Sometimes the truth will leak out when our leaders and politicians are being interviewed. Mitt Romney said recently that he was not concerned about the very poor. I believe him. I think that he was speaking the truth. I don’t think Romney worries much about the very poor.
Well, gas prices have shot up recently. Heading in the direction of $4 and $5 per gallon. And who is feeling the brunt of the pain from these higher gas prices? Is it those driving around in $60,000 hybrid vehicles? Is it those who make $200,000 per year?
No, it’s our working poor and struggling middle class. Those who were having trouble making ends meet when gas was $2 per gallon. Someone who is being paid $7-12 per hour, and often driving an old car that gets poor gas mileage. And many of these Americans will have to decide which bills not to pay next month, because of the higher gas prices.
I do not like the idea of the US being dependent on foreign imported oil. Ultimately, I would like to see our future re-industrialized country unleash its creative genius in our research labs and devise ways make our country energy-independent.
But, if we must use imported oil, it is better to pay $40 per barrel, than $80-100 per barrel. And we do not need gas costing $3, $4, or $5 per gallon.
Does President Obama and his administration really care about the rising gas prices? It is debatable whether any President could do anything in the short run, even if they cared, to reverse the run-up in gas prices.
But, the question is, does the Obama administration really care about the rising price of gas? Of course, they want to get re-elected and keep their jobs. But, other than getting votes, what do they think about rising gas prices?
There is an interesting statement made in September of 2008, by Steven Chu, director of the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, a US Department of Energy laboratory.
In an interview with the Wall Street Journal, Mr. Chu was quoted as saying: “Somehow we have to figure out how to boost the price of gasoline to the levels in Europe.”
Several months after Mr. Chu stated that he wanted to boost the price of gas, he was President Obama’s new Secretary of Energy, assuming office on January 21, 2009.
Is Mr. Chu, the present US Secretary of Energy, really concerned about the rapidly-rising price of gas? Does he stay awake at night trying to figure out how to bring down the price of gas?
(And, oh yeah, the current price of gas in Europe is running about $7- 8 per gallon in most countries.)