Showing posts with label gas. Show all posts
Showing posts with label gas. Show all posts

Sunday, March 30, 2014

Why Do Costs Rise?

We have come to expect rising costs as the reason suppliers are charging us more for just about everything we purchase.
But we should look into the reasons and not take them as gospel without analysis.
What actually causes costs to rise?
The first thing we are told is the age old ‘Supply and Demand’ mantra of all ‘for profit’ businesses.
The ‘market conditions’ reason is a valid one.  But it’s sadly one that can easily be manipulated and ultimately confuse most consumers.
In our current world the forces of ‘supply and demand’ have become less of a real reason and much more of an excuse as corporations gather more profit with less expenditure.
Increased worker productivity caused by the fear of being laid off has made corporations lean and mean and hungry for more.
And together with a historically high unemployment rate, at least in longevity has given the greedy CEO a vast worker pool from which to choose his next nervous slave.
And speaking of the money made as a result of that increased productivity just where did it go?
Certainly not into salaries or new hires as unemployment has not really seen lower numbers for a long time.
So the extra cash is being funneled back into the pockets of the job non-creators!

As for a perfect example of price increases due to greed let’s do a quick review about the price of oil and gas.
In January 2009 the average price for a gallon of regular gasoline was $1.60. Today it hovers and fluctuates in the upper $3.60 range and has been as high as $5 in some regions with oil as high as $7.50!
That would be all well and good if the industry raking in the big bucks for their environmentally polluting product was at least paying taxes on their windfall profit but they are not.
And not only do they get a pass from the IRS they receive funding from our tax dollars in the form of congressionally approved subsidies.
To do what with you might ask?
We are told they need it for research and development or R&D.
Really?
I think Rape and Destroy would fit better in that industry.
And why use tax payer dollars when you are the most profitable industry in the history of mankind?
What they are doing with our money is researching new and improved ways of blocking the implementation of clean alternative energy.  They see the alternatives as a major threat to their profit margin.
They are correct!
But as long as they continue to own Congress and fund lobbyists who wine, dine and basically bribe our so-called leaders the World will not soon get out from under the murderous thumb of big oil.
And I am not even talking about the prolific oil spill damage these uncaring corporations are wantonly causing through neglect and sweetheart lax regulations.
So the increased prices consumers must pay for fossil fuels are not caused by a struggling industry just trying to stay afloat in a sea of oil spills and red tape governmental regulations but rather the greed of a few mega-millionaires at the top who are unsatisfied with their meager take home pay.

You see after getting used to a certain level of affluence the human spirit will always want more.  It is in our nature to exceed our current standing and succeed at whatever we choose to do.
A corporation will want more profit year after year and there should be nothing wrong with that.
But the way in which they go about this search for more almighty dollars has become vulgar.
There are only a few ways to realize a higher profit margin.
A company may:
1 - Cut costs by laying off workers
2 – Or by lowering benefits (assuming there are any)
3 – Or by cheapening the product, even further than you have done already
4 – Or by increasing the selling price.
But reality soon sets in and most if not all businesses will implement all four of the above suggestions.
Success for today’s ultra conservative business people is a larger piece of every pie.  And they feel entitled to this ever since they saw the banks get bailed out for their anti-social behavior.

So in conclusion, why do costs rise?
Actually the answer is, why not?
Nyah Nyah
Keep voting Republican
Until and unless big business is forced to play by any rules there is no hope of this trend ending.
If forced to answer the question what would they admit is the reason they raise the price of everything you need?
It’s BWC baby, Because We Can and you can’t stop us!

This is greed plain and simple and the financial rape of the very people they consider to be their customers.

And the evil frustrating ever increasing wealth gap this causes is growing as we speak and threatens to take down America as we know it, or rather knew it.

Friday, May 6, 2011

Pent up Thoughts

Great news!  I have a job
Terrible News!  I have a job!
Okay, it's great news for me but if anyone out there wants to read my rants they have to sign up for Twitter and follow me there.  You see with a job comes responsibility.  And with responsibility comes time management.  And I have far less time to put my thoughts down on paper, uh, make that E-Paper.
As a result I think in 140 character sound-bites fit for the world of Twitter.
There is some good in writing only 140 character 'tweets' since that is around the attention span of many people these days, certainly that is the far end of attention span of Fox news viewers!
Seriously, can you ever believe that anyone who watches Fox or listens to that incredibly evil moron Limp Balls on the radio has an attention span long enough to figure out they are lying???
But for now I would like to offer a few views - Headline-like only as to what has been going on in our world these days.
Osama is dead!  Obama did it but Bushies are trying to spin it their way.  Condoleeeeeeeeza says he deserves a great deal of credit.
AGREED!
Because if that most inept of Presidents and his gang of asinine idiots AKA the gang who couldn't shoot straight had gotten the evil bastard then Obama wouldn't have had to!

Our friends in the Pakistani government were so surprised that Osama was living in luxury right under their noses!
NOT!
They were only surprised that we finally figured it out!

Oil prices have risen and then fallen but gas prices have only gone up!
Is anyone surprised?
If you are then you haven't been paying attention so let me tell you in quick terms:
CONGRESS IS OWNED BY BIG BUSINESS AND ESPECIALLY BIG OIL!
If Exxon wants to make billions and not pay taxes how else would they get away with it?

The Republic Party wants to create jobs - BULLSHIT!
They want to create more wealth for their owners in big business and themselves.
If they were really interested in the American middle class, AKA humans then they might not have targeted the health care reform bill for repeal and Planned Parenthood and National Public Radio and many other issues that concern women's health as their first priorities after taking control of the House!!!  Obviously if they had told the electorate that was their first order of business they would not have gotten a majority!
In fact they might not have gotten ANY VOTES and they knew it!!!!!
I hope all those idiots out there who were fooled into voting for the Republic Party are ready for health care menus because:
I love non sequitur!
The first and main item on these hypocrites' agenda was to basically take out any group that might lean toward supporting the Democratic Party!
Don't believe it?
Google the utterly evil idiot Scott Walker and the rest of the evil bastards in the Republic Party and see what they have been up to since last November.
But I'm not bitter - I have a job!
I am one of the lucky ones.  I am not making nearly as much as I used to but in today's world of corporate owned government that's to be expected.
Still I want to see 15,000,000 other wonderful and deserving Americans get lucky as well.
If we as a nation can understand that all people must have gainful employment in order for society to work, not just the CEOs and their $9,000,000 average yearly salary (That's right, it's up to that now - look it up!) then perhaps we can reclaim our status as the greatest nation in the world.  But for now we are just treading water slightly ahead of third world status.
I am not advocating class warfare because frankly I cannot figure out who to fight!  You see, the Republic Party HAS NO CLASS!