Oil's neat to look at.

 

Actually, it is. Exxon themselves made $36 billion dollars last year, pure profit, all in their pocket. It's amazing to me what Fox News can get people to believe. Foreign countries are not setting our oil prices, our companies are, and they are gouging the hell out of prices. In fact, 49% percent of all oil sold in the US is drilled in the US, which is by far our largest supplier. Number two is Venezula at 12%, I think. (Someone correct me on all this if I'm wrong.) Anyway, add those numbers. 49% percent of $36 billion is $17.64 billion dollars, taken directly from US land, sold to US people. OPEC has nothing to do with that.

Supply and demand. I don't believe there's problem with supply, as companies are claiming. But our demand is sick. People would pay more than they're charging now, but imo they're setting prices just high enough to keep the government off their backs. Notice how last week there was an uproar in the media about climbing gas prices, and immediately they started to simmer down? Keepin the heat off em.

Free trade, capitalism, I understand all that. They're allowed to charge what people will pay. However, I really do think it would have been in Americas best interest economically to have not allowed gas prices to get to what they are. The government should regulate prices on commodities like oil, imo, and should set them to is best for the country as a whole, rather than a few small groups of individuals.

 

See the problem with that is that the Mexican government is as dirty as they come. Drug cartels, street gangs, kidnapping for hire/ransome are all activities that the Mexican government either turns a blind eye to or helps along the way. They do not want their people to grow and prosper simple as that. As far as the stuff we "took" from them in the 1800's so what. Your talking well over 100 years ago and to put my point across look at Japan. We dropped the 2 worst bombs ever used in a war killing millions at a time, we all but took over their country after WWII. What are they doing? I'd say they are among the leaders in the world as far as education, economy, and inovation now just over 60 years later.

 

Please get your facts right---Canada is the #1 exporter of oil to the U.S followed by Mexico and third is Saudi Arabia---http://www.eia.doe.gov/neic/rankings/totimportsby_country.htm
Also, we import 60% of our oil----http://www.eia.doe.gov/neic/quickfacts/quickoil.html And since you say foreign countries arent setting our prices, then tell me WHY EVERY COUNTRY IN THE WORLD HAS INCREASED THEIR PRICES ALONG WITH US? Once you explain to me why ALMOST every other country in the world is paying more than we are, then maybe I will believe you. It has nothing to do with living in a FREE MARKET, does it? Please get facts straight before spitting them out---Dave

 

If you look at the first list from the link you posted, the United States isn't even listed (other than the Virgin Islands). So what does that mean, we produce no oil other than in the Virgin Islands? Did they forget Texas, Oklahoma, and everywhere else we drill domestically? Obviously, that is a list of our foreign oil suppliers only. And your second link, that data is from 2004. We could have easily increased our domestic production 9% in 2005, which is where my data is coming from. The numbers I have presented are from a CNN broadcast I watched recently.

As to why almost every other country in the world is paying as much or more as we are, provide me with another one of your handy links, because I'm uncertain that is an accurate assumption. Although I don't have agreeing data that I can link you, I would be willing to wager that no other country in the world that produces as much oil as we do, is charging prices as high as we are. Look at other countries that produce large quantities of their own oil, such as Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Venezula, and Iraq. Their gasoline prices are all near or under $1 USD per gallon. You could try to blame demand for these low prices, saying their countries just aren't willing to pay what we are for oil, but Saudi Arabia and Kuwait are not impoverished nations. Kuwait is actually fairly wealthy. (Someone correct me if I'm wrong here.)

From what I can tell, our prices are what they are because of two factors more than any others, demand and greed.

 

I agree with demand, but do you not take into account our state and federal taxes on oil? Why do you think certain states (CA.) pay way more than other states? And if you looked at the link and read it for what it was, it was clearly listing EXPORTERS to the U.S not listing the U.S itself since it can't export to itself. Look at this link http://www.eia.doe.gov/neic/rankings/crudebystate.htm if you want to see individual states production. How come 10-15 years ago when the oil companies weren't making squat off of $14 a barrel did we bitch then? Suddenly the market accross the world is demanding more and Iran and Venezuala are threatening us, doesn't it seem logical prices would go up? Our oil companies are in a FREE MARKET----so of course they are going to make money. I don't agree with them giving huge payouts to CEO's, but according to CNN and other finance programs, they are getting paid close to what other CEO's are making at other bidg companies. And for the countries paying cheap prices--duh---if we had the worlds largest amount of oil underneath us as well I'm sure it would be cheaper here. They pay cheap prices for their gas, but pay heavenly for wood, metal, and water from other countries, including the U.S, which exports many of these products. So they have cheap gas----I was stationed in Saudi Arabia for 4 months, and they do pay dearly for other products that they cannot manufacture in their country.---Dave

 

You are correct on many accounts in regards to the Mexican government's corruption. However, a large part of is coerced. Top ranking government officials are left with two options, A. take some money and cooperate with the cartels or B. be killed along with their entire families. Relying on police to protect them has historically proven fatal. The choice seems pretty easy to me. And to bring a counter argument to your points on Japan, the BIG difference is the amount of investment we put into Japan after WWII. We gave them numerous types of technologies royalty free ie. the transistor which spawned such companies as Sony AND there was nothing to rob in regards to natural resources. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy the land gained in the Mexican American War, but this country could have done a hell of a lot more to compensate them for it.

I think there is one point we can agree upon in the international realm though Marty.........................................Japa n makes really sweet cars.

 

See the thing about it is we are no the ones that are respobsable for the Mexican governments short falls regaurdless of what we did to them over 100 years ago. Ya know this country has had to overcome it's fair share

Revolutionary War
Civil War
WWI
WWII
Vietnam
Desert Storm
Afganastan
Iraq

and now it is soon to over come Iran all while having North Korea breathing down our necks.

This is not a matter for us to fix. Last time I checked entering a country through the back door w/o the correct paperwork is illegal plain and simple. They get caught they get deported simple as that, you break the law again and enter this country w/o the correct paperwork and you get a felony. Nothing wrong with that sorry. In a time when we need to protect our borders more so than any other time people have no way to justify anyone entering this country un-detected.

I fully understand this, you do not come in this country w/o the correct paperwork, I dont care how long it takes. This is a open and shut issue for me and also a very big national security risk. When are people going to wake up, this is not us vs the people of Mexico, this is us vs people breaking U.S. laws, this is us trying to protect ourselves from the possability of terrorist coming across the border, this is us keeping people be it Mexicans or any other people from any other country from milking our system, putting Americans out of jobs, making us pick up the tab on their ER visits, making us pick up the tab for them driving and wrecking with no insurence(yes it drives our rates up). I for the life of me do not understand how anyone has any right to say anything about this. They can tap our damn phone lines but we are not allowed to lock our borders down??????? What kinda crap is that?

I think the people who are against anybody getting deported for not being a legal resident or having the correct passport, paperwork to be here need to stand back and look at the big picture.

 

Bush has a brain, his name is Carl Rove. Bush is too stupid to actually make any of his own decisions so he has people do it for him. I wonder how many wars its going to take before we realize we can't run around beating the **** out of everyone.

 

Yea, United States is one of the few countries whose most of the wars happens outside of the country. We love this country so much that we have to go to war w anybody have a thought of hurting it.