As usual, many of our corrupt public servants (corporate lap dogs), in their wisdom, are allowing the oil slicks and stockholders to become richer while middle America sinks into poverty. The problem with gas prices should have been dealt with long before oil companies started squeezing out their profit increases in the last three years from the veins of the working class. Using the excuse that the world’s demand for oil has tripled in just the last three years may work for those who believe the dribble they hear on the 6 o’clock news, but the reality is gasoline prices right now are what they would be if crude oil prices were at $100 per barrel. It’s not hard to believe that while America is on its knees the oil industry comes along and kicks us in the teeth again and again.
As Americans we need to remind our “public servants” that the congressional elections are coming up and that many of them will not be around if they don’t deal with this corruption as Americans, and not as corporate lap dogs for the oil slicks. The additional tax revenue coming from higher gas prices is an added tax suffered by the working class, while the upper 2 percent of the population continue to receive tax breaks through the benevolence of those we elected to protect us. For our public servants to think the same criminal mentality that prevailed in the Enron scandal isn’t being repeated today at the gas pumps across America proves that they are part of the problem and not the solution.
Don C. Puckett
Prairie City, Oregon