Posted on 06/13/2008 7:28:33 AM PDT by Sir Gawain
Speaking on Wall Street last night, Senator McCain of Arizona sounded more like an economic populist than a proponent of the kind of unbridled free-market capitalism promoted by many who work on the trading floors nearby.
At a town hall meeting in Federal Hall, the presumptive Republican nominee for president endorsed a federal probe into speculation in the oil markets, a phenomenon that some analysts contend accounts for about a third of the escalating cost of crude.
"I believe there needs to be a thorough and complete investigation of speculators to find out whether speculation has been going on and, if so, how much it has affected the price of a barrel of oil," Mr. McCain said in response to an audience member's complaint about investors driving up the price of fuel and other commodities. "There's a lot of things out there that need a lot more transparency and, consequently, oversight."
(Excerpt) Read more at nysun.com ...
If it wasn't for the WOT, Supreme Court Appointments, and Obama... I would sit this out. The SOB has me over a barrel. I am in the energy industry here in Houston and when the old fool even opens his mouth about oil or global warming my skin crawls right off my body.
Thanks for making sense of it.
He’s not an idiot - he’s trying to get the jump on Obama by telling the public what they want to hear: that evil oil companies and speculators are at fault, and it has nothing to do with their own stupidity in reelecting morons to term after term in Congress. Objectively it’s a dishonorable strategy, but what else works in this time of MSM brainwashing?
If oil was on the spot market that would proably be true. But there is a reason for oil to be on the futures market so that business such as airlines have a guaranteed price in the near term future.
I was very young then, but I remember the gas lines silverleaf, but that will be the end goal by those that want to hammer speculators. They may not say it out right, but controlling the prices is what they are after.
All true. But also the dollar is weak because we flood the world markets with dollars through our huge trade deficit of which 1/3 is due to oil imports. Cut down the oil imports and that will cut down the trade deficit which will strengthen the dollar which in turn will lower world wide crude oil prices.
But that guaranteed price hasn’t worked out so well lately.
You make a strong case in all your post that I did not include in total. Also, if a candidate doesn't jump on the global warming bandwagon they probably have no chance given the MSM climate of brainwashing.
I agree-I feel like I'm over a barrel too. It is extremely frustrating and will get worse. I have to balance optimism with reality.
When they passed out brains he thought they said trains and he missed his.
It isn't "dishonorable" at all. McCain really believes this nonsense. Haven't you been following his career over the last ten years? He has said this kind of thing repeatedly, even when he was completely safe electorally.
This is the real McCain. Does he need to give you an engraved card?
He would be dishonorable if he adopted a strategy of fooling conservatives, who are all too willing to be fooled, by dishonestly praising the virtues of the free market (something he doesn't believe in). Maybe some conservative McCain kool aid drinkers will finally wake up and not waste their votes on this guy.
Well, the guaranteed price has worked for example for the airlines in which they are just now feeling the costs of fuel because they have been using fuel that was bought on contract a long time ago at a lower price. But that seems to be gone now and they are feeling it.
A futrures market only offers a temporary and delayed buffer.
Thank you for the reality check.
“Presumptive” GOP Presidential Nominee - is there anything we can do to change that? Or is it too late?
Teach me how to do that!!! Please! My optimism is going the way of the Titanic each day.
On Wall Street, "unbridled free-market" means: laissez faire when we're having a good year, government bailouts when we -uck it up.
All those brilliant minds on Wall Street, and only a couple saw the looming problems with the mortgage industry?
West Texas Crude oil has been bouncing around between 125 and 135 for a while. You might think speculators are having no effect at all by now.
Again, McCain believes this. He is not trying to “fool” the MSM. He has said this kind of thing repeatedly over the years.
I realize he truly believes that. I am just trying to convince myself that he doesn't! LOL!
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