Edit post

Edit your reply below.

Post Body
Enter your post below.
[quote user="Phoebe Vet"] Sam: The amount of money being spent on these rail projects is less money than the subsidies and tax breaks being given to the oil industry, the most profitable industry in the country. We all know that you believe that the government should not spend money on transportation; that it should be a for profit industry, but if you stop government spending on infrastructure the economy will crumble and even highways will become the domain of only the rich. Toll roads are an obsolete concept that should be retired to the dustbin of history.  They INCREASE the cost of the road because they must raise enough in tolls to cover the cost of building and maintaining toll plazas, salaries and benefits of toll collectors, administrators and the cost of collecting, protecting, and accounting for the revenue.  They also reduce the capacity of the road by creating the choke points at the toll plazas.  Tax payers still pay for enforcement and emergency services on those private roads. <div style="clear:both;"></div> [/quote] The most widely accepted measures of profitability is Return on Equity (ROE), followed by Return on Assets (ROA) and Return on Sales (ROS).  ROE is the best indicator of the return for the shareholders. In 2010, of the Fortune 500 companies, not a single oil company was in the top 10:  Energy Transfer Equity, Pitney Bowes, Toys "R" Us, Western Union, Philip Morris International, Yum Brands, Campbell Soup, Coca-Cola Enterprises, Celanse, and Altria Group were the most profitable U.S. corporations. If one uses net income (profits) as a benchmark, Exxon was number one, but only two oil companies were in the top 25.  Pharmaceuticals, health equipment manufacturers, and selected health service companies are a far better bet.  Net income only tells us how much money flowed to the bottom line; it is not a good measure of profitability. Many of the problems you cite re: toll roads are not a problem in Texas.  All the toll roads in the Lone Star state use electronic toll collection devices, which have eliminated slow downs at toll stations, toll collectors, and most of the administrative burden associated with the collection of tolls.
Tags (Optional)
Tags are keywords that get attached to your post. They are used to categorize your submission and make it easier to search for. To add tags to your post type a tag into the box below and click the "Add Tag" button.
Add Tag