Nothing has changed in the world to make gasoline prices soar

[cantstandbush]

but they are soaring nonetheless. This is your deregulated, conglomerated, big business oil companies at work with the Bush administration. There is no reason whatsoever for gasoline prices to be going up at the pace they are going if at all. Yet few are questioning it and the MSM is not investigating. WTF is wrong with Kansas?!!!!

[Greyhound]

1. shrubs numbers went up, so he took off the heat to keep 'em down. n/t

[OrangeCountyDemocrat]

2. Xmas Is Over

They don't need to keep prices low so people will have more money to go out and Spend Spend Spend.

I said it would rise in Jan. & Feb., and it is not a surprise to me AT ALL.

[FloridaPat]

3. Right after Katrina went through and the oil wells were shut in

Europe agreed to send us gas from their reserves. A couple of weeks ago they decided enough was enough. Shows us how badly our oil industry was hit by Katrina.

[stop the bleeding]

11. Your right on this - after the storms there was an agreement for other

countries to release oil from their reserves to help us out, but it was only suppose to be a temporary measure. Yes the industry is hurting according to a NPR interview a few months back the Oil companies are still trying to fix equipment from Hurricane Ivan - from the 2004 season. This stuff takes a long time to bring back online at 100% capacity, this coupled with rising world wide demand has not helped.

[Massacure]

4. Iran is threatening to shut off oil exports.

[bpilgrim]

5. they have to refill the empty reserves, the gulf coast is a wreck & ME WAR

not to mention PEAK-OIL...

peace

[lapfog_1]

8. I think all of the reasons have been stated in this thread

but let me recap:

1. The gulf coast refineries are back online, but not at 100 percent...
2. Iran is the new Iraq, anytime there is the threat of war in the Mideast, oil goes up.
3. Is the US still pumping oil from the strategic reserves? I think not.
4. There may be a feeling from the big oil companies that prices could go up.
5. There may be a feeling from OPEC and Venezuela that prices could go up.
6. Peak Oil is likely already here (or has passed).

And, oh yeah, BTW...

The FUCKING BASTARDS that stole our country are "oil guys".

Need we say more?

[Art_from_Ark]

10. Don't forget the Chinese

They're buying oil like it's going out of style. And they've just signed a big oil and gas contract with Iran.

http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/english/doc/2004-10/31/content_387140.htm

[spindrifter]

6. What about futures buying?

Could this be the result of Carlyle people feeling like they don't give a rip again--i.e., the holidays are over and the result of oil futures bought a while ago for a higher price?

[Warren Stupidity]

7. Well there is the steady drumbeat for war. nt.

[Imagevision]

9. Hey, call it good ole fashioned 'profiteering' courtesy of the white house

[mtnsnake]

12. This is why gas prices have risen

Later this year, starting sometime in Spring, Bushco will need to LOWER gas prices in order to coerce the foolish and the ignorant to vote Republican in November. However, to lower gas prices in the spring, they have to artificially RAISE them now. The idiots will then vote with their wallets instead of their heads. All this price fluctuation we're seeing now is artificial. They need to get the prices up so high in advance that it's easy to lower them when the right time comes. It's all timing and it's all bullshit.

[rman]

13. sure, there's an infinite amount of oil in the ground

[Chimichurri]

14. I suspect our threats to Iran have caused the latest spike.