Market economies

The oil business has suffered under the recent price decline caused by the slow down in the economy. The state of Texas loses $85 million dollars per year for each one dollar per barrel drop in price. The upside is that fuel prices also drop and this helps consumers with gas prices and industry like airlines with cheaper jet fuel. In a free market economy it is not uncommon to have winners and losers. The market is controlled by supply and demand which in turn controls price. If you can produce a product or service that people want at a price they can afford then both sides win. That is how a free market economy works. The job of government is to limit corruption while promoting competition.