Published: May 02, 2008 05:48 pm      

Americans cannot allow oil companies to continue to be fuelish with our future

Is this country ever going to find a scientific way to put efficient energy batteries in cars so we can get away from the dependence on gasoline? I simply cannot believe, given our past history, that it is not possible. History suggests we can meet almost any domestic challenge.

President Kennedy set a goal of putting someone on the moon within seven years and we did that. We were able to win the nuclear race with the Germans to win World War II. Every goal set by Franklin Roosevelt for airplane building or ship construction was not only met but exceeded within the suggested time frame.

Industry officials are telling us that more and more small gasoline stations are on the verge of bankruptcy. A recent story making the rounds tells of a “national” chain of gasoline stations — some in our area — who have changed their name recently and the reason being given is that the gasoline brand is owned by Venezuelan strongman Chavez who has made his hatred for America plain in recent years.

Not too many years ago, I wrote a story about one of the long-time “Mom and Pop” stores which had to close because they could not afford the six-digit price tag to install new gasoline tanks. They said the companies were making certain that as many independent dealers as possible would be “weeded out” in order to put the big name oil companies even more firmly in control of the market.

A few weeks ago the Model General Assembly was meeting in Richmond and independent truckers from across Virginia circled the capitol complex protesting high fuel rates. A couple of the drivers were actually making what amounted to a “last stand” because they were going to sell their trucks by the end of April if prices stayed high. Quite a few of the drivers simply cannot pay for fuel and make truck payments, too.

I have since heard similar stories from several small business owners, many of whom are no longer in operation. Meanwhile, the enormous profits roll into such giant petroleum companies as Exxon-Mobil, setting new records in almost every quarter. A friend of mine who worked on an off-shore oil operation for several years told of oil tankers waiting just outside the international boundary limit, loaded with oil and no place to unload because the storage tanks on land were full. This was at a time when headlines declared a shortage of oil and prices were again on the rise. The man had no reason to lie — he said he was there and saw it first hand.

Quite a few of my friends who are former students now in the farming business are caught up in the energy crunch, too. One young man in Tazewell County who is a full-time farmer told me just a few days ago that the same amount of corn which sold for $400 in 2006 cost nearly $1,000 in ’07. Try selling your milk or beef for the same price when cow feed costs more than double. He said that corn is the right color because it is going to be more valuable than gold before long.

One talk show host said recently that gardens, not bank accounts, are soon going to have to be guarded with guns. We will literally be fighting for food, he said, as the energy costs and policies change our way of growing crops. As we divert grain to feed our cars and stop feeding ourselves, we will change our lifestyles.

As a teacher with many students who are working after-school jobs, I cannot help but wonder how soon it will be until the minimum wage earners have to work an hour for one gallon of gas. The problems of owning a gasoline machine don’t end there, of course. Once a part-time or minimum-wage earner buys a car these days, the choices often include either (a) making the monthly payment, (b) paying for the insurance, (c) buying gasoline, or (d) making repairs if anything breaks. Many young folks understand those all too well.

We simply must get away from the gasoline engine in as few a number of years as possible. It has served its purpose well in the past century. It is time for a change. If we don’t figure out a way to put cost-efficient batteries in our cars, then our children may well live to see another change — back to the horse and buggy.

Larry Hypes is a Tazewell High School teacher and Daily Telegraph columnist.