In January, 2001, gasoline was $1.46 per gallon....

[kentuck]

Exactly 1/2 what it is today. A 100% increase. Not bad for the Big Oil Boys in the White House, huh? Who could have ever guessed?

[Ecumenist]

1. It was completely predictable.

As a matter of fact, it WAS PREDICTED...

[opihimoimoi]

2. The Revenge of the Big Oil Guys....what can I say?

[Talismom]

3. Suprahze, suprahze, suprahze! Sheesh! We're getting soaked and

sent back to the guilded age and the whole world is wonderig why we let it happene!

[Awsi Dooger]

4. It was lower than that on the eve of the Iraq war

I intentionallly memorized the price of a gallon of unleaded at my closest station here in Las Vegas, the night before the bombings since I knew the blather was nonsense and the price would soar. It was $1.29. As of yesterday the price was $2.93.

[Samantha]

5. Get it while you can?

What going on here, Kentuck?

The oil companies see the sagging poll numbers and know their gig is up. The Republicans will be out of office the next election wave. Big Oil will jack the prices up as far as it wants because, after all, who will stop them? Get it while you can.

or

The Middle East is sitting on the production in order to jack up the price. Many countries hate Bush* and they are students of American politics. They know the Carter lessons. The higher the prices go the more the Americans hold Bush* in contempt. Why shed blood to get Bush* in deep trouble with the American people when they can accomplish the same by just raising the prices at the pump?

or

There is less production due to the recent catastrophes, natural and preemptive!, and a reasonable increase is understandable. Why be reasonable when one can go whole hog, because, once again, who will stop them?

or

all of the above (including it was in the Cheney secret energy plan to begin with -- Big Oil's political contributions would be repaid a million times over before the end of the Bush*-Cheney reign through increased gas prices).

So what do you think is going on, Kentuck?

[kentuck]

6. I don't think it's the market at work...

I do believe that there is manipulation of oil prices. The oil in the pumps did not cost $75 dollars per barrel, so it has to be speculation to get to todays prices. I have noticed that in the past when "windfall taxes" or "nationalizing the oil companies" becomes a topic of conversation, almost magically, the price of gasoline goes down. Then, as in a backward market mechanism, the price per barrel follows the price of gasoline down??

Some will argue that it is the price that the market will bear and others are saying that the Energy Bill passed last year required a certain percentage of ethanol in the gasoline, as a payoff to ADM (Archer/Daniels Midland), and that the oil companies were not capable of adding the ethanol as required by law. I don't know if either of those are true? But we should not forget how Enron manipulated the markets in California a few years ago and over-charged the people of California by over $30 billion dollars. So it is not beyond comprehension that Big Oil will take advantage of people if they see the opportunity.