[xzins]

Some of this does not make sense.

I'm all for market-based profits, but it must be a truly free market. It mustn't be interfered with by labor, management, or government.

Cartels, deals, schemes, or price controls are not a "free market."

[Rodney King]

Look, oil is a cyclical industry. When prices are down, and the oil companies are laying people off left and right, nobody feels bad for them and suggests that people should pay more at the pump. Nobody, including the oil companies, thought that oil would be this high now, they are making a lot of money, but the profits will come down as that money is reinvested at much higher costs.

[Smogger]

Still, like a millionaire who won the lottery, Exxon is almost embarrassed by how much money it is making. The company took out full page ads in newspapers, saying its profit is not out of line with other industries.

Exxon Mobil reported earnings of $9.9 billion, $1.58 per share, up 75% from the same quarter a year ago. The profit is more than what Microsoft reported in first-quarter sales after the bell today. Put it another way. The company earned $4.48 million an hour in profit during the quarter.

Big Oil: We don't need no more stinking refineries. We like the few that we have JUST FINE!