Should Americans continue buying BP gas at local stations or abandon the company completely? Unfortunately, I don’t think there is any simple answer.

BP isn’t Tony Hayward and British Petroleum on every corner and they certainly aren’t the ones pumping (no pun intended) the gasoline into our cars. These gas stations are owned by Americans and the cars that continue driving by aren’t just hurting BP, they are weakening American pockets.

I haven’t seen this issue addressed much in the news~in fact I don’t think I have seen it addressed at all. So what should Americans do?

Two days ago when I had to fill up my car I went to the Hess station down the street where I frequent. A few years back, during the rocket high gas prices, I had read an article that advised which gas stations Americans should and should not be buying from-Hess was a good one. There are usually one of the cheapest gas stations as well-so buying their gas doesn’t take much common sense.

As I pulled into the turning lane I realized that I was headed into a BP station that is before the Hess. Glancing over I saw a few cars fueling up and wondered how they could do it.

I also noticed that the vehicles were more expensive models-BMW, Mercedes, and an Audi. I wondered about the brands of the cars and whether or not these people owned BP stock or where somehow trying to protect an investment. I found it curious.

I jumped back on the road and headed to my Hess thinking that if I wasn’t in my usually spot I would have driven by the BP anyway. It is hard for me to fathom giving money to the company that isn’t taking care of the Americans who are suffering right now in the Gulf and are responsible for the spill. But I asked myself if that was the right decision.

What about the Americans that own gas stations? How are they doing through this disaster?

It sure is an ethical dilemma and one I don’t think I have the answer to. Do we support the BP gas stations because we should support working American families or do we ban the company all together?

Last night I was reading online the company is giving millions of dollars to research groups at universities in the Gulf to begin looking at the effects of the spill. They are and have already given millions of dollars to this research, yet there are still thousands of business owners who are not getting reimbursed for the money they are losing every day.

I believe that research is important, but the company should be focused on where it is allocating its funds right now instead of trying to figure out effects of a disaster that has not been stopped.

So in conclusion I am baffled as to what the correct answer is. I have great disdain for corporate companies who don’t follow through on promises-especially when it affects the small guy BUT we affect the small guy by not buying his gas….

What is the answer? And why?