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I WENT TO THE GAS STATION and filled up my guzzler. I paid $2.18 (well, 2.18 point 9) per gallon for the gas. I am not complaining about the high price.
I am complaining about the low price. Why is it only 2.19? I've been paying up to 3.12 in just recent weeks. It was all explained to me why this should be so. Storms. Gasoline shortage. Middle East conflict. Peak Oil! Yada-yada.
Explained like that, I was eager to have my gasoline prices jacked up on a grease rack of profit. I didn't mind that Old Seymour Swine (see photo) graduated from petroleum INC. with a $400 million pension. (..READ ABOUT IT HERE ..)
I didn't mind that Texaco's profits were up about a zillion percent. I mean, there were storms. And the Middle East was seething. Lucky to have ANY gas at all! Evidently this has all changed. Has the Middle East conflict been resolved? Then why is there blood and guts all over my television news? Has the storm season ended? Maybe Congress has outlawed storms, as King Arthur did in Camelot. Has the supply of gasoline ballooned enough in the last week to lower the price by a third?
Here in the Arboretum, we are trying to learn something every day about conserving our resources. This summer, we have stayed close to home. We've been careful to avoid wasting fuel. This does not mean we've walked everywhere, or that we've denied ourselves visits to friends and family. But we're trying to become citizens of a more conservative world.
We've tried to reduce our "carbon-use footprint."
In part, we have our good friend, Jim, to thank for helping to educate us. LINK TO JIM at OIFS
But I guess we still have a lot to learn. The Old Chip is quite dumb. I fully admit my ignorance. But, being dumb does not mean that I'm a certifiable moron. Something is going on here with these gas prices. WHAT COULD IT BE? One suspects that perhaps the oil men who run our country --- like our self-proclaimed president and our very-very-very-very oil- rich Vice President (and CEO of everything crooked, it seems) and their friends, all the other oil pumpers of the world--- well, perhaps they are NOT the best stewards of our energy interests.
Maybe we're being manipulated. Maybe we're being cheated. Maybe we're being played for fools when actually, we're only just a little dumb. Maybe we're being reduced to a "banana republic" with a plutocratic government and an economic mess. Maybe. Or maybe, it has to do with the up-coming election.
Could it be that someone will profit in the November elections by lowering the price of gas right now? If so, who could that be?
Hmm ---- Can someone help me here? What's up?
3 comments:
It has been said that many people's barometer of the economy is the local price of a gallon of gas. If gas is up, they assume things are going badly. If gas is down, they assume the economy is doing well. It would seem that the reduced gas price would most likely help incumbents, namely members of the Republican majority in Congress. The question is whether Congress or the President or some agency is somehow manipulating prices. OR is it that the oil companies are manipulating prices in hopes of helping the incumbent Congress, which has thus far been friendly to oil interests?
It would surprise me a bit if the answer to that last question is yes. I have been operating on the assumption that Republicans are generally excellent for oil companies' profits, but the Democrats are merely great for oil companies' profits.
Gas recently decreased in price here, too. We paid $4.75/gallon at the height of summer. Now we're down to $3.80. I suspect that the huge difference in price is due to taxes on gas here. However, since we have also seen a fairly significant reduction and have no elections coming up, I'd blame the lower price on reduced demand after the summer holidays rather than political conspiracy (not that I'd put that past any of them...)
Thank You Jim:
I'm posting a graph above which suggests a link betwen gas prices and popularity.
I understand your larger point: Is there anyone who could manipulate those prices to get a poliltical result? Is there any reason why the oil powers-that-be would prefer one political party over the other?
I'm hoping for more debate about this, in the press, in the Congress, and on this blog.
Bud
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