The truckers are striking, the airlines are going out of business and people aren’t going to be able to go on vacations. At this point I really don’t have any sympathy for people who want to complain about the high price of fuel. It will take a couple of years to solve the problem but it is an easy problem to solve.
    First thing is to vote out the politicians who keep blocking the building of refineries, the drilling of oil in Alaska, and the drilling off our shores. These politicians are the same ones who keep bowing down to the liberal tree huggers who don’t want any type of alternative energy sources such as nuclear, solar or wind.
    Of course everyone is screaming for the heads of “big oil”. That really makes a lot of sense. Because the owners of big oil are the same people who are paying the high prices of fuel. Big oil is owned by shareholders who are making money by owning the shares. They aren’t going to continue to own shares of a company who isn’t making a profit – so if we reduce the profits or fine big oil we will just force them to past the cost onto consumers and that equates to higher fuel prices.
    Now are there things big oil can do to reduce cost – of course but in the long run they can’t fix the real problem of supply when they have to pay foreigners for the oil instead of getting it from our own supplies.
    This problem is not something that sprang up overnight. This problem first occurred back in the 70’s when a Democratic President irritated some Middle East countries and we had an oil embargo. The American people shouldhave jumped up and down and demanded solutions and alternative supplies but once the embargo was over and gas prices dropped and gas was plentiful, the American people forgot how fragile the supply of oil was.
    Fast forward to the 2000’s and guess what, we are back in the same situation. Only this time, we are really in trouble. The politicians and tree huggers have made the situation worse by not preparing for the possibility we would not have a cheap supply of oil. So instead of preparing, we have dismantled our ability to pump oil and to refine oil into the fuel we need to keep our economy humming along.
    So what does all this have to do with the truckers strike? Nothing. The truckers striking won’t solve the problem. Do they expect fuel prices to drop? That won’t happen because there is always going to be someone else standing in line to fill up. Maybe if everyone reduced fuel consumption by 50%, the price of fuel would drop.
    For those who are economically challenged – it is called supply and demand. If there is no supply and high demand, then we have high prices, if we have no demand and steady or more supply, then we have lower prices.
    To get back on track, the truckers striking will not reduce fuel prices; it will increase the price of other things such as food and other consumables. Those items must get to the consumer in some way or they will spoil which will cause additional price increases. I guess the truckers are looking for the government to bail them out like they are bailing out everyone else. The new American ingenuity is to complain loud enough so the government will bail you out.
    What should the truckers do? Get their unions to stop endorsing liberal candidates and look for ways to be more economical.
    Can trucks be filled to capacity at all times, can truckers use fuel that is not as eco-friendly but is less expensive to manufacture. Maybe they can even invest in technology that would give them alternative fuel sources such as hydrogen.
    One of the big problems with hydrogen is the lack of fueling stations. Maybe if trucking companies would guarantee routes and help fund some of the fueling stations, they would benefit and so would the rest of society by creating an infrastructure that will decrease our reliance on foreign oil.
    I feel the pain the truckers have with high fuel prices but striking is not going to solve the problem. Instead of looking for a government handout to artificially lower prices, the truckers should band together and look for a unique solution – use that good old American ingenuity to solve this problem once and for all.

Bill Weaver 

    The trucker has been a symbol of America for a long time. He and his truck are part of the legacy of Manifest Destiny. Without him life as we know it could not exist. In this age outsourcing to cheaper and cheaper locations has made his work even more important.
    Their necessity has been recognized by the government resulting in them being one of the few groups that are legally not allowed to strike. So, of course the government has taken steps to help this necessary and vulnerable group of people...by screwing them over as much as possible.
   During passing of NAFTA the Teamsters union raised concern over the safety and environmental risks posed by Mexican truckers famous for their methods of staying awake and improvisational Mexican engineering. In response to this, a provision was added to limit the distance truckers could drive from the border to 20 miles.
    A pilot program pushed through Congress by the Cheney administration allows Mexican trucks to go anywhere in the US to drop off cargo and to bring back loads to Mexico. Authorization for American trucks to do the same was delayed for several months by the Mexican government. If you’re paying attention and not just scanning you should realize this is a very silly plan and hardly benefits us. We don’t make anything anymore.
    With the lack of utility of this plan and the safety concerns over Mexican truckers, several Congressmen tried to pass bills that would stop this program. Congressman Duncan Hunter succeeded in this by getting the Consolidated Appropriations Act passed which stops the government from using funds “to establish a cross-border motor carrier demonstration program to allow Mexico-domiciled motor carriers to operate beyond the commercial zones along the international border between the United States and Mexico.”
    One problem with this, the people in control of our government are montebanks. Mary Peters, head of the department of Transportation, along with her attorney assert that the wording of the bill only prevents the DOT from establishing a new program.
    During a hearing in March Peters was asked whether the program will end in September when the program runs out. Her response to this was “that would be my intent.” Shortly after she left her press people told reporters that what she meant to say was that she might not close the borders.
    A few days later a letter was sent from her office saying, “if participation rates are low, DOT retains the discretion to extend the Demonstration Project up to the three-year maximum permitted by statute. DOT thus has the ability to rectify any unanticipated shortfall in participation that might affect the viability of the Demonstration Project as a measure of the safety of Mexico-domiciled carriers.”
    This issue combined with high fuel taxes and a fuel mandate that forces diesel gas to be made from a costly process using less sulfur than previously has prompted many truckers to attempt a strike. The insurance for these truckers has gone up as well because of a system based on personal credit, which means in lean times like these they have less money to pay for their increasing costs. With federal laws banning any organized strike of the trucking industry the only hope this strike has to work is word of mouth.
    A lack of subsidizes and a glut of government interference are eliminating owner operator truckers of America. But, with the Cheney administration’s plans to use migrant truckers we will see little impact and likely lower prices. After all an immigrant labor force worked pretty well for Rome.

Jonathan Taft
 

    Currently, truck drivers all across the United States are facing severe problems. Rising gas prices and the worsening economic situation have put many independent truckers in a tight spot. They cannot find shipment that will pay enough for them to make ends meet.
    A lot of drivers can no longer make a profit, so they are turning off their rigs and calling it quits. Also, regular gas is now about $.75 cheaper than diesel on average. Corporate drivers are still trucking along, but with diesel prices at a record $4.04 per gallon; there is no telling how much longer they will continue to operate.
    Even with all of this, there is still a shortage of truckers nationwide. Some truckers have had enough of this. Various independent truckers went on a grassroots (since union based ones are prohibited) initiated ‘strike’ on April 1st. (Perhaps not the best day to send a serious message.) Although this strike did not accomplish much, it might just be the first step in a growing situation.
    The question becomes not what can we do to help the truckers, but if we can do anything. We as voters do not have an immediate impact as the truckers do to get things done.
    There are two possibilities. Either the truckers will respond to the rising gas prices with a more serious strike and the economy will get worse for a short time (due to limited supply of certain items in areas) or they will ‘grin and bear it’ and the situation will worsen to the point where all drivers will be cooperate and low paid imported workers (whether from the current prices also on the rise, this will magnify the problem.
    We could convince our Representatives to lower gas taxes, remove ULSD emission standards, or even subsidize truckers. However, all of these take time and the government to accomplish.
    Perhaps the best course of action is for the truckers to go on strike, unions or not, and not just independent drivers, but corporations. Their immediate actions are the quickest and most viable solution to their plight. It only depends on them.
    Also if they don’t accomplish anything, it is better of they find somewhere else to work rather than staying at the job where they are losing money. programs or a propose one that will come to pass).
    The former of these choices could help bring down gas prices like they did in 1974. The latter maybe cheaper for corporations in the long run because if gas prices do go down, they will still have their cheap labor.
    Some may say, what does this have to do with us? Why do we care if some truck drivers have to quit? Well, it is simple really. If truckers have to pay more in gas, the things they deliver (which are just about everything) will go up as well.
    You may just think of things in the store, but anything you buy will be affected. Restaurants and fast food are facing increased charges for delivers to their shops. These costs, especially in non-corporate business, will be passed directly on to the consumer. With food 

 Eleanor M. Wyatt