Nightmare at Pump Should Inspire Tough Q uestions
Staff Writer
Iremember a day not too long ago when I still owned a vehicle and became enormously incensed when fuel prices climbed into the $1.50/gallon range. Filling my little Honda hatchback cost about $50 a week, a nice chunk of my meager, just above minimum-wage income.
These days I’m not driving and though the transit system in the greater Seattle area leaves a lot to be desired, it beats paying for gasoline which, as of April 24, has climbed to a ridiculous national average of $2.91/gallon (EIA). The typical SUV or pickup costsroughly $75 to fill.
And it’s not even Summer yet.
The simple economic explanation is that fuel just isn’t as abundant these days. America’s weekly inventory of gasoline has fallen off by 25 million barrels since February (EIA) while demand for gasoline continues to rise in our car-centric culture.
Meanwhile, other oil-dependent industries are suffering along with the every day commuter. The airline industry’s largest carriers stand to lose as much as $3.5 billion each due to exorbinant jet-fuel prices. Plastics manufacturers and chemical firms are losing large amounts of money simply because the cost of making their product has risen so drastically.
Theories as to the source of the latest shortage vary. Some believe that our continued military struggle in Iraq is playing a big part. Others blame disasters such as Hurricane Katrina. A few hardline conservatives have blamed the environmentalist lobby, claiming that not allowing US energy firms to drill in the Arctic is putting unnecessary strain on the average consumer.
Amidst all of these hypotheses however, is the true 400-pound elephant in the room: the energy industry, specifically big oil, is raking in unprecedented profits, and in this era of neo-conservative deregulation, there is no demand from our leaders for even the smallest amount of corporate responsibility.
ExxonMobil accumulated over $36.1 billion in profits in 2005. Their announced earnings for the first quarter of 2006 is a staggering $8.4 billion. This is but one example of how energy firms like ExxonMobil and Halliburton have been allowed to privately control vital energy resources. Vice-President (and former Halliburton CEO) Dick Cheney has remained defiantly tight-lipped about the nature and content of his closed-door energy task force meetings in 2002.
Our ‘leadership’ is comprised primarily of ex-energy industry big wigs, leading to an obvious conflict of interest which many of our citizens are either unaware of, or they simply don’t care.
Back in 2004, when the campaign for President was in full swing, I was often asked what inspired my detest for the current administration. “After all,” they would quip, “how does any of this have any direct impact on your life?” I would relay the story of how my father’s small international trade firm was essentially driven out of business in the Spring of 2003 by shipments being frozen around the middle- east region (something about a “war” and the locals being kind of upset).
While this story rarely elicited much of a reaction beyond compulsary sympathy, this latest problem effects all of us who commute, travel and do business with our vehicles, and gas-powered machinery. Each time you pay these exorbinant rates for gasoline, whether for your car or your lawnmower, you are further enriching an unchecked money machine and thus, condoning the pathetic inaction of those in charge.
In a nutshell, it’s high time we demanded some semblance of responsibility from our leaders. Liberals like myself have beaten the global warming drum for 20-plus years to no avail, but here’s something that ought to drive even the most staunch of conservatives over the edge. The average driver is paying more than twice what he or she was paying for gasoline five years ago.
While outrage is not always called for, we’ve arrived at a juncture where it is essential from both sides of the political spectrum.
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