From the Desk Of...

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It is just me or does it seem like such a short time ago when Americans were up in arms about gas prices? About this time last year we were infuriated over the fact gas prices reached over the $3.00 mark and all the e-mails surfaced regarding the need to "go on gas strike". Well a year later and the gas prices have teetered back and forth from as high as $3+ for regular to as low as $2.56 depending on where you reside. See the following story:

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,208709,00.html?sPage=fnc.business/energy

I guess we've gotten just as use to paying for the increases in gas as we have about everything else. In fact I go as far as to say we are actually still paying below price for a commodity we use the most of any nation in the world. (Yes, I said it).

           If you take a look at the oil and gas prices of other countries around the globe: http://bigpicture.typepad.com/comments/2005/05/gas_prices_from.html

you will noticed a major difference in the amount of dollars paid by countries with far less economic strength than we. As always stated by politicians, writers and the like, we are the most powerful nation in the world. Well if that's the case we should not complain about paying a measly $3.oo or more for gas since we use the most correct? Well for those who still think even with the information given we are paying way too much, let me give a solution or two to help us poor Americans deal with the "crisis".

1. Address all major corporations in the states:  The kicker in all of this is that salaries we make in the US are directly influence our ability to deal with the rising gas prices and all the commodities we hold dear to us. The gas prices are moving in the direction they are supposed to for us Americans who have enjoyed years of robbing the industry blind while expending the most of this resource (Remember when regular unleaded cost about $1.50???). We need to address the corporations in the US (I mean all of them including where we all work presently)  and the fact that for what the average US company grosses in revenues per year, the average employee salary is nothing relative to that. I saw a televised discussion recently where a proposal was made to eliminate the minimum wage. Now this hasn't reached the Supreme Court yet so don't jump in fear...yet. However please believe if the minimum wage was eliminated you, I and everyone else would be paid nothing!!!! The basis for the minimum wage was to keep employers' honest about how they compensate their employees. We all know business is business, would you put it past your boss to underpay you if they deemed it warranted? Businesses already leave the states to go to third world nation in order to cut costs for salary, health care, etc. Minimum wage aside, the fact is the average employee in the states is not paid a fair salary in relation to what companies generate in yearly profits. Memo to corporations: Pay people what they should be paid in relation to revenues companies earn and the quality of life for the average US citizen will improve...as well as their ability to afford the rising gas prices.

2. Back to blue collars: As a nation which has lost total understanding of what it is to be a driving force in the blue collar industrial industry, we need to get back to our roots and start developing our American made vehicles to be less dependent on non-renewable resources. More fuel efficient cars will help solve this problem in the long run. Stop being so lazy depending on other nations to be the innovators of the technology we need most in order to survive. We have the best schools which produce the best scientific minds around, the federal government needs to fund these brilliant minds to find better ways at becoming less dependent on petroleum. As recent as last week, the President stated the need for Americans to move away from such dependency on foreign oil:  http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,212063,00.html?sPage=fnc.business/energy

3. Politicize: Bush's comments lead into this very important question: Are his words going to be backed with actions? For far too long, our political leaders have spun this issue blaming everything from Katrina, the war in Iraq (I thought we had issue with the Afghans re: 9/11?) to the fact that we are dependent on oil from countries that in his most recent comments "just don't like us". Americans need to study American politics to the point we are not ignorant when it's time to elect or re-elect our local, state and federal leaders. It is not enough to watch a series of debates in Sept and Oct. - then expect to have enough data to make a conclusion which will affect us for years to come. We need to smarten up and review the track records of these figures running for office. The more knowledge you have regarding who runs for office, the more sound decisions will be made in who represents us. Furthermore, as citizens we are holding our political leaders accountable for doing their jobs effectively. Ask yourself what are their views are of: 

a. International relations - how strong are we in developing relations with other nations in developing ways to keep not only the US but all nations from being so dependent petroleum. This is becoming a world wide crisis.

b. Domestic economic development - invest dollars in the research done by scientists as well as the revitalization of our 'blue collar' middle class to meet the need of finding solutions to our dependency on foreign resources which again are non-renewable. What ever happened to Detroit being the automotive leader in developing standout automobiles?

c. Education - Invest in our future through educating our youth. The federal government (more directly the Bush Administration) need to channel the same dollars spent on education as they do on fighting a war with no clear enemy. Our schools ar not improving and our students are not performing at competitive levels across the board. The key to developing greater technological methods of supporting our need for energy without the need for petroleum will come from the minds of our youth. However they will never be heard if we don't support them.

I believe it is these three things that shape the potential of this nation to develop either the ability to stand on our own and become leaders of innovative technology so as to not be dependent on outside resources. Otherwise we continue to do nothing and wait for the a major oil crisis to surface then we are left scrambling to find a way to handle the matter...again!