by David T. Bruce
In a recent Congressional debate, the majority of Republicans argued that the five largest oil companies were entitled to a $2 billion annual subsidy to offset the $35 billion they earned (?) in the first quarter of 2011. One particular senator sarcastically stated that making money in America must now be unacceptable, specifically targeting the Democrats’ proposal to eliminate these subsidies.
According to a recent article in The Washington Times, wages in America are up 1.7%, whereas the rate of inflation is up 2%. Statistically, households with the lowest income in the United States spend approximately twice as much on food, relatively speaking, as households with the highest income. Obviously, the dramatic increase in the cost of fuel limits the spending power of the average American. It is estimated that the tax cuts recently approved by Congress will be absorbed by the increased cost of gasoline. Yes, apparently making money in America is indeed no longer acceptable . . . unless you live and work on Capitol Hill or unless you are a CEO or COO of the aforementioned oil companies.
Recent polls show that public opinion in favor of Congress is significantly low. According to recent Gallup polls, Congress has achieved an approval rating as low as 13% over the past year. If this is indeed the case, then perhaps as a society, we should consider placing more emphasis on the state representatives we elect and less emphasis on the executive office that is often provided with speed bumps and road blocks by the opposing party anyway. We must give careful consideration and close scrutiny to those people we elect at the state level, who are charged to represent the interest of their constituents. Right now, many representatives seem to represent only the interests of the oil companies (and other major industries) and by extension their own individual interests, forsaking the interests of those that elected them to office. For example: the only three Democrats to side with the Republicans in the Oil Subsidy vote were from Louisiana, Nebraska, and Alaska, all big oil states.
The greater majority of the voting public has not made a substantial living in years. While our government bails out the banking industry and subsidizes the oil industry, that which is left of the middle class struggles daily to raise a family and support their communities, as they slowly merge with the lower class. How can the majority of Republicans dare to compare the plight of the average American with that of the incomparable benefits that the corporate giants enjoy with the blessings of Congress?
In fairness to Congress, we as a society share a measure of responsibility in creating this dependence on fuel. Many Americans insist on the value of SUVs, 4X4 pickup trucks, and similar gas-guzzling automotive apparatuses. We are not sending the message that we care about fuel consumption, fuel waste, or the environment. We continue to put money into the coffers of the oil industry instead of alternative energy sources. We continue to pursue off-shore drilling instead of cultivating wind farms or solar power. We can respond to the oil companies by supporting alternate energy options, and we can respond to our representatives by sending them home. Maybe then they will understand what it really means to not make money in America.
