6 • April 8, 2022
OPINION
bransonglobe.com
Stock Market Insights: 1,000,000 barrels of oil a day First Amendment to the United States Constitution Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances. ROB DOHERTY Publisher (504) 583-8907 robd@bransonglobe.com JANET STEINKAMP Editor editor@bransonglobe.com GARY GROMAN, A.K.A. THE OLE SEAGULL Independent Writer
BY DR. RICHARD L. BAKER, AIF® Founder & Senior Wealth Advisor at Steadfast Wealth Management
T
here are 15 gas pumps, and the line was five cars deep at each line of pumps waiting for gas one night after work this week. Just north of my house is a membership warehouse club that just came to town. You can buy nearly anything there, such as a lifetime supply of chewing gum,
KIM CHAPPELL Ad Designer gabbydor210@gmail.com Stone County Account Representative
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Street Journal. This would be four times the largest ever drawdown in history according to the analysts at ClearView Energy Partners, LLC. Releasing 1 million barrels a day sounds like a lot, but is it? In 2021 the U.S. used 19,800,000 barrels of oil a day, and our U.S. oil fields pump out 18,900,000 barrels of oil a day according to JPMorgan. A million barrels extra a day would only amount to a 5% increase in oil added to our markets. This million-barrel release might look good, but I don’t think it does much to help gas prices. I say that because the U.S. released 50 million barrels of oil from the reserve last November, and then another 30 million barrels this month, and
neither dramatically lowered gas prices. Many in the president’s party face a difficult re-election in Congress this November. He’s getting pressured to do something because the political polls show that high gas prices are concerning to voters. The problem is there aren’t a lot of fixes. Biden has suggested suspending SEE STOCK MARKET, PAGE 8
Breakfast at Tiffany’s: The worst pain
TIFFANY BROWN Staff Writer tiffanykathleenbrown@ gmail.com
PATTY DOERPINGHAUS
huge apple pies, and most shockingly a funeral casket. However, the cars weren’t lined up for the pies or caskets but the 50-cent a gallon discount on gas. Gas prices are killing our budgets right now. The national average for unleaded gas is $4.22 a gallon according to AAA. It’s better here in the Midwest, Missouri, Kansas, and Arkansas has an average of $3.77-3.80 a gallon according to AAA. On March 31, President Biden announced the release of up to 1 million barrels of oil a day every day for six months from the U.S. Strategic Petroleum Reserve to help fix the high gas prices. That would leave our Strategic Petroleum Reserve at 388 million barrels, the lowest level since 1984, according to the Wall
BY TIFFANY BROWN Staff Writer
I
and spiritually anguished to the point that I didn’t want to go on living; days when my shame was overwhelming and I felt abandoned by the whole world; I realize that my assumption was probably way off. Because not only did he choose to take the curse of my sin upon himself in that moment, but He took the curse of the whole world. At that moment the One who never sinned became a murderer. A thief. An adulterer. A liar. An addict. A reject. He became depression so I could have joy. He became fear so I could
be brave. He became shame so I could be confident. He was despised, cursed and forsaken by the Father. Oh no, the physical pain was probably the least of his suffering. It’s easy to feel isolated because of rejection, failures, hangups, or shameful desires and actions, and to wonder how you could ever be close to a holy God. But no one is as understanding of your pain as He is because he’s the only one who has really been there. And because He was the only one who never sinned, He is also the only one who
can give you true freedom. “Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to what we profess. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who was tempted in every way that we are, yet was without sin. Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.” Hebrews 4:14-16
Taney County Account Representative
always assumed that the worst thing about dying on the cross was the physical pain and torture. But when I think of my very worst days; days when I was mentally
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