Roger Halstead wrote in message
The problem is the refineries are running at capacity trying to meet a
record demand and until we, in general "conserve", the demand will
keep the price up there.

"Running at capacity" is just a b_llsh_t excuse for increasing
profits. They fear (rightly so) that people would get ****ed off if
they realized the gas companies largely control the market and set
whatever price they damn well please. If they ask for too much,
people will modify (in the long run) their consumption, if they ask
for too little, they've left money on the table.

With the amount of money that is at stake, do you think that for a
minute that the agrigate gasoline use of 10's of millions of people
would be so hard to predict that they would actually be caught off
guard (as opposed to intentionally having a shortage) by days getting
longer in the summer? Its been summer before, last year as I
remember, and I'm not even an high paid analyst.

If you really want to send a message to those crooks, support a
gasoline tax (in leiu of general obligation bonds and other taxes)
that fully supports the cost of people driving motor vehicles. This
includes road contruction, maintanence, highway patrol, uninsured
motorists going to the hospital, polution, alternative fuel
development, etc.

Its very simple, use more, pay more. Its crazy to subsidize the
consumption of road fuels with other taxes. Also its hard to jack up
prices when the actual costs of driving are being paid at the pump.
It will give people an incentive to conserve. You'll pay more at the
pump but less on April 15th. How well you make out will depend on how
much fuel you use.