[OFB Cafe] Bio Fuels

[Derek Broughton]

On July 22, 2008 13:47:35 Timothy Butler wrote:

> > Who's interfering with the market?  I'm just advocating that US oil
> > companies should be taxed identical to any other multinational.
> > Currently they're not.
>
> 	When you adjust Big Oil's taxes to be "fair" and then offer tax
> incentives for "alternative energy," what do you think you are doing?

Absolutely nobody has argued here that alternative energy should get tax 
incentives.  Chris has argued that he shouldn't be hit with taxes that 
penalize bio-fuels.  I'm reliant on solar power - I've never believed I 
should get a subsidy for using it, but I object to paying the subsidies for 
_not_ using fossil fuels.  I believe PV would be cost effective (at least for 
very small installations like mine) if oil was allowed to reach its _real_ 
cost.

> 	Nah. But when people start talking about oil companies making
> "reasonable" profits (and I'm sure you're getting that from Obama's
> stump speeches), they don't mean, "let the market determine the fair
> price." If you aren't going to fix the price, how are you going to
> insure that the oil companies only make "reasonable profits." And how
> in the world are you going to figure out those profits?

Stop waging wars on their behalf, and stop subsidizing their business.  After 
that, let them make what they want - I for one don't care how much profit 
they make, I just object to them making it from me via any route other than 
the price at the pump.
-- 
derek