I go Citgo

I have a small sticker on my Yakima bike rack that says "god grant me the courage to sell my car." Well, I haven't done that yet, nor traded it in for a biodiesel or hybrid. But I have made a recent choice to buy my gas almost exclusively from Citgo.

There are countless reasons to be outraged at US oil companies: their support of the war on Iraq; price gouging at the pumps; $13 million annual CEO salaries; or Exxon Mobil’s recent quarterly earnings that were larger than any company in history.

Contrast US oil companies with Citgo, the US-based oil company owned by the nationalized Venezuelan company PDVSA. As a nationalized resource, oil profits fund dozens of "misiones", or efforts to better the lives of Venezuelans. There are programs that drastically improve public education; offer free university education; provide full access to integral health services; make accessible basic food items to the poor; encourage citizenship and voter rights; seek to end unemployment; honor indigenous people; and even lend a hand to US citizens living in poverty.

When I'm paying $_____ (fill in the blank w/ today's price) per gallon, I would prefer for it to go to the citizens of Venezuela than a Texan CEO.

There are fewer Citgo's than Shell's around, but you can easily find the nearest one to your house here.