Pain At the Pump

Ah! For the good old days when you could fill the tank for a dollar. If folks paid more'n a quarter a gallon, my, how they'd holler! Nowadays, it necessitates a usurious loan from the bank, Or a second mortgage on the house, just to fill the tank! Politicians piously claim they can feel our pain at the pump. Well, I don't know about that, but it sure makes me grump! I can only shake my fist and vent my rage at Conoco and Shell, Sinclair, Diamond, EXXON, Phillips and the entire oil cartel! Oil companies make huge profits and give their CEOs a bonus, But on the backs of us working stiffs is placed a taxing onus! "Elect Me!" promise the politicians, "and I'll guarantee relief!" We've heard that old saw before - it usually means more grief! I doubt that the moose, caribou or elk really give a hoot, Should drilling be allowed in Alaska in our oil pursuit! Nor would sharks, barracudas or moray eels be at all offended, If we set up rigs and drilled offshore as some have recommended! Alas, the price of a barrel of oil continues to rise each day, And us fellers at the end of the pipeline are the ones who pay. In suspending gas taxes for a spell, I see very little merit. The only solution for our plight I guess, is just to grin and bear it! Robert L. Hinshaw, CMSgt, USAF, Retired (© All Rights Reserved)