Top Gossip

This weekend, the average U.S. price of a gallon of unleaded gasoline rose to $4.00. This is obviously the number one topic of conversation among Americans. The unprecedented headlines of the pricey pump have surpassed the Iraq War and the economy, and grabbed the top story spotlight.

Why, when Friday, June 6, the economy was the top story with the Dow down for

the week nearly 428 points, erasing Thursday’s surge, and figures showing the number of jobless Americans on the rise being released, the highest indicators in 2 decades. Yet, the subject of the economy is softened, as we’re no longer hearing rumblings of recession being forecast. The Iraq War is not as hot a topic since as unpopular as this present conflict is, the “Surge” appears to be reducing casualties and suppressing Al Qaeda and militant aggression.

The cost of petrol affects every Tom, Dick and Harry in this country. And, it affects them where it hurts, in their pocketbooks. It takes dead aim at the average American’s lifestyle, and that hurts because most of us have gotten used to being comfortable. And, when John Q. Public comes nose to nose with the pain of an ever-decreasing number of dollar bills in his pocket, he starts to sound off about it to anybody that will lend an ear.

Tycoons, politicians and influentially powerful people have perfected the use of public fear in directing public response to their benefit. What has me perplexed and admittedly a little fearful is why Congress and lawmakers in general are throwing their arms up in futility. People depend on these leaders to deliver them that aforementioned lifestyle that they have long since come to believe is owed them, and they want to maintain it as their legacy. Whatever happened to the Public Service Commission? Aren’t there any laws to govern high gas prices?

Where are the price ceilings when you need them?

Meanwhile, is it just me, or were the Congressional hot seat hearings a week ago for the oil barons regarding record profits, just a “make it look good” fandango? Did you buy into the excuse that it was speculators in the stock market causing crude to escalate. Hello-o-o-o-h!!! Would it ever be possible for oil barons to pay speculators to jack up the market price? Do you think petroleum company executives would ever “song and dance” U.S. Senators? If speculators are the problem would it break down the entire free trade world to put limits on public trade of crude oil?

However, the stock market doesn’t dictate gasoline price hikes. That is mostly dependent on the refining of crude oil. And basically, big oil has only been operating 3 refineries in this country for the past decade. If you only refine a limited amount of distillates, it doesn’t matter how much crude you purchase, and the cost of crude is lessened in importance.

Basic economics will teach you, if you limit the supply side, the demand side will increase in nearly direct proportion. If our legislators examine oil company profits the past 2 years, refinery control will stick out like a gigantic red flag. Perhaps in the short run, maybe some legal controls could be created to influence the executives to use some of those exorbitant profits to build new refineries.

Until new energy sources reach the usable stage, lawmakers should enact heavier penalties to prevent companies from buying up patents and processes from new developers to prevent more efficient uses of petrol or alternative propellants. It is humorous to me when automakers decry cars that are efficient and obtain 32 mpg. When petrol has increased 70 percent over 2 years, those auto giants should be shouting about efficiency machines achieving a minimum 42 mpg.

It is just the idea of total futility that irritates our average citizenry most of all. Where is hope in this equation? Somewhere between the death of John Kennedy and, “Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country,” and the President George W. Bush era our powerful leaders have in some way lost perspective. This country used to have the reputation, “if there’s a will, those “Yanks” will find a way! They didn’t throw up their collective arms and say, “What can we do, gasoline is likely to go to $10.00/gallon.” They certainly didn’t stand idly by and let J.P. Morgan dictate that is what will happen within 2 years.

Well, one answer is staring each and every one of us in the face. On the internet over the past year, has been the suggestion of one former Exxon/Mobil executive. He suggests that if each of us boycotted Exxon/Mobil gas pumps, the American public could take the issue of high-priced gasoline into their own capable hands.

Exxon/Mobil purchases much of their crude oil from the Mideast, and because of the company’s market control clout are as a huge conglomerate able to maintain the largest degree of pump price setting. His theory is simply for each of us to stop using Exxon/Mobil products and to influence 10 of our friends to do the same. He maintained that is a chain was started it would take approximately 3 months for us to influence 320,000,000 people to stop buying from Exxon/Mobil.

His supposition from that premise was that gasoline would come down in price to

level at about $1.60/gallon.

It is obvious to me that the average citizen has not boycotted Exxon/Mobil. That company had record profits again this past year. So, my question is, if we as individuals are not willing to try simple suggestions to change our dilemmas, how can we criticize the perpetrators.

Perhaps I can site a similar analogy. My father was a farmer. Farmers are an independent lot. And, when a union to help farmers unite to help control grain prices was formed, it had limited membership. Trade unions were formulated in this country to help protect tyrannies from being committed against independent people. Unions protected people from price setting and improper wages for several years until they were corrupted from within. The farm union was the NFO, National Farm Organization. It was intended that the members by sticking together and selling their commodities for a unified price, should influence the market grain prices in their favor.

The major flaw with the NFO theory, was uniting enough farmers to stick together, thereby affecting the price. My father always marveled that so very few could overlook their individual philosophy differences and fears, to believe in the cause of the majority, which had a chance to bring about their desired change.

In fairness, people in our current society are so busy getting and maintaining lives, they have little time left for public forums. During the Kennedy years, and the early years of the NFO, most people had more time for involvement in issues to try and bring about political change. Overall, people in the 60’s and 70’s had more disposable income to mount objections to issues of national importance.

It is my suggestion that if you are feeling wallet pain from the current high cost of petrol, you try boycotting Exxon/Mobil. At the very least, write your Representatives and Senators, and do your part to bring about change and lower energy costs. Better yet, perhaps you have your own idea. Like the Pepsi commercial says, “Wake up people,” the price of gasoline is the top gossip, and I believe you’ll agree, each and every one of us needs to do our part to end this dilemma.