Criminal Justice Forum

We love the holidays, because we get to spend time with our families and do nice things for people we love. Sometimes, though, with all the rushing around to buy gifts and visit relatives, it can be easy to lose sight of the point of it all. Well, here’s a way to remember the spirit of the season and help out less fortunate neighbors, even in the midst of all your holiday traveling: buy Citgo gasoline.


You already may have seen the headlines about how Citgo, unlike every other oil company in the U.S., is making cut-rate heating oil available to struggling families in the Northeast. The Energy Department predicts a nearly 26 percent jump in heating costs this winter compared with last year, and despite a year of record oil company profits, the country’s heating oil assistance fund is falling behind.
 
Citgo has stepped in to help out. They’re selling heating oil at discounted rates to poorer communities in Massachusetts and the Bronx, NY, and working on deals to keep low-income homes in Rhode Island and Vermont warm, too.
 
So while you’re out on the road this month, you can help some fellow Americans by filling your tank with Venezuelan gas. Here’s a link to find the nearest one of the 14,000 Citgo gas stations in the U.S.:
 
Find the Citgo station closest to your home address.
And while you’re at it, forward this to your friends, too.
 
"Citgo is not just another oil company," says Citgo CEO Felix Rodriguez. "With Venezuela’s state oil company, of which we are a subsidiary, we share a broad social mission."
 
That’s our kind of company. If you need any other reasons to feel good, just remember that money you pay to Citgo goes primarily to Venezuela – not Saudi Arabia or the Middle East. Of the top oil producing countries in the world, only one is a democracy with a president who was elected on a platform of using his nation’s oil revenue to benefit the poor.
 
And this winter Citgo is helping out less fortunate Americans, too.
 
Some have said that Citgo’s generosity is a publicity stunt, part of the ongoing war of words between Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez and President Bush. We think a recent USA Today editorial has the best response:
 
"Chavez might be trying to embarrass the Bush administration, but what’s really embarrassing is how little help Americans will receive this winter from their own government."
 
Naturally, if you can get where you’re going without a car, do so. And we’ll continue to work for a country with more renewable energy options. But in the meantime, help your Northeast neighbors by supporting Citgo on your holiday drive:
 
Thanks for all that you do,
 
Matt Holland
TrueMajority
 
More on the topic:
"Poor get chilly federal reception" -USA Today, 12/15/2005.
"OUT IN THE COLD: How Much LIHEAP Funding Will Be Needed to Protect Beneficiaries from Rising Energy Prices?" -Center for Budget and Policy Priorities