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As a young married man, now 75, we purchased our first home with a coal-fired (by hand) furnace. Our second was also heated with coal; however, we had a stoker we would fill every two or three days, pulling out clunkers daily.
Those days are gone as coal’s days are numbered, even as a generating power for all power companies.
Many homes are also heated with fuel oil. Two of my uncles owned fuel oil companies in Duluth, now closed. At $4.18 per gallon with a 265-gallon tank, the cost to fill would be over $1,100.
With all heat forms being costly, natural gas, propane and solar seem affordable.
Now truckers — not to blame — pay a national average of $4.59 per gallon for fuel, costing up to $2,000 per week.
My point is Big Oil just had its best year. In my opinion, their record profits of $44 billion are to blame for all the price hikes on groceries and all tangible goods.
It seems as though one side of the political aisle blames Joe Biden for all price hikes as the handwriting is on the wall, making it at America’s expense. As coal found out, Big Oil, your days are numbered. Perhaps not in my lifetime, but the count is on!
Tim Kaspari, Wrenshall