I enjoyed an editorial I read in the paper yesterday. The writer pleaded, "I'll take my chances with the terrorists, but please protect me from the oil companies."
I couldn't agree more. The approaching $3.00 for a gallon of gasoline is out of control.
As Ryan and I were discussing last night, isn't this what the war in Iraq is really all about? Now all these people - soldiers and civilians - are dead, and we don't even have their g-d oil. Isn't that what G.W. wanted in the first place? The oil? Well, Mr. President, the oil companies are all reporting record profits and those of us who have a half an hour commute back and forth every day are starting to suffer. Pretty soon we won't be able to afford gas to get to work. Then we won't be able to support our families because we can't get to work. Then you'll have an even bigger problem on your hands.
What are you going to do about it?
4 comments:
The previous comment from Kittie really has no relevance to the point I was making. (Also, the lack of capitalization really irks me.) I'm a little annoyed and concerned, maybe even worried, but I never said I was "pissed".
Gas prices were climbing steadliy even before the hurricane. We expected $3.00 a gallon, just not this soon. Katrina pushed things over the top.
So, while us average Americans are struggling, Haliburton is getting richer and richer. Not to mention the the individual states as well, since they collect taxes based on how much gasoline we pump. The higher the price of a gallon of gas, the more money the states collect.
As for solving the problem, well...what can the average American do? I heard a suggestion the other day from a family member. He thinks we should all just conveniently run out of gas - everyone in America - all on the same day and cause a massive, nation-wide traffic jam. I don't know what good this will do, but I do think there is a need for some unity here.
Here here on unity. The Feds (FEMA, Dept. Homeland Security, etc) was totally unprepared for a mass casualty incident, natural or man-made. Tens of thousands of poor, mostly black people... fellow Americans, were virtually abandoned for four days. They lived in squalor while nobody in the state or Federal governments could figure out how to rescue them or get food and water to them. The mayor of New Orleans was reduced to crying and SOS on t.v.
Jumping on the GOP band-wagon and making apologies for Bush and his cronies didn't feed these people or give them medical care while they starved and died in the foodwaters of New Orleans, so save your Bush-loving for somebody else, "Kittie."
There are some really interesting articles on why oil prices are rising:
For example:
and
here
You can also find lots of interesting articles by searching truthout on the topic "why oil prices are so high" here
Me again. I've got a bee in my bonnet.
The rise in oil prices has a lot to do with demand exceeding supply - for example, China and India industrialising creating a higher demand for oil and Iraq, Venezuala and Russia reducing the supply of oil (for various reasons) to the world's reserves. As the idea that we have reached our peak production and that oil is running out are other ideas around this area.
As to what an average person can do about the oil prices:
1) Support alternatives: ride your bike, set up a solar hot water tank, buy a smaller car. As alternatives are taken up, they will become more affordable and better.
2) Educate yourself - go to truthout.org and read some articles. This will help you get a better idea of what is going on.
3) Discuss your ideas with friends and family members. People united will change the world, but to unit we need to communicate with each other.
As the the hurricane:
1) Support aid organisations that are helping in that area
2) Educate yourself about the factors behind the destruction: ie global warming increasing the severity of the storm, the national guard being in Iraq rather than at home, poor race relations leading to poverty in New Orleans which meant people were more badly affected, degradation and lack of infrastructure over the years which lead to the lack of planning for emergency and weaker dykes. (Again, all of this is from truthout)
3) Start thinking of ways you can alleviate any of these issues, so it doesn't happen again. Write a letter to your parlimentarian, change your behaviour on a local level.
Most of all. Don't think the problems are unchangeable. Many small steps over time will change the world.
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