Wilsons Sandbox

Blake Sobiloff wrote:

>However my understanding of why the number of refineries decreased is >different. I don't believe it was an intentional act by some secret >cabal of cigar-smoking captains of industry. >

Right. Just as the California electricity "crisis" back in 2000-2001 wasn't an intentional act by some secret cabal of cigar-smoking captains of industry. Oh wait, it *WAS*! e.g. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/1972574.stm or http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/06/01/eveningnews/main620626.shtml and not to mention California's lawsuits... Actually, secret cabals are not necessary anyhow. There is a "trade organization" exemption to anti-trust regulations. Trade organizations regularly put out recommendations regarding policies, procedures, and trends. For example, one trade organization I'm familiar with in the shipping industry regularly puts out tariff recommendations. The members of the organization are free to ignore these "recommendations", but since those members are the ones who wrote the organization's recommendations in the first place, why would they?! If the refinery industry's trade organization recommends, in their trade magazine, that refiners shut down "marginal refineries" rather than upgrade them because of an industry-wide glut of refinery capacity, why in the world would they NOT follow their trade organization's recommendations?! That's how cabals operate in today's world: out in the open, for everybody to see. For example, when I lived in Phoenix every single apartment complex in Phoenix would not accept cats unless they've been declawed, something that I had never run into in any other city I'd ever lived in. Why? They were all members of the Arizona Multi-Housing Association (I think that's its name?) which has a magazine that all the landlords read and follow. If said magazine said that landlords should require urine samples submitted for drug analysis prior to allowing someone to rent an apartment, I bet you that75% of the aparments in Phoenix, and 99%+ of the "upmarket" apartments that are "professionally" managed by management companies on behalf of out-of-state owners, would require urine samples the following day. -E