May 8, 2008

Stephen Colbert looks at the miraculous profits realized by oil companies despite their claim of the high cost of providing the oil.

icon Download icon Download (h/t Bill W)

As you can see here, 72% goes to the price of crude oil. Another 16% is eaten up by refining, distribution and service stations, and the last 12% is taken away by taxes. That is a total of 100%. That is right, Nation. Oil is a zero-profit business. [..]

And yet somehow, in 2007, Exxon/Mobil earned $1,300 a second. $1,300. Yes, that’s a lot of money, but it is an unlucky number of 100s. Nation, that means even though 100% of gasoline prices are canceled out by costs, these companies are somehow able to wring mind-bending revenue out of their not-for-profit venture. I think it’s pretty impressive.

Can you help us out?

For nearly 20 years we have been exposing Washington lies and untangling media deceit, but now Facebook is drowning us in an ocean of right wing lies. Please give a one-time or recurring donation, or buy a year's subscription for an ad-free experience. Thank you.

Discussion

We welcome relevant, respectful comments. Any comments that are sexist or in any other way deemed hateful by our staff will be deleted and constitute grounds for a ban from posting on the site. Please refer to our Terms of Service for information on our posting policy.
Mastodon