Debate Score:	15
Arguments:	14
Total Votes:	20
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should the government limit the profits oil companies make?

yes Side Score: 7		no Side Score: 8
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MisterGuy (2)

1 point

Yes, the old Windfall Profits Tax on oil companies took in a lot of money, and it had ZERO negative effect on either oil prices OR oil production. We need to move our energy consumption away from oil and onto more sustainable, renewable, infinite sources of energy.

10 days ago | Tagged As: yes

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gunman (93)

1 point

If the US government really wants to increase production and technology locally, there should be no profit limitations. Oil companies take that profit and reinvest it in research and development, which helps reduce our foreign oil dependence. There is no real reason to limit profit on any business, other than bowing to the masses who think it's unreasonable to be successful. If the government wanted tax revenue, then tax, but extremely high tax rates and profit limitations hinder innovation.

438 days ago | Tagged As: No

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MisterGuy (2) Disputed

1 point

"If the US government really wants to increase production"

I don't think that increasing U.S. oil production should be the goal at all, since the USA has NEVER been able to produce enough oil to satisfy anywhere near the amount of oil that we consume now on a daily basis.

"Oil companies take that profit and reinvest it in research and development, which helps reduce our foreign oil dependence."

Really?? We've had record oil company profits recently, and our dependence on foreign oil is at an all-time high!

10 days ago | Tagged As: yes

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ashapoluza (6)

0 points

oil companies paid $5.6 billion dollars in royalties to the u.s. government last year. do they really need a limit on the money they make when the government is already taking a huge chunk of their revenues already.

439 days ago | Tagged As: No

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ThePyg (3123)

0 points

idk, should the government limit the profits little sally makes on her lemonade stand if she all of a sudden started making record profits in lemonade?

"ZOMG, YOU MAKE TOO MUCH MONEY, I'M GONNA STOP YOU FROM DOING THAT BECAUSE DATS NOT FAIR!!!"

438 days ago | Tagged As: No

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MisterGuy (2) Disputed

1 point

This is a strawman argument. No one is arguing for a cap on the amount of profit that ALL businesses make, period.

10 days ago | Tagged As: yes

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ThePyg (3123) Disputed

0 points

I was merely counting with a similar question. Why does one business get raped by the government while the other doesn't? Just because one is more successful? Or is it because they sell that Demon Oil that so many people seem to hate?

9 days ago | Tagged As: No

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MisterGuy (2) Disputed

1 point

"Why does one business get raped by the government while the other doesn't? Just because one is more successful? Or is it because they sell that Demon Oil that so many people seem to hate?"

LOL...no one is getting "raped" by the govt., and it's simply not in the long-term interest of the USA to stay "addicted to oil" (GWB's words, not mine) for much longer.

9 days ago | Tagged As: yes

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ThePyg (3123) Disputed

0 points

Nothing's in long term interest except for technological advances.

and who gives a shit what GWB has to say?

and yes, limiting profit would be government rape.

9 days ago | Tagged As: No

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MisterGuy (2) Disputed

1 point

"Nothing's in long term interest except for technological advances"

...that get us off of our collective oil kick.

"and who gives a shit what GWB has to say?"

Hey, he's an oil man himself. When you've got big-time oil men like him & T. Boone Pickens saying that we need to get off of oil, one that is smart would take notice.

"and yes, limiting profit would be government rape"

...in the mind of a far Right-winger that is.

9 days ago | Tagged As: yes

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ThePyg (3123) Disputed

1 point

1. Exactly, we need to be independent of oil since it is a non-renewable resource. I've been saying this since the beginning.

2. Yes, he said it's not good for long term... what does this have to do with limiting profits? Once again, who gives a fuck what GWB says?

3. Far Right-Wing to be in favor of non-interfering government? That's actually the basis of OUR FOUNDING FATHERS. I'm pretty sure that none of them were Far-Right Wing. They were basically Libertarians. Ask any libertarian if they're far right wing.

9 days ago | Tagged As: No

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MisterGuy (2) Disputed

1 point

"Yes, he said it's not good for long term... what does this have to do with limiting profits?"

It makes no sense for the public to be subsidizing & coddling Big Oil to continue to do what they are doing now...burning through a finite resource at an alarming pace. I don't have any problem at all with taxing forms of energy (like oil, coal, nuclear) that are not in the long-term public good much more heavily than other forms of energy (like solar, wind, hydro, etc.).

"Far Right-Wing to be in favor of non-interfering government? That's actually the basis of OUR FOUNDING FATHERS."

No, it really wasn't. The idea that our govt. should have as little to do with public policy as possible is a purely modern form of "conservatism". One that I completely reject BTW.

8 days ago | Tagged As: yes

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ThePyg (3123) Disputed

1 point

What you call modern Conservatism is also considered traditional Liberalism.

And, liberals are also in favor of non-interfering government. You know, drugs, big brother, prostitution, gambling, gay marriage.

To say that only Conservatives believe in small government is retarded. I believe in small government in the tradition of the founding fathers. Libertarianism is the closest ideology to Constitutionalism.

The Constitution is all about how the government can not interfere with the rights of the people. These rights include private social lives (liberal) and private property (conservative).

5 days ago | Tagged As: No

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