Steve Kagen: “everywhere in Wisconsin, people are asking for help to cut the cost for gasoline and diesel fuels. People are having a…”

“everywhere in Wisconsin, people are asking for help to cut the cost for gasoline and diesel fuels. People are having a tough time just keeping their heads above water, paying one out of four of their paychecks toward gas just to get to work. We must do everything possible to make certain gas and oil become more affordable. During the past year, I've been listening to everyone involved in the oil industry, and one thing is clear. Current oil prices are not explainable by normal marketplace forces of supply and demand. Why are gas prices so high? Well, there are many reasons, including increased demand from China and India and the declining value of the dollar, but these reasons alone do not explain today's surging oil prices. While ignoring cries for help from ordinary people, President Bush and Vice President Cheney--the two oil men in the White House--have been unwilling to investigate the anticompetitive activities of big oil companies and speculators in large investment banks. Their only response to the surge in oil prices has been to beg for more addictive oil from the Arabian kings in the Middle East, even though last year, as we emptied our pockets, Saudi Arabia enjoyed a windfall of $500 billion. We cannot afford to follow the advice of the White House oil men and of their supporters. For, if we do, we will become not just bankrupt but a nation of beggars.”