The U.S. and its Policy of Oil dependency upon the Middle East

            The United States finds itself in a difficult time concerning its dependency upon foreign oil. Much of the oil that the United States consumes annually is shipped in from Middle Eastern countries. As someone who remembers very clearly the 1970s, where rationing took place at the gas stations, it is clear that a shortage in fuel will affect many people and it is likely that it will happen again.
 
            At this time, the American public finds itself being charged inordinate amounts of money for petroleum based fuels. The cost of a barrel of crude is approaching the $100.00 dollar amount and gas prices are soaring, as well as heating oil. The oil companies suggest that this is due to shortages on the world market. Such things as natural disasters and conflicts in some nations affect the production of crude.
 
            However, we also find that the oil companies themselves are in fact shutting down refineries for what they call scheduled maintenance. In a common sense look at the situation, it is clear that there is not shortage of crude oil, because we do not have rationing and dry gas stations as we had in the 1970s. It is not a problem for commuters to fill their tanks and they do not even have to do it on odd or even days.
 
            Nevertheless, oil companies are showing record profits in a time when they claim they are having a difficult time refining oil into fuel. The countries that the United States gets oil from have not stopped producing oil and they are not imposing an oil embargo upon the United States either. Quite simply there is a manipulation of the oil market happening, and it is being done by individuals, which stand to profit greatly from it.
 
            It involves not only oil companies, but there are also those politicians which enable them to do so and they have a stake in seeing the oil companies profit. The American people have nowhere they can turn to because the politicians are not working in their best interest. It should have been apparent that the United States should have moved away from oil based fuels back in the 1970s and started working diligently to convert to alternative fuels.
 
            However, those that hold positions of power setup barricades to every attempt to move in the direction of alternative fuels. The average American does not like the idea of being dependant upon foreign governments for our basic necessities. Nevertheless, those leaders, which were elected to work in the best interest of the American people, have been bought and paid for by special interest and foreign governments.
 
            The time is now that the public must say no more to the oil based fuels and start actively moving towards alternative fuels. We must consider all of the good things, which would come from such a change in policy. With alternative fuels such as hydro, ethanol, and bio-diesel, the people could see quite a reduction in the cost of fuel. America would finally be free of any dependency upon foreign oil. Wars would not have to be engaged in order to secure our oil interest around the globe. Finally, it is good for the environment, because even if you do not believe that pollution is causing global warming, it is still pollution.