Gas prices and the war
Political Pulpit
Although only the "political junkies" in your congregation will be interested in it, in
September, by the end of the lectionary cycle for this issue of Emphasis it will
just be a week or two until the Congressional midterm elections. The media will help put
this matter on the minds of your faithful. Of course, you will probably not be inclined to
advocate for one of the local candidates from the pulpit, but the weekly privilege of
preaching does afford you the opportunity to shed some light and feed your people with
some hard facts on the issues that are at stake for our nation in the last years of the Bush
presidency. Lectionary assignments for several of the Sundays of September and October
demand that you address these issues.
The polls clearly indicate that Americans are not happy with the present direction of our nation and its political leadership. According to a Fox News poll only 27 percent of the public approve of the job being done by Congress; 56 percent disapprove. The news is not much better for the president. He, himself, was down to 33 percent of public support for his administration in a May ABC News/Washington Post poll.
The reasons for the president's sinking popularity also shed light on what portends for the upcoming elections. The war in Iraq clearly contributes to this low approval rate: More than six of ten Americans say the war was not worth fighting -- poll results not unlike the public's reaction to Vietnam in the early '70s. But Bush fares even worse on gas prices, as only 20 percent of the public approve of his guidance on this matter, while 76 percent disapprove of his actions/inaction. Of course, the issues of health care and retirements for the elderly which we discussed in the last issue of Emphasis are clearly relevant topics to press with our Congressional candidates (see the Second Lesson for October 1 [James 5:13-20] and the Gospel for October 29 [Mark 10:46-52]). And, while Republicans have pressed for a Constitutional Amendment against gay marriage (a relevant text is the First Lesson for September 24 [Proverbs 31:10-13] and the Gospel for October 8 [Mark 10:2-16]), the Democrats are trying to stir interest in raising the minimum wage (a theme which could be addressed by preaching on any of the pericopes noted at the end of the next paragraph). However, the latest poll numbers cited above suggest that most of your parishioners are going to have their minds on either the Iraq War or the gas price hikes.
Space doesn't allow us to take on both of these important issues, and since we did a recent issue on the war in the January-February issue, and you could use many of the insights from our columns in that issue if you are looking for sermon resources on that topic, we will stick with the gas price hikes this time. Besides, except for some assigned texts on September 3 (the Second Lesson from James 1:17-27 and the Gospel from Mark 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23), there are not many Sundays in September and October where the lectionary seems to provide occasion to preach on the war and peace. Our assigned pericopes for these months are much more conducive to addressing the issues underlying the gas price hikes and what political leadership on this issue might mean. The previously mentioned Gospel for September 3 involves Jesus' condemnation of sins against the Decalogue including theft and murder. In addition, the first two Lessons for September 10 (Proverbs 22:1-2, 8-9, 22-23 and James 2:1-10 [11-13] 14-17) as well as the Gospel for October 15 (Mark 10:17-31) testify to the biblical witness' concern with the poor and the evils of those with power who exploit or neglect them. Another text with relevance for the energy crisis is the First Lesson for October 22 (Job 38:1-7 [34-41]) whose references to creation invite reflection on what our wanton use of fossil fuels is doing to the environment.
Here is the data with which to feed your flock on how the rich have been victimizing the poor. Since the second Bush inauguration, gas prices have risen at least 32 cents -- a 17 percent increase. And since his first inauguration, prices have risen seventy cents, a 48 percent increase. You and all your parishioners have been feeling the pinch in your family budgets from these increases. But suppose you are poor, living from hand-to- mouth with every pay check or welfare payment. More and more American families are in so much debt (household debt repayments in the past year reached 13.4 percent of after-tax income) that gas price increases are virtually impossible to pay without incurring more debt.
My colleague, Chet, and some upper-class business pundits extol the strong economy. But the economy is only strong for those with enough money to buy all the gas they want without feeling the pinch. And, besides, there are no lectionary texts for these months which exhort us to help the rich!
We can see more clearly the validity of my suspicions about how bad it is for the poor and middle class in our "burning" economy once the following questions are addressed: Where is the money going once it leaves our pockets for that full tank? Why is it costing more, and what does it have to do with the upcoming elections?
One part of the picture is increased demand for oil by the developing economies of China (now the second largest oil consumer in the world, behind the U.S.), India, and Japan (Kevin Phillips, American Theocracy, p. 5). Americans' use of gas-guzzling SUVs and high speed limits further contribute to our own oil gluttony. We consume 25 percent of the world's energy use (ibid., p. 33).
Another factor in the rising price of gas clearly has to do with our Congressional elections, as the higher prices have also been occasioned by legislation whose impact was not previously considered. I refer to the Republican-sponsored Energy Bill which mandated increases in blended ethanol use, which markedly exceeds current ethanol production levels. Also contributing to the higher gas prices has been a 32 percent drop in domestic oil production in the last 25 years, coupled with the recent loss of 5 percent of our domestic refining capacity because of damages caused by hurricanes Katrina and Rita.
So much for obvious causes. Where is all the money we pay going? In May, the Consumer Federation of America reported that oil companies had posted $100 billion in excess profits from 2000 to 2005. Since the Bush inauguration at the beginning of 2005, the profit has been $34 billion.
The country's three largest petroleum companies -- Exxon Mobil, Chevron, and Conoco Phillips -- posted a combined first-quarter income of almost $16 billion, a 17 percent increase from the previous year. Their combined first quarter revenue of $191.5 billion was more than the individual gross domestic products of 189 different countries. Chevron's profits in the first three months of the year leaped to $4 billion -- 49 percent more than in the same period last year. Exxon Mobil pulled in $371 billion in revenue in 2005 and $36.1 billion in profit. This represented an annual profit increase of 43 percent. Conoco Phillips' profits climbed by 218 percent!
Of course, these companies and their political allies insist that there has been no price- gouging, that this is not a case of the rich exploiting the poor. That conclusion is hardly surprising in view of reports of The Center for Responsive Politics pointing out that the oil and gas industry contributed nearly $67 million to Republicans. Big recipients include House Majority Leader Tom DeLay (who raised $830,000 from the energy industry over the years) and President Bush, as the oil and gas industry was the eighth largest contributor to his 2000 campaign and fifteenth in top industry contributions to his 2004 campaign. Vice President Cheney holds significant stocks in the oil industry, and it was his largest donor in his 1988 Congressional campaign. Condoleeza Rice served on the Chevron Board of Directors. If the administration has as little control over the price of gas as Chet seems to think, why is all the oil and gas industry money flowing its way?
Perhaps it is just an accident, then, that the Republican-sponsored 2004 Energy Bill provided tax breaks worth $23.5 billion over ten years aimed at increasing domestic oil and gas production, along with billions in subsidies and loan guarantees. It may also be an accident that the big three petroleum companies' long-term profitability depends on marked increases in oil production in order to compete with the state-owned Arab firms in the Persian Gulf (ibid., p. 26). From this perspective, the war in Iraq makes good economic sense, as it could provide these companies easier access to more oil. This is another way in which the war in Iraq is an issue in the upcoming elections. Perhaps Chet and I will need to address that one next time around.
Share this data with your parishioners in preparation for the election. An educated electorate might be better able to respond to the biblical mandates concerning poverty and justice.
Mark Ellingsen is a tenured associate professor on the faculty of the Interdenominational Theological Center in Atlanta and the author of hundreds of articles and thirteen books, including Blessed Are the Cynical: How Original Sin Can Make America A Better Place, The Integrity of Biblical Narrative: Story in Theology and Proclamation, and The Richness of Augustine: His Contextual & Pastoral Theology (Westminster/John Knox Press).
The polls clearly indicate that Americans are not happy with the present direction of our nation and its political leadership. According to a Fox News poll only 27 percent of the public approve of the job being done by Congress; 56 percent disapprove. The news is not much better for the president. He, himself, was down to 33 percent of public support for his administration in a May ABC News/Washington Post poll.
The reasons for the president's sinking popularity also shed light on what portends for the upcoming elections. The war in Iraq clearly contributes to this low approval rate: More than six of ten Americans say the war was not worth fighting -- poll results not unlike the public's reaction to Vietnam in the early '70s. But Bush fares even worse on gas prices, as only 20 percent of the public approve of his guidance on this matter, while 76 percent disapprove of his actions/inaction. Of course, the issues of health care and retirements for the elderly which we discussed in the last issue of Emphasis are clearly relevant topics to press with our Congressional candidates (see the Second Lesson for October 1 [James 5:13-20] and the Gospel for October 29 [Mark 10:46-52]). And, while Republicans have pressed for a Constitutional Amendment against gay marriage (a relevant text is the First Lesson for September 24 [Proverbs 31:10-13] and the Gospel for October 8 [Mark 10:2-16]), the Democrats are trying to stir interest in raising the minimum wage (a theme which could be addressed by preaching on any of the pericopes noted at the end of the next paragraph). However, the latest poll numbers cited above suggest that most of your parishioners are going to have their minds on either the Iraq War or the gas price hikes.
Space doesn't allow us to take on both of these important issues, and since we did a recent issue on the war in the January-February issue, and you could use many of the insights from our columns in that issue if you are looking for sermon resources on that topic, we will stick with the gas price hikes this time. Besides, except for some assigned texts on September 3 (the Second Lesson from James 1:17-27 and the Gospel from Mark 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23), there are not many Sundays in September and October where the lectionary seems to provide occasion to preach on the war and peace. Our assigned pericopes for these months are much more conducive to addressing the issues underlying the gas price hikes and what political leadership on this issue might mean. The previously mentioned Gospel for September 3 involves Jesus' condemnation of sins against the Decalogue including theft and murder. In addition, the first two Lessons for September 10 (Proverbs 22:1-2, 8-9, 22-23 and James 2:1-10 [11-13] 14-17) as well as the Gospel for October 15 (Mark 10:17-31) testify to the biblical witness' concern with the poor and the evils of those with power who exploit or neglect them. Another text with relevance for the energy crisis is the First Lesson for October 22 (Job 38:1-7 [34-41]) whose references to creation invite reflection on what our wanton use of fossil fuels is doing to the environment.
Here is the data with which to feed your flock on how the rich have been victimizing the poor. Since the second Bush inauguration, gas prices have risen at least 32 cents -- a 17 percent increase. And since his first inauguration, prices have risen seventy cents, a 48 percent increase. You and all your parishioners have been feeling the pinch in your family budgets from these increases. But suppose you are poor, living from hand-to- mouth with every pay check or welfare payment. More and more American families are in so much debt (household debt repayments in the past year reached 13.4 percent of after-tax income) that gas price increases are virtually impossible to pay without incurring more debt.
My colleague, Chet, and some upper-class business pundits extol the strong economy. But the economy is only strong for those with enough money to buy all the gas they want without feeling the pinch. And, besides, there are no lectionary texts for these months which exhort us to help the rich!
We can see more clearly the validity of my suspicions about how bad it is for the poor and middle class in our "burning" economy once the following questions are addressed: Where is the money going once it leaves our pockets for that full tank? Why is it costing more, and what does it have to do with the upcoming elections?
One part of the picture is increased demand for oil by the developing economies of China (now the second largest oil consumer in the world, behind the U.S.), India, and Japan (Kevin Phillips, American Theocracy, p. 5). Americans' use of gas-guzzling SUVs and high speed limits further contribute to our own oil gluttony. We consume 25 percent of the world's energy use (ibid., p. 33).
Another factor in the rising price of gas clearly has to do with our Congressional elections, as the higher prices have also been occasioned by legislation whose impact was not previously considered. I refer to the Republican-sponsored Energy Bill which mandated increases in blended ethanol use, which markedly exceeds current ethanol production levels. Also contributing to the higher gas prices has been a 32 percent drop in domestic oil production in the last 25 years, coupled with the recent loss of 5 percent of our domestic refining capacity because of damages caused by hurricanes Katrina and Rita.
So much for obvious causes. Where is all the money we pay going? In May, the Consumer Federation of America reported that oil companies had posted $100 billion in excess profits from 2000 to 2005. Since the Bush inauguration at the beginning of 2005, the profit has been $34 billion.
The country's three largest petroleum companies -- Exxon Mobil, Chevron, and Conoco Phillips -- posted a combined first-quarter income of almost $16 billion, a 17 percent increase from the previous year. Their combined first quarter revenue of $191.5 billion was more than the individual gross domestic products of 189 different countries. Chevron's profits in the first three months of the year leaped to $4 billion -- 49 percent more than in the same period last year. Exxon Mobil pulled in $371 billion in revenue in 2005 and $36.1 billion in profit. This represented an annual profit increase of 43 percent. Conoco Phillips' profits climbed by 218 percent!
Of course, these companies and their political allies insist that there has been no price- gouging, that this is not a case of the rich exploiting the poor. That conclusion is hardly surprising in view of reports of The Center for Responsive Politics pointing out that the oil and gas industry contributed nearly $67 million to Republicans. Big recipients include House Majority Leader Tom DeLay (who raised $830,000 from the energy industry over the years) and President Bush, as the oil and gas industry was the eighth largest contributor to his 2000 campaign and fifteenth in top industry contributions to his 2004 campaign. Vice President Cheney holds significant stocks in the oil industry, and it was his largest donor in his 1988 Congressional campaign. Condoleeza Rice served on the Chevron Board of Directors. If the administration has as little control over the price of gas as Chet seems to think, why is all the oil and gas industry money flowing its way?
Perhaps it is just an accident, then, that the Republican-sponsored 2004 Energy Bill provided tax breaks worth $23.5 billion over ten years aimed at increasing domestic oil and gas production, along with billions in subsidies and loan guarantees. It may also be an accident that the big three petroleum companies' long-term profitability depends on marked increases in oil production in order to compete with the state-owned Arab firms in the Persian Gulf (ibid., p. 26). From this perspective, the war in Iraq makes good economic sense, as it could provide these companies easier access to more oil. This is another way in which the war in Iraq is an issue in the upcoming elections. Perhaps Chet and I will need to address that one next time around.
Share this data with your parishioners in preparation for the election. An educated electorate might be better able to respond to the biblical mandates concerning poverty and justice.
Mark Ellingsen is a tenured associate professor on the faculty of the Interdenominational Theological Center in Atlanta and the author of hundreds of articles and thirteen books, including Blessed Are the Cynical: How Original Sin Can Make America A Better Place, The Integrity of Biblical Narrative: Story in Theology and Proclamation, and The Richness of Augustine: His Contextual & Pastoral Theology (Westminster/John Knox Press).
