I just attempted to fill up my car with gas.

I say attempted because the last time I couldn’t bear to watch the numbers go past sixty-five and stopped it myself. I was saved from that dilemma today by a smart gas pump that automatically shut itself down when the numbers reached seventy-five. My wife tells me the limit was only recently raised from fifty.

You may or may not see these numbers, based upon what kind of SUV you drive. I just assumed you drive an SUV because it seems that everyone drives an SUV but me. I drive a Chevrolet land yacht. Think police car and you have a good idea. In fact, I have a few antennas on it, which makes people think I’m a cop. I use this for hilarity on the highway, watching people slow down as soon as they see my car.

That aside, the Great Unwashed need to awaken from their near-terminal slumber and DO SOMETHING. I realize this means turning off Americans Idle and extricating ourselves from the terminal grip of the sofa, but at some point we have to do what we have to do. Or not.

I’m not in the oil industry so you’re getting uninformed opinions but stick with me for a bit, ok?
There is a chain involved, which I’ll attempt to illustrate:

Beginning: owning land with oil under it
End: pumping and paying (and paying)

Let’s `refine’ this a bit further:

Beginning: Middle East
End: gas station

There are a few bits in the middle which seem a little fuzzy, but probably include oil companies, many layers of government taxation, distributors, and possibly trucking.

As anyone who has even a casual relationship with the news can tell you, the oil companies are making record quarterly profits. I’m not sure I’ve heard numbers on any other link in the chain.

I’m thinking it’s safe to state that at very least, the oil companies are where we can start pointing the Fickle Finger of Blame. The question remains how. We’ve all seen the pleas to not purchase gas from a certain chain on a certain date. This won’t do anything but produce some hidden laughter from the executives of certain chains (and perhaps whoever they’re in bed with at the moment).

There is no shortage of oil. There is no increase in demand. There is no excuse for this hideous increase. It is no more than gouging.

WHAT TO DO?

How the hell should i know?

But since I’m the only one with the passwords to this blog (hopefully), I’m going to take a shot at it.

Today I’m going to use my cynicism for good (no, really).
If you know me (or if you read this blog) you know I’m a bit cynical.
in the same way Hitler was a bit anti-semitic.

I was really stuck for ideas. As a quasi-libertarian, I don’t believe in gov’t interference. But since it’s the only game we’re playing, I have to play along. Congresscritters are largely a waste of DNA but how do we get them to actually do something FOR us for once? The main answer is to hire lobbyists to give them huge amounts of money. Since the only huge amounts of money we have are now going into our gas tanks, we have to find another way.

I realize this is getting tricky, but hang in there…. I promise it won’t be much more painful.

The other way to utilize Congresscritters is to write to them. I suspect we can make a difference even without enclosing checks with the letters (or emails). The only thing aside from money that motivates a Congresscritter is annoying letters (or emails). If they get a sufficient quantity of letters (or emails), they’re going to have to actually DO something, lest they feel their re-election or reputation will be at stake.

Last year I suggested we could be assisted by having ALL state and federal taxes dropped. Have you noticed the way that this continues to stubbornly refuse to take place? I have.

If we can get every third constituent to write to their Congresscrtitters, that will be a REALLY tall pile of … errrr…. opinions being expressed. They will have no choice but to ACT (or to plan an immediate fact-finding trip to the Bahamas).

Yes, it’s grossly cynical, but it might just work.
What other option do we have?
Your blog doesn’t have any suggestions….

They come up with phony `evidence’ to start an already-planned war.
They lie.

They invade a sovereign nation. Why?
To protect the rights of oil companies to do business.

What do they use?
The lives of tens of thousands of Americans
Under the banner of Exporting Democracy.

And what happens?
America watches as the price of fuel doubles, throwing the rest of the economy out of whack.
And some of the American whackjobs think it’s patriotic to be in Iraq.
As the Bush Criminal Cartel takes this country way past bankruptcy.

Yes, they’re yucking it up in DC. Literally at our expense.