Getting bent

Let's talk about gas prices.

I live in the state of Texas. I love Texas and I am very much a Texan. Let me tell you about living in Texas. We have some of the most well made highways, farm market roads, county roads, and city streets. Why? Because we drive. A lot. Public transportation in Texas is NOT the same as in someplace like New York. Even in our biggest cities, we do not have subways, taxi rides are not commonplace, and let's face it, with over 100 days a year in 100 degree heat, we don't walk, WE ARE DRIVERS.

That being said, here is my rant:

Since George Bush became President in 2001, the top five oil companies in the United States have recorded profits of $464 billion through the first quarter of 2007:

ExxonMobil: $158.5 billion
Shell: $108.5 billion
BP: $89.2 billion
ChevronTexaco: $60.9 billion
ConocoPhillips: $46.9 billion

(this info came off www.citizen.org)

Okay, I get it, we live in America, land of the free, home of the brave. Free enterprise, I'm for it. Living the American dream, I'm for it. What I am not for is getting bent over every time I have to fill up my little PT Cruiser with regular unleaded!

Americans consume 25% of the worlds oil everyday. China - who comes in second place, consumes less than 7%. And here's the kicker - the United States is the world's third largest producer of oil (only Saudi Arabia and Russia produce more than we do). Now, you would think that this creates a strong argument that the United States holds a lot of sway over world oil prices. So you would think that Americans would get a little break, supply and demand, right?

What really are the gas companies doing with this huge profit?
None of these companies are doing anything as far as re-investing their profits into programs that would benefit drivers (me). And none of these companies are spending big bucks on capital investment in the US, which in turn could benefit the US considerably (me). So what does this mean to regular Joe driver (me) in the US? It means there is a direct correlation between how much you, me, and regular Joe driver are forced to pay at the pump to the crazy profit big oil is making. Doesn't this piss you off? I'm pissed off.

I'm tired of paying $3.00 a gallon. I'm tired of paying more per month for gas than my actual car payment. I'm disgusted that there's not really anything I can do about it. I'm even more disgusted that we live in this wonderful country and it's 'acceptable' for the oil companies to blatantly rip us off.

More to come later.

LCR