On the recordMarch 29, 2012
I rise today in a moment when America is in crisis, and I don't think we are paying appropriate attention to the problems that befall our society. There are still too many people out of work, too many people who can't afford health care presently, and too many people who can't educate their children because they don't have the means. They are struggling. Millions of homes are still on the edge of foreclosure. And here we see a situation that is unacceptable under any stretch of the imagination. I rise today to talk to the American people who are struggling every week to provide the necessities for family life. At the same time, I ask my Republican colleagues why they would insist on continuing tax subsidies--gifts, really--to multibillion-dollar oil companies at the expense of ordinary, hard-working, middle-income families. Right now, these families are forced to come up with $4 per gallon--$60 to $80 dollars, typically--to fill the tank every time they have to go to the gas station. That is a huge burden. The big five oil companies have made almost $1 trillion in profits in the last decade. Look at how much money these companies made in the last year alone. It was a record $137 billion between the big five oil companies. Look at them: ExxonMobil--these poor guys need a subsidy. They only made $41 billion--$41 billion--in a single year. Look down the list. The last of the five must believe that trying to catch up is pretty tough. They only made $12 billion.…
