In many ways, Beeville is a typical slice of rural America, a city of about 33,000 that was built on farming and ranching. It has all the fast food places and a Wal-Mart, but things like malls and specialized medical care are at least an hour away - more than just an inconvenience with gas prices hovering at about $3 a gallon.
``It's hurting everybody; everything is going up except the pay,'' said Debbie Ponce, a 35-year-old hairdresser who no longer makes the lengthy trip in her sport utility vehicle. It was such inconveniences that prompted Bee County commissioners this week to call for a boycott of Exxon Mobil Corp., because, according to County Judge Jimmy Martinez, the world's largest oil company is making record billion-dollar profits while consumers suffer.
``I understand free enterprise. I understand we live in America. But, by golly, just because they have a license doesn't mean that they can rob,'' Martinez said. The boycott starts Monday - the same day immigrants plan to stay home from work and school in protest of proposed immigration law reforms - and will continue until gas is down to $1.30 a gallon, Martinez said. He added that he hopes counties follow the example set by this oil-rich part of South Texas.
Martinez said Irving-based Exxon was targeted because of its size and the message it sent with its $400 million retirement package for Chief Executive Lee Raymond. But Exxon said it isn't responsible for the high gas prices and pointed out that only about 13,000 of the 170,000 or so gas stations in the U.S. have the Exxon or Mobil brand. And all but about 1,000 of those are owned by franchisors.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uslatest/story/0,,-5788090,00.html
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