Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Into The Void with John Miller

OPEC At It Once Again

Gee, folks, here's a real surprise. The price of gasoline is going up, and up, and up, and up, with no end in sight.

Why is this? Well, again, it's no shock, the OPEC nations, along with Norway, Indonesia and Mexico, don't want to increase the production of crude oil, because it would cut into their exorbitant profits. Can you say price gouging?

This is exactly what OPEC and other oil producing nations are doing, price gouging those who consume more than they are able to produce. It's immoral to say the least, and in this case it's downright criminal.

In parts of the Midwest gas prices have exceeded the $2 per gallon barrier, and are headed that way here. Some stations are at $1.59.9, while a few are able to sell gas for less, but only for a little while.

The Clinton administration has been trying to put pressure on OPEC nations, but it has been ineffective, 'cause they don't have to respond to political pressure. They have the oil, control production, thereby controlling the market and, in effect, are in control of the world in many ways.

What can be done to alleviate this situation? The answer is simple really, it only takes some serious cajones. Washington needs to immediately, if not sooner, stop all foreign aid to OPEC nations. It wouldn't hurt to place a few embargoes on them either, especially where food and medication are concerned.

If OPEC wants to get nasty, change the rules accordingly and get even nastier.

In the case of Mexico, the U.S. needs to call in the loans Mexico's government owes America, and place massive tariffs on all imports crossing the border in to the U.S. Any American-based company with plants in Mexico should also be penalized for bringing any product back into this nation.

Sound harsh? Sound unfair? It is, but so is being forced to pay $2 a gallon for 87 octane gasoline.

We have to remember those we're dealing with in this situation are of a different culture and think differently than Americans. We also must remember most OPEC nations are located in the Middle East and the U.S. has precious few fans there. In fact Americans are hated in the Middle East.

So our best option is to fight fire with fire. They have needs other than petroleum  food and medicine. We offer a tradeoff, reduce the price of oil by increasing production or there will be no more food and medicine sent there  along with no foreign aid.

America also needs to quit selling these idiots arms regardless of what they're willing to pay.

Russia is in no economic position to take advantage of our doing this and sell more arms in the Middle East, though it would try. If Russia did try to backdoor the U.S., then, once again, economic sanctions could be levied to nip it in the bud.

This is not a cry for isolationism as America tried in the early 20th century, but a plea for global unity with repercussions for those nations ignoring the request.

We can do without their petroleum products a lot longer than they can do without food, medicine and foreign aid.