A thought on why oil and gas prices sky rocketed and why they are coming down...

[Aviation Pro]

...now.

It's got nothing to do with the election, it has a little to do with the war in Iraq, it has just a little more to do with the rampant speculation that caused gas prices (and everything else) to balloon, but I believe there is one idea that hasn't been suggested yet: I believe one of the main, unstated reasons is that big oil has seen the writing on the wall and are now in the process of making a major retooling to alternative fuels in order to retain market share on energy. To do this they needed a massive infusion of cash and what better way to do that than to exploit the users over the last eight years. Now that they have a war chest full of cash, our cash, to do massive R&D look for ExxonMobil, BP, Valero, etc to start a major push toward alternative fuels. Once drop in replacements are developed it will take a massive marketing and infrastructure campaign to convert the world to the products they will control.

Maybe tinfoil, maybe not, we'll see.

[The Shadow]

1. I Hope That We Are Smart Enough To Look Elsewhere...

For our alternative energy needs. We need to stop feeding the Exxons and BPs of the world our hard earned money and invest in new upstart companies that can provide for our energy needs. If we continue to buy our energy from these bastards they will maintain that stranglehold on us forever. Enough I say!

[Aviation Pro]

2. That should be the plan.....

....which is why President-elect Obama is such a threat to big oil, he is not beholden to their contributions.

[BrklynLiberal]

3. Since Exxon Mobil has broken all corporate profit records for the last 2 quarters, they

better not be pleading poverty.
I think that they should be contributing a lot more to the financial well-being of this country that they are.
They are like drug pushers, and cars and all other gasoline powered units are their drugs. They let the public have access
to them, charge a fortune, and reap the profits.

[Just-plain-Kathy]

4. My tinfoil hat theory is that the oil/defense/investment tycoons who have been....

robbing us blind, wanted to take us for everything we have before they left office.

I think if they were able to get away with controlling this election the way they have in the past, a McCain presidency would have kept oil prices high. The GOP brought down oil prices in order to calm down the American people. This way more people will be content in not paying attention to what's going on in Washington. ...If gas prices continued to go up, people would continue to be up in arms wanting accountability.

[Turbineguy]

5. Well, if we no longer have

the oil companies to victimize us, where shall we go?

[charlie]

6. Dubai has become Futurama Glittertown for a reason...

And Saudi Arabia was recently the fly in the ointment in OPEC's recent move to drive prices back to where they were a half year ago. Prince Turki said the Saudis were worried that oil high cost was adding impetus to alternative energy initiatives.

[SmileyRose]

7. I still say it will go back up to $4 in short order.

All they have to do is manipulate the supply. They want $4 gas and they'll figure out how to get it.

[Aviation Pro]

8. Not for two years at least with the now imminent threat of a....

...windfall tax being placed on these theives.