GUEST OPINION: TRUMP'S $1 BILLION FOR BIG OIL TAX BREAKS

By Jose F. Rodriguez

Quid Pro Quo - The White House is for Sale!

‘Quid Pro Quo’ is a Latin phrase used in English to mean an exchange of goods or services, in which one transfer is contingent upon the other; "a favor for a favor", per se.

Phrases with similar meanings include: "give and take", "tit for tat,, "you scratch my back, and I'll scratch yours", and "one hand washes the other”.

Last month in April, Donald Trump, at a fundraiser dinner with more than 20 Oil Company executives from Chevron, ExxonMobil, Occidental Petroleum and various other fossil fuel concerns, offered them an offer they can’t refuse. https://tinyurl.com/TRUMP-QUIDPROQUO

Trump offered them $110 billion in tax breaks and promised the oil executives that he would reverse all of President Biden’s environmental protections.

All oil companies had to do was donate/pony up $1 billion to his re-election campaign. Trump called it a ‘‘Good Deal’ because the oil companies would receive over ten times more than the $1 billon donation.

Trump has already asked the oil industry and their lobbyists to help draft his environmental agenda and to have the Executive Orders that would roll back Biden’s mandates on clean energy and electric vehicles ready on day one for his signature if re-elected. Remember the high gas prices we paid in 2020-2023? In year 2023, ExxonMobil and Chevron reported their biggest annual profits in a decade.

Three of the largest oil and gas producers reported combined profits of $85.6 billion in 2023. ExxonMobil reported $36 billion, while Chevron reported $21.4 billion. Shell’s reported profits were down from 2022 but still reflected the second-largest profits in a decade.

Remember the Inflation Reduction Act passed by the Democrats and panned/criticized by the Republicans as money giveaways? Truth be told, oil companies received hundreds of billions of taxpayer dollars in new financial incentives to help oil companies to expand their carbon-reducing technologies.

Oil companies have actually already started their diversification into renewables. They have shifted to renewables for sustainability and market changes. Their investment into renewables like wind, solar, biofuels, and hydrogen have increased over the years.

In fact, The Inflation Reduction Act resulted in record investment in solar, wind and the sale of EV car sales. Texas leads the United States in wind power production and is second in solar power productions as of 2023.

It is common knowledge that Trump is a transactional type of person. His first questions are always “What is in it for me? What do I get out of this?” https://tinyurl.com/TRUMP-TRANSACTIONAL

It is ironic that Trump is accusing President Biden as the enemy of the oil companies. When, in fact, the United States has become the highest Domestic Oil Producer this year. Per the U.S. Energy Information Administration, the United States produced 13 million barrels on average per day (MPD). This made the United States the world’s largest oil producer.

A new Trump Administration would be protecting polluter’s interest and not the health of the public or the environment. A new Trump Administration will have the oil industry writing the exact language they want to protect their own oil interests instead of the interest of the American people. Isn’t that nice of Trump to take care of his donors first?

Trump and the Republicans would be selling out you and me and all the hard working families to the oil/fossil fuel companies. Oil companies will get their huge tax breaks and record profits while consumers/taxpayers get the proverbial shaft, again.

On top of billions in existing special tax subsidies, Trump’s 2017 tax cut law handed the Big Oil Industry a nearly $15 billion windfall and opening up new tax loopholes. Trump’s Tax Scam Hands Billions to Biwwg Oil as Gas Prices for Working Families Soared in 2018

In his rally speeches Trump blames President Biden for increased energy costs linking them to inflation and higher interest rates. What people need to understand is that the President of the United States does NOT CONTROL the price of gasoline.

The price of gasoline is determined by the following factors: 1) Taxes 2) Distribution Costs 3) Marketing Costs 4) Refining Costs, and 5) Crude Oil Prices determine by Supply and Demand (The higher the demand, the higher the price). None of these factors are determine by the President of the United States. Oil shortages and price hikes have occurred under both Democratic and Republican Administrations.

During the COVID19 lockdown gas consumption was very low and oil companies were losing a lot of money. To help them out Trump conspired with Russia and the Saudis to reduce oil production and, in turn, increase gasoline prices.

Here is an April 2, 2020 tweet Trump send out where he bragged of conspiring with them. https://tinyurl.com/TRUMP-TWEET-OILPRICES

And here is a video where he brags about how he saved the oil companies from losing too much money at the expense or you and I. https://tinyurl.com/TRUMPVIDEOGASPRICES

During the price hikes by oil companies, we were paying $4 to $5 a gallon of gasoline and Democrats in Congress introduced a Gas Price Anti-Gouging bill.

Introduced in Senate (03/24/2022) This bill prohibits any person from selling, during a proclaimed international crisis affecting the oil markets, gasoline at a price that (1) is unconscionably excessive, and (2) indicates that the seller is taking unfair advantage of the crisis to increase prices unreasonably.

Guess whose side the Republicans took? They took the side of the Oil Companies and against the consumers. Democrats voted 217 YES and 4 NO. Republicans (all) voted 203 NO and Zero YES.

Oil companies were jacking up oil prices while at the same time they were receiving $20 billion in taxpayer subsidies.

Republicans have become experts at GASLIGHTING. ‘Gaslighting’ is a form of psychological manipulation in which the abuser attempts to sow self-doubt and confusion in their victim’s mind. Typically, gaslighters are seeking to gain power and control over the other person, by distorting reality and forcing them to question their own judgment and intuition.

The reality is the oil companies are raking in billions in profits at the expense of the consumer struggling to pay our bills. If you blamed anyone else but the oil companies for their price gouging, then you’ve bought into the propaganda that hurts you and I more than anyone else.

In 2021, big fossil fuel companies received an $8.2 BILLION tax bailout. That same year twenty-five of the top oil and gas companies reported a combined $205 BILLION in profits. While we all suffer at the pumps, oil companies laughed all the way to the bank using the soaring profits for stock buybacks.

Another good example of ‘gaslighting’ is Trump telling the American public that President Biden has a mandate on electric vehicles. Trump lies that we will all be mandated to drive electric cars. That is a complete lie to scare the voters.

New Environmental Protection Agency rules require automakers to reduce emissions from ‘car tailpipes’. There is no mandate for Electric Vehicles (EV’s). I personally don’t want to own/drive an electric vehicle.

This is a quote that pretty much describes how Trump is selling out America. “Quid-Pro-Quo, Pay to Play, Bribery, you decide the label, the result is the same. Trump is selling the White house to the highest bidder, in this case it is the oil CEO’s.”

‘Inflation’ is an excuse that all big corporations are using for their CORPORATE GREED. They are raking in billions in profits and handing our billions in stock buybacks. If you vote for Trump, you will be rewarding corporate price gouging and profiteering against your own best interests.

On a final note, when Putin’s Russia sanctioned Canada, it barred leaders from all major parties, including conservative leaders.

But, when Putin’s Russia sanctioned the U.S., it barred DEMOCRATIC leaders ONLY. It didn’t name a single Republican leader.

Guess whose side Putin’s Russians are on!

VOTE APPROPRIATELY !!