The Hiller Instinct: Hiller Instinct: Pain in the gas

How about the CEO of Exxon-Mobil? He got nearly $100 million when he retired. That's enough to fill up thousands of tanks.

At the political pump, Republicans blame the oil companies:

Sen. Arlen Specter, (R)-PA
"I think windfall profits, eliminating the anti trust exemption, considering the excessive concentration of power are all items we ought to be addressing."

Democrats blame George Bush:

Sen. Barbara Mikulski, (D)-MD
"This administration has no answers. But we do."

And in his State of the Union, the President blamed us:

President Bush
"America is addicted to oil."

Make that cheap oil. So what if a gallon of gas costs nearly seven dollars in France and the Netherlands, and nearly nine in Norway. Don’t they always pay more in Europe?

What we want is the $0.78 per gallon price in Kuwait, or the $0.16 per gallon cost in Venezuela.

Here's why we won't get it: they’re in Opec, and we're not.

But knowing that won't make us feel better, because what we're losing at the pumps is more than money, it's our way of life.

Cars symbolize America. From the assembly line that brought Model-T's into all our garages, to the tail-finned Cadillacs that signified the dominance of our economy, to the suv's that are as big as our appetites, to the raw power of Nascar.

Automobiles give us our freedom, the ability to get up and go, where we want, when we want, and now that freedom is in jeopardy.

We're frustrated because we're not in the driver's seat, and fear, on the road to the future, we're may be running on fumes.

I’m Andy Hiller, and that’s my Instinct.

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