Posted on 05/04/2008 3:12:04 PM PDT by mdittmar
U.S. Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., Sunday blamed market manipulation as the likely cause of record high gas prices in the United States.
Appearing on ABC's "This Week With George Stephanopoulos," the Democratic presidential contender said if she is elected in November, she will immediately order an investigation into the industry.
"We know that there's market manipulation going on. So I would launch an investigation if I were president right now by the Department of Justice and the Federal Trade Commission," Clinton said.
The New York senator said any attempts to lower gas prices should require the participation of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries.
"I would begin to go directly at OPEC," she said. "I think it's been 25 years where we've, you know, largely just been at the mercy of the OPEC countries."
Clinton said in addition to taking on OPEC members, she would confront oil companies about the rising cost of gasoline.
"You see, I really believe we've got to start right now demonstrating a willingness to take on these oil companies," she said in response to a "This Week" audience question.
Just once, could some political talking head ask a candidate who makes more on a gallon of gas, the oil company or federal and state gov’t?
"We know that there's market manipulation going on. So I would launch an investigation if I were president right now by the Department of Justice and the Federal Trade Commission," Clinton said.
That is what the Democrats do well, conduct investigations and blame everyone but themselves. Well, pants suit lady, there is not much to investigate except supply and demand. When demand goes up and up, and supply stays the same, prices go up. It is that simple.
Since we all know that Democrats have disordered minds, knowing for twenty years that we were headed for today's crisis has had zero impact on the dunderheads. Their solution: order an investigation!
Democrats would allow foreign entities to drill for oil off our coasts and then sell it to us. The Democrats sold our naval oil reserves (Bakers Field) to a foreign entity. We already have an oil pipeline in Alaska, but we cannot drill in a barren wilderness for more. We have oil in the Gulf of Mexico, and offshore California, but we cannot tap it to increase our supply. Should we not be working tapping our own oil whilst improving our environmental safeguards to decrease our dependence on foreign oil?
Common sense is too simplistic for disordered minds.
Cartel, look it up. Used to be construed as an embargo. Which in turn was an act of war. OPEC, however allowed the local oil industries to match prices with the crooks.
Supply and demand only works on non necessities. Greed however always works.
If she says "you know," one more time I'm gonna scream!
Supply and demand only works on non necessities. Greed however always works.
I don't detect any sarcasm in your post, which means that something is wrong with you.
I'm not a doctor, and I'm not going to hazard a guess based on one DUMBASS post like you just made.
Dittos on that! Her ‘you know’ drives me up the wall!
No, supply and demand pretty much explains it. For details on how, check out Thomas Sowell’s “Basic Economics”...a great text for the non-expert.
Sowell spends lots of time detailing how the price mechanism works for oil, housing, etc. He is an excellent writer and a world class economist.
Manipulated is correct..By speculators. No real supply problems.
Re “Demand”
I worked in China during the winter of ‘76 - ‘77. There were ZERO private automobiles in the entire country and actually very few state-owned ones as well.
Today, China has 43 - 47 million vehicles on the road — about as many as there were on U.S. roads in 1947.
Autos per 1,000 residents:
China 2008: 33 - 44
China 2015: 100
China 2030: 180 - 270
World 2008: 120
US 2008: 800
Exactly WHERE does the fuel come from to power all these new automobiles? Does her Heinous ever stop to think that this added global demand might have an impact on global energy prices?
She does more than her share of wasting gasoline and jet fuel!
Thanks for the compliment. I doubt that you remember, but toll roads used to be deemed a restraint of trade, and guess what, they really were.
Alfalfa Bill Murry Governor of Oklahoma, dang near went to war with the Feds over one.
Oklahoma was only a small state with only a small National Guard. What if several countries in a sense put up toll gates on the open seas? How does that affect supply and demand?
Any clue why the Marine Hymn includes "To the Shores of Tripoli?"
Supply and demand only works on non necessities.
Couldn't sleep a wink.
Good for you, wish you many more. If farmers organized a cartel tomorrow and raised the price of staple foods to some great unreasonable amount, do you think demand would go down?
As a matter of fact we have antitrust laws to deal with that problem, we also have a method to deal with the illegal Oil Cartel, but we choose not to, I think mainly because it benefits our own native oil industry.
Before OPEC our oil companies were doing quite well, after OPEC they simply raised their price to match what OPEC was charging, increasing profit with out doing a damn thing but let OPEC take the blame for the huge price increase.
So I don't really care if you ever get a good nights sleep. Any country or group of nations that let themselves be held hostage by a bunch of nuts hoping to blow us to he!!, then I guess we don't deserve to be a country.
Mao was exactly correct when he said we would buy the rope from them with which to hang ourselves.
Oil companies don’t set prices and you don’t have a clue about supply and demand or economics.
I do know that worrying about what you think will no longer be a concern of mine.
They don't have to anymore, they let OPEC set it for them.
You to young to remember gas price wars? Big name Companies would duke it out to destroy the small competitor.
I know when supply is artificially limited, then Supply and demand is being manipulated. So stuff your unbridled Capitalism, along side every other despot.
You would be raising he!! if Government was doing the same thing.
I’m not too young, but I have been in the oil business for decades and I know how it works through boom and bust.
And you don’t have a clue.
Despite the headline spin, she’s talking about this:
Clinton: OPEC ‘can no longer be a cartel’
Yahoo
Posted on 05/05/2008 3:21:58 PM PDT by Sub-Driver
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2011644/posts
You And What Army?
RedState.com | 6 May 2008 | .cnI redruM
Posted on 05/06/2008 6:05:52 AM PDT by .cnI redruM
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2011896/posts
I have a clue, I know people who boomed and busted.
If a company that was making billions when oil was $10.00 a barrel now has trouble making a profit when oils is at $120.00, then maybe you don't have a clue.
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