You have to ask yourself what all the trash talking about Hugo Chavez is all about. Why is it the wealthy and powerful in the US hate the man so much? While Pat Robertson may not be directly involved in politics, you can bet he has connections. Why else would he have made the comment he made? The answer to that question is elementary. Rich and powerful people despise anyone who threatens their power or influence. marketjunction, suppose you were the head of a huge oil company like Exxon who has a lot of influence within the Bush administration. Lets say you're merrily making billions per year from the increasing price of oil. All of a sudden, the president of Venezuela starts selling oil to citizens of the country you're based in cheaper than you're selling to them. It won't be long before you start losing profits, right? Well, since you have influence with the Bush Administration, what would stop you from lobbying to have Mr. Chavez removed so that he wouldn't threaten your oil profits? Does it make more sense now? They want Chavez dead because he is a threat to their power and wealth. Any American who doesn't want to get oil for cheap, no matter where it comes from, is a complete fool.
Would you consider Citgo to be a big oil company? The oil was provided to low income families in Massachusetts via Citgo. By the way, this action was done with the full approval of representatives of the United States.
I wonder how much gas prices would go up in the US if ole hugo cut us off and just sold all their oil to china
To sum up my ideology in a nutshell, I would have to say that I'm a civil libertarian. I don't care about fake left/right fighting between democrats and republicans. I hate cronyism and corporatism. I care about freedom, and only freedom. Anything that anyone does to infringe on the freedoms of others is wrong. This includes big corporations, governments, and individuals. I believe in the Constitution, since that document is what gives us our liberties. Government in my opinion is supposed to be weak and decentralized, not strong and centralized. The ultimate power is supposed to lie in the hands of the people. The people, not the president, decide when wars should be fought. The people, not the president, decide when laws should be passed. Each state should have its own militia, and the US military should be separated from the police at all times. While I support trade among countries, I believe in Isolationism. I believe the US should isolate itself from the political affairs of other nations and focus on taking care of its own people. The US is supposed to be a Republic, not an Empire. Rome was a republic at first, but later became an empire. When Rome became an empire, Rome fell. Citgo is a fairly large company, but I'm not against all big companies. Just those that use their power and influence to get favors from elected officials. Citgo is doing a good thing if they're providing oil to low income families.
Not too much. We get about 14% of our oil from Venezuela and there are other sources to make up for this. Also, this is not an option for Chavez due to the fact that Venezuelan oil is heavier and the United States is currently the only place it can be refined. Furthermore, it's not just a matter of selling, you have to transport it as well. The end result would actually be a devastating blow to the Venezuelan economy. The logistics just aren't there for that move.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/4123465.stm It appears they are already selling some if it to china, apperently no one told the chinese that it can only refined in the US
Where in that articles does it say that China is buying CRUDE oil? There's a process that goes from extraction >> refinement >> finished product. The article talked about China buying the refined product and possibly taking part in some extraction activities. The refinement process was not discussed.