Chipper, I hate to defend Shell .... but really they ARE an American company! They just "pretend" to be a Dutch company so they can F*CK this country, their homeland, out of millions or billions of dollars of tax money!

Why pay their "fair share" here, when they can pay less in Holland?

But I believe they really are an "all American" company at heart ....... the workers they have working for them here in Pennsylvania, are from all over the country!

Gotta love their "F*CK Pennsylvania, F*CK America" attitude!

If they really were Dutch, do you think Americans would welcome them raping us for our resources, giving us all cancer, and exporting our gas to China?

Wouldn't we be better off bombing those wooden-shoed b*stards right off the map?

Shell started in London to be exact and has never been registered as an American company. Shell Oil is actually Royal Dutch Shell plc, it became so back in 2005 when Royal Dutch and Shell Transport and Trading united. Prior to this the two companies merged but remained separate entities in 1907 and maintained that relationship all along. Just because an entity does business in the U.S. or has employees in the U.S. doesn't make it an American company. There are arms of this company registered here as required by law, just as there are arms of Shell registered in many other countries around the world. That is a price they have to pay to do business.

It is astonishing that the two of you know so little of how businesses operate, the regulations that they must adhere to, and the constantly shifting goal line that governments around the world enforce.

That's why I said it would be nice if an American company invested in this ethane venture. The money made by the corporation would stay in this country! This was one of the failures in regard to NAFTA helping Mexico in that none of the industries are Mexican owned, The profits go to other countries economies.

What other countries do these profits go to?

If there are companies in Mexico, they don't operate without use the the local economy. They use local labor, local materials, pay local taxes, so Mexico does benefit from their existence.

I suggest you read "Free Trade Doesn't Work" by Ian Fletcher. This book and also some videos posted on line explain allot about NAFTA, Tariffs, the WTO, and other failed policies which disproportionately distributes value to countries around the world. Industries which make their home or corporate address in a given country contribute tremendously to that country's economy. Labor might have gained some foothold in Mexico's unemployment problems but remember that a company is in business to make profits for it's own benefit not the workers it employs. The overall profits count as an economic driver for the country that the industry makes its home. This can contribute to all sorts of things such as Taxes,and Tariffs rebates to name a few. A lot of Mexico's NAFTA driven industries are from the U.S.(nothing contributes to U.S. labor in that) and Germany Volkswagon. NAFTA was a big joke over all to quell Mexico's immigration problems as Mexico city continues to be the fastest growing city in population in the world.

Here is why I call Shell "an American company". Shell does most of it's business in the USA. Most, if not all of their stock is sold in NYC. It refines most of it's gasoline in the USA. It buys and sells most of it's oil in the USA. More of their workers and executives are from the USA. I could go on and on .....


http://www.shell.us/home/content/usa/ab ... usinesses/

Like other big companies, yes, the "official ownership" may be off-shore, but that is to avoid paying US taxes! They pay less taxes in other countries where they choose to set up their subsidiaries. But by in large MOST of what they do is centered in the USA. To me they are nothing more than an American company with "pretend" offices-off shore. We will have to disagree on this one.

Then we should lower our taxes. Very conservative post of yours stony. Better be careful. Top that off with you forgot to click on the link that shows the 56 other countries that Shell operates in. You claim that most of what Shell does is done in the U.S. is incorrect. Claiming that all of their stock is sold in NYC making them an American company is incorrect also. Sure their stock is sold on the exchange in NYC, so are many non-American companies. It refines most of it's gas in the USA? Doesn't everyone? Well not really, Shell refinery outputs are higher in the far east than here in the USA. Batting a thousand stony, want me to go on? I will anyway. More of their workers are from the USA? Good, that means those people are paying taxes here. They have a 'pretend' offices off shore? Kinda hard to pretend where you have been based out of for DECADES. We don't have to disagree, you're just wrong.