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Politics : Dutch Central Bank Sale Announcement Imminent? -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: sea_urchin who wrote (15715)	9/29/2002 10:53:52 PM
From: long-gone	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 81118

<<So, in fact, the US is actually at war with all the Arab countries and all the oil producers with the intention of getting hold of the taps that control the flow of production and opening them wide. So wide, in fact, that oil has no particular value.>> I don't know that, of course, but can you think of a better method to beat the enemies of this nation & the whole of the free world? This is a war, should not everything possible or worthy be used as a weapon? <<So, in fact, the US is actually at war with all the Arab countries and all the oil producers with the intention of getting hold of the taps that control the flow of production and opening them wide. So wide, in fact, that oil has no particular value.>> Hardly, you haven't even a clue. The bulk of the basis of this nation is free enterprize. The entire concept of OPEC is the absolute antithesis upon which this nation was founded & stands as a shining beacon to each burgeoning vestige the free market everywhere. <<In Europe, UK, Japan etc gasoline costs much more than in the US for this reason. Accordingly, even if, after the war which you envisage, the basic cost of oil could fall to nothing, the cost of petroleum throughout the world is likely to fall very little.?? >> Again wrong, the price of crude petroleum has a direct impact on pump price (in the US at least) & your argument fully ignores the other uses of petroleum including transportation of goods to the market place when the petroleum derivative is other than gasoline and perhaps slightly diesel. Also involved are every jet fuel, Agricultural fuels(near untaxed in the US), all grades of heating & lubricating oils, several man-made fabrics - need we go on? <<Of course, I understand that the prime reason for bringing down the oil price is not to lower its cost to the end user but the profit to the producers --- who are the "bad guys".>> No, this economy - until we get a valid workable fuel cell or oil price comes down -is as much held hostage as are the people of Iraq today. At some level, by some people, the President of the United States is held responsible for the action of the economy - no matter the underlying cause. <<If they can get $50 a barrel, why should they take any less?>> you know better than that, our Congress screams at each $0.25 / gal. additional(non-tax) increase in gasoline price. A President with "ties to the petroleum industry" would prevent this at all cost or he'd never get a 2nd term. <<Now I ask you, why doesn't the US give the corn away in America and let its own people get the benefit? I'll tell you. They would rather burn the corn than lower its price. So what makes you think they will give the oil away?>> Shows really how little you know. When corn is burned in the US it is burned by farmers so as to extract a higher price from the market not the governemnt If the government wants corn it must buy corn - and the government hasn't burned any corn in 30+ years! The government doesn't raise corn, it is raised by farmers upon their own land. The greatest single subsidy to all the grain crops in the US in the last 16 years has been provided by individual states(not the Federal governemtn) in the form of requirements that a set amount of ethanol be made from crops & used as an additive in gasoline to reduce pollution. The only major government burning of corn in the US in the last 10+ years was due to disease(rust) and was done to only(treated) seed corn. <<For whatever reason, let's call it terrorism, you are suggesting that your country must make war with one of the purposes being to plunder someone else.>> And you would suggest the actions of OPEC are any less?