Shortly after the Katrina devastation, gas prices rocketed to 3.15 per gallon almost overnight. It made no sense, considering the excuse the management (and I use that term lightly) used was that the rigs in the gulf were damaged. Was there not a drop in reserve, or are we pulling it out of the ground and directly into our cars? If that were the case, then sure, 3.15 overnight would make sense. Were the rigs in the gulf the only places we get our gas from? All our gas is produced in the gulf? If that's the case, should we not build a big bubble like dome over the gulf, to protect those rigs? What actually happened was management floated a test balloon. Let's see what happens if we use a natural disaster to loonishly raise the price of gas per gallon. If I remember correctly, gas was in the middle $2 range at the time. It skyrocketed before the second week of September. No one said boo. No one cried foul. People just continued to fill up, paying whatever it took. Management was happy. The test balloon was a huge success and reports were produced accordingly. Sure, they lowered it again, and boy, were they not the heros of the day for doing that?
People can bandy about the words supply and demand, but a point was proven. The market could and would withstand exorbitant prices and inflation. Then, slowly, it's been creeping back towards the $3 range, and passed it, a couple of weeks ago. Tbone Pickens (or whatever his name is) assured us, just this morning, that crude oil will never drop below the three digit marker for the remainder of 2008. Gee, considering this is only the third month of 2008, he just told us we've got another 9 months of this, at least. Can anyone say $4.50 with me? Do I hear $5?
What will it take for people to wake up and protest this? What will it take for more fuel efficient vehicles to be created? What will it take to get people who drive gas guzzlers to realize the party is over? When will the air of entitlement end? Where, for the love of peace, is the hue and cry????
With all the sincerity and in all frankness I ask, how can we sleep while our beds are burning?