April 29, 2006 7:45 AM

Today, Bee County. Tomorrow, Wall Street. Maybe.

Bee County leaders urging boycott of Exxon Mobil

BEEVILLE - Texans don’t like to be messed with, especially in this rugged South Texas county not far from some of the state’s major independence battlefields. So, it was only a matter of time before Bee County Judge Jimmy Martinez said someone had to stand up to tackle a national epidemic striking at the heart - and pockets - of local residents: Rising gas prices.

It’s been said that every journey begins with a single step, and in some respects I suppose it doesn’t really matter where that first step takes place. Perhaps at some point Beeville, TX will be remembered as where the popular rebellion against Big Oil’s rapacious profits began. Or not. Still, if no one ever gives it a shot, we’ll never know what might have happened, will we?

It’s difficult to know what can be done, what might be effective, or what might get the attention of Big Oil. Short of an organized, nationwide campaign, I’m not sure what has more than even a minimal chance of success, but by doing something, the elected leaders of Bee County are at least empowering themselves and those they’re trying to convince that ordinary have the power to effect change. No, that change may not occur immediately, but without making the effort, we’ll never know what the possibilities are, will we?

No reasonable person will have a problem with a business making a reasonable profit. That’s what being in business is all about. Most of us understand that, and we accept that the price we pay for a good or service is what contributes to the profit margin of a business. Having said that, however, reasonable people still expect to be treated fairly. We do not expect, nor do we appreciate, being held economic hostage by an industry making record and almost incomprehensible profits- especially when the product in question is not a discretionary purchase. Big Oil has us by the short hairs, and they seem to have no problem with benefitting hugely from unusual market conditions. If Big Oil was scraping by and gas was at $3.00/gallon, that would be one thing. With the price of gas passing $3/gallon AND Big Oil enjoying an early Christmas windfall…well, it shouldn’t take a rocket scientist to figure why so many of us are so upset.

This week, Bee County became the first in the state, possibly the country, to pass a resolution asking motorists to boycott fuel pumps beginning Monday.

County elected officials said they would ask others in the state to follow suit.

“Hey, the American people are tired,” Martinez said. “What we did is we simply took action instead of complaining.

“We’re offering our residents a beacon of hope.”

The resolution adopted Monday echoed the nation’s anxiety over skyrocketing fuel prices that have now topped $3 in some states. Last week, average prices at the pump climbed 13.1 cents to $2.91 a gallon, according to the Energy Department.

Thirteen cents in one week. And last week was not the only week in which something similar has happened recently. It’s easy to feel powerless and at the mercy of Big Oil. After all, for the vast majority of us, gasoline is not a discretionary purchase. It’s an absolute necessity for our day to day existence. We all have places to go and commitments to keep, and gasoline is a necessary part of the equation. Being angry will not do anything but drive up our collective blood pressure, so why not do something? While most of us are wondering what our options are, Bee County’s elected leaders are trying to channel the anger they feel into something constructive. Hey, it’s a start….

But the boycott call is targeted only at Exxon Mobil gasoline until retailers agree to drop the price to $1.30 a gallon. Martinez said he’s especially miffed about reports that former Exxon Mobil CEO Lee Raymond received a retirement package worth $400 million.

The median annual income here is about two-thirds of the state average of almost $40,000. Many can’t even afford to travel to nearby hospitals for treatment, he said.

When you work hard to make ends meet, matters aren’t helped when the price of gasoline increases rapidly week after week. Yes, I suppose that on some level most people understand that there are market forces at work that helped create this monster. Nonetheless, if more and more of your hard-earned money is going to fill your gas tank, you’re eventually going to become angry about it- especially when you hear that Exxon Mobil’s CEO is getting a golden blowjob parachute worth $400 million. I’m sorry, but I wouldn’t give God a $400 million retirement package, much less Lee Raymond.

Perhaps Bee County’s proposed boycott will be the action that starts the snowball rolling downhill. Perhaps not. Either way, we should be applauding these folks for doing more than simply bitching and moaning. If nothing else, it’s a step in the right direction.

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This page contains a single entry by Jack Cluth published on April 29, 2006 7:45 AM.

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