smittyoneeach's Journal: A balanced look at Keystone XL

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=51CwUAJ_qG8

Genuinely refreshing to hear a reasoned, respectful exchange of ideas, with time split for both sides to develop ideas without getting cut off by someone being rude.
The only thing new data point in all this was that the Left is chiefly using the pipeline as a rallying flag for the environmentalist base. I found the lady's argument that building the pipeline would drive up prices was completely nonsensical; if the government thought it could gain revenue with this (that is, taxes on increased gas prices), it should've long since been approved. Duh.

Who owns it?

[damn_registrars]

You only need to look at who owns the Keystone XL pipeline (or rather, who is proposing to build it). Then in your quest to justify your strange dream of it magically lowering prices you need to explain why they would want to allow it to be used to lower their long-term profits. The pipeline is proposed by the companies that own the refineries on the Gulf. Those refineries are not sitting idle; they run as close to 100% 24x7x365 as they safely can.

The companies know that they make more money by not bu

Competition

[smittyoneeach]

Competition, dude. I find myself wishing you knew something of economics.

Re:

[damn_registrars]

So you are then advocating for forcing companies to share a resource? The pipeline is not proposed as public property, it will belong to a company (or collection of companies). Who is going to force this to happen? Why don't you want to keep government out of this? Why won't you let companies maximize their own profits?

Let me pretend you're in earnest

[smittyoneeach]

So you are then advocating for forcing companies to share a resource?

Depends on the contractual obligations.

The pipeline is not proposed as public property, it will belong to a company (or collection of companies). Who is going to force this to happen?

Do you enjoy using force?

Why don't you want to keep government out of this?

Why do cars have brakes?

Why won't you let companies maximize their own profits?

When have I advocated otherwise? Competition is the negative feedback loop that curbs greed. You do H8 greed, don't you?

Re:

[damn_registrars]

So you are then advocating for forcing companies to share a resource?

Depends on the contractual obligations.

The contract is setup by and for the North American oil cartel. They have no interest in sharing their wealth with anyone else. They are in business to maximize their own profit, not to be charitable to anyone else.

The pipeline is not proposed as public property, it will belong to a company (or collection of companies). Who is going to force this to happen?

Do you enjoy using force?

In what alternate reality is that question in any way a response to the question I asked? The Keystone XL is a proposal to increase profit for a select number of companies, and the owners of it will have the right to tell all their competitors to take a hike when they ask for a slice of the

Boring

[fustakrakich]

Please, don't expect me to sit through that. Life is too short. I'll wait for the transcript.

Re:

[smittyoneeach]

I didn't accuse it of being exciting, did I?

Re:

[damn_registrars]

I'll wait for the transcript.

Everyone knows that transcripts are for liberals, academics, scientists, thinkers, and all those other scumbags that are such a drain on profit and society. The real doers in this country don't have time for that kind of jibber-jabber. If you can't afford to pay someone to make a transcript for you then you don't deserve one.