My Solution For The High Price Of Gasoline
(MY REPRESENTATIVE IN WASHINGTON, DC)
It has now gone up to $3 per gallon around here, & that takes a big bite out of my budget. I guess it was inevitable that it would hit the three dollar mark somewhere along the way, and the American public does not seem overly concerned. Perhaps, if this were election season, then we would hear a lot more pontificating from Washington. But, of course, what do millionaires with lives of privilege and power distinctly seperated from the average working-class American truly care about the trifling costs of gasoline? Nothing. I have a political thought inspired by the fact that it costs me $60 to fill-up at the pump: We should insist upon a part-time, citizen legislature in Washington and in our states. Do not pay these people enough to support lives of privilege as professional politicians. Insist that their legislative sessions be brief, and that they reside in their districts where they work full-time for a living. No more permanent residencies in Washington, no more multiple staffs and profiteering from what is intended to be a position of service. Then, maybe, they would care what we pay at for gas.
05.07.07 (2:21 pm) [
edit]
posted by:
heavyarms (
reply)
post date:
05.07.07 (12:20 pm)
Good luck getting our Imperial Senators and Representatives to place limits like that upon themselves. I'm afraid that, short of Revolution, the days of small Federal government with powers granted to it only by the Constitution are gone.
I know you're not crazy about Boortz, but he had a good point today, which I will paraphrase. As of Friday, gas averaged $3.03 a gallon. This time last year, it was $2.92, an increase of 11 cents. Say you drive 1400 miles a month (I do), and your car gets an average of 23 miles per gallon (the 1980 average, it has since improved since). That 11 cent increase means the cost of your monthly commute has increased a whole $6.70 from this time last year. Cut out a trip to McDonald's if that $6.70 is hurting you. Even if you upped gas prices by a dollar to $3.92, its only going to cost you an extra $60 bucks a month. If you are in the position that that extra $60 bucks a month will break you, then you might need to cut some spending habits.
We've all heard that "Big Oil" is making "record profits." This is true, they ARE making more money than they ever have, but this is only because they are selling more gas than ever. Putting aside the fact that the principles of capitalism say that you are "in it for the money," what you DON'T hear is that evil "big oil's" PROFIT MARGINS (the amount money a company earned divided by the amount of money that company spent to be in operation) have remained fairly constant. In 2005, pharmacuetical companies averaged about a 17 percent profit margin. Banks had an almost 20 percent profit margin. For "big oil," it was about 8 percent. Yes, they're earning a lot of money, but they're spending a lot of money to do it.
If you want to talk about obscene, consider the amount of money an oil company makes on a gallon of gas versus the amount government makes on that same gallon. In 2005, federal and local government "earned" on average 42 cents on every gallon sold in this country. Those evil "big oil" companies earned about 14 cents per gallon.
posted by:
ggirl (
reply)
post date:
05.08.07 (8:56 am)
Citizen legislature is what we have, supposedly. Vote them out of office. Are you aware that in Europe gas prices have been much higher for a long time? My usual response to everything--it's a complicated issue not easily solved. You're right, though, everyone's got an agenda.
posted by:
TheRockSays (
reply)
post date:
05.08.07 (8:52 pm)
It seems a waste of a fat cat symbol on politicians, when talking about oil. What about those fat oil barons?
My preference would involve any solution short of nuclear weapons that would leave those fat oil cats crying in their chocolate. Here's something that'll make 'em sweat:
Nationalization Recently, on the radio, I heard that possiblity discussed up here in Canada. This was the first time I ever heard such a thing talked about (I'm too young to remember 1980) So if the oil industry wants to jerk us around, one day they'll wake up and find they're all civil servants.
Now that I think about it, however, nationalization of the oil industry in the US wouldn't do American consumers a bit of good, since you don't export any oil, do you? So you guys would
really have to want to hurt oil executives much more than I do.
posted by:
adpierin11 (
reply)
post date:
05.10.07 (7:07 pm)
oh I agree. I drive a celica and I use to be able to fill it up with about 25 dollars not it's 45.... and I'm unemployed. My poor boyfriend!
posted by:
adpierin11 (
reply)
post date:
05.10.07 (7:09 pm)
oops I meant now it's 45 I type too fast!
posted by:
surrogate (
reply)
post date:
05.12.07 (5:12 am)
A nice thought, but a tad late. Can't unring a bell, especailly one this big and bulky and shaped like a massive cat.
