A question for the Political Arena

[timcsaw]

True dat.

The last available data I saw shows that "evil" oil companies make a profit of $ 0.09 per gallon of gasoline sold. The central bureaucracy makes $ 0.184 per gallon profit on the oil company's gas in the form a federal gas tax. And the regime did not have to go through the tremendous risk of capital and hassle of getting it from Saudi Arabia to my Suburban. And the regime otherwise assaults, hassles and berates the very oil companies they are stealing from. Being leftists, they cannot tolerate achievement because achievement reveals their own inadequacies, so they seek to slaughter the very golden calf they are also milking to death. Revenge, comrades! Revenge for the Motherland! Lets show those evil achievers what its like to suffer!

This does not include state gas taxes, which are up to $ 0.49 per gallon in the most commie, uh, I mean progressive states. More theft by lazy, fat bureaucrats who could not figure out how to refine a barrel of crude if their worthless lives depended on it.

Link.

Until I rule the world, or until such time as guillotines are erected in the streets and a bloody revolution occurs (which of course I would never advocate), this is what we are stuck with.

Powernoodle for "World Ruler!"

[HJK]

Up here in Canada, the government does own businesses, directly and through "Crown Corporations". Some have a monopoly and some compete with private industry. The government owns the postal service ( Canada Post), power companies ( i.e. Ontario Hydro), airlines ( Air Canada ) and, the biggest cash cows of all, the Lotteries ( dozens of them) and Booze distribution ( i.e. the LLBO).
Most of these companies are bloated disasters. Air Canada, which is touted as a great success, has actually gone "bankrupt" notwithstanding getting all the best routes and facilities. And the no brainer monopolies like Booze could be outperformed by an outfit run by the Three Stooges.
Government is not very good at running or creating businesses. The better idea (usually) is to let private business compete to maximize efficiency and revenue through market forces so that the government can tax them
without the costs and inefficiency of running them.
The government has more than enough money to do what it is supposed to do. It should learn to live within its means and get out of the way of those who actually produce wealth and create jobs. Fat chance.

[jdm61]

Even in the cases where a government owns a share of a company, they can exert power to make the company do something they otherwise might not want to do. A good example of this was the setup that the German corporate code had until very recently. You could be a minority shareholder, but if you owned over 20% of the stock, you could veto any major proposals. The government of the Lower Saxony lander (state) owned 21% of Volkswagen/Audi group and the marching orders were German jobs come first and higher profits second. Professor Piech didn't really have much of a problem with that as he is a bit of a social democrat, but the government of Lower Saxony had as much power in reality as the Porsche family did even when they owned 50% of the company. You are right about the airlines. The western state run airlines are going the way of the dodo as they do not do things the same way as ones from Asia, a number of which are owned by the "state" but are set up to actually make money because the state can oft times be one guy or some royal family who is very interested in making money. Also, the new open skies treaties have made it very difficult for some airlines to maintain their monopoly unless they have specifically contracted with whatever code share organization they are part of to keep their old routes to the greatest degree possible. While that might be easier for Air Maroc or the Ukraine Air, it is not so easy for a carrier like Air Canada who is competing with the biggest airlines in the world, Delta and United-Continental, amongst others.

Up here in Canada, the government does own businesses, directly and through "Crown Corporations". Some have a monopoly and some compete with private industry. The government owns the postal service ( Canada Post), power companies ( i.e. Ontario Hydro), airlines ( Air Canada ) and, the biggest cash cows of all, the Lotteries ( dozens of them) and Booze distribution ( i.e. the LLBO).
Most of these companies are bloated disasters. Air Canada, which is touted as a great success, has actually gone "bankrupt" notwithstanding getting all the best routes and facilities. And the no brainer monopolies like Booze could be outperformed by an outfit run by the Three Stooges.
Government is not very good at running or creating businesses. The better idea (usually) is to let private business compete to maximize efficiency and revenue through market forces so that the government can tax them
without the costs and inefficiency of running them.
The government has more than enough money to do what it is supposed to do. It should learn to live within its means and get out of the way of those who actually produce wealth and create jobs. Fat chance.