State of the Union Speech

J-Ro · Posted: Jan 31, 2006 3:33 pm Post subject: State of the Union Speech

Tonight is the Presidents SOTU speech. Is anyone going to watch? The White House has released excerpts of the speech and he will talk about America's dependence on foreign oil and will outline ways in which the Administration will boost alternative fuel sources. Do you think this is a legit point or do you think this is pandering to open up ANWAR?

Either way, in my opinion it's great that it is finally being addressed at the highest level. Maybe he could talk about our dependence on gas taxes or the record profits by oil companies.

jonsmith2340 · Soul Rider Joined: 02 Feb 2005 Posts: 370

J-Ro, I would love to see him address the fuel/oil related issues. Let's start with the headline from cnn.com yesterday showing Exxon posting record earning for 2005... how does that make all of us feel when we are over $100 to fill up our boats? I have my reservations as to whether we will see anything happen in the near future to reduce our use/dependence on foreign oil.

But to you first question yeah I'll watch it.

Chales · Guest

I suppose I could use a good laugh.

BigRed · Posted: Jan 31, 2006 3:58 pm Post subject:

It'd be great if he just did "what do you call a guy with no arms and no legs..." jokes

and then got to "what do you call a guy with no arms and no legs and no healthcare in our fine country?......... F*cked" and then walked off stage.

Or he could just do his best aristocrats joke. I'd be happy with that.

freerider4 · Posted: Jan 31, 2006 8:27 pm Post subject:

Did anybody else find it funny when the whole democrat section stood up and clapped after bush talked about his bill for social security.

8824 · Posted: Jan 31, 2006 8:36 pm Post subject:

did anyone watch the mens superpipe? Tanner killed it. what a comeback after breaking both ankles last march.

was there something else on tonight?

Neognosis · Ladies Man Joined: 13 Jan 2003 Posts: 17617 City: Webster

I didn't watch it. I'll catch exerpts from it today, but basically every SOTU speach is a waste of time Stroke Job in which the president (ANY president) gets to lie to the people, pretend he's doing something worthwile, use people affected by his policy to show how much he's loved (Bush will probably have family of a dead Iraq vet or something, or MAYBE even 9/11 family members stand up), and a chance for the other asshats who hold elected office to stand up and clap like the mindless marionettes they are, or stay seated and scowl to make a point.

Every state of the union adress makes me embarassed for my country.

re re · Addict Joined: 02 Jul 2004 Posts: 723

re re · Addict Joined: 02 Jul 2004 Posts: 723

Neognosis · Ladies Man Joined: 13 Jan 2003 Posts: 17617 City: Webster

What's the difference between income and revenue? Please explain that more. Because right now, I'm sick to my stomach at how I perceive oil companies.

RoughRiverMike · Outlaw Joined: 08 Dec 2005 Posts: 107 City: louisville

From the chart above it looks like wakeboarders are supplying all the money to run the country.
Banks- interest rates on our boats
Pharmaceuticals - rehab after injury
Insurance- Gotta have it
Oil and gas- cha ching

goofyboy · Posted: Feb 01, 2006 8:00 am Post subject:

both sides are nuts... the prez has these lofty goals, which sound great, but are not abtainalbe. This is because the devil is in the details. However, the democrats are too busy pointing fingers and complaining to come up with any of their own solutions... ugh... how do some of these people get elected?

eeven73 · Posted: Feb 01, 2006 8:04 am Post subject:

re re · Addict Joined: 02 Jul 2004 Posts: 723

cameraboy, Perhaps profit/revenue would be more appropriate.

eeven73 · Posted: Feb 01, 2006 8:18 am Post subject:

there are lots of companies that would kill for an 8% Net.

The grocery industry is historically a 1% Net business. IMPO they can cry to someone else about margin.

lcap · Ladies Man Joined: 13 Nov 2003 Posts: 10973 City: Homeless

re re,

Due respect but that is overly and offensively simplistic.

The oil companies have tens if not hundreds of thousands of ways to siphon money out of the company to reduce the "profit margin." Which really isn't the true "profit margin" at all.

The margin after they ran out of places to give, write off, transfer or loan out.

cameraboy,

I hear you loud and clear! Being a capitalistic pig that I am, I never believed there was such a thing as "obscene profits." That is until now.

Bambamski · Posted: Feb 01, 2006 8:25 am Post subject:

You guys whine about the price of oil way too much.

How many of you own the stock that just posted record profits? I'm going to guess none. A little hint, buy oil stock to hedge what you pay at the pump. Not that difficult of a concept.

eeven73 · Posted: Feb 01, 2006 8:29 am Post subject:

Neognosis · Ladies Man Joined: 13 Jan 2003 Posts: 17617 City: Webster

Durring the hearings that the oil execs were allowed to decline being sworn in, they claimed that they needed to make that much money so that they can R&D new oil sources.

I don't really buy that. Plus, if you try to skew that profits by using the profit margin to say that they really didn't make that much, 48 billion dollars (was that it) is still 48 billion dollars. How much of that has to go back into maintaining the company? Seriously, how much?

If you make 500 dollars, but you have to put 100 back into rent, supplies, etc, you STILL made 400 dollars, despite what your "profit margin" looks like on paper.

Was their profit AFTER maintainence? I think it is. Anybody know more about this? I want to learn.

chavez · RIP MHL 04/25/1958 - 01/11/2006

cameraboy, you are asking for things that do not exist.

Profit is profit. There is no "after maintenance" or and other BS.

Revenue - CoDB = Profit. There is no middle ground, and profit margins are just a factor of what percentage of revenue actually becomes profit.

Big oil tries to mask the fact that they made sooooo much money by pointing to R&D programs (or phantom ones) so they can get more oil. Problem is, these programs should be in the projections for the years to come, and as such, are part of the CoDB.

This year, XOM made more company than any company ever has in history, and that is AFTER they paid for these supposed R&D programs.

IMO: They BEST show some results SOON from these alleged R&D programs in the form of lower costs of extraction AND production which lead to lower spot prices which lead to lower pump prices. If they don't, senators like Feinbitch and Kennedy are going to have their way with them prison rape style.

eeven73 · Posted: Feb 01, 2006 8:58 am Post subject:

Bambamski · Posted: Feb 01, 2006 9:14 am Post subject:

eeven73

hmmmm I don't pretend to be a rocket scientist, however there has been a pretty good correlation between the price of oil and how much the stock of oil companies have gone up in the past couple of years. It's probably not perfect, you could call it a dirty hedge, however I've made significanlty more in my stock portfolio then what the price of gas has gone up. All I'm saying is that those people that have been whining for the past couple of years and still haven't invested in any energy stocks I have a hard time feeling sorry for them... Just keep investing in your start up bio tech or tech companies, I'm sure they'll post a profit one of these years.

eeven73 · Posted: Feb 01, 2006 9:25 am Post subject:

Neognosis · Ladies Man Joined: 13 Jan 2003 Posts: 17617 City: Webster

chavez, I see.

J_DOGG · Posted: Feb 01, 2006 11:29 am Post subject:

Profit / Profit margin

all semantics.

Plain and simple they are using the word profit and not loss in a time when every American is taking it up the a$$ at the pump.
I know I know, that's capitalism at its finest and too that I say good show corporate America you are setting an example we should all follow and be proud of. squeeze the bitch till shes dead!

Blake · Posted: Feb 01, 2006 2:30 pm Post subject:

8824 · Posted: Feb 01, 2006 2:36 pm Post subject:

Blake,

GM and Ford employees are the reason they are sucking pond water. Eff those workers and their arrogance.

Working three jobs? Focus your energy on one good one.

PM me for some career coaching.

RampageWake · Posted: Feb 01, 2006 2:37 pm Post subject:

Profit is not a dirty word. Like Bambam said, hedge yourself. I hope oil goes well north of $100/bbl. Cool

BTW, adjusted for inflation oil......well, you know...

Blake · Posted: Feb 01, 2006 2:51 pm Post subject:

muckmeister, I am all about the Union. And the reason those companies are going under, is quite simply because of the economy. When Clinton was in office the sells industry was thriving, and they kept on producing. The problem now with the automotive industry is they simply over built these things when the goverment to them to drop to zero percent financing. My father has a letter framed in his car lots office telling him to cut prices, and set up zero percent financing to help GM to get rid of their 05 stock. Remember empoyee pricing, and zero percent interest? Yeah, we still hace sh*t at the lot from 05.

As for career coaching, I have decided to become a professional wakeboarder/bum. I QUIT LIFE!!!!

8824 · Posted: Feb 01, 2006 2:57 pm Post subject:

Blake,

disagree,

unions have outlived their usefulness.

Hmmmmmm Airlines and Automotive industries are bankrupt.... any common variables there? UNIONS!

I am sorry but moving bags is not a $30 an hr job. When you have a baggage handler making almost as much as a mechanic (entry level or 1-2yrs exp) something is wrong. there are enough laws to protect employees now.

Blake · Posted: Feb 01, 2006 3:08 pm Post subject:

muckmeister, unions allow for people to not get effed in the A by the wealthy, and factory owners. Outlived their purpose? I disagree. I think there should be more union jobs. I only wish the teachers union was stronger, because they dont get paid dick. If I had a salary of what the teachers that taught me through school had, I would do a half ass job too. Unions work, and are very helpful to our economy. It is the Wal-Marts that buy all of their crap from China, hiring uneducated employees and paying them crap wages, and white trash patriotic Americans going to support their "rolled back" prices. Unions have outlived their usefulness? Get real!

jonsmith2340 · Soul Rider Joined: 02 Feb 2005 Posts: 370

muckmeister, I agree completely with you about unions. My sister-in-law used to work for General Mills in Buffalo. The union janitors at the facility were making upwords of 100K and were driving the BMWs and Jags while the people with MBA's were making just short of 100K in their Fords and Chevys.

The one fact that always bugged me was the time she had a grievance filed against her by the union. You see she did ops management and needed a count on empty 50lbs flour bags. The union workers had left (can't put in overtime) on Friday and then needed bags ordered for Monday. In the union regulations it states that no one outside the union can move more then three bags. She counted five bags and placed the order. Her own records show that she moved more then the union allowed three bags and as a result she had a grievance filed against her by the union.

Unions did this county wonders in years past, but now there are way too many of them with too much power.

8824 · Posted: Feb 01, 2006 3:12 pm Post subject:

Blake,

we can discuss unions to death. i do not work in a golf shop, not that your opinion is wrong, but my specialty is human capital. look out for yourself. keep yourself in demand. when you see all the jobs leaving, figure out what your gonna do next.

job security= being able to change jobs in a short period of time with out sacrificing your quality of life.

you work in a golf shop?

i have a set of Arnies I want to sell. What should I ask? oh siht, this should be another thread.

Blake · Posted: Feb 01, 2006 3:28 pm Post subject:

muckmeister, I am not going to argue with you anymore on this matter... Rather, I will just personally PM Pat and tell him that you are disagreeing with me. I actually didnt realize I was arguing with you over this matter at first, or I wouldnt have. My opinion towards a Union are two sided. I know exactly what you are saying, and I just wanted to see if you would hit the opion that I had for them on the good sides. However, I dont think it is right for a Corporation to push around the little guy either.

I do work in a golf shop for my cousin. I get paid very well, and dont take many political stands like others on this board because they dont really effect me in the least. I do have a heart for the little man busting his ass off to make it through life though. As for your clubs, all shops use this guide for trade in value: http://valueguide.pga.com/ I didnt see yours there at first glance, so when I go to work tomorrow, I will ask your cousin. Big companies like Golfsmith, Edwinn Watts, etc., have their own values which is much lower.

8824 · Posted: Feb 01, 2006 3:38 pm Post subject:

Blake,
i dont think we were arguing, just discussing. did i use argue? i dont like the big guy pushing people around either. in fact i despise it. i always represent the little guy.

but the unions have turned into the man, and they are pushing everyone else around. chicago is losing conventions because of the unions here. try and unload your booth at the McCormick convention center.

those clubs are Arnold Palmers. thanks for the link.

jonsmith2340, WORD! Exclamation