Exxon CEO talks gas prices

Rex Tillerson, CEO of Exxon Mobil, talked with Matt Lauer this morning about energy efficiency and consumers struggling with high gas prices.  Actually, when Lauer asked him what Exxon was doing to control gas prices, Rex was shockingly candid about what his job is: to please shareholders, not consumers.  He even sounded defensive, saying his shareholders enjoyed only an "average" profit margin last year.  That’s putting lipstick on an ugly pig, since Exxon still reaped record profits of over $40 billion. Meanwhile, Rex got a 25% pay raise and a $20 million bonus.  And how much do you suppose Exxon has spent so far on their upcoming Supreme Court case against victims of their massive oil spill?

Of course it’s understandable that corporations are out to make money.  That’s fine.  But as Lauer points out, most corporations don’t directly impact people’s livelihoods like Exxon does.  People can't just stop buying gas.  I think most would agree that somewhere Exxon needs to draw the line and make an effort to ease the burden on people.  Sadly, Rex never entertains this idea.

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