Letters to the editor, May 7, 2008

Government should act on gas prices

When is enough, enough?

I don’t know which disturbs me most; the blatant rape of the public at the gas pumps by the oil companies, or the blatant lack of action by our elected officials who, in their oaths of office, swore to uphold laws of the land and protect the public, and at this date, May 1, with the cheapest gas in Barstow at $3.88 a gallon, have obviously neglected to do so.

When is enough, enough! With over $129 billion profit in 2007, its clear the oil companies would make 100 percent profit at a dollar a gallon.
You would think with so many companies out there supplying oil products (gas) you’d think that we should be getting some competition for lower prices. Instead, it seems that they are all working together as their prices are never more than a few pennies different from each other. They have banded together to form a monopoly.

I have seen the truck leave the fuel farm in Daggett and go from station to station in town, delivering gas to stations under different company names. If they aren’t conspiring together to form a “monopoly” then what else would you call it? And they must think we, the public, are stupid.

The continued uncontrolled rise in gas prices will only cause the country to go into a deeper recession faster. The eventual outcome of which will be people unable to afford to go to work or own a home. In short, the American dream will be gone and out of reach for all but the very wealthy. There must be some way short of an event similar to the Boston tea party to correct this problem. If there is still hope for our country and way of life, our elected officials — from the president on down — should take immediate emergency action to correct this injustice; and do so in a way that the oil companies cannot pass it on to the public.

Instead of working hard to help ourselves out of this recession, it seems we are just working hard to make the oil company executives richer. It is time for all citizens to let their elected officials, at all levels, know just how fed up we are with the price of gas.

UN-respectfully submitted

Roger Coffer
Barstow