Honestly Jack, #9 is one of the least-informed posts I've ever seen here. Middle East controlling oil prices? Do you think they've been having emergency OPEC meetings because they PLANNED oil to fall 50% from July? Do you think they cut production because they like $70 barrels?
You know why oil's cheap? I dunno, maybe it has something to do with the fact that this October was the worst month in 20 years for car sales in America. Oil's cheap because investors think Americans aren't going to have any *money* by the start of next year and won't be *driving*.
And you say my post was uninformed? Creston painted a much broader picture than I. But to think that the Middle-East and their control on production has nothing to do with the rise and fall of prices is absurd. Each of these things plays a part. Most of the reasons come back around to corruption/control and greed. And yes, the fact that car sales are grinding to a halt helps to bring those prices down also. That's only obvious. The same way people spending less of their disposable income effects the retail outlets. Notice some of them going out of business?
Funny how the prices fall and everyone buys a Hummer. Too bad the car makers won't give us anything but a hybrid that gets great mileage. Sooner or later we are going to have to put resources and the environment above materialism and greed. But that won't happen anytime soon...
edit: I also think it's kind of funny how I use a word (radical) which can mean several things since I didn't specify... yet some people take it to mean something specific. Strange?
This comment was edited on Nov 5, 2008, 02:42.