Bolding mine. Since an argument could be made that people shouldn't have bought more house then they could afford (and divulge into a predatory lending discussion) I'd change it to buying groceries or paying utiltiies and driving to work.

Let's say that oil companies decided to completely cut out their profit on gas. Completely. That's about 9 cents/gallon. I recall that the possible elimination of the gas taxes for the summer was laughed at because it would make no real impact, but that would have been something like 24 cents/gallon, if I recall the numbers correctly.

If 24 cents/gallon would make no real impact, then what impact does 9 cents/gallon make? No real impact at all.

The oil companies are nothing but a scapegoat.

Yes, I know that. I just don't see how it is particularly relevant. And overt government attempts to cap gasoline prices will not work. A windfall tax in an environment of unchanged demand -- and the US market is an increasingly smaller portion of global demand -- will just raise gasoline prices. A cap on profits will just cause companies to stop selling gas once they've maxed out for the year.

I have no problem with oil companies raping us from both ends. I just want to stop subsidizing them for the privilege.

Your economics are right on, Alex, but I don't think we're being raped at all. 9 cents/gallon isn't a huge profit margin.

Why does it have to be either/or? Why not sell the bread at a reasonable rate? Say 20% above the pre flood price. Or better yet… donate the bread and get free publicity and tons of good will. Assuming a normal price of $4 a loaf $20 would be a 400% mark-up! That’s not making a decent profit, that’s obscene greed!

Agreed, JW. It is greed. But which is better? The people without food or paying $20?

See, the problem I have with your metaphor, scaeagles, is that it doesn't take into account the subsidies that the bread supplier already got the year before, and the press that would undoubtedly raise the public cry against the supplier who would be pummeled on TV - 24 hours a day (until a sexier story comes up).

Again I ask, why does it have to be either/or?

ETA:

I think this shows the basic difference between two types of people in this world – those who see disaster, and instinctively think of helping other people; and those who see disaster, and instinctively think of helping only themselves. It would never cross my mind to reap horrendous profit from the misery of others. If I had owned that bread company, I would unhesitatingly donate my bread to help others in trouble. I guess that puts me in the former category.

I also think that I wouldn’t want much to do with those who fall in the later category.

It doesn't. But sometimes it is. So which is better?

And the analogy, of course, is completely ridiculous. Because the oil companies make nothing near that rate of profit. I'd have to check, but I think well over 100 companies on the fortune 500 have higher profit margins that Exxon.

Public perception is that they are. And public perception can be a fickle bitch.