Actually, it was somewhat.

In 1865, the price of kerosene was 58 cents/gallon and Standard oil had almost no share of the market. By 1870, Standard Oil had a 4% share of the market and kerosene prices were at 26cents/gallon. In 1880, Standard had a 90% share of the market. Kerosene prices were now at 9cents a gallon. After a decade of 90% market share, kerosene prices were down to 7cents/gallon.

Why? Efficiency.

Rockefeller did such things as purchasing entire forests so he could make his own barrels. The result is a barrel price drop from $3 to $1. Rockefeller also offered guaranteed daily traffic to the railroads using Standard-owned cars, loaded and unloaded in Standard owned facilities. The result was a lowering of transport costs from $900k per trip to $300k per trip.

When it came to take-overs of competitors, Rockefeller opened the books and made a reasonable offer as he wanted talent and assets. If they refused, then he would start undercutting on price (while still turning a profit).

Now Standard Oil wasn't broken up until 1911, but due to competitors copying Rockefellers methods, its market share was at 65% and falling. Standard Oil didn't stop competition, it only forced them to become better.

Corrected for you...

Political parties in favor of ethanol subsidies and mandates: Democrat, Republican (establishment)
Political parties opposed to ethanol subsidies and mandates: Green, Libertarian, Republican (tea partiers)

Thats how it is a lot of places. But the mix of gas between one brand and another is what ends up at the independent gas stations.

You do realize that after the Ewoks killed the stormtroopers, they ate the stormtroopers (like they were going to do to Han/Luke/etc)???

Umm.....Chekov wasn't in the show until season 2....

The proper viewing order is
4 - A New Hope
5 - Empire Strikes Back
2 - Attack of the Clones
The Clone Wars tv series
3 - Revenge of the Sith
6 - Return of the Jedi

Why?

First off, in this order Phantom Menace is unneeded (think about it). Without Ep1, Jar Jar is a slightly annoying background character. We first meet Anakin and Padme when they are proper ages. And none of that midichlorine crap. Now when Empire ends in the cliff hanger, we go right into the entire back story of Darth Vadar. The emperor, who's shown only a little in Empire, is properly revealed.

The Clone Wars series, after a rough first season, expands on the jedi we see killed due to Order 66. The Clone Wars gives Revenge of the Sith the emotional gravitas it was missing. Finally, seeing the backstory of Vadar right before Return of the Jedi makes RotJ a better film.

Are their plot holes still? Yea (r2d2 w/ jets, Padme mentioning her mother, etc). But it just works.

In NYC, that medallion will cost you over $1million. Figuring that there are only 10-20% more medallions now (~13,500) in NYC then in the 1930s, you can see that supply has artificially been restricted.

Here is the simplest interpretation of the 2nd amendment which even left wingers like your self can understand.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?...

That whole 70year pre-pay is bullshit. How about reading a few facts from the Congressional Research Service -

        "The confusion over 75 years may be due to an "accounting" and not an "actuarial or funding" issue. They only have to fund the future liability of their current or former workforce. This would include some actuarial estimate about the mortality rates of their current workers (I.e. how long they live). So a 25 year old worker would have an average life expectancy (from birth) of 78.7 years. Thus, they would have to project future retiree health benefits for this individual up to about 54 years in the future.

        But for accounting purposes they must estimate the future liability over a 75 year period (according to OPM financial accounting guidelines). In this case, they would make some assumptions about new entrants into the workforce and addresses your second question.

        Theoretically, these new entrants could include someone who is not born yet. While they have to account for these future liabilities on their financial statements they do not have to fund them if they are not related to their current or former workforce."

If corporations are not people, then they cannot be greedy (as greed is a human vice)....

I stand corrected....this crook is a Republican. He needs to be kicked out of the party and ostracized.

What part of the constitution is the right attacking?

Its the left who attacks the 1st amendment via free speech zones and wanting to limit who is considered a reporter. Its the left who has limited the 4th amendment with there militarization of local police forces. Its the left who has attacked the 10th amendment via increasing the power of the fed over the states.

Yea, the right has some serious issues, but more and more people on the right are seeing the results and moving back towards the constitution.

Oh, and Jim Ardis was re-elected with 91% of the vote in Peoria ILLINOIS. Hint....he's a DEMOCRAT.

California is only gaining population due to immigration from outside the US. You need to figure that those immigrants are lower educated, lower income people who are a net-drain on the system (for the first generation, not for the second+).

Then move to the east bay. You can find decent family housing with good schools in Castro Valley for under 600k.

Blah Blah Blah Fox News Blah Blah Blah.

How about responding to the substance?