One Big Headache

When the Republicans in the Senate voted against rescinding $2 billion worth of tax deductions for the oil industry, I was so happy I went out in the back alley and punched myself a couple of times.

Maybe the five largest oil conglomerates reported $35 billion in profits the first quarter and Exxon alone reported $11 billion in profits the second quarter, but so what? Three quarters of Americans may want to end the deductions, according to a Wall Street Journal poll, but Republicans, who promise the party stands up for the little guy, held tight to their position.

After beating myself up, I figured I deserved it for being a typical American. Why shouldn’t the oil companies continue to get huge tax write-offs? After $200 billion in profits, they need the extra $4 billion the U.S. gives them in write-offs every year. Taxpayers will pay for their deductions: We can just cut Social Security, Medicare, and education funding, plus food stamps for poor and starving, to make up the difference.

Oil conglomerates have a right to increase the cost of my gas to pay their CEOs more, and continue to buy up smaller oil companies so they don’t have any competition and can charge me even higher prices. That’s capitalism, the American way. Besides, these oil companies might hire somebody some day instead of increasing dividend checks to their wealthy stockholders. We don’t want to kill jobs.

Voting for the Republicans as we do, we deserve a good whacking. As a matter of fact, the more I think about how stupid I was for supporting this system, the more I want to make myself pay. I think I’ll go out and hit myself over the head with a brick, not once but twice.
~ from Freedom Feels So Good It Hurts by Don Monkerud ~

You know, I have the same damn headache and I didn't even vote for these people. So, I'd like to thank all of you who DID vote for them. I'd also like to thank you for the kindly gesture of hitting me upside the head!