While we often think of Westport businesses as either “mom-and-pop” or “big huge chains,” the dichotomy is often far less stark.
Take the self-serve gas station next to Barnes & Noble, for example.
I always thought it was “Mobil.”
The other day though, it looked spiffier than usual. There wasn’t the usual mess outside; indoors, the counter was clean.
Turns out Mobil — the international conglomerate — has taken over the station, from its independent owners.
The changes are more than cosmetic. According to the manager, gas prices have dropped over 30 cents.
And, he promises, the station won’t run out of fuel, as it often did in the past.
Far be it from me to get all gushy over an international gas conglomerate.
On the other hand, I’m likin’ those prices…
Exxon took over Mobil in 1998. It is a non-entity. Perhaps they didn’t get the word here???
Exxon Mobil’s CEO was paid $29 million total compensation in 2010.
I guess the “price drop” makes it OK that we make a little less.
Enjoy it while you can, and never, ever believe that it’s well-intentioned.
Ray will be needing a raise, and his share of those 2011 profits — 41% as of July 28.
Just sayin’.
So what? Were you forced to pay his compensation? On the other hand we were all forced to pay $525,000,000 to a bankrupt solar energy compnay. Just sayin’.
U’s don’t take into consideration the subsidy, Anon.
Who chose to supply the “subsidy”?
Congress
That 525 mil paid to Solyndra is a laughably small sum of money compared to that which was paid to auto companies, oil and gas companies, defense contractors, and the like.
The only way you get innovative technology is by investing in R and D (ie more efficient and affordable solar panels). It’s funny how everyone who is upset about the 500 million lost in Solyndra doesn’t raise an eyebrow when we throw billions at other companies (oil and not oil)
How do we “throw money” at oil companies? Just askin”.
My bad. I actually meant the government, not we
Howm does the government throw money at oil companies?
Letting people keep what they earn is not a subsidy. Sending failing solar copmpanies with WH connections taxpayer dollars is a subsidy. Big difference.
The oil industry also gets 10 billion from the government a year. I wonder if Ray gets a piece of that???????????????????????????????? Just complainin’.
I Love my “XOM” Stock!!!
God Bless All Of You That Buy Exxon/Mobil Gasoline!!
Let ’em eat cake!
Indeed, bought that Exxon at 37$. Fill up that gas guzzler!!
If you had bought gas/oil stock when “W” was elected, you would have tripled your money. And now they want another Texas governor in the White House?
The price of gasoline is higher now that it was in January of 2009. It will go higher if and when there is an economic recovery.
That is okay. I own the stock and like my bike.
GasBuddy on my Droid phone says that yesterday the Mobil station had regular gas for $3.79 as did BP on the Post Road at Maple, but the consistently lowest station in Westport (Gulf at Hillspoint, where Cumberland Farms is) was $3.73 with no extra charge for credit cards. GasBuddy says that Sunoco opposite the Playhouse is the same, although sometimes they charge more for credit cards. If Mobil came down 30 cents, how much was it gouging Westporters previously?
It seems the big evil corporation is on the people’s side after all! How about that?!
FYI – There is lot more going on with Solyndra then investing in green tech and not succeeding. The whole set up, from business model, to fund raiser kickbacks, to having said Obama donor first in line from the bankruptcy instead of the taxpayer, to a sweetheart interest rate with favorable terms that even the DOE said they had NEVER seen before, this and a whole lot more. Which is why the WH (Obama) is blocking the WH visitor’s log, which a Judge has already said falls under the FOIA (so much for the ‘most transparent administration’ and ‘draining the swap’)?
Oh, and for the record, the Bush administration flat turned down Solyndra due its poor business model. Turns out they were trying to hawk solar panels at $5.00 when the competition is already selling theirs at 50 cents. Yeah that ain’t going to work…you can’t even make it up on volume!
On the plus side, did you see their building?! Nothing but the best baby!…when it’s OPM!
But that’s all small potatoes compared to ‘Fast & Furious’. With F&F people died, American agents and Mexican citizens, and who knows how many other violent crimes due to this sick plan.
Maybe, John, but I thought the plan was initiated on “W”‘s watch. And you forget the bailout of the auto industry, that Mitt and the GOP boys boo-whoed in 2008, which saved 1.4 million jobs and 95 mililion worth of personal income to employees.
Dude, The plan was pitched to Bush & co., but was ‘Denied’.
No, I didn’t forget the bailout of the auto industry, aka, union payoffs. I was ALWAYS against it! I called my Rep, the WH and both of my Senators to voice my concern and opposition. Of course the fix was in and that was that.
Another little tidbit, the banks have paid back their loans with interest, except AIG, and the auto companies have not and the taxpayer is poised to loose Billions!! If anything the OWS flea party should protest Government Motors, the WH and Capital Hill.
Exit question – Why does the OWS pajama party protest Wall St., when Obama received the largest political contributions in history from Wall St., yet they still support him with all his inside Wall St. cronyism? i.e., Orszag, Rattner, Summers, Geithner…
Yet they stormed the house of John Paulson, who bet AGAINST the sub-prime mess and made billions in the process (God Bless him).
Flea party….I love that!
No private enterprise should be bailed out with public monies, unless the government directly brought about the financial distress. The auto companies should have been allowed to sink. They still might sink as might the banks.
Theoretically, you may be right but bailouts have occurred and will continue to occur for whatever reasons. They have become SOP for the government and in many cases, have worked to the betterment of job holders and the corporations they have sought to assist.
Bailouts have not worked for the economy as a whole because bailouts tend to lock scarce resources into poor applications. The efficiency of the economy as a whole is impaired by keeping failing industries afloat. The buggy whip industry would have an office on K Street if there were still a buggy whip imdustry to speak of.
Chrylser in ’81 helped rebound the economy under Reagan. What you say?
I don’t think so. The Chrysler bailout was in 1979 well before the start of the Regan recovery. If GM and Chrysler had been allowed to declare bankruptcy, they might have been in better share than they are now. The problem has been pushed forward.
Plus it was structured differently. It was a loan in ’81 which was paid back ahead of schedule and not an ongoing bailout with a surgical bankruptcy that benefited union bosses and members at the expense of investors.
Apples and oranges to say the least, but nice try Dude trying to make a moral comparison between Reagan and Obama.
Hard to do that, John, with the Iran-Contra deal still fresh in my mind. I think Reagan has been glorified for no good reason. Not a huge Obama fan but he is a work in progress. Whether our good friend Anon is correct or not on Economics-Bailouts 101, the most recent bail saved some jobs at a critical juncture in our recession.
It ‘saved’ some jobs (read: union jobs) temporarily, which was nothing more than kicking the can down the road as towns begin to layoff today instead of yesterday.
Many economists believe this cost us trillions and prolonged the recession, or whatever it is we’re in now, had we made those tough decisions then, we would be on the road to a real sustainable recovery.
The GM jobs were “saved” at the expense of other jobs in the private sector. The funds Obama sent to GM were taken from the private sector; there is no toothfairy.
The bailout came from tax revenues. Whose to say that money would have gone to other jobs in the private sector?? They might have gone to the military.
Either way taxes are a drag on the private sector. Maybe that’s why we have the slowest economic recovery since the Great Depression. At this rate, we will never get that driving range.
Well the 9-9-9 is no good on the poor. What you think about a VAT tax??
Not that the accounting lobby is gonna let anybody change the current code.
VAT is OK if you first eliminate the income tax.
How about the fact 47% pay NO income tax and many of those actually get a refund (?!).
How is that fair, as the dems and left cry ‘the rich don’t pay their fair share’?
You want to make it fair, then everyone should have skin in the game and pay something.
I like the idea of the ‘fair tax’.
Obama just sent 100 troops to Uganda. He is killing people in maybe a dozen countries without any formal declaration of war or congressional approval. There are still troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. The US government is killing US citizens without due process. Gitmo is open still. Without making any reference to the state of the economy; I think the “work in progress” has made it quite clear what he is.
And Romney wants 100,000 more troops for the Mideast. Choice of two evils. I choose the guy who got Osama.
Romney is not even the nominee. Obama is killing Americans. Not much of a choice; better light one up.
Well I agree that our empirical foreign policy sucks. Note above that my prediction is Romney is winner in ’12. Obama is a lap dog for Gates, Petraus et al. He is like playing that gopher game at Chuck E.Cheese and trying to knock the continuing animals down as they pop up in never ending fashion.
Me thinks that the auto industry is paying it back but I agree with you that OWS should be down at the Pentagon instead of Wall Street. Will be interested to see who you Tea Partiers back in 2012??? Seem to be saying that Romney will fly but no endorsement and will keep him in his place by taking the Senate?? Or perhaps a third party which I would more than entertain although it might just put ’44 back for four more. My prediction? Romney in ’12 and Cuomo in ’16.
Yes we agree Dude.
Do we condemn the person using the drugs (TARP, etc) or the person providing the drugs (Congress)? I love a good protest and boycott as much as the next guy, but I believe they are barking up the wrong tree, if indeed their main concern is…actually I’m not sure what their issues are per se. But if it’s about Wall St. bailouts, then they should have been marching with me and the Tea Party two years ago. Wall St. is about making money, that’s what they do, however, I am opposed to publicizing the losses and privatizing the profits. Other than that, do what you do boys and make lots of it (just don’t come crying to me when the markets go against you).
I’m also strongly opposed to Stimulus packages and so-called ‘Jobs Bill’ that heavily favor unions disguised as helping Main Street that were already tried and failed miserably. And please don’t tell me how noted Nobel economist Paul Krugman says it will work this time, he’s the same one that was an economic advisor to Enron.
Although, I have a strong suspicion their gripe is with Capitalism (their words, not mine). And they want things for ‘free’ from the greedy, but don’t see the irony in that.
And not to be overlooked (although it has by the LSM), and that is the anti-Semitism that’s been spouted by some at these protest. Unlike those false claims of ‘racism’ at Tea Parties, there are many actual videos of racism at OWS parties, which have only begun a few weeks ago and the Tea Party has been going on three years and nothing from them but accusations from critics.
Link here with video:
http://www.theblaze.com/stories/another-anti-semitic-outburst-at-occupy-wall-street-%E2%80%98the-jews-control-wall-st-%E2%80%99/
Where’s Nancy Pelosi and her crocodile tears now?! LSM…chirp, chirp, chirp…
I don’t have any problems with bailouts dating back to the S&L mess that I was an active player. TARP was the right thing to do. I wish they had used the cash infusion more to make loans than they did but it was paid off. With or without the unions, the bailout of Detroit (sans Ford) was good, I think. What I have a problem with is the military industrial complex who has a continually cycle of cash infusion-bail money that is wasted on stupid wars. I missed the 60’s peacenik protests for I was in Southeast Asia but was curious to find out that much of the protests died out when they instituted the lottery draft system. The OWS movement seems misdirected and without leadership. When it comes down it aren’t such missions much about sex????? Speaking of which, I still think Nancy is hot. She is from a tough Baltimore family of politicians and has kept her party in line. Very misconstrued. Far tougher than the whiner Boner.
You lost me at, ‘…I still think Nancy is hot’, unless you’re referring to Nancy from the comic strip.
And speaking of war games, are you aware Obama is now sending troops to Central Africa?
Link:
http://michellemalkin.com/2011/10/14/friday-war-document-dump-obama-sends-troops-to-africa/
This on top of the ones he sent to Libya for ‘days or a few weeks’, WITHOUT Congresses approval or even a vote (but Bush’s war was illegal even though Congress voted a resounding ‘YES’).
Or how about the outrage over water boarding known terrorists (and getting results I might add that saved many lives), yet only crickets over killing a U.S. born citizen with a drone in a sovereign country.
So where’s the out cry, where’s the protests, where’s the hypocritical media and the left?
We both know the answer to this; if it weren’t for double standards, the left and LSM would have no standards at all.
The taxpayer bailed out GM, and GM moved its board meeting to China. Makes sense? GM has claimed that its US operations do not make a profit. OK, so what has changed? Looks like the GM bailout was just pork.
Wheew!! Still can’t get over that Nancy comment!
I can only imagine what’s going on over at the Dude’s abode on a Saturday night for him to publicly declare his attraction to her…must be some good times!
It must be the pearls!! LOL or the new blend of cannabis?
Nice pearls…
Think ahead. Way ahead. What is the furure of the energy source for automobiles? For a while it will be fossil fuels. Electric( $$) will not suffice for the average owner. Look into fuel cells. Two majors makers are in the final stages of development of such a vehicle. Who has a distribution system that can be easily converted to Hydrogen. Why would a major take back a small but well situated station?
Natural gas is the future fuel source for cars. Much cheaper than fuel cells.