Not sure what you mean by that.

The you misunderstood me. I was only pointing out that given that we're already exporting some of the gasoline we make here, it didn't seem to me that adding more supply was the answer. Given your info about exports to the Caribbean and the relative level of those exports, that fact might not be as important as I had assumed it to be. In any event though, I never said I didn't want more refining jobs. I never said I didn't want us to export that gasoline. I'd be super happy if we could build more refineries and create more jobs, assuming there is the capacity for it. I just don't think it would lower oil prices the same way that controlling the futures market would. And lowering oil prices would mean more money in our economy spent on things other than gas, which would mean more jobs for EVERYONE.

Heartland has NOT denied the authenticity of the document referencing the Koch brothers. The only legitimate beef with the story is that they did not make it explicit that the Koch donation went to health issues, not climate science.

No I get all of that. What I'm wondering is why you would assume that I'd prefer that jobs went outside the country. All I'm saying is that speculation is having an impact on oil prices, and we can't drill our way out of our energy problem. How that translates into me not wanting americans to have jobs is the part that confuses me.

Where are you getting that from? All I'm saying is that speculation is raising prices. It's not like I'm a gay communist :)

No, I know that speculators don't win all the time. And I definitely agree that speculators make their bets based on a huge amount of data and analysis. More like counting cards at blackjack than playing roulette. But all of that misses the point. The point is that it raises prices higher than they should be. The net effect is lower prices? Are you telling me that without speculation oil prices would be even HIGHER than they otherwise would be? Think of it this way: by placing contracts for oil that they never intend to actually purchase, speculators are injecting a huge amount of false demand into the economic equation. So prices go up.

I know, me and the gay communists just don't know what to do with ourselves!

No, I actually comment here pretty often, and on substantive issues. It's just when I see someone use the term "Gay Communist" in regards to an issue that as far as I can tell has nothing to do with a gay communist, I can't help but have a little fun with it.

That might be true, but it's undeniable that supply is up and demand is down in the US. Basic economics should dictate that prices should go down, but they're not. And I don't deny that commodities futures markets have huge economic benefits for purchasers of commodities, and we need to preserve those. The problem is the people who take out futures contracts but NEVER actually buy the commodity (think Goldman Sachs). They're just placing bets in a casino, and we pay the bill. I'd like to see rules requiring you to actually be a purchaser of a commodity before you can take out a futures contract on it.

The gay communists are everywhere! Look out!