Any day that Exxon Mobil reports earnings inevitably turns into a bad day for capitalism. Or if not a bad day for capitalism, maybe a good day for the growing socialist tone that seems to be infecting our country. $10.4 Billion in profit this quarter - how terrible. It used to be said, “What’s good for General Motors is good for America.” Did they sell their cars at a profit??? I think things have changed and it’s more likely to hear the refrain, “What’s good for Exxon is bad for America.” Boohoo!!

The last time I checked, companies were in business to pursue profits. However, when it comes to the major oil companies, profit becomes painted as an uncaring and unAmerican ideal. I knew it was only a matter of time before Senator Dorgan got some airtime to complain, but that’s to be expected. What really bugs me is the repetitive interview with the “guy on the street” or better yet, the “guy at the gas pump.” Hearing an American say that oil company profits “make me sick ” and “how much do they need anyway?” is a sign of the times. And then come the inevitable appeals for mercy on how bad we “gas guzzlers” have it. Forget about the obligation to shareholders, these whiners have a great need to talk about oil companies’ obligations to sell gas at breakeven.

Whenever I hear these comments I wonder …… “What company do these people work for?” I am hoping they are not hypocrites and that their company tries to optimize performance for a $1 quarterly profit so that someone in this country can actually pay income taxes (even though it would only be about 25 cents.) If they actually work for profit-seeking companies, I really do hope they get a raise equivalent to their incremental cost of annual gasoline consumption. Just for fun - what would that annual raise be? According to the US EPA, the average American whiner drives 11,700 miles per year in a car that averages 21 mpg, that’s 557 gallons per year. I suggest that most Americans would not complain about $2 per gallon gas anymore. So, if the incremental “gouging” is $1 per gallon ($3 (current) minus $2 (desired) - that means that I am hoping anyone that complains about excess oil profits would get a raise of $557 per year. Any raise higher than that would really cause me to whine about their excess profits and that would also be a bad day for capitalism.