Apparently its time to add yet another industry to the list of those who have a larger profit margin than the oil industry. Already included in that list are industries such as pharmaceuticals, food and beverage, Telecomm services, and software. But while those industries can have up to a 20% profit margin, oil is at about 7%, the new addition to the list really jacks up the price for their product, so high that 87.5% of it is pure profit!
The only ones capable of such outrageous windfall profit-mongering are those despicable capitalist-pig corporations, you say? well… not exactly. I’m sorry to disappoint you but the one making this obscene profit is none other than Barack Obama. Yes you read correctly, it seems that Barack Obama has started to charge $8 for something that most likely costs him about $1 to produce.
But whats more shocking than that fact is the fact that what hes charging $8 for is usually given away for free. So what has he started charging for? Campaign lawn signs… other wise known as a free, viral, and effective form of advertising. (But I guess this isn’t the only thing Obama wont give away for free)
Now, it is certainly true that both sides charge to buy these simple signs on-line but this is different. As described in Monte Bute’s article in the St. Paul Pioneer Press the national policy of the Obama campaign is “to charge a nominal fee for lawn signs” even if you go to your local campaign headquarters even if you volunteer for the campaign.
Don’t worry too much though because “An occasional exception might be made for an outstanding volunteer” and “if someone balks at paying for a lawn sign and really wants one, we’ll work something out”.
Isn’t that nice?
In light of this, the next time Obama makes the claim that the oil industry is essentially evil and joyfully practices price gouging on the American public which, in turn, causes him to call for a “windfall profits tax” you just may want to call him up and ask him why he doesn’t consider his lawn sign profits to be of the windfall persuasion?
I think I will…
