Is anybody still boycotting Citgo?

[Kestas]

Is there an expiration date on the boycott?
I remember when people boycotted Exxon after the Valdez debacle.
I don't think people much liked BP after the Gulf disaster.
There are many reasons to hate the oil companies.

 

[Shannow]

Originally Posted By: Nayov

Maybe we should just bomb Venezuela. That'll teach 'em!


At least until they start trading only in greenbacks for oil...

At that point, they can stone teenage girls, cut heads off their populace, and amputate hands for crime to their heart's content, and be one of the good guys.

 

[A_Harman]

Originally Posted By: Andy636
Interesting how people over here hate communism with a passion, but let me ask you this: how many of you have ever lived under communism ?

Let me tell you what the difference is between communism and capitalism from my perspective - a man who lived in both

-In communism you get screwed by the system
-In capitalism you get screwed by the people with $$$


I work with an engineer from Romania. He doesn't mourn Ceaucescu at all.

 

[DragRace]

 

[JHZR2]

I ten to avoid buying from them, and havent in many years, though it isnt an outright bocott. I was not a fan of Chavez, but Im not a fan of many of the world leaders, so that's no quite enough. It does bother me that th company is to at least some extent, NOT an American company, but somewhat nationalized in Venezuela in a manner that I dont understand.

What got to me was the commercials on the radio a few years back by Citgo about how Americans can't afford their heating oil, and how Citgo and the good people of Venezuela were sending lots of free oil to help. It just struck me as a big propaganda push without enough truth to it, so it seemed slimy. Between that and my lack of understanding on the Venezuela nationalization bit, I decided to not buy Citgo.

There are lots around, and they are about the cheapest, but not the cheapest all the time or under all conditions, so it really doesnt bother me. Citgo doesnt operate any refineries in the area, and if the refineries are buying Venezualan crude, there isnt much I can do about that.

So I tend to avoid but that's about it. The do claim to have some new add pack in their gas though...

 

[daves87rs]

I never have, but do not buy their gas because it sucks!At least locally, anyways....

 

[HTSS_TR]

Couple years ago a brand new 7-11 opened at a busy corner across 76 with new building and new 16 pumps with Citgo sign. They had a lot of freebees the opening week so that they have many customers, after that week almost no one at the pumps even they sold all grades at 10-12 cents lower than 76 station across the corner, and parking lot virtually empty most of the time when I passed through, no one even wants to get into 7-11 building.

Few months later they removed the Citgo sign and start getting customers, at the very least 6-10 vehicles were pumping gas, because it was 3-4 cents lower than 76 station and no Citgo sign.

 

[PandaBear]

Originally Posted By: jcwit
Originally Posted By: PandaBear
Originally Posted By: A_Harman
I still boycott Citgo, even though Chavez is gone.
The money still goes to supporting the Communist regime in Venezuela where they are restricting freedom of speech and have confiscated private property.


Every oil company has blood on its hands when extracting oil out of non developed nations. It is just a sad and dirty part of the business.


But doesn't mean one needs to support the worst of the worst.


They are no where close to the worst of the worst. That's some serious bull.

Russia did far worse by invading Georgia, African did way worst with genocide, Middle East with terrorism and nuclear weapon development.

Chavez only nationalize its own oil business, far better than really starting a war or 2, and is only worse than puppet states dictators that stole oil profits from the citizen with foreign military backing and their own military crackdown.

 

[PandaBear]

Originally Posted By: J. A. Rizzo
But you're supporting Citgo whether you know it or not, and boycotting the station that says Citgo on it doesn't mean you're even avoiding buying a Venezuelan product. Any petroleum you buy from anywhere could be Citgo product. Next week they could kick off a huge PR campaign to fool people into thinking Citgo was now an American company by a different name, and people would go back. I still maintain that a boycott accomplishes absolutely nothing but hurting the local station owners.


Not only that, if you don't buy it someone else will, and what they didn't buy will indirectly be bought by you.

Scale that up to the international level. If we as only 1 nation boycott their oil, they will sell it to China / India / Japan and whatever China / India / Japan bought less from (say Mexico or Middle East), will be bought by us instead. In the end a zero sum game at best, and waste of fuel moving oil around the global at worst.

Now if you withdraw your expert on how to get oil out of the ground, that'll really teach them a lesson.

 

[shDK]

Actually. Both norway and denmark also have partly nationalized the oil industri. I believe the reason. Is that history has tought os that such a structural part of a nations living that oil and fuel is. Shouldt not be controlled by multinational companys with the only purpose to make money.

Does that make me or my homeland a communist?

 

[Jarlaxle]

More of a fascist, actually.

 

[gman2304]

Google fascism. You'll get your answer!

 

[Andy636]

Originally Posted By: A_Harman
Originally Posted By: Andy636
Interesting how people over here hate communism with a passion, but let me ask you this: how many of you have ever lived under communism ?

Let me tell you what the difference is between communism and capitalism from my perspective - a man who lived in both

-In communism you get screwed by the system
-In capitalism you get screwed by the people with $$$


I work with an engineer from Romania. He doesn't mourn Ceaucescu at all.


Nobody mourns him as a person but ask your buddy how long does he thinks it will take for our capitalist nation just to paint what our ex communist nation has build in 30 years...pretty sure he's going to be pretty quiet

And I do miss a couple of things from back then, school being one of them; back then you learned and learned and when you where exhausted you would learn some more...now our school system is a freaking joke and kids seem to be more and more retarded when they graduate.

The thing is that the perfect system just doesn't exists

 

[gman2304]

Andy636, It appears to me you miss the old communist way of life. Have you considered emigrating to China? Or you might consider coming to the United States Of America and trying our brand of capitalism...we'll take anybody!!!

 

[joaks]

IIRC Venezuela (CITGO?) gives free or cheap heating oil to poor Americans.

 

[gman2304]

Yeah, it was a propaganda tool used by Chavez a few years ago. We have the same giveaways in my area for people who can't afford heating they're homes in the winter. The electric co-op here also has free or low cost utilities for people in need. They're are people in Venezuela who are living in some of the worst poverty in the world.

 

[Andy636]

Originally Posted By: gman2304
Andy636, It appears to me you miss the old communist way of life. Have you considered emigrating to China? Or you might consider coming to the United States Of America and trying our brand of capitalism...we'll take anybody!!!


Thanks for the offer but I'll pass. I visited the US of A, great country for sure but most people I've met there whine and complain too much, don't appreciate what they got and are darn too politically correct for my taste as I'm more of a blunt person and I call it how I see it.

Like I said before, there is no such thing as a perfect system...just people's opinions about it.

 

[PandaBear]

Originally Posted By: gman2304
Andy636, It appears to me you miss the old communist way of life. Have you considered emigrating to China? Or you might consider coming to the United States Of America and trying our brand of capitalism...we'll take anybody!!!


China is a lot more capitalist than US in many ways, no social safety net, huge population migration from poorest (farming with only $700USD cash income per year) to poor ($500USD per month) living condition to work (and are glad to take on any overtime opportunity), minimal gov regulation and safety check, environmental regulation, and money can get around the legal system for the sake of efficiency.

I'm sure many capitalist fundamentalists in the US would be happy to live there.

 

[Propflux01]

Originally Posted By: Andy636


.......... great country for sure but most people I've met there whine and complain too much, don't appreciate what they got and are darn too politically correct for my taste as I'm more of a blunt person and I call it how I see it.


So very true.....

 

[mene]

As a Venezuelan born person with family still living there I'm appalled at most of your comments, clueless at the very least, misinformed and wrong; that is exactly how we get into wars we shouldn't fight and not get in the ones we should. Interesting that the people in Europe have a better feel of what is happening than most of the population here in the States despite the fact that it is in our doorstep and an important trade partner.