alternatives to our current "democratic" systems of government

Don’t leave us hanging, Gilby. What would you like the purpose & goals of government to be?

Maybe to make even more embarrassingly high profits for Exxon. [Exxon was embarrassed to announce their recent huge profits. They did good for their shareholders, though.]

Billy

Doh, I forgot to think about how Billy would extrapolate and change the meaning of what I write before posting.

The gas prices paid at the pump in the US is incredibly cheap. Too cheap. I have no numbers or anything, but I would bet that I pay more for gas from my income taxes than I pay at the pump. The government subsidizes a lot of the gasoline suppy chain costs and other costs associated with getting fuel. This artificially makes gas prices low and causes people to waste more of it and the true cost is not realized to those using it. This has lead to other energy sources, such as renewable sources, being unable to get into the market very easily and that’s a bad thing. Gas, and all energy sources for that matter, except for new and better technologies, should be priced at the pump based on it’s true cost. Cost would include all supply chain costs, all raw materials costs, all refinement costs, all environmental cleanup costs, etc. New and better technologies could be subsidized, to help get them into the market faster, however, that could be done equally as fast by using money from investors, assuming no other energy sources are given an unfair advantage with government subsities. Investors will analyze the new technologies and fund it’s research. An investor is going to invest in technologies they think will result in the best profit for them. Ultimately, the best new energy technologies is what will produce the best profit for the investor.

I don’t use a grocery cart when I shoplift. I feels that rubbing the wheels on the ground releases greenhouse gases and carcinogenic particulates.

Will you settle for killing a whole bunch of species of plants and animals and making our environment a disgusting mess of a place to live in?

Andrew

Good idea!

But Gilby, are you suggesting that a good portion of Exxon’s recent huge profits were given to Exxon directly from the gov’t? The USA turned taxpayer $$$ directly over to Exxon? Is that what subsidize means here?

Billy

Come to the UK, the prices are still increasing almost daily here.

Cathy

Does the gov’t subsidize the oil industry in England, like they do in the USA?

No, I think it’s the opposite. The oil industry subsidizes the government.

Cathy

Learn to read instead of trying to mistate everything: “subsidizes a lot of the gasoline supply chain costs”

That doesn’t mean the government gives money directly to Exxon.

One word, Gilby: Tone.

So they give it to Exxon indirectly, I should presume?

Thanks, I did get quite a tan while in Laos.

:smiley: :smiley: :smiley: