May, 2006

Price of gas skyrockets; Nationalize the oil companies

From the Editors

Gas over $3 a gallon! Exxon's profits surge to a record $36 billion last year -- the highest in US corporate history. And, $8 billion more in the first three months of this year! Some say there's nothing collusive about it. Well, that depends on which side of the fence you're sitting on. If you're a worker, you're cutting back on gas, food and medicine. If you're a speculator, or an oil company, you're raking in the cash. These profit-hungry thieves are protected from the public's wrath by television images of future oil shortages, supposedly caused by terrorists, war, or natural disasters. That's why prices are rising today, they say. Then, the politicians, fearful of their angry constituents, talk about taxing windfall profits. Fine. But, that's not a solution. This is about what's right and what's wrong. It's about market values versus human values. It's about private property. We have to ask: Is it right for someone to own and profit from the earth's natural resources? No! It's morally wrong. It should be public property. We need a powerful movement that forces the government to take over the energy companies and run them in the interests of the public. Nationalize the oil companies.