Don't forget the amount of taxes they pay.  They are the number one private company in tax payments.

Many people on this blog are talking about taxes paid by Exxon, and 8 - 9% profits - let's understand a kep point, please.  When oil is at $140 a barrel, that is the price to bepaid on a futures contract, for future oli delivery. Yet, as soon as the per barrel price rises, prices at the pump jump - on oil that is still in the ground, because the futures contract is 60 days' out!  I have less of a problem of paying based on cost plus a reasonable margin, but not based on some projected future cost that has not even happened yet!  And guess what, when per barrel prices come down, the losers are those folks who bought speculative contracts based on $140 a barrel, but now can only get $70.

I am waiting for the outrage from the people who paid the high gas prices to our congress and executive branch of the governement.  This is the biggest travesty we can have at this time.  I have no idea how they can call themselves Americans and let this happen.  The price of oil is down and they are lingering in dropping the price at the pump.  However every time the price of oil went up the price at the pump shot up immediately.  I hate regulation and I hate big government but I do think we have to reign then in.  

Exxon Mobil clothed,fed and educated three generations of my family.All they

wanted in return was a day of productive work.I consider being a retiree of

Exxon Mobil an honor and culmination of the American Dream.

Its no surprise that OBAMA and the naysayers want to take that away from

Exxon Mobil and employees..

                                    Wm.Sherman Aransas Pass Tex.

Thundergod......If you think Chavez has such a good idea, as to nationalize oil, why don't you move to Venezuela?

all this profit ans they still want tax breaks?????????????????????????

Many defenders of Exxon Mobil's profits (such as J from Houston) point out that Exxon's profit margins are a mere 10%.  These people need to learn how to read financial statements.  Exxon's profit margins averaged about 10-12 percent each year during the 1990's.  From 2000-2004, the margins increased every year to about 30% in 2004.  And every year since 2004, the margins have increased 10% more per year to a now whopping 60%. in 2008.

Then, after writing off every imaginable cost associated with research & development, increased capital expenditures, bonus payments to executives, federal, state, and local taxes,  and paying out dividends to shareholders, the company still has a net income margin of 10-15%.  Borrowing a tired line from McCain, that "my friends" is incredible.

Try to find another Fortune 1000 company with them apples!

This message is directed to "The Truth" who is obviously subscribing to The Lie.  We have been subscribing to your trickle down economics for 8 years now and what have we got to show for it?  Debt, greed, and companies being bailed out for taking everything they could from financially less sophisitcated customers and then pocketing it until they got caught.  It didn't trickle down, it flowed up in record amounts!  It still is.  Now we are suffering for it.  Should the consumer be held responsible?  Yes, and they are paying the consequences.  Ironically many of the folks who helped them to get there will get off with barely a slap on the wrist and plenty of money in the bank.  Exxon is just another example of what having a President and cabinet made up of oil execs can do for a country.  Will McCain be different?  I'm not betting on it.  The media has been biased toward Repubicans for many, many years.  I think they just got a little smarter.

all this profit and they still want tax breaks??????????????

"Make sacrifices and homeschool your children"

That only sacrifices your children's education. Since when is just anyone a highly trained and educated teacher? Also, there many other social lessons learned in school that can't be learned at home. More experiences too...

Onto the talk of huge profits... I'm not sure increased taxes would solve the problem; certainly can't hurt [more] to try though. Perhaps more regulation on such a necessary product?