McStar, ease up a little on brother TD, he's a thinker, and we're keeping this all on the level of great thoughts--
TD, I see it as an advantage that an investor can take his profit when he wants or needs to. He can sell off enough shares to recoup his profit and retain shares representing his original investment. The capital gains treatment of securities as well as the favorable tax rates on dividends mean that a before tax dollar earned on a stock investment is worth more after tax than a before tax dollar earned as interest.
I think the compensation for top management has gotten way out of hand, and shareholders should put a stop to it, not just in the oil sector, but throughout the market. Nevertheless, oil stocks have been a really good investment for shareholders ovr the last few years, and they probably will continue to be so. Rather than protest that the oil companies are making too much money, why not just buy some of their stock? I suspect having a piece of the pie would change one's attitude about it. I certainly hope my pension administrator's got some oil stocks in the mix.