Our Thorny Oil Patch

INVESTOR'S BUSINESS DAILY ^ | 2008 | INVESTOR'S BUSINESS DAILY

[Exton1]

Energy Policy: When America's biggest oil refiner contemplates putting almost a third of its refineries on the market, Congress should sit up and take notice.

Valero will probably sell three of its 17 refineries this year and maybe two more later to focus on its core operations amid what CEO Bill Klesse acknowledged on Tuesday is a weak economy.

Downstream, refiners are hit by not only high energy prices, but also bureaucratic regulations, environmental lobbies and special interests that make moving to Asia, where economic growth is still valued, more attractive.

Mandates requiring certain ethanol percentages in gasoline composition are chopping down refiners' market share at the pump.

[PSYCHO-FREEP]

Yes, but what about Toy Land or Santa Land or what ever it’s called? (Sorry, it’s been 25 years since I’ve been there.) Is that still open?

[RightWhale]

Santa Land still here. $10 for a deed to a square inch.

[GBA]

"I enjou what you said, but that being said, a HUGE energy issue is still at ahnd. It would seem to me that you guys are living in some dream world. As much as you WANT it, the reality of the matter doesn’t appear to match you ideals."

I have no idea what this means. Could you ezpplian?

[Thermalseeker]

I see this as even more serious than you guys have stated.

Hastening our demise is our gubmint's full tilt run towards Socialism. This has been going on for at least 30 years and the pace is rapidly increasing. The politico's long ago spent our generation's money. We're now well into our great-great-grandkid's money. The gubmint has been printing and spending and printing and spending like there will be no tommorrow and it has for at least two decades with no end in sight. We are effectively bankrupt now when you factor in Social (in)Security and Medicare.

So, what do the politicians do? They create more Socialistic give-a-ways, kicking the can down the abyss even farther. Socialism will be the end of this nation as we know it. There is a massive economic storm coming. It isn't quite here yet, but it is coming......and I'm preparing every day for the consequences......