Point & Counter Point: Big Oil

...Lib: So i mean we are just helping the big rich oil companies destroy our wild life and environment.

Me: Wait, wait, wait. Big, Rich, Oil companies?

Lib: Well yeah Oil companies are just greedy and make tons of money and don't do anything to help our country-

Me: Except, ya know, provide us with gas and allow us to get from A to B.

Lib: What ever, but they are way to money concerned anyway. Now i know that you aren't as sensitive on these things, but it is outrages that the oil companies make so much in profit.

Me: Ok so how much do they make?

Lib: Well Exxon Mobile makes-

Me: Exxon Mobile, who by the way, is leading the way in natural gas innovation, just pointing that out. Alright Exxon makes...

Lib: They make about 45 billion dollars a year.

Me: Oh, i know and it's so terrible that they make so much money right?

Lib: Well that's 45 billion dollars that they just greddily pocket for themselves-

Me: ooh greedily. I'm gonna have to start using that.

Me: Ok, but what if i told you that Exxon Mobile doesn't just, pocket all of that for themselves.

In fact, here is a nice statistic for you, last year "big oil" made, yes 45.2 billion dollars, yet of that their profit margin of that, was only 9%. Of that "outrageous" 45 billion, they profit 9%.

Lib: Oh, so well, that is still-

Me: Not, even close to what you thought?

Why don't you go after "big internet?" Last year Google's profit margin was 25%. Now that is 16% higher than Exxon Mobile who just, makes, obscene amounts right? How about we take a look at the "Big Beer Brewers" who also hulled a 25% profit margin last year?

Lib: but-

Me: Or how about Microsoft? Last year Application Software around a 20% profit margin. More that Exxon Mobile.

Lib: Right but they still make a ton of money and a lot of it is just saved for themselves.

Me: Let me ask you, if you get some money, say from your parents or something, do you just go to school the next day and just hand it out all over? Do you just walk up to your classmates and teachers and go "here have money?"

Lib: No, but like if some one asks for some money i mean i guess i would but otherwise not-

Me: So no.

Lib: No, well right no i don't. Oil companies still make a lot of money. The point isn't compared to who-

Me: No, no, no, no your argument was Oil Companies make way too much money, and i told you they don't make all of it, hardly, any of it, and then i said, even that is not much at all compared to things like Google. Or Nike, a shoe company, who had a profit margin last year of 10.7%

Lib: I still...uh...

Me: uh... let's see Disney had 15.5% profit margin last year and Coke-

Lib: Ok! ok! I get it.