One prominent figure who hadn't been heard from since the disasterous consequences of January 17, 2008 was former Vice-President Al Gore. He had survived the bombings, even though the Democratic National Headquarters in several Tennessee cities had been demolished by bombs, Gore had not been at any of the locales. He had actually been out of the country at an international conference on global warming, an issue that had become his personal mission. Just two years earlier, Gore had released "An Inconvenient Truth", which eventually became the fourth largest-grossing film documentary of all time. While it accurately and urgently defined the threats associated with global warming, even those who saw the movie seemed unmoved to do anything about it. American youth's unwillingness to conserve gasoline, heat, or other energy forms was at an all-time high. Even as gasoline approached $4.00-per-gallon, motorists didn't see the need for energy conservation. Many claimed it was all a "liberal hoax" to scare us into conservation. Big corporations easily hired greedy scientists to pooh-pooh the ideas of global warming becoming an enironmental threat. Still, legitimate evidence demonstrated that polar ice caps were melting faster than anyone imagined. Polar bears were drowning as ice melted literally beneath their huge white paws. Unknown islands began appearing in areas of the Arctic, hving been buried under sheets of ice for ages.
Now O.U.T.R.A.G.E. had persauded Gore to join its ranks. He would travel around the nation - and throughout the world - to help send an important message: global warming was a real threat to the world' enivronment, ecology and economies. Colin Powell and John McCain welcomed Gore's input and participation, announcing it to a nation-wide TV audience on Saturday, April 19, 2008.
Just before the mid-term elections in 2006, gasoline prices had been at record highs of $3.00-per-gallon or more. Suddenly, by mid-September, prices plummeted to under $2.25-per-gallon, and Republicans, of course, took the credit for it, as happy motorists reveled in the savings. Obtuse, naive voters never stopped to give serious thought to what kind of fools the big oil companies had played them for; it was all a psychological shell game to escalate gasoline prices - and enhance oil company profits. Oil companies were tired of selling a product, on which Americans were so dependent, at such insignificant profit margins. They had invested millions of dollars and many years of political strategizing to finally put two sordid former oil men in the White House. By 2005, oil prices were changing on a day-to-day basis, sometimes on an hourly basis. Retail gasoline dealers didn't share in the increased profits; that was reserved for the mega corporations that captured, refined, and distributed the oil. Of course, every time the price of oil shot up, "experts" blamed it on the theory of supply-and-demand. Oil, after all, was a commodity that was traded as such. In peak travel times, more gasoline would be necessary, and stressed-out Americans bought into the oil companies' rhetoric. It wasn't their fault; blame it on the 'marketplace'. Oil firms ran "warm and fuzzy" ads about how they contributed to conservation efforts, and how they did everything they could to keep gasoline prices at reasonable levels. Industry analysts had quietly confided to oil company executives that it was unlikely American motorists would really rebel until gasoline hit four bucks a gallon or more. So, the oil companies played the American consumer like a fine Stradavarius, allowing oil prices to peak and then bringing them down a notch or two. Within months, motorists were accustomed to the roller-coaster ride and gleefully bragged whenever they could buy gas for $2.85 a gallon (failing to remember that a year ago they were able to buy it for $1.85 a gallon). Few took time to recognize that a 50% - 75% increase in the price of a gallon of gas was price-gouging at its most outrageous. In full cooperation of the Bush White House, oil companies realized massive profits without fear of government regulation or interference.
There was, of course, plenty of blame for such fluctuations in the price of oil: the Iraq war; the shutdown of a BP pipeline that had been deteriorating for years without repair; increased driving demands; gas-guzzling SUVs littering America's highways; and weather conditions (such as 2005's Hurricane Katrina) that affected oil refining and distribution procedures. The sheer greed and gluttony of the oil companies was outlandish, but - without the federal government doing anything to protect its citizens from such lack of conscience or fairness - the oil companies' executive snakes slithered all the way to the banks.
As gasoline prices fell, the Republicans felt confident that they would prevail, and would retain control of Congress after the 2006 mid-term elections. As could have been predicted, gasoline prices soared immediately after the elections. Oil industry experts balmed it on the expectation of increased travel during November and December. But prices continued to rise during all of 2007, and by the time President Bush was ready to make his 2008 State of the Union address, most Americans were paying more thn $4.00-per-gallon for gasoline. It was the Bush-Cheney promise to the oil companies: keep prices low until we're back in power, and you can screw over American motorists all you want after that. Analysts were predicting that the price of gasoline would reach $6.00-per-gallon before the spring of 2008.
Mammoth profits gave oil companies huge amounts of investment capital with which to fund new energy ventures. Practically overnight, oil companies were building new ethanol plants, constructing wind farms, growing corn and soybeans, and touting themselves as "energy-conscious" good corporate citizens whose only concern was the benefit of the Amrican consumer.
Gullible Americans sucked it all in, not recogizing that suddenly "conservation" would cost them dearly. Ethanol caused cars to run more fuel-efficiently, and could be produced more cheaply than gasoline. The result was that oil companies were able to make larger profit margins as they continued to cheat consumers by inflating the prices of new, more efficient fuels. Had the ethanol plants been built by small, independent coops or local business people,profit margins would have been lower and American consumers would have enjoyed dramatic reductions in their energy bills. Thanks to the market manipulations by the major oil companies, their customers were still being gouged without mercy. So what if a single mother of three had to choose between food and fuel? The pharmaceutical companies had the same kind of manipulative marketing practices in place: so what if a single mother of three had to choose between fuel and medicine? While there's nothing inherently wrong with the profit motive in a capitalistic culture, excess was a poor excuse for taking advantage of citizenry that was being cheated, bamboozled, and forced to pay higher prices for everything from gasoline to garage door openers.
WalMart was a giant presence in U.S. retailing, virtually putting small businesses out of business across America. Known for paying its employeed minimum wages (or less, when they could get away with it), WalMart's CEO had launched a new public relations campaign designed to improve the chain's image. He boasted about how his employees were given 'average' pay increases, but failed to mention that four descendants of Sam Walton were still on the Forbes' list of the world's wealthiest people. Why couldn't these mutli-billionaires give up vast portions of their obscene wealth to provide adequate wages and beneifts for their employees? That seemed to be the way of the corporate world: let the "big shots" call the shots and squander the company's coffers while claiming that ten-cent hourly pay increases could bankrupt their fabulously wealthy corporations. One of the major O.U.T.R.A.G.E. missions had been to destroy such greedy attitudes; thousands of corporate headquarters had been obliterated, and tens of thousands of corporate executives had been murdered.
Al Gore was going to be a valuable asset to the O.U.T.R.A.G.E. team. Not only would he focus his attentions on ecological and environmental issues, he was also be fighting the scourge of big business that had infected America over the past fifty or sixty years. Profit was not a four-letter word: excessive profits, however, was uncalled for and unfair to the American community. Oppressed United Taxpayers Revolting Against Government Excess also stood tall for the 'little guys' - the common, average everyday laborers who went to work, paid their taxes, and were getting gouged by the rich and powerful elements who continually raped consumers and plundered through American pocketbooks.
Now O.U.T.R.A.G.E. had persauded Gore to join its ranks. He would travel around the nation - and throughout the world - to help send an important message: global warming was a real threat to the world' enivronment, ecology and economies. Colin Powell and John McCain welcomed Gore's input and participation, announcing it to a nation-wide TV audience on Saturday, April 19, 2008.
Just before the mid-term elections in 2006, gasoline prices had been at record highs of $3.00-per-gallon or more. Suddenly, by mid-September, prices plummeted to under $2.25-per-gallon, and Republicans, of course, took the credit for it, as happy motorists reveled in the savings. Obtuse, naive voters never stopped to give serious thought to what kind of fools the big oil companies had played them for; it was all a psychological shell game to escalate gasoline prices - and enhance oil company profits. Oil companies were tired of selling a product, on which Americans were so dependent, at such insignificant profit margins. They had invested millions of dollars and many years of political strategizing to finally put two sordid former oil men in the White House. By 2005, oil prices were changing on a day-to-day basis, sometimes on an hourly basis. Retail gasoline dealers didn't share in the increased profits; that was reserved for the mega corporations that captured, refined, and distributed the oil. Of course, every time the price of oil shot up, "experts" blamed it on the theory of supply-and-demand. Oil, after all, was a commodity that was traded as such. In peak travel times, more gasoline would be necessary, and stressed-out Americans bought into the oil companies' rhetoric. It wasn't their fault; blame it on the 'marketplace'. Oil firms ran "warm and fuzzy" ads about how they contributed to conservation efforts, and how they did everything they could to keep gasoline prices at reasonable levels. Industry analysts had quietly confided to oil company executives that it was unlikely American motorists would really rebel until gasoline hit four bucks a gallon or more. So, the oil companies played the American consumer like a fine Stradavarius, allowing oil prices to peak and then bringing them down a notch or two. Within months, motorists were accustomed to the roller-coaster ride and gleefully bragged whenever they could buy gas for $2.85 a gallon (failing to remember that a year ago they were able to buy it for $1.85 a gallon). Few took time to recognize that a 50% - 75% increase in the price of a gallon of gas was price-gouging at its most outrageous. In full cooperation of the Bush White House, oil companies realized massive profits without fear of government regulation or interference.
There was, of course, plenty of blame for such fluctuations in the price of oil: the Iraq war; the shutdown of a BP pipeline that had been deteriorating for years without repair; increased driving demands; gas-guzzling SUVs littering America's highways; and weather conditions (such as 2005's Hurricane Katrina) that affected oil refining and distribution procedures. The sheer greed and gluttony of the oil companies was outlandish, but - without the federal government doing anything to protect its citizens from such lack of conscience or fairness - the oil companies' executive snakes slithered all the way to the banks.
As gasoline prices fell, the Republicans felt confident that they would prevail, and would retain control of Congress after the 2006 mid-term elections. As could have been predicted, gasoline prices soared immediately after the elections. Oil industry experts balmed it on the expectation of increased travel during November and December. But prices continued to rise during all of 2007, and by the time President Bush was ready to make his 2008 State of the Union address, most Americans were paying more thn $4.00-per-gallon for gasoline. It was the Bush-Cheney promise to the oil companies: keep prices low until we're back in power, and you can screw over American motorists all you want after that. Analysts were predicting that the price of gasoline would reach $6.00-per-gallon before the spring of 2008.
Mammoth profits gave oil companies huge amounts of investment capital with which to fund new energy ventures. Practically overnight, oil companies were building new ethanol plants, constructing wind farms, growing corn and soybeans, and touting themselves as "energy-conscious" good corporate citizens whose only concern was the benefit of the Amrican consumer.
Gullible Americans sucked it all in, not recogizing that suddenly "conservation" would cost them dearly. Ethanol caused cars to run more fuel-efficiently, and could be produced more cheaply than gasoline. The result was that oil companies were able to make larger profit margins as they continued to cheat consumers by inflating the prices of new, more efficient fuels. Had the ethanol plants been built by small, independent coops or local business people,profit margins would have been lower and American consumers would have enjoyed dramatic reductions in their energy bills. Thanks to the market manipulations by the major oil companies, their customers were still being gouged without mercy. So what if a single mother of three had to choose between food and fuel? The pharmaceutical companies had the same kind of manipulative marketing practices in place: so what if a single mother of three had to choose between fuel and medicine? While there's nothing inherently wrong with the profit motive in a capitalistic culture, excess was a poor excuse for taking advantage of citizenry that was being cheated, bamboozled, and forced to pay higher prices for everything from gasoline to garage door openers.
WalMart was a giant presence in U.S. retailing, virtually putting small businesses out of business across America. Known for paying its employeed minimum wages (or less, when they could get away with it), WalMart's CEO had launched a new public relations campaign designed to improve the chain's image. He boasted about how his employees were given 'average' pay increases, but failed to mention that four descendants of Sam Walton were still on the Forbes' list of the world's wealthiest people. Why couldn't these mutli-billionaires give up vast portions of their obscene wealth to provide adequate wages and beneifts for their employees? That seemed to be the way of the corporate world: let the "big shots" call the shots and squander the company's coffers while claiming that ten-cent hourly pay increases could bankrupt their fabulously wealthy corporations. One of the major O.U.T.R.A.G.E. missions had been to destroy such greedy attitudes; thousands of corporate headquarters had been obliterated, and tens of thousands of corporate executives had been murdered.
Al Gore was going to be a valuable asset to the O.U.T.R.A.G.E. team. Not only would he focus his attentions on ecological and environmental issues, he was also be fighting the scourge of big business that had infected America over the past fifty or sixty years. Profit was not a four-letter word: excessive profits, however, was uncalled for and unfair to the American community. Oppressed United Taxpayers Revolting Against Government Excess also stood tall for the 'little guys' - the common, average everyday laborers who went to work, paid their taxes, and were getting gouged by the rich and powerful elements who continually raped consumers and plundered through American pocketbooks.
posted by Bushwacker! at 8:15 AM
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