Comments on: ExxonMobil’s earnings: The real story you won’t hear in Washington

By: Paul Gilfus

Paul Gilfus — Sun, 23 Oct 2011 09:01:54 +0000

Technology wears out, mother nature moves the ground beneath us and then what do you have? Right, a connection of stored natural gas and the water table. Aka, polluted water.

By: Paul Gilfus

Paul Gilfus — Sun, 23 Oct 2011 08:53:34 +0000

Although many of you make excellent points about taxation issues I think the main point of this article is being missed. The real point of this article is to argue that fracking is environmentally safe. The truth is it is not safe. Perhaps with all of the technology applied just right, and with “using proper well design, operating with care and following industry best practices and procedures that are all subject to regulation and government oversight”, as Ken points out, it could be safe; but in reality designs are flawed, operators rarely take care, best practices are not followed and government oversight is a unreliable and flawed. So, in theory, fracking could be safe. But the reality is very different.

Just look at the oil spill in the Gulf. Technology assured to be safe with excellent design (though they went cheap on the design and it created a fatal flaw) they followed best practices and they had government oversight. Still, we had a major oil spill that we were told couldn’t happen. It did happen. And how did the oil industry react? Well, out of sight out of mind. Right… so they used dispersants as the tool of choice and… read more »

…sent all of the oil into the water column. Essentially polluting the entire water column and sending the vast majority of the oil to the bottom of the ocean. Much like the water in your kitchen sink when you get done washing oily dishes. Do you want to eat seafood or swim in the water left after cleaning oily dishes in your kitchen sink? I think not. Fortunately, that oil would be safe compared to the than the crude oil that was deposited into the ocean contaminating the ecosystem and everything it it. So, not everything can be bought and sold. Sometimes we need to make a stand and say not here, not in our back yard. So if you want to pollute the environment on the other side of the world where you get most of your oil, I can’t stop you. But in my backyard… you are in for a fight. There are things more important than money in this world; namely, people (our children, our childrens children and their children, etc) and the environment.

p.s. if you burn up our 100 years of natural gas we won’t have any left…

By: Ken Cohen

Ken Cohen — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 19:31:14 +0000

Jonathan: ExxonMobil is a global company that is based in the United States. As a result, we pay billions of taxes each year to the U.S. government, employ more than 30,000 people in this country and provide billions in dividends to our shareholders, of which about 85 percent are located in the United States. We invest billions in capital projects in this country and around the world that spur jobs and economic growth.

By: ron landrette

ron landrette — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 18:43:29 +0000

so 6 % of your profits are made here in the US, ,and overall according to your pie chart , you made a 10% profit overall , sounds like your doing pretty well to me. if my maths right , thats 600 million exxon made in the US
in 2007 ,according to online docs , exxon employed approximately 90,000 people total doubt its that many today ,cant find how many of those jobs are actually in the US , if you divided the profits evenly , each employee would get a bonus of 111,000.00 for the year , sounds like a very profitable venture to me

By: Jonathan Lloyd

Jonathan Lloyd — Sun, 16 Oct 2011 22:33:12 +0000

Agree with everything except where you state “American businesses…” There are no American businesses–at least not if they are global in nature, and every large corporation is nowadays global. Ford, GM, GE, WalMart, Exxon…these are not American corporations. They would like us to think of them as American, but this is just a marketing ploy.

By: pam stemberg

pam stemberg — Sun, 16 Oct 2011 19:08:32 +0000

Taxes help distribute wealth. That’s the reason for them in the first place. We give to the government, govenment takes care of infrastructure, redistributes the wealth while bringing up the standard of living due to better infrastructure and more jobs. Everyone, including the greedy, shortsighted, wins.

By: pam stemberg

pam stemberg — Sun, 16 Oct 2011 19:03:27 +0000

I don’t know if they could move. There are very few industrialized nations that will support a corporation this large pay so little in taxes. I’m sorry, I lived in Europe. I know what they charge in taxes and duties. And in many other places, they would have to take the government on as a partner or perhaps nationalize.

No they have it really good over here, they just want more, because well, greed is good.

By: Robby Cannon

Robby Cannon — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 17:38:01 +0000

Poor Exxon, thank you for your charity.
I’d feel terrible if you were making record profits while the rest of the planet is struggling to get by.
I’d feel terrible about you if you were making these record profits from the backs of the working class poor all over planet earth.
Thankfully you have enlightened me with this informative article what trials and tribulations you endure, and how difficult times are for you, and that record profits are just a side effect of your generosity with the rest of the planet.
I can not tell you how much I appreciate all you do, as I poor what little I have into my gas tank to make my trek to work. It sure does my heart good to know that in my own little $75.00 per fill up way, that I am helping a struggling company achieve record profits.

By: Jim Doster

Jim Doster — Mon, 10 Oct 2011 16:32:32 +0000

Mark,

Let’s see if we can put it in terms you can understand. Say you own a little mainstreet store that sells widgets. You sell 114K worth of widgets. You pay 26K in taxes. And all your other expenses equal 77K. Leaving you with a little less than 11K for your efforts at the end of the day.

Sorry, let me step a little further down for you.

You do yard work for a client and paid $114 for the job. It costs you $77 in costs for your equipment and gas. You pay $26 in taxes. You get to keep $11 You would not be happy having $11 to yourself after paying $26 in taxes, would you?

So, if Walmart or any company you call “friendly” nets 10% it is OK. My favorite is Obama calling evil insurance companies that are only making 3% net. Just because it is in the billions makes it a bad thing.

But Social Ponzi Programs like Social Security, Medicare, etc. are good. … read more »

…Fredie and Fannie had nothing to do with the housing crash. Anytime the Govt says they will back a loan, of course a private company will loan it.

I have seen some of these big bad oil companies do more for technology than how about the half a billion we lost on the solar company in CA that obama touted. Compare the jobs that money compared to say the 80K people employeed by an evil insurance company Obama hates that takes nothing from the Govt, but gives 80K jobs, pays medical claims, etc. AND makes 5% for their investors.

Wait, who are those investors? You and me in our 401K’s, etc. which as bad as it ever got still will do much more for us than the money we invested to medicare, social security, etc. But these people who say they are poor still drive nice cars, have cable and flat-screen TV’s and could invest as easily as those in the upper middle class.

Hey, tax big business more and KILL the middle class who has investments and retirement betting on them. Turn this country like many others with just two classes of people.

Common sense is lost in entitlement.

By: tim wohl

tim wohl — Sat, 08 Oct 2011 00:18:52 +0000

don’t forget the state’s, washington state has the highest gas tax in the country at 37.5 cents per gallon, and don’t forget the local taxes like city and county. they get there share also.