West Virginians footing the bill for war and big oil

No matter which party is in power, it’s a common misconception that the president of the United States has a significant impact on the price of gas at the pump. While that’s usually true, we’re living in an inflation crisis that can be pinpointed to the national and international policy of one person: the current president. West Virginians are paying the price.

Normally in the weeks leading up to midterm elections when there are palpable issues people are concerned about, you’d think that the president would talk about how they’d address the issue. Unfortunately in the lead up to the midterms this week, there wasn’t a lot of focus on how national policy is making lives better for everyday West Virginians.

Two weekends ago at a campaign rally in Georgia, President Donald Trump pivoted from supporting his chosen candidates to talking about the Iran War and how it’s supercharging profits of American oil companies.

“Our country is making hundreds of billions of dollars because of what’s happening in the Middle East… ‘President Trump is talking about all the money they’re making while people are suffering at the pump.’ That’ll be the headline. But I said, ‘I don’t give a damn, I’m going to say it.’ We’re making a freaking fortune. Our country is getting stronger and stronger all the time. And those pump prices are going to come down.”

We learned just a week later who is pocketing that “freaking fortune.” On Friday, ExxonMobil and Chevron reported tremendous increases to their bottoms lines. ExxonMobil’s profits doubled from the same period last year, while Chevron’s nearly tripled.

So who, exactly, is making a freaking fortune while United States soldiers have died and civilians in Iran and other Middle Eastern countries have died? Are those skyhigh profits trickling down to West Virginians? 

I don’t know about you, but I’m willing to bet nearly none of my neighbors, friends and family have benefited from the war. During his State of the Union speech this year, the president bragged about low gas prices. So what did he do? Go to war and get a major oil shipping lane closed. Now we’ve seen gas prices rise at the pump, and high diesel costs have led to increases in the price of goods because of transportation costs. If it feels like your dollar is worth a lot less than it used to be not even that long ago, that’s because it’s true. 

In fact, the latest inflation numbers in October were higher than usual. 

When national leaders boast about corporate profits, while cutting public goods and social support systems like food assistance and healthcare, they’re showing what their priorities are, and that’s not West Virginians. I’m inspired by how the election went, and I hope that leaders are starting to learn that they should put people’s concerns first, not corporations’.