What's new
USCHO Fan Forum

This is a sample guest message. Register a free account today to become a member! Once signed in, you'll be able to participate on this site by adding your own topics and posts, as well as connect with other members through your own private inbox!

  • The USCHO Fan Forum has migrated to a new plaform, xenForo. Most of the function of the forum should work in familiar ways. Please note that you can switch between light and dark modes by clicking on the gear icon in the upper right of the main menu bar. We are hoping that this new platform will prove to be faster and more reliable. Please feel free to explore its features.

Weaving the Strands: Business, Economics, and Tax Policy 2.0

Status
Not open for further replies.
Re: Weaving the Strands: Business, Economics, and Tax Policy 2.0

The Saudis don't control the price with an iron fist anymore.
 
Re: Weaving the Strands: Business, Economics, and Tax Policy 2.0

Oh, in case Putin is reading, the falling oil prices are effecting the Alaska state budget too. Starting to consider either an income or sales tax here.
 
Re: Weaving the Strands: Business, Economics, and Tax Policy 2.0

Russia is in serious ****ing trouble right now.

Russia is what it's always been.

Putin and the oligarchs are in serious trouble, and that's fine by me. They go in the B ark with the Islamists and the GOP and we shoot them into the sun. Won't solve every problem but it's a great start.
 
Re: Weaving the Strands: Business, Economics, and Tax Policy 2.0

They are dumping oil out there hoping small producers go away. Might not be an iron fist but it's close enough.

Yup. For the Saudis, it's always been about preserving long-term market share. Drive the marginal producers out of business. If it also drives Iran and Russia into bankruptcy, that's an ancillary bonus for them.

Regarding the ruble, a major Russian oil producer (Rosneft?) has a debt obligation coming due and they might have trouble paying it. Rosneft president is a crony of Putin in corruption, so he has to protect it to keep the graft flowing. The Russian central bank will do whatever it takes to keep Rosneft solvent, even if it means printing rubles by the truckload.

Holman Jenkins has a very informative piece in today's Wall St. Journal, not sure if it is behind the paywall or not.

http://www.wsj.com/articles/holman-jenkins-ruble-crisis-shows-the-real-putin-1418773318
 
Re: Weaving the Strands: Business, Economics, and Tax Policy 2.0

The Saudis aren't even the top producers anymore and haven't been for a while. I know the US became the world's leading oil producer at one point this year. Russians are right up there in the top three as well.
 
Re: Weaving the Strands: Business, Economics, and Tax Policy 2.0

Hah hah! Screw OPEC and screw Putin. This is why US energy independence is vital. Once we achieve that we can flood the market with oil and watch weasels like Putin try to survive on cut rate oil prices. I've also heard Russia is notoriously ineffecient at extracting its oil so they can't extract it cheaply like say Saudi Arabia can and still make money when prices drop. Couldn't happen to a nicer bunch of people IMHO. Good think we didn't launch WW3 over Ukraine though, as this cause of his demise is much more satisfying.
 
Re: Weaving the Strands: Business, Economics, and Tax Policy 2.0

Hah hah! Screw OPEC and screw Putin. This is why US energy independence is vital. Once we achieve that we can flood the market with oil and watch weasels like Putin try to survive on cut rate oil prices. I've also heard Russia is notoriously ineffecient at extracting its oil so they can't extract it cheaply like say Saudi Arabia can and still make money when prices drop. Couldn't happen to a nicer bunch of people IMHO. Good think we didn't launch WW3 over Ukraine though, as this cause of his demise is much more satisfying.
A few weeks ago I was reading an article that stated due to US companies using more current technology, we can still have profitable companies at $40/barrel while Russians need $100/barrel to keep their entire economy healthy. The Saudis want the same price point in order to support their welfare system.
 
Re: Weaving the Strands: Business, Economics, and Tax Policy 2.0

This is why US energy independence is vital. Once we achieve that we can flood the market with oil.

Nice concept, but first we have to change the law making it illegal to export oil produced inside the USA.
 
Re: Weaving the Strands: Business, Economics, and Tax Policy 2.0

A few weeks ago I was reading an article that stated due to US companies using more current technology, we can still have profitable companies at $40/barrel while Russians need $100/barrel to keep their entire economy healthy. The Saudis want the same price point in order to support their welfare system.

I heard something along those lines myself. Extracting US oil is far cheaper than it used to be hence these falling prices aren't going to affect the US nearly as much. Makes sense on some level as we aren't trying to get oil out of frozen ground in places where its sub-zero 10 months a year. Nor are we doing a lot of risky offshore drilling relatively speaking to drive the recent oil glut.

Nice concept, but first we have to change the law making it illegal to export oil produced inside the USA.

No point in that until we actually achieve energy independence (with the help of our Canadian friends). Until then, absolutely keep US oil here. Energy independence and then oil/gas exports are achieved by simultaneously 1) developing alternative energy to fossil fuels for domestic consumption (nuclear, hydro, wind, solar) and 2) drilling for oil in places where drilling will actually improve the landscape (Texas, ND, Rust Belt, Louisiana, etc).

Get our energy cheap after an initial outlay from renewable sources and complement with natural gas, then export the surplus to sucker countries not smart enough to follow our lead. What's not to like? Brings down polution here and creates jobs/tax revenue. IIRC, the US + Canada produce about 70% of our oil needs and we're pretty much self sufficient on natural gas (are there any more LNG imports?). New England also gets a bit of electricity from Quebec Hydro. So, we're closer than most people realize.
 
Re: Weaving the Strands: Business, Economics, and Tax Policy 2.0

Obama is a failure and Mitch and the Bone Man have already won.

Here's why.

A report released on Wednesday by the Pew Research Center found that the wealth gap between the country’s top earners and the rest of America had stretched to its widest point in at least three decades.

“The Great Recession destroyed a significant amount of middle-income and lower-income families’ wealth, and the economic ‘recovery’ has yet to be felt for them,” the report concluded.

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/12/18/b...icmst=1409232722000&bicmet=1419773522000&_r=1

Congrats to the GOP. You're goals have been met.
 
Re: Weaving the Strands: Business, Economics, and Tax Policy 2.0

It's an ethics/morality issue. But do they teach that stuff anymore at our colleges?

Not sure I totally agree. There is an interesting correlation between the timing of "the war on poverty" and the widening of the wealth gap, however.

A correlation I'm sure that our resident know-it-alls can blithely and glibly explain away by saying we didn't do "enough." :(
 
Not sure I totally agree. There is an interesting correlation between the timing of the pushback against "the war on poverty" and the widening of the wealth gap, however.

FTFY.

The war on poverty was working until the mythical "welfare queen" entered the national lexicon.
 
Re: Weaving the Strands: Business, Economics, and Tax Policy 2.0

In Fish's mind, the War on Poverty hurt the poor because suddenly everybody was talking about the poor. Before the War on Poverty there were no poor people, just "temporarily embarrassed millionaires."

It's like the Torture report. The shame isn't the facts in the report, it's the reporting itself. Talking about our poverty EMBOLDENS our poverty!!!
 
Re: Weaving the Strands: Business, Economics, and Tax Policy 2.0

Not sure I totally agree. There is an interesting correlation between the timing of "the war on poverty" and the widening of the wealth gap, however.

A correlation I'm sure that our resident know-it-alls can blithely and glibly explain away by saying we didn't do "enough." :(

Congratulations.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top