Lower gas prices, not our standard of living

Ron Moers, Henderson

Saturday, May 31, 2008 | 2:03 a.m.

Let me get this right — gas stations claim they make only 5 cents per gallon of gas pumped. OK, that’s fair. The oil companies claim they make only 8 percent profit (so why do I keep reading those pesky reports that say they make 1,100 percent every quarter?). And according to an article by the Associated Press, refining costs are 27 cents per gallon. That leaves transportation, OPEC, taxes and speculators to divvy up the remaining $3.

Hmm, let me think. When this all is put into perspective, it seems as if everyone is making a pretty good buck off the public when we consider the number of gallons required to run this nation. So to lower prices at the pump, the only solution is to drive less, right? That means we Americans don’t shop, don’t go to work, don’t take our kids to Little League and, for the most part, don’t do anything but stay home.

Sorry, but our economy is predicated on driving. While the “green” people think we can all live like the Amish, the only reason the greens and the Amish are allowed to practice their own brand of living is because America has evolved into a nation where they can do that. If we refuse to stand up and take charge of our lives, we will soon be trading places with India and China. They will be the world powers and we will be the Third World.

Let’s drill for oil in our own country. Let’s reduce gas taxes. Let’s charge all the oil-producing nations for the blood and treasure we sacrifice to keep them under our freedom umbrella. If our politicians continue with their same lackluster performance and don’t start doing something about this looming disaster, the gas crisis of 1973 will pale by comparison.