It’s never the little guys - like store clerks - who are cleaning up in any industry. This is a very informative article. But let’s face it: the fact still remains that a tiny percentage of the population holds most of the wealth. That’s true in the oil industry as well. But of course most of the folks involved in it are not the fat cats.

Getting down to brass tacks is an interesting phrase, the derivation of which is not truly known. However it appears to have come from Texas in the late 1800s. Also the first big source of American crude oil mining, where many a fortune was made. How cool is that? I love when tiny details weave together like this. Please tell me you did it on purpose!