100LL is $8.16 in MD - Airshow season should be interesting

[agent86]

does anybody remember a friendly company named Enron.?

Thank you. Look, this isn't about whining or bitching, it's about calling an Enron an
Enron when you see one! Sure big oil and global banks have the upper hand.
I suppose I'm wasting my time posting here saying "Look, it's another Enron".

We go to the voting booth and (hopefully) cast our votes based upon our
principles / convictions. When elected government represenatives cease
to represent us (in favour of the aforementioned "upper-hand" entities),
we use whatever process we can to attempt to effect change. That's it.

So I could stick my head in the sand and hope it just fixes itself, or I write
to my elected representatives (which I do frequently), call a spade a spade
when I see one and throw my 2 cents in when someone says the system is
fine and it doesn't need fixing.

I've said my piece and realize I won't be changing any minds here....

Bye!

I hope you realize my Enron post was on your side of this bs

[snj-5]

I hope you realize my Enron post was on your side of this bs

I did realize that, thanks again agent86!

[JDK]

FWIW, I don't see any 'sides' in the discussion.

I just, after Randy, brought a bigger picture to the discussion, and extending the courtesy of listening and valuing other views. I don't see anything wrong with what's on the table.

Warbird operations are certainly affected by fuel prices. Just not as fundamentally as some believe, who're driven by personal financial pain.

Enron was a corrupt product of a capitalist system (like the corrupt products of other political and financial systems need those conditions to develop). The factors of what people can get away with and the market will bear always apply - then, there, and now. Meanwhile certainly writing to your rep. is a valid thing to do.

And to counter any international smugness, personally, I've noticed that everywhere I've lived (UK, Canada, Australia, Italy) people always bitch about fuel prices going up - the bitching's always about the same level, whatever the prices under discussion, and then 'normal' reappears, awaiting the next round.

Regards,

[Randy Haskin]

I'm certainly not arguing that all is pure and well intentioned in big business. I'm not sure what saying "remember Enron" has to do with the discussion, but I assume that you're trying to show evidence that "big business" is about greed and trying to make money illegitimately off the backs of the consumer.

Yes, there are morally and ethically corrupt companies out there. Some of them are probably energy companies. Enron did indeed artificially jack up energy prices for consumers, yes (along with a host of other unethical activities that, by my measure, were significantly worse than manipulating energy supply to make more money).

Unfortunately, making such a broad sideswipe statement isn't an argument, any more than "Obama is the President" is sufficient to show there is no racism in America. One energy company that was so morally corrupt isn't evidence that they all are...or even evidence that any other company is. It certainly isn't evidence that the entire system is corrupt and conspiring to rip off the consumer.

The price of EVERYTHING is relative. Speaking in terms of philosophy, there is no objective "fair" price for anything, anywhere in the world.

I agree that I'd rather not pay $3.50/gallon for fuel, and I wish there was some way I could get it for just the price of making it and getting it to market without all of the commodities speculators inputs to the price.

I'd also rather not have to pay $2 million for a P-51 or $130,000 for a T-6...but that's the value that the market has currently set, so that's what they cost. All of those evil warbird owners are just greedy, they are artificially jacking up the prices of their airplanes. That's not what THEY paid for the airplanes, so why would they artificially raise the price when it's time for them to sell??