ALL .... Well, it seems that EXXON OIL company just reported their last 'quarter' (Three Months) "NET" profits. A WHOPPING 10.9 BILLION ("B")!!!
If THAT wasn't BAD enough, listen to THIS dear citizens and EXPLAIN this to DUMB OLD GRUMPY TALLPOCKETS if anyone would be so kind as to put him out of his 'misery' .......
Based on those 'paltry' reported profits (it seems the 'analysts' were EXPECTING Exxon to do BETTER!!??), Exxon's STOCK immediately DROPPED by about 3.3%!! .... ?????? ....
"SOMEBODY, HELP ME, PLEASE!" .... WINK? ....
I LUV our STOCK MARKET .... Two companies MERGE into a virtual MONOPOLY .... THOUSANDS of prior employees get PERMANENTLY LAID OFF .... STOCK prices for said MONOPOLISTIC MERGED COMPANY with little, if any COMPETITION, left towards them, Go UP! .... WAY UP! .... ??
Sing along with old, GRUMPY TallPockets dear citizens to that famous old tune from FIDDLER ON THE ROOF, initially voiced by Zero Mostel:
"IF I were a RICH man ..... "
SMILE?? .... ~SIGH~
Later all ....
I need to go back to my SPEEDWAY local GAS station .... Last time I was there, GAS was $3.69 a GALLON .... the sweetie behind the counter, when TallPockets asked her how MUCH SHE was PAID by said Exxon owners, told me, "$7.15 an HOUR".
TallPockets kiddingly told her, "EASY sweetie, you might be OVERPAID some?"
It took a few seconds, but said SWEETIE got TallPocket's 'sarcasm' and just gave me a BIG SMILE.
I then told said sweetie, "GOTTA' Laugh or you'll CRY, right?"
TallPockets has left the Speedway Station .... errr, left the building ....
(I hear an ELVIS PRESLEY song comin' on!!!) WINK.
|
These same said OIL COMPANIES are STILL getting a total of about $18 BILLION ("B"!) bucks in SUBSIDIES as TallPockets types, while sitting on his EMPTY wallet!).
YOU?
TallPockets.
For those challenged in Math 101 (like TallPockets) --
$10.9 BILLION x '4' quarters = $39.6 BILLION ("B!) "NET" PROFITS for ONE YEAR ....
Just for EXXON oil company! (Others nipping at their heels)
One quart shy of a FULL oil pan, yours ....
TallPockets
TallPockets saw the famous OILMAN T. BOONE PICKENS last week on C-SPAN doing his YEARLY inteview with them at Georgetown University on ENERGY matters.
T. BOONE said a few things that caught this old man's attention ....
(1) IF we used CORN for ETHANOL to replace the oil/gas used for CARS, etc., we'd have to plant about 98% of EVERY ACRE of LAND in America. Needless to say, T. Boone thought that wouldn't be a possibilty. WINK?
(2) The inclination to use CORN based ETHANOL is going to DRAMATICALLY INCREASE FOOD prices across the board. NO kiddin'!
(3) T. Boone said it takes more energy to make a gallon of Ethanol than one gets OUT of one finished gallon product. ???
(4) T. Boone said HE would SWITCH to NATURAL GAS, which he says we have in GREATER abundances and is EASIER to get to and is MUCH CLEANER burning for our climate/atmosphere and try to get AS MANY VEHICLES on NATURAL GAS for TRANSPORTATION in America.
He would then use the balance needed with OIL based products for HEATING, etc.
(5) He said NUCLEAR plants were MUCH more desirable in the energy area these days and there is MUCH SAFER technologies available then back in the THREE MILE ISLAND days of nuclear reactors.
(6) REFINERIES: T.BOONE said he kept 'hearing' that we haven't built a refinery in YEARS. He said, while that WAS true, he said the OIL companies HAD INCREASED the SIZE and PRODUCTION OUTPUT CAPABILITIES of the EXISTING refineries.
AND (get THIS folks!), T. BOONE said that PRESENTLY, the OIL companies are operating at about 82% of MAXIMUM CAPACITIES! .... HEAR THAT folks???
T.BOONE went on to say that about 90% operating efficiencies is where HE would say would be FINE .... GRRRR ....
(7) T.BOONE has his OWN ENERGY company now. He's bought HUGE WATER rights (UNDERGROUND/WATER TABLE - NOT 'surface' waters). He says WATER will be the NEXT highest COMMODITY and SOONER than we think!
(8) He also stated that he's investing in the BIG WINDMILLS/turbine driven and they can make a BIG DENT in ENERGY in many states like Texas and the PLAINS.
(9) Finally: T. BOONE said RUDY GIULIANI was gonna' have HIM as his ENERGY EXPERT on his Prez' Campaign. However, T. BOONE said that RUDY NEVER MET with him ONCE about ENERGY problems/issues/solving in America these days. But RUDY DID apparently, according to T. BOONE, send RUDY MANY LETTERS .... requesting CAMPAIGN MONEY DONATIONS to RUDY's campaign for Prez'.
T. BOONE was NOT amused by that. SMILE
Later all .... I'm OUTTA' ENERGY after typing all this. AND, I need a HIGH BLOOD pressure pill .... OR TWO .... OR THREE.
WINK.
TallPockets.