Are We Going To Get Hosed At The Pumps Again?
"production cuts by the OPEC cartel may be having an effect, along with growing tensions in the Middle East and the sentiment by traders that the precipitous drop in prices went too far"*. Any one of these or all, will be the excuse for gas companies to start raising prices again. Actually, it's all ready happening. Gas jumped in my area a couple days ago, from $1.45 to $1.59. Today it went to $1.69. All over five days. I know this is probably cheap compared to other areas.
Why does gas only drop a few pennies at a time, rise five to ten cents at a time? I'll call it what I think it is, GREED. If you are raising the price of your gas in the tanks, and haven't gotten a fresh delivery, it's greed. How can the gas in the ground be affected by world events? These gas stations are no better than the government, They all put the screws to the little guy because he can't do much about it. He's got to take and half like it.
Maybe the auto industries shouldn't have gotten a bail out until they signed a contract to produce a hybrid type vehicle that the average person could afford. Then OPEC can be kicked to the curb. Gosh, wouldn't that be ashame? OPEC told to hit the bricks. Maybe gas and oil should not be a speculators market. Then speculators couldn't drive the price of oil and thereby messing with the price of gas.
Seriously, those in charge really don't care. If there is a buck to be made, they'll go for it. So what if it puts some in a bind, gots to have that dolla bill man. Makes my article "Screwed At The Pumps" (May 22 2008) all the real. But I could be wrong about all this, but I bet I'm at least half right.
* New York Times 1-06-2009 Clifford Krauss
