Well SOMEBODY's Gouging!

Have you ever noticed that when there is a news article about the price of oil going up or if there is a fresh outbreak of middle eastern violence that within 30 minutes the price of gasoline goes up? I mean the guys are out there changing the signs with the little suction cup things! If you ask them why the prices are going up they always reply along the lines of the headlines that you just read not an hour earlier.

Have you also ever noticed conversely that when the news is the opposite, for instance, as it was last week - that OPEC is going to be producing 8% more oil than its current quota - the price doesn't move for weeks or months - until the next tightening of supplies?!

I dare someone to prove to me that someone along the way isn't stoking up the prices. I absolutely defy someone to prove it. I sincerely believe that it cannot be done.

I offer for proof a trip that I took last night to the armpit of North Carolina - Durham. Here where I live, the lowest price that I have seen for regular unleaded gasoline is $1.89. I have seen it as high as $1.95 locally. Last night, as I was driving through the Mebane area (you'll need two hands, a map, and a flashlight to find that one) I saw four gas stations selling gasoline for $1.79. That is 10-16 cents cheaper per gallon not 80 miles away from where I live! We're not talking about another state; we're talking about 4 counties away! Someone is gouging prices. PERIOD. And we're not talking about some towel head over in the Middle East either. Some scum-sucking-son-of-a-so-and-so is taking advantage of his neighbors by selling a necessary commodity at a higher rate of return than is customary.

When confronted by newspapers and other news media you always hear the same sad story, "We're not gouging! We're barely breaking even on our gas sales." Baloney! Now, I guess it is remotely possible that the individual stations are not the guilty ones, but I dare say that it doesn't go far back up the chain. The next likely perps are the distributors. Whoever is responsible needs to quit it.

I know, I know, someone is out there saying, it's just 10 cents a gallon. It's a free market! It's the capitalist way! Well that's fine if you are talking about coloring books, Thighmasters, or Mexican jumping beans, but we are talking about gasoline. America doesn't have widespread access to acceptable public transportation. We depend on our cars, and our cars depend on gasoline. If you are unfortunate enough to live in one of the areas where the gougers are, (kind of reminds me of that children's book Where the Wild Things Are) you are pretty well out of luck.

And for any of you in the "it's only a dollar more per fill up" crew, if I had two gas dispensers side by side and one charged you $1.90 per gallon and another charged you $2.00 per gallon which one are you going to choose? If you say $2.00, you are not very smart.