butterflywing

Gas > rationing in the 70's worked even though we grumbled
> about it. It might even have been good for > us!
>
>
> Are > you aware that the Saudis are boycotting American > products? In addition, they are gouging us on > oil prices. > Shouldn't > we return the favor? Can't > we take control of our own destiny and let these giant oil > importers know who REALLY generates their profits, their > livings? How about leaving American Dollars in America > and reduce the import/export deficit?

> An > appealing remedy might be to boycott their GAS > . Every time you fill up your car you can avoid > putting more money into the coffers of Saudi Arabia . > Just purchase gas from companies > that don't import their oil from the > Saudis.

> Nothing is more frustrating than the feeling that every > time I fill up my tank, I'm sending my money to people > who I get the impression want me, my family and my > friends dead. The > following gas companies import Middle Eastern > oil:
>
>
> Shell.....................................
> 205,742,000 barrels
>
>
> Chevron/Texaco.................... 144,332,000
> barrels
>
>
> Exxon
> /Mobil........................
> 130,082,000 barrels
>
>
> Marathon/Speedway.............
> 117,740,000 barrels
>
>
> Amoco...................................
> 62,231,000 barrels
>
>
> And > CITGO oil is imported from Venezuela by Dictator Hugo Chavez
> who hates America and openly avows our economic > destruction! (We pay Chavez's regime > nearly $10 Billion per year in oil > revenues!)
>
>
> The > U.S. currently imports 5,517,000 barrels of crude oil per > day from OPEC. If you do the math at $100 per barrel, > that's over $550 million PER DAY ($200 > BILLION per year!) handed over to OPEC, many of whose > members are our confirmed enemies!!!!! It won't stop > here - oil prices could go to $200 a barrel or higher if we > keep buying their product.
>
>
> Here > are some large > companies that > do not import > Middle Eastern oil:
>
>
> Sunoco...........................
> 0 barrels
> Conoco.......................... 0
> barrels
> Sinclair.........................
> 0 barrels
> BP /
> Phillips.................
> 0 barrels
>
>
> Hess.
> ............................... 0 barrels
> ARC0............................... 0
> barrels
>
>
> Maverick...........................
> 0 barrels
>
>
> Flying
> J. ............................ 0
> barrels
>
>
> Valero............................ 0
> barrels
> Murphy Oil USA * ............. 0
> Sold at Wal-Mart , gas is from South Arkansas and > fully USA owned and produced.
>
>
>
> *Not > only that but they give scholarships to all children in
> their town who finish high school and are legal US > citizens..
>
>
> All > of this information is available from the U.S. Department of
> Energy and each company is required to state where they get > their oil and how much they are importing.
>

2wheelwoman

While I agree with the spirit of this email that's once again making the rounds, the Snopes.com site which references it points out a lot of discrepancies in the information - for instance Valero is listed as importing 0 barrels of oil, while in fact the 2007 figures show that it is in the top four companies importing oil from the Persian Gulf. Here's the URL for this article...it's worth a read.

http://www.snopes.com/politics/gasoline/saudigas.asp

butterflywing

you are right and i was wrong. i should have checked snopes first. i usually do.

Lisanne

I saw a commercial last night about some group or company that makes (not sure that's the right word)/provides American energy. Naturally, I can't remember the name of it. I'd much prefer to buy American.

Not just energy, but almost everything.

Just saw an article online that the US can't keep up with its need for bullets. The article said they're making them around the world for us... what is wrong with this picture? Why isn't the US government putting Detroit factory workers to work making the bullets? And other Americans besides Detroiters, of course.

And then there's food. My frozen broccoli and cauliflower come from Mexico. My shrimp says it's from Thailand. The labeling on the beef in the store says it comes from "Mexico, Canada or the US." You know if it were US beef they'd say so straight out, and in bigger lettering. My Dole frozen mango package says they are "manufactured" and "packed" in the USA BUT the stamp below that says "Product of Peru." A California or Jersey distributor is just that. They may be distributing a product from anywhere else in the world and usually are.

I have railed at store managers for having only Mexican grapes available when they were advertised as California grapes. Happily, there seems to be a law that they must label produce with its country of origin, so you can check.

Occasionally it's worthwhile to buy an import. Wal-mart carries scallions from Mexico in very nice bags. The scallions are large and gorgeous, and bargain priced as well. I adore oranges and will get a South African one now and then out of season. Belgian chocolates - but these aren't efforts to undercut American workers for corpoate profits.

This has been a rather disconnected rant. This is a major pet peeve of mine, that I no longer have the choice to buy American in most cases.

2wheelwoman

Lisanne - I totally agree with you. I'd prefer to "buy American" but it doesn't seem like anything is made or grown here anymore. Everything is imported, and the jobs are exported. Importing bullets to fight the wars we're in? Makes me gnash my teeth and want to scream.

Butterflywing - Please don't think in terms of right/wrong. That sounds so harsh. I'd already Snoped this when I got the email last week, so I just happened to be at the right place at the right time. Besides, we all look out for each other, which is why I posted the follow-up info. Your post is still an excellent reminder that we each need to do whatever we can to be good citizens.

butterflywing

lisanne,

they import them because it's cheaper than paying farmers and farm workers here the minimum wage to produce it. as to the bullets, again, cheaper to import because when you figure in manufacturer's taxes, toxic waste laws, worker's benefits, and wages it's less expensive to import than to produce. countries with more predictable weather conditions can be counted on to supply produce all year round. actually, americans should just eat what's in season, like our parents did. in other parts of the world the luxuries that we take for granted, like grapes in the winter, are unheard of. unless you live in california.

that doesn't mean i advocate buying imports. i try very hard not to. for instance, wegman's is dedicated to buying local produce during the growing season. and because they buy locally, they are polluting less and keeping their costs down on those items.
but our growing season is relatively short, compared to costa rica or mexico.
also, when you think of the gas used to truck produce to the east coast from california, it really jacks up the price as well as creating enormous pollution.

so, what's the answer? we've dug ourselves into a hole and can't climb out.

butterflywing

i forgot to add this:

when a farmer dies, his children sell off the farm to developers. the money they get is more than they would get working their butts off for years, maybe the rest of their lives. as a result there are fewer farms and more people to feed. with fewer farms, can this country really feed us all anymore? only if we eat more sparingly than we do. i know i eat more than my share. we really want it all. more food, more variety and lower prices, less pollution and less guilt, more work for our workers, more benefits but lower taxes. ask anyone in europe and see how they live and what it costs them. if gas were more expensive, we would buy less from arab countries. we would walk or ride bikes. our kids would not be fat. we could save money. we would thumb our noses. we would plan our driving tasks.
we wouldn't have to deal with people who want to kill us. who wants to be first? raise your hand :mrgreen:

enough preaching.

Moonpi

The uniforms our troops wear are from China, too. We send them the technology, then pay them to use it. Makes it harder for those of us looking for jobs here in the US

reneebobby

The bullets is a funny one, here's what is happening with those. The US won't aloud reloads anymore, so they send the shells to China or where ever and they grind them up for other stuff, and we buy it back.

butterflywing

we are ONE strange country!