Collegiate Times

In recent decades, worldwide production in developed countries has been increasing at exponential rates. Many aspects have fueled this growth, but one of the most prominent is gasoline.

People use it to drive to work, travel to different countries and mow lawns. Even those who don’t drive a car constantly use gas by riding a bus or eating food that was moved by truck from a distributor to a grocery store. As prices at the pump approach all-time highs, commuters’ wallets aren’t the only things put under pressure.

With the presidential election looming near, the Obama administration is raising millions of dollars for its campaign for re-election. On the other side of the spectrum, the Republican Party is still trying to find its candidate to pin up against Barack Obama. Since there is not an absolute winner as of yet, each possible runner is trying to make as many public statements about their policies as possible to attract voters.

In the past couple weeks, the GOP has zeroed in on the ever-rising price of gas, as well as Obama’s inability to sooth citizens’ dissatisfaction. Both John Boehner and Newt Gingrich have been quoted saying the current administration is not doing enough to fix high gas prices. Gingrich has even gone on Twitter to start a petition to lower prices.

Because just about everyone uses gas in one form or another, this topic hits close to home for Americans, making it the perfect issue to gain policy popularity. The fact that average gas prices are too high is something people can all agree upon, regardless of political affiliation. This is why each candidate’s stance on ways to bring gas prices down to a manageable level will be a huge factor in the election.

I agree that prices at the pump are too high, especially while many are in economic turmoil. But I am not sure how much blame people can put on President Obama and his administration for the prices.

Continue Reading: 12 Next » 

A version of this article appeared in the Feb 21 issue of the Collegiate Times.