David Maynard wrote:
Gary H wrote:

Mxsmanic wrote:

Those of us who were there are not deceived by revisionist histories.
In those days, it was big bad IBM versus tiny helpless Microsoft, not
the other way around. Microsoft didn't (and couldn't) twist IBM's
arm.




Ya know, all this really isn't about Bill Gates or Microsoft Per Se.
It's about the greed factor and the power factor and the control
factor. The desire for absolute power and to corrupt absolutely .
The sort of thing that rears its ugly head virtually every single day
of our lives. Like Enron, Hollinger international and on and on.

With Microsoft, like many others it *is* about greed and power.

With the oil industry, it *is* about greed and power.
For example, I live in the north-eastern part of this north American
continent. In the summertime, the price of gas goes sky-high because
of the demand and heating oil drops and in the wintertime the price
of heating fuel goes sky-high because of demand and gas drops. The
immediate response or belief drilled into the general public is that
there is a shortage of oil. There is NOT.
There is plenty of oil. I know, because where I live, we are net
exporters of oil.


Super. But unless you can demonstrate your area's exports are enough to
power the planet that little factiod means nothing about the state of
the world's oil supply.

Overly simplistic bull****. It's all of the sources worldwide
that supplies the planet and there is plenty at the moment. It
will eventually run out, so I guess the oil guys figure they'll
get their money now, while the gettin' is good..

The problem is that with the increased demand, nobody is building
extra refining capacity. Especially those who *control* the
industry. You know, the Exxons, Shell, and so on.


They haven't built new refineries in a coon's age because they can't get
permits as environmentalists have essentially blocked every
technologically feasible source of new energy production.

Again, overly simplistic bull****.

It's gotten to the point where these *******s are driving the crap
out of a barrel of oil because (get this) they're expecting a friggin'
snow storm in the north-east of the continent.


Wouldn't be so bad if you folks up there would ever let them build a
bloody pipeline too but, nooooooo. So when it's socked in every other
means of transport is cut off and you're stuck with whatever local
supplies have been pre stocked.

Again, over simplistic. It's not that building a pipeline is
not permitted, it that it's not permitted to build it the *way*
you guys want to do it. We *do* have environmental protection
rules up this way, and where we have them, we apply them.
Your shipping argument is totally off the wall and incorrect as
well. Never saw weather yet that could keep an oil tanker from
it's appointed rounds. Not even in the North Atlantic.

That costs money, pal, and creates shortages.

As with everything else, I suppose when you you find yourselves
behind the eight ball with energy costs and availability, you'll
just walk in and take it like you feel it's your right. What is
it you folks call it down there? Oh yes, "American interests".

Since you've got all that excess oil, why don't you lobby the
legislature for a refinery permit? hmm?

We have plenty of refining capacity to look after our own needs
up this way. Other countries are responsible for their own
refining capacity construction programs. Unless the oil
companies there, wish to keep the cost of fuel artificially
high. And, what it's priced at on the good old New York Stock
Exchange is what you guys, and the rest of the friggin' world,
pay for it.