Most of us have watched, to our dismay, the high prices for gasoline climb to an unbelievable heights within the last 12 months. This tread has evidently and negatively affected real estate professionals across the country. It has drastically increased our expenditures (both in gasoline and other goods and services, including food). The high prices have also decreased the net income of real estate professionals and other Americans. Ten years ago, few people (except the the executives of oil companies) could have imagined that gasoline would cost $3.95 to $4.99 per gallon. It now costs about $98.00 to fill my vehicle's tank up; whereas, before this War started, it cost only about $20.00 to fill the tank up. Our President invaded Iraq to secure and preserve our access to "unlimited oil". Now, who is benefiting from the war? The trend appears to continue, causing the prices of everything else to rise concomitantly; while oil conglomerates like Exxon-Mobil continue to make records profits of over $40 billion per quarter. Americans across the country are spending up to a quarter their monthly income, or more, for gasoline. People on limited income (such as most retirees, welfare recipients, and single family households) can no longer visit friends and family members as before because they can no longer afford to do so. Others are cutting down on luxuries and even basic necessities. This is unacceptable, and should be unacceptable.

How long shall we, as Americans and other nationals living in America, continue to allow this dangerous trend to continue? How long shall the wealthy few continue to milk us dry while they dine on caviar? How long shall we continue to starve and allow our politicians to deceive us, while the politicians continue their adulterous relationships with the oil executives? How long shall we continue to pump our lifeline and money into their deep pockets until we can pump no more? Why has Congress failed or refused to act on our behalf? Are they sleeping with the oil executives? The oil companies' lobbyists have worked our Congress into oblivion and to the oil companies advantage; but where are the lobbyists supposedly working on behalf of real estate professionals? Yes, where are our own lobbyists? Are they having adulterous relationships with the oil companies too? Our Congress has betrayed us. Our own lobbyists have betrayed us, too.

Now, where do we go from here? I suggest boycotting the oil companies for a change. No one goes to work nor any where else for a while. Just stay at home for a week. Let the big companies lose some money as we have lost our money to them. Thus, demand for oil will drop and the oil companies will pay attention to us. The law of economics indicates that when demand drops, price also drops.

That's what I have been thinking. Now, what are your thoughts?