Who sets the price?

If you drive a vehicle on the highways of America, If you have agriculture vehicles, lawn care machines or anything that runs on Gasoline this effects you.  I get upset everyday i have to fill up my vehicles. i have a few choice words for the persons responsible for the high cost of gas.

let me tell you why. I could be wrong but I think if you take the time to research it truth will bear me out. When the hurricane Katrina hit the state of Louisiana there was mass destruction and the oil companies announced that they had to raise the price of gas to off set the "EXPECTED LOSSES".   I thought at the time what a crock. how many of you in business who like to use that excuse to raise your prices.

Shortly thereafter when ever there was an approaching disaster the price went up. The funny thing is after the restoration of the supposid damages were repaired or averted the price of gas never went down.

Now if you follow the market prices like i do (not to invest, who has money) you will see the price of a barrel of oil, both foreign and domestic will fluctuate daily. If you believe the oil companies this is the reason they now use to raise the cost of gas at the pump.

Last Friday the price per barrel jumped $,50 and the price at the pump jumped $.15 per gallon. On Tuesday the price of oil per barrel fell $2.00 and the price at the pump stayed the same. Now if you believe the jobbers they will say the price can't change until the next delivery and they have to absorb the cost differences and that is why it takes longer to change the price. Hogwash! if that were the case why is it that the price is called into the stations before any new delivery and stations must comply with the increase even though they still have the gas from the last delivery.

Someone must do something about the way prices are set. i can remember when we had the luxury of price wars at the pumps. The customer could go anywhere he wanted and get the lowest price, now it is the same or about the same at every pump. newspapers and the Internet have postings of the places with the lowest price.

So Now the original question "Who sets the price". I live in a small midwest community and we have our own little oil cartel that sets the price in our town. If you go 25 miles in any direction the price will be as much as $.15 higher, Then one day you look and the price is as high as our neighboring towns or higher. Does that make sense to you?

The oil companies made the largest profits ever over the past few years. When Bush was president everyone blamed him because he was an oil man. Well who do we blame now? Because oil companies contribute to many of our senators and representatives do you think they are going to suggest that something be done. They can afford the high cost, they don't have to live on a wage of $7.00 and hour.

Consider this: If the price of gas were under $2.00 a gallon the economy would,have a resurgence like no other. people would have money to spend without government hand outs, businesses would be selling products and merchandise and jobs would be plentiful.

Oh and yes the oil companies would still be making a profit.