Execs from the oil industry’s Big Five are pilloried by Democrats at a Senate hearing, asking why big oil needs $4B-plus a year in tax breaks while raking in enormous profits. Republicans say that removing incentives would drive production out of the U.S. Political posturing abounded, of course, but the debate is real: Are tax breaks for big oil a consumer ripoff or smart energy policy? [View news story]
As mostly we agree this is an insult to the average american's intelligence- To think we are so simple minded and so not understand what is really going on here. This administration keeps removing any chance of recovery off the table when they pull this bullshit with varying industries - Sadly, We will be worse off by the time elections roll around. Obama will get bounced. Every time our senators do these hearings they look like idiots. Let the free markets work. Give them the same right offs other companies get, period! Simply the tax code or just have more companies leave the US Steve Wynn says it is easier to business with the chinese. RIG moved their headquarters and now the government going after BA building a facility in NC instead of Washington state. I really cannot believe what we have seen in the past 2 years.
Obama and the Fed are "killing the real economy to save the banks," Chris Whalen asserts. By allowing banks to heal their wounds through low rates, they embrace a policy of deflation that has horrible consequences for all manner of savers - retirees, companies, non-profits, municipalities - in a "massive, reverse Robin Hood scheme." [View news story]
Funny how so many that blame the banks forget that Fannie and Freddie- A largely government funded agency help create this mess just as much if not more than wall street. It is naive to think that one group is responsible. We have bailed out , modified , adjusted and pumped the economy. I am tired of seeing my kids future go down the drain because people that couldn't afford things got in over their head and we keep trying to bail them out and reward them for it. Principal write downs? 99 weeks of unemployment ? Who wants to make my 401k whole? Enough is enough. It is about personal responsibility. Whether it's you need a job or you need to rework your finances. If I was going to lose my home, I would work at any job I could find. Growing up my parents split - my mother had stayed at home during their marriage 4 kids and single. She took a job and went to school at night. There were days she had to buy a jug or 2 of kerosene to put in the oil tank because she couldn't afford oil to be delivered. She did what she had to do to get by and provide for her kids. I think she may have gotten cheese and milk assistance. Now she has her own business and at 66 she still is working. If I hear about one more person complaining that they are underwater on their house, I am going to barf. It is a home usually for a long time, why should that matter? I have never thought about our house value and if we our underwater, I just always thought, I don't want to owe too much and live for a house. We built our house 15 years ago- it took us 5 years of renting/saving and searching to build a home of our own. Building made more sense, acting as my own general contractor I could save money. I sealed the foundation, put down floors and planted every tree bush and plant in my yard to save money. We have paid our mortgage, saved our money and refinanced if it made financial sense. (to lower the interest- reduce the term) all with the same bank. 5 years left until I that note is paid and when that final check is written, I know it will be because of hard work and sacrifice. No one gave us anything, except the bank they gave us a chance to prove we were worthy I am not saying that I have it all nutted but it seems like everyone wants something for nothing and they don't get it they walk away.....If we continue to build a society on these fundamentals, we will surely lose. This maybe a little off topic but it scares me that our country is losing the basic concept of hard work, living with our choices and what is worse our government is rewarding people for it. My grandparents would fricking have a heart attack if they were still here to see this.
The first order of business for new Fed members Yellen, Diamond and Raskin likely will be to "print enough dollars to make something happen in the U.S. economy," Jim Grant says while skewering the Fed's "lack of intellectual rigor" on deflation as a threat. "If the world produces more at lower prices, is that so bad? Would [the Fed] please stop and help us understand why this is bad?" [View news story]
Is this the worse administration we have ever had or what?
If they would stop meddling in every business, we would probably recover and not need to keep spending.
Execs from the oil industry’s Big Five are pilloried by Democrats at a Senate hearing, asking why big oil needs $4B-plus a year in tax breaks while raking in enormous profits. Republicans say that removing incentives would drive production out of the U.S. Political posturing abounded, of course, but the debate is real: Are tax breaks for big oil a consumer ripoff or smart energy policy? [View news story]
A Congressional report claims millions of gallons of known carcinogens were injected into wells as part of the process to withdraw natural gas from shale deposits. It's the latest health concern over hydrofracking, which has tapped untold reserves of gas, but threatens contamination of water supplies. [View news story]
You hit the mail on the head- I do not trust anything that comes from DC
Execs from the oil industry’s Big Five are pilloried by Democrats at a Senate hearing, asking why big oil needs $4B-plus a year in tax breaks while raking in enormous profits. Republicans say that removing incentives would drive production out of the U.S. Political posturing abounded, of course, but the debate is real: Are tax breaks for big oil a consumer ripoff or smart energy policy? [View news story]
Execs from the oil industry’s Big Five are pilloried by Democrats at a Senate hearing, asking why big oil needs $4B-plus a year in tax breaks while raking in enormous profits. Republicans say that removing incentives would drive production out of the U.S. Political posturing abounded, of course, but the debate is real: Are tax breaks for big oil a consumer ripoff or smart energy policy? [View news story]
They are not Beggars - it is the government's policies and much of it it our tax code. How about Sunoco that spent 4billion on and exploratory well and the EPA bitched and shut them down. Tiger - I think you may want to better understand things before you comment on them.
Wall Street’s moneyed elite are now feeling more confident, conspicuously opening their wallets for fancy parties, cosmetic surgery and Hamptons rentals. Meanwhile, in the rest of America, unemployment nears 10%, millions of homeowners can't pay their mortgages... and small businesses are canceling Christmas. [View news story]
What is the point of this article? I see it to just create more class warfare? Why aren't politicians mentioned ? Why are congressional people allowed to invest with government knowledge to create wealth? Why does the government insist on more taxes when they cannot find a single thing to cut? While do government workers have pensions and 401Ks, fully paid for HC and raises? Why does some of our tax dollars go to the presidential re election efforts? Why do the tax payers have to have our money wasted on congressional hearing with a comedian? While I do not agree completely with the discrepancy of CEO to worker pay, it is private business and that is mostly up to the shareholders, workers and executives. Quite frankly, I am tired of this class warfare that Obama has embarked on; when in fact the democrats are some of the worse offenders. The government , their actions and how they spend our money should be in fact decided by the taxpayers but it is not. I wonder how much of our tax dollars are wasted and used to create wealthy politicians? Maybe just maybe if our government didn't work like this; more people would be in a better financial situation. Not to mention individuals taking personal responsibility for their own financial decisions. Get an education, work hard, save your money and live with in your means- Maybe you won't be filthy rich but I truly believe you can live a nice life. Unfortunately, we have become a society of blaming everyone else is easier. I think it is ridiculous to have to pay for a government agency to make sure consumers are being swindled by a credit card company. Here is a simply solution - pay cash! I have plenty of credit cards and use them often and pay them off every month. I have taught my kids that why buy a sweater on sale if you are going to charge it and pay interest - the 50 sweater you got for 30 ends up costing you 90. It's basic stuff like that we should be teaching our kids. Sorry for my ramble - Just tired of the Class warfare in general and paying for government to do stuff that society should take responsibility for themselves.
Emails from energy executives, industry lawyers, state geologists and analysts show skepticism about the profitability of gas drilling from deep underground shales. “The word...is that the shale plays are just giant Ponzi schemes and the economics just do not work,” wrote one analyst in August 2009. [View news story]
Does congress own these Car Battery companies, of which we still do not know how long they will last nor how they will be disposed of and with electrical cost no one can say they are less expensive to operate. First the government car rating system now this. Telling Boeing where they can build plans.....Calling Goog in for an antitrust review. While GE doesn't pay taxes and GM is exempt for a couple of years. Pretty soon they will allocate how many miles per week we can drive. No problem though for Obama taking air force 1 to PR for a fundraiser. The latest in dictating how much nutritional value can be put in to products - If you do not meet the government requirements, you cannot advertise to children, use toys or TV show character affiliations or popular things like kids movies. WTF is going on in this country -
How about solving some real problems first ....like jobs, debt and the economy. This is getting more surreal everyday. Is there an industry this administration will not go after? Hmmm then they wonder why no one wants to do business in the US and no jobs are being created.
Just a thought on something I heard yesterday.. An interesting comparison, when you privatize something or make people pay for it themselves. The competition drives cost down. Ever since Dental and Eye care have been removed from most HC plans over the last 10-15 years, the cost of these services have fallen because the consumer is paying. Eyeglasses are so much cheaper today than they were years ago as are contacts. Dental I am not as convinced on but I did negotiate how much our next cleaning and exam will be since we are self insured.
Amid worries that $110 oil will prove the tipping point for widespread pain in the U.S. economy, some analysts don't just think the U.S. markets will weather the storm, BofA Merrill Lynch actually sees a "net positive." Oil is “less than 40%” of U.S. energy consumption; natural gas and coal are bigger, and their prices are way down from 2008 levels. [View news story]
I would pay 10/gallon before I pay 40K for a domestically engineered car. (well maybe except for a Ford)
What I really do not get is my electricity bill has gone up time 5 over the past 10 years....how does driving a volt save me money if my electric bill goes up 200/month? I have not yet heard anyone say what it cost on average to charge one of these stupid cars. LNG is the realistic alternative to run cars on.
Five Bellwether U.S. Equities You Don't Want in a Portfolio Right Now [View article]
I do not get the author's perspective - APPL is one of the biggest growth innovative stories of all times! With traditional advertising dwindling; Their product placement is amazing .....TV series, Movies, reality shows. They get their product out there everyday in the mainstream without traditional marketing - Pure genius. Within ten years, corporate america will begin to convert to a PC/AAPL blend- When the Mac generation makes it to the C suite corporate cultures will change. I have both a MAC and PC and I am not a die hard MAC head but to be successful in investing you must recognize what/where things are going. IBM is going to become an even bigger world giant, they will continue to grow and will continue to hit all time highs this year. BAC is not going anywhere anytime soon and more than likely will make most investors money. Like anything else just depends at what price you get in at. CSCO is probably the best one not to own, as they are not evolving enough with the business models.
President Obama may take heart in recent legislative accomplishments, but the latest slump in consumer confidencebodes ill for his re-election. No sitting U.S. president has been re-elected with this specific reading of consumer confidence in the 50s, Andy Busch of BMO Capital Markets points out. [View news story]
John- I hope you're being sarcastic- which I think you are.
Yeah Obamacare .......it's great our family's small business is now paying 50k to insured 2 employees (one couple) and one family of four. GREAT JOB OBAMA! p.s. Unless my kids are still in college or disabled I do not want to have them on my health insurance until they are 26.
Does the inheritance tax help or hurt the economy and the country? Is the tax fair to heirs, not to mention the people who worked and saved for decades to build up those assets? Yes, it's fair - and in this economy, we need the revenue - or, no, it's unfair - encouraging the rich to waste their wealth and creating a barrier to others who need capital. [View news story]
I guess I just question why is it the government right to make this decision of who gets someones wealth? If the income was taxed once what gives the government the right to do it again? Not that I have to worry about a big inheritance ....lol I just don't get the government feeling they have the right to take people's money. It's scares me that there is no end in sight of what the government thinks it is entitled to take. I think a better approach would be to stop the medicaid planning. Many people of means off load their wealth so that the government will pay for there healthcare and long term care. If someone inherits money why should you, I or the government have the right to say they can't have it? I guess I just don't get it
Does the inheritance tax help or hurt the economy and the country? Is the tax fair to heirs, not to mention the people who worked and saved for decades to build up those assets? Yes, it's fair - and in this economy, we need the revenue - or, no, it's unfair - encouraging the rich to waste their wealth and creating a barrier to others who need capital. [View news story]
Paul - I completely disagree- If I choose to give my kids money either dead or alive and I have already paid taxes on it why should they pay taxes on it?
I am so glad you're happy to give freely to an ever expanding and irresponsible government, I just do not think we all are.
The House GOP has its plan to cut the deficit and Obama has his. Now six senators, three from each side, are formulating a bipartisan program to slash borrowing by $4T over the next decade. The Republicans would have to agree to tax hikes, the Democrats cuts to health and even social security. [View news story]
Some really great logical comments here today. Enough with rewarding people that choose not to work, save and be responsible. I have no problem helping the person temp. that has fallen on hard times. Heck when we were kids my mom had to get cheese from the government programs but we didn't live like that for long my mom went back to school with 4 kids while having a full-time job. Now she lives a nice life, still she will not buy something unless it is on sale. Unfortunately, we have a society that has learned to live by not working and getting government funding. It is funny that many of these peoples have Iphones and other nice to haves; while the taxpayer covers their food and housing. Raising taxes is not the solution,(as I too think this with just be spent and will NOT reduce our debt) cutting spending and being prudent is. Growing up - I was haunted by my mother saying 2 fav sayings: I have to take care of your needs first and your wants second. If you can't pay cash you can't afford it.
I do not get how our government can possibly think the track we our on is sustainable. I honestly do not think the President gets it and i think he is hoping the average american doesn't either. Wish this was the group planning our future. Nice on point intellectual comments.
Execs from the oil industry’s Big Five are pilloried by Democrats at a Senate hearing, asking why big oil needs $4B-plus a year in tax breaks while raking in enormous profits. Republicans say that removing incentives would drive production out of the U.S. Political posturing abounded, of course, but the debate is real: Are tax breaks for big oil a consumer ripoff or smart energy policy? [View news story]
This administration keeps removing any chance of recovery off the table when they pull this bullshit with varying industries -
Sadly, We will be worse off by the time elections roll around. Obama will get bounced.
Every time our senators do these hearings they look like idiots.
Let the free markets work.
Give them the same right offs other companies get, period!
Simply the tax code or just have more companies leave the US
Steve Wynn says it is easier to business with the chinese.
RIG moved their headquarters and now the government going after BA building a facility in NC instead of Washington state.
I really cannot believe what we have seen in the past 2 years.
Obama and the Fed are "killing the real economy to save the banks," Chris Whalen asserts. By allowing banks to heal their wounds through low rates, they embrace a policy of deflation that has horrible consequences for all manner of savers - retirees, companies, non-profits, municipalities - in a "massive, reverse Robin Hood scheme." [View news story]
We have bailed out , modified , adjusted and pumped the economy. I am tired of seeing my kids future go down the drain because people that couldn't afford things got in over their head and we keep trying to bail them out and reward them for it.
Principal write downs? 99 weeks of unemployment ?
Who wants to make my 401k whole?
Enough is enough. It is about personal responsibility. Whether it's you need a job or you need to rework your finances.
If I was going to lose my home, I would work at any job I could find.
Growing up my parents split - my mother had stayed at home during their marriage 4 kids and single. She took a job and went to school at night. There were days she had to buy a jug or 2 of kerosene to put in the oil tank because she couldn't afford oil to be delivered. She did what she had to do to get by and provide for her kids. I think she may have gotten cheese and milk assistance. Now she has her own business and at 66 she still is working.
If I hear about one more person complaining that they are underwater on their house, I am going to barf. It is a home usually for a long time, why should that matter? I have never thought about our house value and if we our underwater, I just always thought, I don't want to owe too much and live for a house.
We built our house 15 years ago- it took us 5 years of renting/saving and searching to build a home of our own. Building made more sense, acting as my own general contractor I could save money.
I sealed the foundation, put down floors and planted every tree bush and plant in my yard to save money. We have paid our mortgage, saved our money and refinanced if it made financial sense. (to lower the interest- reduce the term) all with the same bank. 5 years left until I that note is paid and when that final check is written, I know it will be because of hard work and sacrifice. No one gave us anything, except the bank they gave us a chance to prove we were worthy
I am not saying that I have it all nutted but it seems like everyone wants something for nothing and they don't get it they walk away.....If we continue to build a society on these fundamentals, we will surely lose.
This maybe a little off topic but it scares me that our country is losing the basic concept of hard work, living with our choices and what is worse our government is rewarding people for it.
My grandparents would fricking have a heart attack if they were still here to see this.
The first order of business for new Fed members Yellen, Diamond and Raskin likely will be to "print enough dollars to make something happen in the U.S. economy," Jim Grant says while skewering the Fed's "lack of intellectual rigor" on deflation as a threat. "If the world produces more at lower prices, is that so bad? Would [the Fed] please stop and help us understand why this is bad?" [View news story]
If they would stop meddling in every business, we would probably recover and not need to keep spending.
Execs from the oil industry’s Big Five are pilloried by Democrats at a Senate hearing, asking why big oil needs $4B-plus a year in tax breaks while raking in enormous profits. Republicans say that removing incentives would drive production out of the U.S. Political posturing abounded, of course, but the debate is real: Are tax breaks for big oil a consumer ripoff or smart energy policy? [View news story]
A Congressional report claims millions of gallons of known carcinogens were injected into wells as part of the process to withdraw natural gas from shale deposits. It's the latest health concern over hydrofracking, which has tapped untold reserves of gas, but threatens contamination of water supplies. [View news story]
Execs from the oil industry’s Big Five are pilloried by Democrats at a Senate hearing, asking why big oil needs $4B-plus a year in tax breaks while raking in enormous profits. Republicans say that removing incentives would drive production out of the U.S. Political posturing abounded, of course, but the debate is real: Are tax breaks for big oil a consumer ripoff or smart energy policy? [View news story]
Execs from the oil industry’s Big Five are pilloried by Democrats at a Senate hearing, asking why big oil needs $4B-plus a year in tax breaks while raking in enormous profits. Republicans say that removing incentives would drive production out of the U.S. Political posturing abounded, of course, but the debate is real: Are tax breaks for big oil a consumer ripoff or smart energy policy? [View news story]
How about Sunoco that spent 4billion on and exploratory well and the EPA bitched and shut them down.
Tiger - I think you may want to better understand things before you comment on them.
Wall Street’s moneyed elite are now feeling more confident, conspicuously opening their wallets for fancy parties, cosmetic surgery and Hamptons rentals. Meanwhile, in the rest of America, unemployment nears 10%, millions of homeowners can't pay their mortgages... and small businesses are canceling Christmas. [View news story]
Why does the government insist on more taxes when they cannot find a single thing to cut?
While do government workers have pensions and 401Ks, fully paid for HC and raises?
Why does some of our tax dollars go to the presidential re election efforts?
Why do the tax payers have to have our money wasted on congressional hearing with a comedian?
While I do not agree completely with the discrepancy of CEO to worker pay, it is private business and that is mostly up to the shareholders, workers and executives.
Quite frankly, I am tired of this class warfare that Obama has embarked on; when in fact the democrats are some of the worse offenders.
The government , their actions and how they spend our money should be in fact decided by the taxpayers but it is not.
I wonder how much of our tax dollars are wasted and used to create wealthy politicians? Maybe just maybe if our government didn't work like this; more people would be in a better financial situation. Not to mention individuals taking personal responsibility for their own financial decisions.
Get an education, work hard, save your money and live with in your means- Maybe you won't be filthy rich but I truly believe you can live a nice life.
Unfortunately, we have become a society of blaming everyone else is easier.
I think it is ridiculous to have to pay for a government agency to make sure consumers are being swindled by a credit card company. Here is a simply solution - pay cash!
I have plenty of credit cards and use them often and pay them off every month.
I have taught my kids that why buy a sweater on sale if you are going to charge it and pay interest - the 50 sweater you got for 30 ends up costing you 90. It's basic stuff like that we should be teaching our kids.
Sorry for my ramble - Just tired of the Class warfare in general and paying for government to do stuff that society should take responsibility for themselves.
Emails from energy executives, industry lawyers, state geologists and analysts show skepticism about the profitability of gas drilling from deep underground shales. “The word...is that the shale plays are just giant Ponzi schemes and the economics just do not work,” wrote one analyst in August 2009. [View news story]
First the government car rating system now this.
Telling Boeing where they can build plans.....Calling Goog in for an antitrust review.
While GE doesn't pay taxes and GM is exempt for a couple of years.
Pretty soon they will allocate how many miles per week we can drive.
No problem though for Obama taking air force 1 to PR for a fundraiser.
The latest in dictating how much nutritional value can be put in to products - If you do not meet the government requirements, you cannot advertise to children, use toys or TV show character affiliations or popular things like kids movies.
WTF is going on in this country -
How about solving some real problems first ....like jobs, debt and the economy.
This is getting more surreal everyday.
Is there an industry this administration will not go after?
Hmmm then they wonder why no one wants to do business in the US and no jobs are being created.
Just a thought on something I heard yesterday..
An interesting comparison, when you privatize something or make people pay for it themselves. The competition drives cost down.
Ever since Dental and Eye care have been removed from most HC plans over the last 10-15 years, the cost of these services have fallen because the consumer is paying.
Eyeglasses are so much cheaper today than they were years ago as are contacts.
Dental I am not as convinced on but I did negotiate how much our next cleaning and exam will be since we are self insured.
Amid worries that $110 oil will prove the tipping point for widespread pain in the U.S. economy, some analysts don't just think the U.S. markets will weather the storm, BofA Merrill Lynch actually sees a "net positive." Oil is “less than 40%” of U.S. energy consumption; natural gas and coal are bigger, and their prices are way down from 2008 levels. [View news story]
What I really do not get is my electricity bill has gone up time 5 over the past 10 years....how does driving a volt save me money if my electric bill goes up 200/month?
I have not yet heard anyone say what it cost on average to charge one of these stupid cars.
LNG is the realistic alternative to run cars on.
Five Bellwether U.S. Equities You Don't Want in a Portfolio Right Now [View article]
With traditional advertising dwindling; Their product placement is amazing .....TV series, Movies, reality shows. They get their product out there everyday in the mainstream without traditional marketing - Pure genius.
Within ten years, corporate america will begin to convert to a PC/AAPL blend- When the Mac generation makes it to the C suite corporate cultures will change.
I have both a MAC and PC and I am not a die hard MAC head but to be successful in investing you must recognize what/where things are going.
IBM is going to become an even bigger world giant, they will continue to grow and will continue to hit all time highs this year.
BAC is not going anywhere anytime soon and more than likely will make most investors money. Like anything else just depends at what price you get in at.
CSCO is probably the best one not to own, as they are not evolving enough with the business models.
President Obama may take heart in recent legislative accomplishments, but the latest slump in consumer confidence bodes ill for his re-election. No sitting U.S. president has been re-elected with this specific reading of consumer confidence in the 50s, Andy Busch of BMO Capital Markets points out. [View news story]
Yeah Obamacare .......it's great our family's small business is now paying 50k to insured 2 employees (one couple) and one family of four.
GREAT JOB OBAMA!
p.s. Unless my kids are still in college or disabled I do not want to have them on my health insurance until they are 26.
Does the inheritance tax help or hurt the economy and the country? Is the tax fair to heirs, not to mention the people who worked and saved for decades to build up those assets? Yes, it's fair - and in this economy, we need the revenue - or, no, it's unfair - encouraging the rich to waste their wealth and creating a barrier to others who need capital. [View news story]
Not that I have to worry about a big inheritance ....lol
I just don't get the government feeling they have the right to take people's money.
It's scares me that there is no end in sight of what the government thinks it is entitled to take.
I think a better approach would be to stop the medicaid planning.
Many people of means off load their wealth so that the government will pay for there healthcare and long term care.
If someone inherits money why should you, I or the government have the right to say they can't have it?
I guess I just don't get it
Does the inheritance tax help or hurt the economy and the country? Is the tax fair to heirs, not to mention the people who worked and saved for decades to build up those assets? Yes, it's fair - and in this economy, we need the revenue - or, no, it's unfair - encouraging the rich to waste their wealth and creating a barrier to others who need capital. [View news story]
I am so glad you're happy to give freely to an ever expanding and irresponsible government, I just do not think we all are.
The House GOP has its plan to cut the deficit and Obama has his. Now six senators, three from each side, are formulating a bipartisan program to slash borrowing by $4T over the next decade. The Republicans would have to agree to tax hikes, the Democrats cuts to health and even social security. [View news story]
Enough with rewarding people that choose not to work, save and be responsible.
I have no problem helping the person temp. that has fallen on hard times. Heck when we were kids my mom had to get cheese from the government programs but we didn't live like that for long my mom went back to school with 4 kids while having a full-time job.
Now she lives a nice life, still she will not buy something unless it is on sale.
Unfortunately, we have a society that has learned to live by not working and getting government funding. It is funny that many of these peoples have Iphones and other nice to haves; while the taxpayer covers their food and housing.
Raising taxes is not the solution,(as I too think this with just be spent and will NOT reduce our debt) cutting spending and being prudent is.
Growing up - I was haunted by my mother saying 2 fav sayings:
I have to take care of your needs first and your wants second.
If you can't pay cash you can't afford it.
I do not get how our government can possibly think the track we our on is sustainable. I honestly do not think the President gets it and i think he is hoping the average american doesn't either.
Wish this was the group planning our future.
Nice on point intellectual comments.