[Bonanza]

Originally Posted by Paper1

I'm sure we have a big highway repair/improvement jobs bill coming. Gas taxes should be raised now instead of letting our grandchildren pay for it.

Originally Posted by Bonanza

And what, pray tell, did your grandparents pay for
so that you wouldn't have to be responsible for paying???

Originally Posted by Paper1

That seems like a very illogical comment. I can assure our grandparents did not know they were passing their debt to us, we know we are burying our young. Big difference.

I fail to see what was illogical about my comment. Every generation passes debt on to the next generation and it will always be that way.

You mentioned the roads. Did your grandparents think that roads lasted forever and would never have to be maintained? In our generation, most parents taught us to be responsible and to stand on our own two feet and not depend on someone footing the bill for things we should be taking care of during our lifetime.

It appears like so many of the current generation, judging from your comment, it appears you think the kids of today should be handed everything on a silver platter. Most of them share this "entitlement" which they never actually earned.

[tuccillo]

Mobil makes a lot of money because they have enormous revenues but their gross margins are pretty slim; a small gross margin on a large amount of revenue can still be a pretty big number. Apple makes much higher gross margins on their products. Mobil gets the same tax breaks for R&D as other companies. Mobil has large exploration costs with no guarantee of making money.

Originally Posted by village dreamer

mobil exxon makes billons and billons every year plus all the tax breaks,ya I feel sorry for the ceo.................not

[TexaninVA]

Originally Posted by Sandtrap328

With the glut of US produced oil and gas, is the Keystone XL pipeline necessary? The purpose is to transport oil tar sands from Canada to refiners in Louisiana and Texas. The break-even point for the refiners to make a profit has been passed. Will the refiners be willing to refine the tar sands into gasoline on such a shoestring?

Well, if you think in a longer term strategic sense, of course it's necessary. Agree we should all enjoy lower gas prices while they last, but one way to do that is increase the supply which is what Keystone does. In other words, Econ 101.

Besides, if the breakeven point has truly been passed then the investors won't pony up the capital to construct it. I would say let them worry about that and it becomes a self-correcting issue.

[Paper1]

Originally Posted by Bonanza

I fail to see what was illogical about my comment. Every generation passes debt on to the next generation and it will always be that way.

You mentioned the roads. Did your grandparents think that roads lasted forever and would never have to be maintained? In our generation, most parents taught us to be responsible and to stand on our own two feet and not depend on someone footing the bill for things we should be taking care of during our lifetime.

It appears like so many of the current generation, judging from your comment, it appears you think the kids of today should be handed everything on a silver platter. Most of them share this "entitlement" which they never actually earned.

We will have to agree to disagree on this topic. I can't speak for anyone elses children or grandchildren but mine have not had everything handed to them. Collectively as a society we have become numb to the concept of paying for services we use, doesn't even come to mind anymore. That is the entitlement
we should be concerned with.