Gary asks:
> "High prices for oil and natural gas propelled Exxon Mobil
> Corp. to a $5
> billion first-quarter profit, up nearly 44 percent from a year ago.
>
> "Analysts said the oil giant's biggest problem might be what
> to do with the
> gusher of cash flowing into its coffers."
>
> And they aren't gouging the consumers?

No more than when the consumers were gouging the oil companies two years ago
when the price of gasoline was 75-80 cents/gallon.  They were losing money
at those prices but the supply was greater than the demand.  Too bad, so
sad.  While profit reports tend to make some folks angry, others read it and
say, "I'm going to get me some of that".  Sure enough, there was an article
in the Detroit Free Press recently about how many of the older oil rigs in
Michigan are starting up again because they can make some money with those
wells now.  Also, when I used to drive up I-75, I would see the wells
burning off the excess natural gas.  Guess what high profits are doing to
that gas?  They're not going to just burn it off anymore.

Then Larry Slater suggests:
>With the oil companies making all these large profits from the high
>gasoline prices, why not give the profits back to the consumers as tax
rebates?

To make the idea work, the gas stations would have to charge more than what
was posted on the sign.  Rebates would not go to the trucks or RV's because
they would be getting an unfair amount back.  The rebates would have to go
to the drivers of cars that use very little gas - maybe just the electric
cars!  Of course, you wouldn't actually get this money until the ninth or
tenth year you owned that vehicle...  Nice idea though.  ;-)

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