12 cents a gallon gasoline: feel the mob mentality rising in the United States?

by Mary MacElveen
May 3
Those of us who consider ourselves well informed concerning all things politics cannot understand those who choose not to. Then again, when we in the know start discussing the issues around them, they look upon us as being crazy. They ask us where did you hear that since they did not hear it on Fox News or the other corporate cable and network news channels.

We then say, we read it from a foreign news source via the Internet, which affirms their opinion of us ... they think of us as one of those Netophites and someone who is very dangerous.

You see, if it is not on the American news broadcast, it cannot possibly be true.

We will just let them live in their own little fantasy world...

In the United States it is called the 'American Idol Syndrome.' These folks who suffer from this syndrome do not know what the rest of the world is paying to fill up their gas tanks, but they are quick to anger when filling up ones SUV continues to rise. They may start to gripe in front of us who are in the know, but we zip our lips or shrug our shoulders basically saying: "I knew that a long time ago."

Just yesterday Newsday had on its front cover exactly what the citizens of Venezuela are paying for a gallon of gasoline. The banner headline painted in red (My guess was to inflame the 'American Idol Syndrome' sufferer) which said: Cheapest Gas in the World 12 cents a gallon ... Letta Tayler reports from Venezuela.

Now the secret which was not really that secret is out here on Long Island. For those of you who do not know Long Island, New York, it is one of the most expensive places to live here in the United States. Since it is, many cannot afford to live here and are fleeing for that reason. So, add to the rising gas prices, it is bound to anger most people living here.

This person who does suffer from this syndrome just may call you up and ask how long did you know of this. You hear the excitement in their voice. Not to anger them anymore than they already are, you state calmly that you have and knew this fact for quite sometime. You listen, try and commiserate with them and hope that you can calm them down. This excited person may ask: Who is the President Chavez and why is he charging us so much for gas and so little for his citizens?

To my readers, this maybe a conversation that is taking place now since the little secret is now out there.

Yes, President Chavez charges his citizens 12 cents a gallon for gasoline.

* They may begin to see President Chavez as a demon and a threat to their economic welfare and wonder just how can CITGO stations here in the United States charge equally high prices as other companies such as Exxon/Mobil, Shell and others.

After Katrina, someone on an Internet news site asked that very question. So, while that site did not know the answer, I took it upon myself to write Fernando J. Garay who is the manager of Public Affairs & Corporate Secretary of CITGO. This was his response back to me: "In terms of market prices, this is what I can tell you: CITGO does not own, operate or control any retail locations. The company sells gasoline to its distributors. CITGO by law cannot dictate prices to its customers. With that being said, the individual gas stations set their own price since under law, CITGO cannot influence what price is charged. As we have seen many gas stations in the wake of Katrina have price gouged the customers and that is up to the individual states to address if they have laws on the books to deal with it."

In Newsday's piece this passage really got my attention: "Venezuela, which is sitting on the largest crude oil reserves outside the Middle East and possibly in the world, has the cheapest gasoline prices on the planet."

Can you almost feel the mob mentality rising in the United States?

Instead of holding those responsible here in the United States for their economic woes, they just blame President Hugo Chavez.

Last year, I had a conversation with someone, and when I relayed that we are seizing Iraq's oil, she stated that we had to in order to protect our interests. That left me cold. First of all, Iraq's oil was and is not ours to seize. The same applies to Venezuelan oil. It does not belong to us. If we were to invade Venezuela to get our hands on their oil, it will not lower the price here at home.

* In this capitalistic society, someone is always looking to make a buck at the expense of the people.

As it is costing more and more to fill our SUVs, Letta Tayler reported that it cost Venezuelans $2.25 to fill their SUV tank. Can you hear the American outrage? The 'American Idol Syndrome' sufferer must be beside themselves since s/he now knows.

Ah, let the demonizing of President Chavez and Venezuela begin when Newsday reported: "Together, energy experts here estimate, concerns about volatility in Iran, Iraq, Nigeria and Venezuela are inflating oil prices by about 15%." Please re-read Mr. Garay's letter to me which states "by law cannot dictate the prices to its customers" this refutes what was reported by Letta Tayler. I would say that the price being charged to Americans is more of an internal problem and not an external one.

On the eve of 'Shock and Awe' ... which was our initial bombing of Iraq ... Bush stated to the Iraqi people "Do not blow the oil fields" ... that was the smoking gun if ever there was one. First of all, what business is it of his to tell them not to blow their own oil fields?

President Chavez has stated that there is a good chance that the United States will invade Venezuela and with good reason since we temporarily overthrew him back in 2002. This is what President Chavez said, should we invade "We won't have any alternative but to blow up our oil fields ... they aren't going to take that oil."

My guess is that he was paying close attention to Bush's warning to the Iraqi people.

America, do not be angry with President Chavez and his threat to blow the oil fields, since it is our addiction in the first place to this oil that eats away at our budgets. Bush stated in his past State of the Union Address that we were addicted to oil. Was his message ever a day late and a dollar short.

But, has he done anything to help us detox from this addiction?

Has he mandated to any of the car companies to dissuade them from their continuance in making these SUVs and Hummers?

Just the other day, in a photo-op moment, the Speaker of the House, Dennis Hastert was seen ditching a hybrid car only to go back to his gas guzzler. What message did that send?

In a Boston Globe article March 17, 2005 it stated: "President Bush's budget, submitted in February, provides no funding for Amtrak, a move that the administration and its critics say will probably drive the corporation into bankruptcy by the next fiscal year."

So, Bush will fund airlines, but not Amtrak?

We cannot afford one of the largest train systems to go bankrupt if we are to detox off of our addiction to oil.

I would quote more passages from Newsday, but what I found was them trying to paint President Chavez in a negative light, and that is typical of the American media. What they do not tell you in bold fonts as they did on their front cover is how President Chavez uses the profits made off of the sale of their oil ... he puts it to work for his people as many of us here at VHeadline.com have reported in the past.

So, the 'American Idol Syndrome' sufferer will read this negative story and they will become further enraged. They will see that President Chavez is their threat when that is not the case.

Should Bush state, "we are about to invade Venezuela," reports like this will give him carte blanche to do so.

My message to the 'American Idol Syndrome' sufferers is do not take your anger out on President Chavez ... take it out on Bush.

After all, it is our own addiction to oil and our refusal to hold those in Washington, D.C. accountable which has resulted in our own economic misery.