Letters: Gas prices accusation lacks understanding; Clear reason to minimize January 6 hearings

Gas prices accusation lacks understanding

A writer from Coburn claims in a June 9 CDT letter that President Biden is responsible for the high gas prices we all abhor, as if the President himself sets prices at the pump. He doesn’t seem to understand the economics of the U.S. oil and gas industry.

Under the “planned economy” of the former USSR, the government enforced levels of production and prices, theoretically preventing shortages and inflation (it didn’t work!), but it does not work that way here.

If our President were empowered to ensure adequate supply at affordable prices, and if he failed to do this, then the writer’s accusation would be valid. But the President is not, so the accusation is bogus.

Oil producers, i.e. large corporations, with shareholders who demand a good return on investment, have determined that keeping production low, and therefore prices high, is currently the best strategy to maximize profits.

We can denounce this as “corporate greed,” but we should remember that maximizing shareholder profits is a cornerstone of capitalism, which, Republicans especially, embrace.

Unlike shoe manufacturers, for example, who could increase shoe production in relatively short-order to meet increased demand (even if shoe prices drop), the same is not true for oil. A decision today to produce more oil or gasoline takes significant time and enormous up-front costs — all before any new supply arrives at gas stations.

Our undersupply of crude oil and gasoline is not due to bad “Biden Administration energy policy.” It’s the unfortunate downside of our capitalistic economy.

Clear reason to minimize January 6 hearings

Glenn Thompson’s most recent weekly screed goes out of its way to minimize the current Congressional hearing concerning the failed insurrection and attempted coup by Trump and his minions.

Mr. Thompson would like us to disregard overwhelming evidence of Trump’s personal attempts to convince election officials in seven battleground states, including Pennsylvania, to unlawfully replace Biden electors with fake electors not chosen by the voters. The fake electors even sent their forged certifications to the National Archives and to Vice President Mike Pence, president of the Senate.

Mr. Thompson would like us to ignore the sworn testimony of numerous election officials, most of whom are Republicans. He wants to pretend that facts presented to the J6 Committee, and by staff members of former VP Pence, are unimportant or unconvincing. He wants us to close our eyes to the fact that honorable election officials faced grave threats by MAGA supporters who were knowingly misled by Trump’s election fraud lies.

Mr. Thompson wants us to forget that insurrectionists, encouraged by Trump, wanted to kill the Vice President. He encourages us to pretend the threat is not still occurring because of the continued outrageous lies of the former President.

Insurrection is a Constitutional crime.

Why would Mr. Thompson want us to ignore an attempted coup? Because his vote supported it! Mr. Thompson voted in Congress on January 6, 2021, to throw out your vote and mine.

How can he claim to be our representative if he doesn’t respect our vote or the Constitution?

Women left without options

As a woman, wife, and mother of three girls, I have always believed that forcing a woman to bear the result of an unintended pregnancy should have consequences for her partner in “crime’” (as per the latest SCOTUS ruling). In addition, I believe that legally denying the abortion of a pregnancy should legally result in the sterilization of her partner in the “crime” and his requirement to provide for costs of the birth, medical expenses and schooling of his child. Sadly, at the time of this political SCOTUS decision many women/girls who are now pregnant did not have the option to plan ahead. Should they and their doctors be relegated to imprisonment if their state bans abortion?

Please keep in mind the demonization of the Planned Parenthood organization which provided birth control options to all, regardless of ability to pay.