I remember my dad complaining about the price of gas. His list of culprits was a long one: politicians, oil companies, and even the manager at the local gas station. My dad was not alone. Several people had their complaints about paying “outrageous” prices for gas. All of the old timers used to tell me about the good old days when gas stations had “price wars” and gas was a nickel a gallon. Those days are far behind us now.But why is it that oil prices are rising? It is easy to blame foreign nations for high-prices. We can even blame “greedy oil companies” for the chunk out of our wallets, but that is putting all of the blame on one-inch of a yardstick.
America is sitting on energy that could last us centuries. But why are we not tapping this gold mine? It is political. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has placed regulations on America’s energy industry, and many politicians in Washington have complied, that prohibit Americans from tapping into our own energy source. This is done in the name of protecting the environment. Well, this would be fine if that was the cause, but it is not. For example, the EPA and some politicians have forbidden the United States any drilling in the Gulf of Mexico. Yet, Brazil, with the permission of President Obama, is allowed to do the same type of drilling in the Gulf of Mexico that could be used for American energy. Also, other nations are allowed to drill for their energy anywhere in the world, and then turn around and sell it to America.
Furthermore, a lot has been said about drilling in Alaska. Again, erroneous restrictions prohibit drilling for oil in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR). Although there is an overwhelming support by Alaskans to drill there, many in Washington D.C. still refuse. They say it will take ten years for us to get any oil. They said the same thing ten years ago.
Restrictions, regulations, and politics play a huge role in high-prices. Whenever you have a short supply on any good that is in demand, prices go up. Whenever competitors are meeting that demand, those prices go down. By forbidding a free market, prices will always go up and quality will go down. This is what happened in the former Soviet Union.
Oil is the blood that keeps the flow of a strong economy going. By forcing society to find other means for their energy is slowing that economy. Contrary to belief, it hurts the poor and small business owners more times than not.
By the way, when my dad was complaining about gas prices, they were at two-dollars a gallon. Ah, the good old days.
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