Gas Crisis

The Gas Crisis

By Cody Hobbs

We are in the midst of a devastating crisis here in the United States. The cost of gas has bankrupt airlines, is forcing small trucking companies out of business, and it won’t be long before we see a major price jump in the price of other necessary goods, such as food, as well. This is due, in part, to the rising number of SUV’s on the road today. For some, driving a large vehicle is a necessity. Farmers, people who contribute to U.S. agriculture do need large vehicles to transport bails of hay, feed, and other supplies. But, many SUV drivers live in suburban America. This trend has proven devastating to our economy.

Wasn’t the oil shortage inevitable anyway?

Yes, it is. However; anyone with an elementary understanding of basic economics knows that when you raise the median average consumption of any product, you raise the average price. Subornites who trade in a more fuel efficient vehicle for a gas-sucking SUV don’t change the amount they drive. They still have to pick up the rug rates from soccer practice, do grocery shopping, drive to work and back, and run their errands. The amount of gas consumed does rise however.

This is the United States of America. I should be able to drive whatever I want!

And you’re absolutely correct. But, you are not the only one affected by your choice to drive a gas-guzzling beast. By making the choice to drive an SUV, you have caused a severe adverse supply shock to refined gasoline. And what happens when you increase the marginal average of consumption (demand) and the supply available decreases? That’s right, the average price per unit increases. Now, instead of $0.99, or even $2.00 gas, we are seeing soaring gas prices that are expected to reach $5.00 a gallon within the next two years, possibly by next summer.

Anyone can complain about something. What’s the solution?

As I have already said, this is America, and you should be able to drive whatever you’d like. But you do not have the right to make everyone else pay for your actions. That is why I am suggesting a split price for gas. People who chose to drive a more fuel efficient vehicle pays $2.00 per gallon for gas, and people who chose to drive a gas-monster pays $4.75 per gallon. People who do need larger vehicles for their industry, such as agricultural workers, construction, etc., should be allowed a discounted rate for fuel at $2.25 a gallon. How is this fair, you ask? Aren’t people who drive more fuel efficient vehicles already getting a “discount” by not having to fill up as much? No. As we have seen with major airline companies, even large corporations cannot afford fuel inflation. So how can we expect a medium to low wage income worker afford gas at $5.00 a gallon, even if they drive a civic? The split price is not meant to punish those who want to drive SUV’s, but it is meant as an incentive to get people to trade in their SUV’s for a more fuel efficient vehicle. Also, American car makers currently lose money on mid-sized sedans. They make money, they claim, only on large trucks, and SUV’s. This initiative is also meant to encourage American car makers to start thinking more fuel efficient. This is not a rant about the environmental damage that SUV’s supposedly cause. American industry cannot survive constant hikes in fuel! Something must be done. Pleas join me in writing a letter to your congressmen urging them to consider the split price initiative. The future of your nation’s economy depends on it. But don’t take my word for it. Get online, and do some research for yourself.

Saving face?

Reading the October 10th addition of TIME magazine, I came across a letter that said "I wish [President Bush] were as interested in helping the country come to grips with [Katrina] as he appears to be in saving his own political skin." (TIME magazine, October 10) I agree that the federal government balked with Katrina, especially in regards to FEMA. But I don't think that Bush has spent much effort in saving his skin, or his parties’ skin for that matter.

The first string of PR mistakes made by the white house was letting Michael Chertoff bitch-slap reporters when they questioned him on Michal Browns decision to step down from directly overseeing FEMA response to Katrina. This only furthered the suspicion that Brown had not done his job correctly. Second, I think Rob Corddry said it best: "I was impressed by [Michael Brown's] wiliness to accept responsibility for how incompetent everyone else was. He candidly admitted he was too trusting, too able, too over skilled to deal with all the retards around him. Overall, Jon, a heartfelt and stirring you-a culpa." (Rob Corddry, the Daily Show) FEMA has no access to ambulances or fire engines. FEMA's only role is to coordinate disaster relief. So, Brown saying that he failed to see the un-coordination in Louisiana is admitting he did not do his job.

To make a bad situation worse, Bush did not even return from vacation until three days after the hurricane hit. I haven’t seen anything the Bush administration has done to save face. It's like Bush handed his cabinet a shovel and said: "Start digging."

Stop Partisan alreart

Personal anecdote

By Cody Hobbs

Changing between two talk-radio shows on my drive home from work, I listend as two talkshow hosts disscussed the same issue - the avian bird flu. Both bashed an executive order signed by President Bush, April 1st of this year, athroizing a milartized quarinteen in case of a wide spread outbreak. Read more about it here. Both hosts blasted outrage, saying that a manditory quarinteen is unconstatutional, and is in violation of our civil rights as Amercians. With the exception of one host being a man, and the other a woman, it was as if I were listing to the same two people. But there was one glairing differnce. One host, the auther of three best selling books, namely "Liberlisim is a Mentel Dissorder", is an avid Conservative. And the other, if you hadn't guessed by now, a flamboyant Liberal. The dialog was exactly the same. The only differnce being, one cursed liberals, and the other damned conservatives.

I share this with you do demonstrate the utter insanaty of partisan warfair. The worst thing aobut this is, both blaimed the other party! Mike Savage said the quarinteen was a liberal ploy to supress "real" issues, and the other (not sure of her name) insisted it was a Republican covert plot against the American people. How far gone is our political system when, even when we agree, we still have to disagree?

Let me finance your campaign. Want some d*ck?

By: Cody Hobbs

Channel surfing, you might have caught the wave of stories discussing Tom Delay's indictment. "So what does this have to do with me," you ask as you paddle on to your favorite MTV program, The (not so) Real World. While I'm sympathetic to the social kamikaze missing one episode can mean, this story merits a little closer look. "Ok, so who's Tom De- what's his face? And what did he do (that affects me)?" Tom DeLay is the House Majority leader, R. Texas. He has been indicted on one count charging that he violated state election laws in September 2002. Large sums of money have been funneled from large Corporations to the Republican National Committee, trickling down to DeLay. Read the story here at the NY Times. (Zzzzzzz) Getting to the point... When Corporations "donate" large sums of money to any election campaign, they expect "favors" in return. Remember Chris Rock's stand up act: "When a guy is nice to a girl, he's not just being nice to her. He's saying, nice hair. Want some dick?" The same principle applies here; Corporations don't just "donate" money, their buying congressmen.

Connecting the dots:

On the 17 of this month, bankruptcy laws will take their first major reform in over a decade. The reforms, sponsored by major credit card companies, will make it more difficult for struggling people to eliminate their debt. And since getting into debt has become our nation’s favorite pass-time, especially for a growing number of young adults, (that means you, rabid Real World fans) this threatens to widen the Jenna Jameson gap between the rich and the pour. Read more about bankruptsy reform here. So how the hell does all this connect? "Can I finance your campaign Mr. DeLay? Want some Dick?"