Windfall Profit Tax On Apple Computers
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Last year the Democrats in Congress tried to impose a "windfall" tax on oil company profits because of Exxon having 9 billion dollars in profits for one quarter. Now that the Democrats have control of Congress, will they try to impose a "windfall" profit tax on Apple? Apple had over 7 billion dollars in profits last quarter? Im predicting that they will try something similar to what they tried with Exxon.
Chicago '98, Noblesville '00, East Troy '00, Chicago '00, Champaign '03, Chicago '03, Chicago1 '06, Chicago2 '06, Milwaukee '06, Chicago1 '09, and Chicago2 '09
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Well, Exxon isnt a monopoly right? So, why not?
He's asking why you have no problem with exxon getting a windfall tax when they are not a monopoly either. He's assuming you don't have a problem with it because you didn't say that you did.
http://forums.pearljam.com/showthread.php?t=272825
Al Gore is on Apple's BOD so I'm sure he'll make some calls and get them out of it.
On the other hand Democrats will tax the shit out of anything they can so who knows...
6/30/98 Minneapolis, 10/8/00 East Troy (Brrrr!), 6/16/03 St. Paul, 6/27/06 St. Paul
http://forums.pearljam.com/showthread.php?t=272825
I find it disturbing that you find it ok for the government to raise taxes simply because you are a democrat and feel whatever they do is ok. wake up
Apple isn't price fixing, huh? What do you call iTunes?
...are those who've helped us.
Right 'round the corner could be bigger than ourselves.
i tunes is owned by apple. In order for price-fixing to take place, several companies in the same industry must be colluding to keep prices at a constant. I'm glad you decided to quote my posts tonight. I was worried I wouldn't have anyone to repeatedly correct as though they didn't understand english.
http://forums.pearljam.com/showthread.php?t=272825
Dude, high taxes is the last thing this country needs. Our government makes a SHITLOAD of money already through taxes. You should see how much of it gets wasted. If guys like Ross Perot, Jack Welch, and Steve Jobs were able to run this country like a business and cut through all the bureaucratic bullshit. We would have a giant surplus, congressmen would be held accountable, and not a single penny would be wasted on pork. Governments are the least effecient organizations on the planet. Thats why I never think communism will work, governments suck at everything.
I think you have a rather weird view of communism.
naděje umírá poslední
Doesnt the government run all businesss under communism?
Please outline why this theft is a necessary step to solve the debt issue, from which apparently we'd otherwise not recover.
The same thing could be said about the oil companies.
...are those who've helped us.
Right 'round the corner could be bigger than ourselves.
I suppose that if you could look at iPod's and Mac's as a commodity that is critical to commerce...critical in a way that petrolium products are...then we might have a real apples to apples (pardon the pun) debate here.
Thing is, Apple didn't falsely elevate the costs of making iPods and hold people hostage at the Mac stores across the company the way Exxon held people hostage at the pump. If there were...say...a silicon chip cartel that controlled who got the chips, how many they could get, and how much they would cost...I could make a case for Apple gouging the consumer.
The difference here is that Apple hedged on a technology that no one thought would corner the market, and the hedge went in their favor...THIS TIME. They did the same thing 30 years ago with their closed system architecture, and IMO it cost them the battle for marketplace dominance. They speculated that the american consumer would pay more for a better machine with a better operating system. They were wrong. People wanted computers fast and cheap, and didn't really care that DOS, or MS Windows wasn't as sexy or intuitive as Mac OS.
Had the iTunes /iPod gamble tanked the way that thier initial gamble back in the late 70's did, I hazard a guess that Apple would not be the same company that it is today. They devised a way to make their higher entry PC's a legitimate contender by appealing to the entertainment, rich-media savvy consumer.
Exxon could take some of its profits and build more refineries, better, environmentally superior refineries...infrastructure that would allow them to reduce their prices in the long run, or at least keep them constant for a longer period of time, bu t they have not. They know that they have consumers by the balls, and needlessly gouged them to take advantage of the energy crisis/Katrina. That is unscrupulous, and totally American. It's the dark underbelly of the capitalist system.
If you need an artificial heart, and I am the only game in town, I can charge you 100,000 dollars for the heart. You might not be able to pay it, but the next man will. Your loved one dies, and capitalism doesn't care.
While this might sound extreme in relation to the current topic, it is nonetheless pertinent.
old music: http://www.myspace.com/slowloader
Most of the people that say we are being "held hostage" by oil manufacturers don't understand the basic economics behind oil production and distribution. In the short term, yes, you have to pay high prices because you own a car that needs gas. But, you could move closer to your job, take public transportation, or work a second job. If you really don't want to pay high prices for gasoline, then you don't have to in the long term. There are many options.
If we were actually being held hostage by oil manufacturers, that would mean that the government required everyone to own a vehicle, work 100 miles away from their job, and public transportation was being shut down by the oil manufacturers.
As it stands, anyone who complains about oil prices is just a cheapskate. The fact is: if you are willing to pay it, then that is the price you should pay. If the oil companies know that they can raise prices and you will pay it, then they will. If they don't think you will pay it, they won't raise prices. What is the maximum amount of profit they can make - they is what they want to make.
The problem with people who favor oil regulation by the government is that they are opposed to the free market, when all American freedom comes from the free market. It is one of the only avenues of freedom left in this country.
-Enoch Powell
Wait one second, bottled water is 3x more expensive then gasoline, and ice cream is 30x more expensive. Oil has to be sucked out of the ground, shipped across the world, refined into gasoline, and shipped to stations. I think its pretty cheap. Also, to say that this is "American" is implying that the United States is the only country that is unscrupulous. That is an ignorant and dumb statement. Take a look at the countries in the United Nations and their "oil-for-food" program.
That's what I'm saying. Oil companies, not Apple, are engaged in price-fixing. Wow you must really enjoy being shown the obvious.
http://forums.pearljam.com/showthread.php?t=272825
But, when different oil companies use each other as a gauge for what to charge, then it's an abuse of the free market. In other words, the industry becomes a monopoly because the parties involved are thinking as one.
http://forums.pearljam.com/showthread.php?t=272825
Not everything.
They are good at wasting money
They are good at not having a clue
They are good at creating a shit load of paper work for the most mundane task
They are good at taxing the shit out of us
They are good at collecting a huge pay cheque yet don't want to accept resposibilty for screwing up
They are good at many more things that I am sure we do not want the to be good at
"Life Is What Happens To You When Your Busy Making Other Plans" John Lennon
How is it an ignorant and dumb statement to identify America as an unscrupulous country? Did I mention anywhere in my post that America was the ONLY unscrupulous country?
Too quick with that sniper rifle...makes you look like a horse's patoot.
old music: http://www.myspace.com/slowloader
That's a really optimistic thought. I have 100 reasons not to use oil and try to when I can. But it's sometimes impossible, living in the current world and not relying on oil means living in a hippy comunity off of self produced vegetables.
Oil manufacturers do not try anything to keep the prices stable. It may be because they lack the power to do so, or that they are just to lazy for that. But I have a more paranoid point of view. Once again relying on oil is mandatory in today's world. I don't even own a car and the prices at the pump affect my life.
I disagree with the first sentence, some of the people complaining may have low income and are particularly affected by the prices. As for the rest I agree, and disagree. I know you don't understand this but something as important as oil should not be the toy of greedy short-term seeing people. I think you hate this word, but I feel regulation could be nice. But let's say I'm far off, considering their profits for such a vital resource don't you believe these companies could use the money for r&d on trivial things such as the envrionment, effective refining and cutting the depency on oil? (Wich would profit to these companies in the long run).
And I thought you worshipped the freedom you have in America.
But first of all, in some countries freedom comes from the constitution. But you're right I'm in favor for oil regulation and I think free market should be regulated as well.
'Windfall" tax? What the fuck is that supposed to be!?!?!
Bunch of fuckin' thieves......each and every one of them!
Nothing like a bunch of blood (cash) sucking parasites drawn to a prey, by the smell of success (high profits).
Americans need to wake the fuck up and squash this kind of theft.
It's no just the Left. The Right has their own crosses to bear. They are no better.
They are all thieves. Every single one of them.
As a liberal that believes in taxing and government (in theory anyway), I am baffled that the government could have a "windfall tax" on a company that makes too much profit. If they make more profit, their percentage should dictate that they pay more money. It just does not make sense to add to it.
It's weird. Prices change on all sorts of products (albeit, not as volatally as on gasoline). And people that usually have at least some comfort in the market start to think that low gasoline prices are somewhere in the constitution. The fact that the oil companies are making big profit when they are charging a lot is not because of anything "shady" it's economics 101--supply and demand. Demand in this case. If they raise the prices and we keep buying it, why the hell would they lower them just because the production price goes down? Want to drop the price of gasoline? Drop your consumption (particularly when the price goes to high for your liking). The reason we are "slaves to oil" is because we (as individuals and society) have made a series of choices that led us to complete auto dependance. Move away from that. Think about your driving behaivors. Do you "trip chain" or make extra trips home between errands? Do you walk or drive to a destination 4 blocks away? Do you drive somewhere for lunch during work? What kind of vehicle do you drive. How far from work do you live? Do you drive your kids to school when the bus could pick them up down the street? Can you name the bus route that comes closest to your home? I know you don't have control over certain of these things, but some of it is our complete obediance to "convenience."
Then I always hear "yeah, but gas is important to the economy." No shit. So are all products.
I don't like oil companies. The best way to stick it to them is to make sure to minimize how much you patronize them.
This is where I (inevitably) fall off of CorporteWhore's bandwagon. As much as I agree with him on this oil debate, I also belive that the market fails and that it must at times, be intervened upon. Public schools, pollution laws, the military and the US interstate highway system are all interventions on market flaws. I am very comfortable with those and some others. For example, it is dangerous to allow the market to sift out meat producers that sell danerous meat just to save you a buck--Hence USDA regs. But to just fix the price of gasoline because we want our cheap gas and lazy lifestyle is an unneeded and couterproductive market intervention.
EDIT: I love public transportation, a gas-saving device mentioned by CorpWhore. But CorpWhore, keep in mind that the bus system is created by the government. The market could never support it. Is the bus system not contrary to "one of the only avenues of freedom left in this country?" Just something to think about.
They go to the same colleges.
They are memebers of the same elitist clubs.
They are members of the same secret societies.
They have the same goals.
The Politics.....The System ....The Media of this country (and arguably) of this World.......it's all set up to divide the people of this country (of this world). Not unite.
United we are strong. Divided we are vulnerable.
It may sound hokey to some people, but I believe it's the truth.
These rich corporate fuckers, the Politicians; they want us divided, bickering and untrusting of each other as individuals and as citizens.
Peddling biased, partisan myths based on self-interest and greed-which creates the choosing of sides and loyalty to one side or the other. It creates bickering and conflict.
Sort of like a sporting event where the viewers pick a team (or one side).
An united populous is a dangerous thing to these fuckers. An united populous which communicates with each other, trusts each other and discusses issues, as opposed to partisan loyalties; is an enlightened populous.
These fuckers don't want that.
Maybe one day, we will show these fuckers that the majority of us won't be lured into their charade.