A Large Price to Pay for a Gallon of Gasoline
Posted: Sunday, May 11, 2008
by Jennifer Cuddy
As we all painfully know, gasoline prices have soared from approximately $1.50 a gallon to as high as $4.65 a gallon since the Bush administration came into office. Many believe that this sudden rise in the price gouging of oil is due to the war in Iraq - a sort of sanction placed upon us for our continuing military presence and warfare in Iraq and Afghanistan. But is this the reason? President Bush argues " I've set a great goal for our country, and that is to reduce our dependence on oil by investing in technologies that will produce abundant supplies of clean and renewable energy." Attending an International Renewable Energy Conference in March, President Bush said, "America has got to change its habits. We've got to get off oil." Please do correct me if I'm wrong, but why are we being forced to pay higher prices for oil -- as oil companies reap the benefits in skyrocketing profits -- before these so called 'abundant supplies of clean and renewable energy' sources have been identified and set into motion with some measure of success? I can't help but wonder, who exactly in our current administration are investors in the oil industry?
I do agree. We need to find alternatives to oil, and relinquish our dependency on foreign oil that is only supporting terrorists with the means to attack the multitude of innocent bystanders who have nothing to do with, and very often, do not even support the current war in Iraq. After all, this is the very result of all wars; the resultant deaths of innocent men, women and children. But not all of our oil suppliers are originating out of the Middle East. Alaska alone has billions of barrels of untapped oil lying beneath her uncharted territories. And as stringent as our laws are in America to safely drill and yet also protect the surrounding environment, I see no reason why we should not attempt to tap into the natural resources there. Obviously, this is no alternative to oil, but the one most effective alternative to which I am aware of is marijuana. Yet, this is sadly illegal; and therefore not really an alternative.
And so we have solar energy and hybrid cars. We also have public transportation systems and we always have the option to and even the incentive to car pool, as many of our nations highways are being given extra lanes especially for those who are involved in car pooling. And, many of our Fortune 500 companies are offering the advertisement and management of car pooling groups for such employees who volunteer for such ventures.
However, I still do not understand the record breaking costs of oil when it is coinciding with record breaking profits for oil companies. And although this is one of the hot topics discussed in our current election process, I'm still not seeing any individual efforts to protest this very costly oil 'crisis' that we are suffering from. I really don't see this as a supply and demand problem due to a true shortage that is yielding the large profits being made by oil investors; who by the way, must be thrilled to see the 'no end in sight' lack of effort to end the war. It's a sort of Enron corruption once again rearing its ugly head. Ironically, I implore us all to use the same Enron slogan used for years within the corrupt company, and by all means necessary, "Ask Why!"
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More commentsoh, and james, that last comment was from me. :)
"Power corrupts the few, while weakness corrupts the many." Eric Hoffer There must be some type of safety in numbers psychology at work here because not too many people are seriously asking their congressmen and representatives your question "Why" Asking that question in one instance will open many doors and opportunities for you. At other times it will bar you from any type of serious dialogue on important issues. You will be labelled radical. You're not radical merely frustrated with the feeble acceptance of the higher gas price status quo. Many folks believe it's futile to question the powers that be. They grudgingly pull up to the gas pump and shell out their hard earned cash for that so called imaginary economic situation that is so eagerly foisting the price increase on them . Their vehicle needs fuel and that's all there is to that. A responsible member of the government should propose that a tax break be given to the gas consuming public on the gasoline consumed by them in any current fiscal year. A smaller percentage of this money could also be placed in a special "Green Fund" aimed at saving the planet. You'd save all your receipts and at tax time receive a good percentage back of the money you spent throughout the year at the gas pump. Everyone wins. The big oil companies and Joe Public. If there are truly environmental issues at work here then the large gas and oil companies should dig deep in their corporate coffers and chip in eagerly to help the cause. The little guy can only do so much. Stop the insanity and let's all share the resposibilty of saving the planet.yes..or we could seek to expose the real reasons behind the price gouging. if no ever questioned Enron, and the many 'blackouts' that were illegally implemented for supply vs demand profit, that company would still be raping California and other states. so yes, i am a radical. i think we all need to be radical and stop being so apathetic, meanwhile taking it up the 'you know what' people are far too niave.
the big guys in the oil industries care very little about our global environment, but there are laws in place to safely drill for oil without harming the surrounding environment. we need to drill in Alaska! this would stop our dependency on foreign oil for atleast 20 years, destroy the hefty incomes that are only supporting terrorism, and quite possibly, put our own economy back on track a bit. we are literally paying these terrorists the income to kill us!
Hydrogen Cars Won't Make a Difference for 40 Years By Chuck Squatriglia 05.12.08 | 12:00 AM Congress appropriated $283.5 million for the Hydrogen Fuel Initiative this year, bringing its investment to $1.16 billion since 2004. California's "Hydrogen Highway" may be floundering , but the Air Resources Board is handing out $7.7 million to build hydrogen stations even though the last three agencies to receive state funding gave it back . Many hurdles remain to be cleared before hydrogen is a viable source of energy -- not the least of which are making, storing and distributing it on a large scale. Meeting these challenges will require, in the words of several hydrogen proponents, a "Manhattan Project"-level of research and funding. And we're a long way from the hydrogen economy President Bush envisioned in his 2003 State of the Union. The transition has begun though, and California is leading the way even as it keeps relaxing the rule dictating how many electric and hydrogen vehicles automakers must build. There are 175 fuel cell vehicles in California and more coming. Honda will begin leasing its hydrogen-powered Clarity FCX this summer and General Motors will put its Equinox fuel cell vehicles in 100 driveways this year. Hyundai plans to begin mass-producing fuel cells cars in 2012, and GM -- which has invested more than $1 billion in hydrogen -- says it will have 1,000 vehicles on the road in California by 2014. But few people expect to see fuel cell vehicles in showrooms before 2020, and we won't see any large-scale benefit from them until 30 years after that. "2050 is when hydrogen might -- might -- have a significant impact," said John Heywood , director of the Sloan Automotive Laboratory at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
ah, yes! which is why we need to drill in Alaska, henceforth buying us the time for these new technologies to be set into place.
A lot of really great replies to your well written article. So how do we address this issue, one of many? Now as I write and read I find one overwhelming constant. We do not like what is going on but we propogate the same by electing the same types who got us here in the first place. Bush, Obama, Hillary, McCain, toss up, Birds of a Feather all. You shall now them by their works. 81% of Americans profess we do not like what they do. Yet you wouldn't know by who goes to rallies, votes for them and gives their money for them. Bankruptcy, yes another tool for them. Yes you write very well and better then I and we need people writing to this. However, while you receive these replies and note the diversity of why, the constant always remains. Thanks for your insight.
Thank you! though it is my opinion that Obama is the best candidate. My main purpose that is riddled throughout most of my opinion pieces is that we all need to 'wake up!' we need to question all of these dicrepancies. there should be a criminal investigation going on into the true nature of the war in Iraq, and the tremendous profiteering that has resulted from this, and with the increase in the price of oil. it would be a very sad find, indeed, if the conspiracy theorists were correct; and that 9/11 was in someway, preplanned. think about the people who have reaped the benefits of these wars. and for what? there is still no proof that iraq had anything to do with Osama Bin Laden. and yet, Iraq was also one of the few country's that were more lax about the enforcement of islamic beliefs.Jennifer, Ok agree with you, but why Obama? Does he stand for morality? Well when he did nothing, yes nothing about that 31% interest on credit card debt was that taking a moral stand and demonstrating leadership? How about comprehensive immigration? Isn' the breaking of law an immoral act?No I'm not looking for explanations just what the act is? How about his oath to preserve protect and defend the law? So you see, with any of them, I'm just having a hard time understanding why anyone thinks any of these three, all of the same cloth in Washington, are any better. No one seems to be able to explain that. Now I can accept he may be the least offensive in your opinion, that I can buy. However, I am not voting for any of them. Why, it matters not, the die has been cast. Hey you're doing a good job stirring up the waves.well, Obama was a Civil Rights attorney, which is a highly moral and far less lucrative route to take. I don't see what Obama could have done about the high interest rates employed by Credit Card companies. After all, it was the Republican's who demanded the new bankruptcy laws into effect. as for comprehensive immigration reform? I'm all for it! here i quote Barack Qbama's statement on the issue: "In approaching immigration reform, I believe that we must enact tough, practical reforms that ensure and promote the legal and orderly entry of immigrants into our country. Just as important, we must respect the humanity of the carpenters and bricklayers who help build America; the humanity of garment workers and farm workers who come to America to join their families; the humanity of the students like my father who come to America in search of the dream. We are a nation of immigrants, and we must respect that shared history as this debate moves forward."
we are all being controlled through debt and fear. and our enemies abroad know this. they are banking on it. our silence will be our decline and fall.
Have you seen the videos of lindsey williams Energy Non Crisis check it on google. Our real enemy is the US government , we have all the oil we need for 200 years in Alaska and offshore. How stupid to think that the EPA created by government can DIctate to that same government about not drilling for our own oil. There is a group inside our government that is totally hidden by layers and layers of bureacracy that control the price of oil through the New York Mercantile market and the London Merchantile market that dictates prices to the ARABS not the oil companies. This group intends to rule the world with crude oil which they control! And I don't see anybody stopping them because our politicians are totally enept!!Amen, and finally someone who actually can research, and isn't off on a tirade of partison politics. Not to mention that Pelosi and other congressmen/women are making thousands betting on high oil, and it isn't in their best financial interests to drill...that makes it easier to shutdown and go on vacation leaving the American public holding the high price bag. "Enep"' is the right word. Our government needs change from the congress that we have. Thanks for stating the obvious.
Policy Analysis jan 12, 2006 'Economic Amnesia" by Jerry Taylor and peter Van Doren "No evidence exists of collision or price fixing among investor owned oil companies or gasoline retailers in domestic markets"
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