Fill 'er up

Gas prices are the hot topic around the nation. The subject is enough to bring anger and frustration at a head for everyone. The speculators who claim they aren't to blame for the constant rising cost of gasoline.

It's enough to make a person snap. In Washington we have these people who claim that refining our own oil is bad for the environment. It releases all kinds of nasty toxins and destroys nature and blah blah blah.

Don't get me wrong I'm a conservationist to a point. I firmly believe we need to preserve what we have but by the same token, what good does it do to preserve it if there won't be anyone who can enjoy it?

The pain at the pump never relieves. The price of gas rises higher, the cost of groceries ultimately climbs in reaction. Everything is going up except the pay checks. The average person is now working their ass off just to pay for gasoline to go back and forth to work--that cuts into the budget for fun stuff like food, clothes and homes.

The number of homeless will increase because people cannot afford their mortgage or rent payments. There will be more illnesses due to the inability to afford the exorbitant medical expenses. (Of course the insurance companies have a hand in that. They'd just rather have a person die from their illness/injury then have to pay out or approve the care people actually need.) More people will be starving and who will be there to help those in need? The ones who can afford it are too busy sending their money to the poor and starving in other countries than caring for their fellow Americans.

When are the people who are supposed to be protecting us open their mouths and and follow through with their promises?

When the Exxon CEO sits back with his 200 MILLION $ paycheck and says there is nothing they can do to reduce the prices of gas there's a problem.

There is massive drilling in Texas, Alaska has a huge oil reserve and what's happening to this? It's being shipped out of the country to be refined by someone else and then we're paying to get it back.

Huh? Makes tons of sense doesn't it. I contacted a refinery once and they told me there was really nothing they could do because the government tied their hands.

McCain and the Republicans want to push off shore drilling to be expanded. I say no. They shouldn't expand. Why? There is already a wealth of crude that is available now and we can't do a damn thing with it, why allow them to drill further out?

EPA: open your eyes to the people you're screwing! You need to make some major changes to help the American people. If you'd get your heads out of your asses you'd see that allowing refining to be done here at home would open up all kinds of markets: The job market: refineries need employees. The consumer market: the gas prices go down, people can afford to work and eat. Grocery prices would go down.

Gas prices have an additional impact. The lack of funds for gas equates limited vacation plans. The communities who depend on tourist dollars are suffering from the lack of visitors to their locales.

I know, once again, it does me no good to rant, no one gives a damn anyway...
DC