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“Your tire inflation is suboptimal, sir.”
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Recent Comments
- In The Mailbox: 02.28.23 (Afternoon Edition) : The Other McCain on Hey, longtime pw readers…
- In The Mailbox: 12.23.22 : The Other McCain on Patrick J. Carroll truly IS a sad, embittered psychopath
- Danger on Patrick J. Carroll might be a psychopath
- Danger on Patrick J. Carroll might be a psychopath
- In The Mailbox: 07.18.22 : The Other McCain on Patrick J. Carroll might be a psychopath
Obama says he wants to tax oil companies’ windfall profits and use some of the money to help motorists pay for more expensive gasoline.
I’ll be banging my head against my desk for the next hour or so if anyone needs me.
We should coordinate our head-banging; we could get a nice rhythm going.
Really, though, it’s ingenious — tax the unpopular gas companies, hand (some of) the cash to voters, and skim the rest of it off to enlarge the public sector unions. Gotta serve your real constituents, after all.
People who use phrases like windfall profits should be flogged.
I will join BMoe in a surround sound version of banging our foreheads on our desks. Feel free to join in.
Just think, after November there will be more Democrats in office ready to vote against drilling. Hurray!!111!!!!
because we all know how successful that oil windfall profits tax worked for Jimmy Carter
Break out those sweaters! It’s O!, son of Jhimmi!
JD, Except Rush who now says he needs to take a “Windfall profit break” when he goes to commerical. It used to be “obscene profit break”. That guy cracks me up.
Anyone hear his “Justice Brothers” parodies?
Too late, guys. I’ve raised a lump on my forehead the size of Nantucket over several days of headbanging.
This is the one issue that can drive me to the polls to vote for McCain. I’ll make a promise: If he turns on ANWAR, I’m there. I’ve had enough of moronic, starry eyed energy policies.
Ditto what BJ said. I cannot stand McCain, but Baracky is proving to be McCain’s best campaigner.
Update: According to Mark Halperin, the McCain campaign will distribute tire gauges to Obama’s Lansing audience and the media covering the event, with the words “Obama’s Energy Plan†on the side. It seems that the McCain campaign has begun to hit its stride.
OHPLEASEOHPLEASEOHPLEASE, Let this be true. It’s FAN-FUCKING-TASTIC!
From the Hot Air piece, it mentions that O!™ is pushing for investments in creating more livable and sustainable communities where we can walk, bike or take public transportation. That will go over GREAT in Detroit. Ha! You’d have to bomb the city and start from scratch. His meaningless mumbo-jumbo about this crap is the stuff of science fiction.
So basically his energy policy is a bus pass and new running shoes?
creating more livable and sustainable communities where we can walk, bike or take public transportation
Has O! been talking to Jerry Brown? CA’s ex-Gov and present AG who is trying to sue suburbia out of existence?
See, now I’m just having fun … but remember when the commies wanted everyone to move into the cities?
This is pretty great, too:
“Air force one may seem a tad claustrophobic.”
Dig his specially embroidered president chair.
These “communities” where people do not have to own cars and can subsist on public transportation, biking, and walking sound alot like 60’s hippy communes. Anyone want to invest with me in a tamborine factory if Obama wins?
If I could be assured of his losing, I would enjoy his flights of fancy very much.
What does it say about a candidate that he has absolutely no self awareness of what an embroidered “president” chair says about his ego and hubris?
I’ve got all kinds of issues woth John McCain but at least I know he would never allow a something like that on his jet.
We’ve got this and the faux “seal” and the halo like campaign posters and more. Does this guy really believe that he “…is the change that we’ve been waiting for?”
John Kerry wonders why this approach didn’t work for him.
JD: “People who use phrases like windfall profits should be flogged.”
No, only those who use the phrase inappropriately. There *ARE* “windfall profits,” but oil companies, definitionally, cannot make windfall profits when dealing in oil. Technically, windfall profits are an unexpected profit arising from causes not controlled by the recipient.
Now, the oil companies *expect* profits arising from their primary activity – the recovery and processing of, y’know, oil. Likewise, given the state of the world market, with static production and growing demand, even the recent surge in profits cannot be characterized as “unexpected,” at least within any reasonable definition of the term.
Does this guy really believe that he “…is the change that we’ve been waiting for?â€Â
1. You are a vile racist.
2. Yes, he really believes that.
DC: Exactly. It’s a “bellow phrase” designed to accomplish two thinks:
1) Focus on the total dollar profit amounts rather than the after tax profit percentages (return on investment) so that the easily duped can be inspired into demanding their cut of the action.
2) It’s a shell game, a misdirection that fools said easily duped from looking too carefully at who really was responsible for the policies that got us too this idiotic place (*cough* Democrats *cough*.)
If folks like Baracky are going to go after windfall profits, they should also denounce the windfall spending those companies have been engaged in.
Also “Windfall Profits” are not defined as “profits created by an evil (energy) corporation designed to loot precious dollars from teh electorate.”
Now, place right pinkie to lips…
But they can afford it, BJ. Because they are evil.
And, Kyoto.
But not global climate change.
algore is on one of the ads on the right hand side of the main page. Ugh. I puked a little in the back of my mouth.
Obama’s was an astoundingly dumb statement. No defending that boner. Jump on it.
JD #20: As well as the windfall taxes they have been paying; almost 65 billion between 2003 and 2007, a sum that exceeds their after tax earnings by over 19 billion.
Now get me some sharks with friggin’ laser beams on their heads.
The earth just quit spinning for a moment, and has sinced started spinning in the opposite direction.
Now get me some sharks with friggin’ laser beams on their heads.
I watched Shark Week all week, just waiting for the laser beam sharks. No luck. I still believe they are out there, yet to be captured on camera.
Thanks, thor, for that. (#24)
The tire pressure thing is good for laughs but the real problem is his energy policy is unrealistic, uncomplete and potentially devastating to our economy.
Jeez, I can’t believe that I typed “uncomplete!” I sentence my self to three days of “Word Power” puzzles from back issues of Reader’s Digest.
If thor would get off of Baracky’s boner, maybe sashal could jump on.
You almost make it sound like it was an off-the-cuff comment. It wasn’t. It’s part of a fucking policy statement. That makes it not a “boner” but a sign of massive stupidity or arrogance, in the candidate and his advisors.
Come on, JD. I’m sure there’s room enough for both. Remember, Barack is half black. I’m just sayin’.
Check out this sentence from Susan Page, USAToday, “Pelosi Firm: No Vote On Offshore Drilling” :
“The scramble over expanded drilling off America’s coasts  ammunition for a weekend of rat-a-tat-tat by the presidential campaigns  underscores the political power of $4-a-gallon gas.”
What the fuck use is a sentence like that? The second sentence in the article? “…weekend of rat-a-tat-tat…”? “…$4-a-gallon-gas…” has political power? SHOCKING! OMG! Have you ever heard such a thing!
Barack “I’m not here from central casting” Obama will be the cause of his own destruction. More Obama!
I’m thinking that Baracky will use his flopping support of a compromise drilling bill to polish his national security and foreign policy bona fides. There’ll be a “for the good of the country” whitewash followed by the ossing under the bus of the phrase “can’t drill our way out of this problem.” ditto “inflate your tires to save all of the potential drilling oil…” as the negatives from the focus groups rear their ugly heads.
All because of that big overseas trip a few weeks ago. He’s evolving, he’s growing, he’s the lightbringer.
In a sane world this guys political career would be dead anywhere outside San Fran, Chicago, or Seattle.
Hey, Obama can still say he and FARC are against that Colombia free trade pact. That should mollify Thor and those rubes from Michigan that he’s just not going to throw jobs away overseas even when people don’t want to buy Fred Flintstone cars that get 250mpg.
The Oil Bigs have occasionally run PR facelifts which trumpet the $10
million they invest each year in renewable projects. Thats’ comparable to about 85 cents from the average individual’s income level.
But, T Boone Pickens REALLY wants to do something NOW………….
Semanticleo – What is your native language?
That should mollify Thor and those rubes from Michigan that he’s just not going to throw jobs away overseas e
Hey, I forgot to mention – Jenny Granholm’s approval rating is 20%!!! GOOD LUCK IN MICHIGAN O!™
Cleo, what does that work out to per gallon?
Cleo did you finish reading your copy of “Why Mommie is a Democrat” yet?
Wow I can’t even spell mommy right. Time for some more coffee.
McGehee, can you help a brother out and summarize, please? Malkin’s a no-no here at work, I guess. Thanks in advance.
Now that Obama’s morphed into such a big supporter of the Second Amendment, I wonder what he’s going to think when all those sportsmen start “hunting deer” in cities when he urbanizes Michigan under this plan. I think rifles win out over pistols, but that’s just me.
“Cleo, what does that work out to per gallon?”
Not sure why you ask, but your link minimizes the total picture. Care to see it, profitwise, at $.09 per gallon?
AT 9 cents per gallon times 390 Million gallons US consumption per day works out to $35,100,000 times 365 days—
Twelve Billion, eight Hundred and Eleven Billion, Five Hundred Thousand Dollars.
http://www.eia.doe.gov/basics/quickoil.html
BTW;
That Ten million they invest in renewables…….
That represents 0.00078057918 as a percentage of profits….
“Mommie” has that twist-of-evil Joan Crawford edge, Pink. It’s the better spelling.
Mommie with the scary eyebrows.
Mommie does rhyme better with Commie that way. Maybe it was my subconscience.
$10 million they invest each year in renewable projects.
Do you have any proof for this, or are you just asserting same?
What is so outrageous about 9% profit, Miss Cleo? Have you ever bothered to look at their costs? Nope. Have you ever bothered to look at the taxes they have paid? Nope. Just evil profit.
Forget about Basis Points. The must be Sub-Prime Basis points.
Is there a name for such infinitesimal numbers?
Abysmal Avarice?
Cleo do you consider your after taxes wages part of teh evil profit?
Forget about Basis Points. The must be Sub-Prime Basis points.
Is there a name for such infinitesimal numbers?
Abysmal Avarice?
English, please?
I for one don’t understand why the oil companies should invest one penny in so called “renewables” if they don’t believe said investments are worth the capital risked. The integrated oil companies produce crude oil and crude oil products. Isn’t it enough they should do that well?
AT 9 cents per gallon times 390 Million gallons US consumption per day works out to $35,100,000 times 365 daysâ€â€
I think I heard a term … what was it … “economy of scale”, which makes your bazillion number meaningless.
What “should” an oil company make? What is fair?
But, honestly, the bigger picture is that you should be old enough to KNOW that if the Government taxes “big oil’s obscene profits”, that money is going to disappear into a black hole so deep and so wide … before a blink of an eye everyone will even forget that it happened. It will simply exist as a new tax. Added to the hundreds (thousands) of other taxes that our society is burdened with.
Uh, McGee brought up the numbers question…..
And you, as well as the Oil Co’s should know we all have a greater responsibility than is implied by Economic Sociopathy.
If they’re not into renewables, they should can their self-congratulations, and assert, like you; “there’s nothing evil about profit”.
They should adopt your public persona on the subject, and be done with it. You know; “Nuff Said’.
Can you define the term “Economic Sociopathy”? I only made it through economics 201, so perhaps they hadn’t gotten to that term yet.
Of course, I did kinda party through college … so perhaps I was just hung over?
Let me see, Webster’s, Oxford….wait…let me thumbnail it for you;
Sociopath= Scumbag
Economic Sociopath=Bean-counting Scumbag.
Let me take a stab at Cleo’s insanity.
Economic Sociopath=Any corporation or sector of business that can be prefaced with the word BIG.
I don’t think the major oil companies need lectures in public relations from you Semanticleo. To all appearances, you aren’t doing so well with your own PR here on the PW comments page.
“Economic Sociopathy” means, as Semanticleo makes clear in #58, wanting to keep your own money. “Economic Responsibility”, OTOH, means delivering it all to her and her cohorts, with humble apologies for having accumulated it. Don’t worry; she’ll give you back what you need, after having taken out what she and her fellows need.
Regards,
Ric
Semanticleo: “And you, as well as the Oil Co’s should know we all have a greater responsibility than is implied by Economic Sociopathy.”
What, an 8% return on equity is too high?
With any luck Exxon Mobil will continue to resist the temptation to invest in
inefficient, environmetally unsound, food price raising, Ashland Midland money makingbiofuels.Not all renewables are moral or even make sense. God forbid Oil Companies would re-invest their profits into more, better and cleaner ways of producing … wait for it … OIL! They have no soul because they won’t invest in “renewables.”
You know what would be a great renewable resource (and it has the added advantage of being tres bon in France?) Plutonium Nuclear Reactors. No CO2, waste is recycled and the power efficientcies are way better than any other renewable available today. That’s how France produces over 80% of it’s electrical output.
Whatta ya say, cleo? RENEWABLE ENERGY WRIT LARGE!
Barack “I’m not here from central casting” Obama has changed his previous position on the US strategic petroleum reserve, “reversing his opposition to tapping the nation’s strategic petroleum reserve as a means of lowering gasoline prices. …”
Sheesh. What part of the word “strategic” does this god among us not understand? Suppose Israel attacks Iran sometime in the next six months. Oil supply crisis much?
Barack “I’m not here from central casting†Obama will be the cause of his own destruction. More Obama!
LOL. So revealing about your authoritarian wet dreams, Collins. You know you fantasize about Obama and his Tire Gauge of Tyranny wresting you from your warm bed and doing wicked things to you. You freak, you.
Barack “I’m not here from central casting†Obama will be the cause of his own destruction. More Obama!
Agreed, let him keep talking. Hopefully, he’ll give a major policy speech or interview every day until the convention.
You know you fantasize about Obama and his Tire Gauge of Tyranny wresting you from your warm bed and doing wicked things to you.
What about an Orwellian Temperature Sensor to monitor your thermostat? Possibly an official government “Goldilocks” to check the “just right” warmth of Dan’s bed?
(C)leo,
I know for a fact that Big Tire is spending 0.000000% of their obscene profits on Hovercract research. Where is the outrage?
I just saw over at Ace of Spades that McCain is distributing tire gauges in Michigan which are labeled “Obama Energy Plan”.
Heh.
“…“If I am president, I will immediately direct the full resources of the federal government and the full energy of the private sector to a single, overarching goal  in 10 years, we will eliminate the need for oil from the entire Middle East and Venezuela,†Obama said. …” -from Politico report on Barack “I’m not here from central casting†Obama’s Michagan speech.
Barack “I’m not here from central casting†Obama will “…direct…the full energy of the private sector to a single, overarching goal…”. He will direct. Teh DIRECTOR! Marvelous! Godlike!
Barack “I’m not here from central casting†Obama will be the cause of his own destruction. More Obama!
Cleo – 9% profit is sociopathic. At what percentage does it become sociopathic? 5%? 7%? Why do you limit your outrage to evil big oil?
I would be interested to hear about how in 10 years Baracky will be able to eliminate our need for Middle Eastern and Venezuealan oil, especially with his party’s absolute childish refusal to even discuss domestic exploration.
Cleo – 9% profit is sociopathic. At what percentage does it become sociopathic? 5%? 7%? Why do you limit your outrage to evil big oil?
Yeah, make every company develop a competing alternate product with its profits. Fuck the shareholders.
7/11ty: You don’t care about Teh childrenses? The planet has a feevah!
Dread C (oh master, be forever merciful from your watery abode): a socialist fails to realize that when an individual working for a givernment takes a paycheck, it is infinite profit.
Actually working to produce something worthwhile, and generating a profit while doing so, is always degenerate and worthy of annihilation (or at least re-education).
Anyone want to invest with me in a tamborine factory if Obama wins?
Sorry Mr. Pink,
All my money is tied up in R&D on a new extra-funky spray-on body odor.
Some name ideas:
This Is The Smell We’ve Been Waiting For
(or shorter – TITS We’ve been waiting for)
or
Hope, Sweat and Dope
GM lost $16 billion last quarter. They must be a great company.
The Geezer: “Dread C (oh master, be forever merciful from your watery abode): a socialist fails to realize that when an individual working for a givernment takes a paycheck, it is infinite profit.
Actually working to produce something worthwhile, and generating a profit while doing so, is always degenerate and worthy of annihilation (or at least re-education).”
Thus endeth the lesson. We will now read from the Holy Tax Code.
Now, if accept that 8% RoE is an unseemly amount, do you think that the Obamessiah will do with the following (from the WSJ)
“If that’s what constitutes windfall profits, most of corporate America would qualify. Take aerospace or machinery — both 8.2% in 2007. Chemicals had an average margin of 12.7%. Computers: 13.7%. Electronics and appliances: 14.5%. Pharmaceuticals (18.4%) and beverages and tobacco (19.1%) round out the Census Bureau’s industry rankings. The latter two double the returns of Big Oil, though of course government has already became a tacit shareholder in Big Tobacco through the various legal settlements that guarantee a revenue stream for years to come.”
7/11ty: You don’t care about Teh childrenses? The planet has a feevah!
Shareholders don’t have children? I knew there was a reason I keep coming back here! Save Mumia!
OI: my point was the cartoon. Let me know if my domain is off-limits for you at work too.
The reason I brought up numbers will be obvious to everyone except Cleo.
And at 42 cents per gallon (taxes) Uncle Sam reaps a tidy $163,800,000 PER DAY in windfall profits.
Multiply that 365 times and then check your blood pressure.
Damn. After a week or so we’re talking serious bucks. I mean, at least for a government that spends tax dolalrs responsibly…
The Oil Bigs have occasionally run PR facelifts which trumpet the $10
million they invest each year in renewable projects.
How much do they invest in developing new technologies related to advanced oil exploration? And how much do “renewable” energy companies invest in helping develop new oil technologies?
Indeed, how much do they spend to wheedle and cajol the Congresscritters who control their commercial fate? Who will be surprised when they do?
The Department of Energy estimates that (based on gas costing $3.96/gallon), “you can improve your gas mileage by around 3.3 percent by keeping your tires inflated to the proper pressure†which would ultimately save “up to $0.12/gallon†or, nearly the amount of the federal gas tax ($0.18/gallon).
Sounds like a pretty decent idea to me. But far be it from me to stand between the GOP and their latest, sub-moronic meme (hillariously, George Will wrote the EXACT same idea in a column a few months back).
maybe they left out, “because you do NOT want to be on Morgan Freeman’s bad side. and once he cacks there will be a steel cage match between me and Dennis Haysbert for the sweet, sweet, “Diversity President” roles”
Then George Will is a fuckin’ idiot too ;-)
Lisa, Lisa, Lisa! You devilish thing you. It’s not fevered moronic Republicans it’s you fevered, moronic candidate:
Cmon, now, even thor called it idiotic and cartoonish.
LOL, JD. BJ: What is wrong with that statement? The current conventional wisdom from the energy industry is that even if you drill like nobody’s business, you will make a very temporary and very minimal impact on the price of gas. He was saying, based on that information, that you could inflate your tires and get a tune up and save just as much (and no smelly unwashed protesters would be harmed in that process).
It just seems to be a kind of weak meme, but if you can rile up the spite vote (Is that goddamned fucker tellin me what to do with my F-150?!!?!? Fuck him and his Prius full of Arugula! Motherfucker!!!!” Then this idiot meme will be FACT by September. We will see who wins this round of August foolishness.
Lisa just curious when was the last time you checked you tire pressure?
I am always fascinated by the dog days of Summer. In Atlanta, people tend to get naked (usually in a Subway or Pizza Hut – then are promptly arrested); in Baltimore, people tend to rachet up their crack consumption (then, after a few too many rocks, get naked and are promptly arrested); and in Washington, folks tend to go completely batshit, what with the actual atmospheric hot air + the hot air coming from the windpipes of the elected officials – who, blessedly do not get naked (but should definitely be arrested anyway).
Sigh. Please let November come quickly. We can get this election out of the way and look forward to more interesting things like the latest Harry Potter movie and the (possible – oh please!) release of George R. R. Martin’s latest.
Royf: Well I didn’t (I am too elitist for that – it gets my hands dirty, eeew). But my oil change guy did it two weeks ago. Should I be doing it more often?
Only if you want to save the world Lisa. Get dirty for the world.
It’s a lie, Lisa and it’s really, really unserious when people are hurting. The mere fact that drilling will commence will drop speculative oil prices $10 or more a barrel. There’s no way he can win this argument without additional drilling or nuclear. Wallets, baybee, both the clingers and some of those smelly protesters tend to think differently when their cash is flying out of their possession like a Titan missile.
I wonder if there’s going to be a “windfall loss” refund on GM’s 16 billion in red ink. BTW: Exxon Mobil made 9.2% net of taxes whereas Google made 23.4%. WINDFALL PROFIT TAX ON TEH INTERTUBES!
And do “it” more often.
Lisa: ” What is wrong with that statement? The current conventional wisdom from the energy industry is that even if you drill like nobody’s business, you will make a very temporary and very minimal impact on the price of gas. ”
Let us begin with the fact that Obama’s intonation when reciting that codswallop clearly indicated that even *HE* wasn’t drinking the kool-aid on this one.
As for the numbers…
The total savings available through tire inflation is approximately 90,000,000 barrels of oil annually, assuming that no one involved in the driving of the 2.88 Trillion miles Americans drive every year has the appropriate tire pressure.
Compare that to the US oil reserves…
ANWR: 10 billion barrels
Outer Continental Shelf: 18 billion barrels+
Oil shale: 1 trillion barrels
D’you get the joke now?
I just don’t know why old Nancy won’t let it go for a vote … I mean, I KNOW why, but does Lisa?
Pardon -=- h/t to Powerline for the numbers.
Lisa: No friggin’ update from friggin’ George since friggin’ fraggin’ January!!!
Give me my dragons, zombies and fire gods fer cryin’ out loud!!!!!!
Well Lisa since air expands and contracts continuously I would say yes. You see in the morning when it is cool your tire pressure can be several psi less than on a hot summer day when the asphalt can be 130 to 150 degrees. So to assure optimal psi at all times you would have to check them at least twice a day, certainly at least once a day in the morning when it is cool. But you won’t just as most people won’t, so what is being proposed as sound policy is by far the biggest gimmick floating out there.
“GM lost $16 billion last quarter. They must be a great company.”
Dan – They’re just trying to avoid those windfall profit taxes. I’ll bet they’re afraid Obama will make the taxes retroactive and they were just planning ahead.
“GM lost $16 billion last quarter. They must be a great company.â€Â
GM’s employees are mostly Marxists and Communists, obviously. Why else would they treat their capitalism-loving shareholders so un-sanctimoniously.
What GM needs to do is hire Exxon/Mobil’s employees and hand out flag pins. Look at the rewards.