Roger Sharpe recently posted this statement on his
campaign website:
It is not surprising to discover that in each of the twelve counties in our district, the record cost of gasoline is the number one issue on the minds of hourly wage earners. Gas prices in North Carolina's 5th congressional district are rising higher and higher each day and consumers are finding it harder and harder to make ends meet.
As a citizen of this district and a candidate for Congress, I am deeply concerned about the impact that these record gas prices are having on working families in our communities. Earlier this month, I spoke to a married couple who told me that they actually had to sell their family home and move closer to their workplace because their monthly commuter gas bill was as high as their monthly mortgage payment. Equally as disturbing is the fact that many hourly wage earners in our district are being forced to choose between paying for a tank of gas in order to get to work and buying groceries to feed their families. This is simply unacceptable in America and we must not allow this to continue.
While hard working North Carolinians are paying record prices at the pump, already wealthy oil and gas executives are raking in record profit with no end in sight. This week it was announced that Exxon Mobile Corporation's profits had reached the second highest in history. This same corporation has been using their record profits to line the pockets of Washington Republicans and GOP candidates, including my opponent Virginia Foxx [Source: Center for Responsive Politics]. Our representative in Congress should be accountable to the needs of constituents rather than corporate contributors.
As a nation, we must turn away from shortsighted energy policies and empty rhetoric and make a real commitment to energy independence. Together, we can work to reduce dependence on foreign sources of oil by investing in higher fuel efficiency standards, alternative sources of fuel, and renewable energy.
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