What’s better — food or petroleum?

Quiz time. Which is more important to you and your family — food or petroleum? As you pause a few moments to respond, be aware that the U.S. government has already answered the question for you. And the answer is that petroleum trumps food, big time.

Since 1975, the U.S. government has been buying oil for the Strategic Petroleum Reserve. According to its Web site, “the SPR provides the president with a powerful response option should a disruption in commercial oil supplies threaten the U.S. economy.”

The U.S. government currently has about 700 million barrels of oil in the SPR, but its food cupboard is bare. Both situations — a full gas tank and an empty cupboard — are the result of governmental policy and legislation. While not having gasoline is viewed a threat to the economy, not having food seems to be acceptable.

Daily Journal