We have control over Iraq's oil production now, why did gas prices go up instead of down?
337915
First of all, we don't "have control" over Iraq's oil production.  We have a decent relationship with Iraq, but we do not control their natural resources.\n\nAlso, one of the main oil producing nation is IRAN, not Iraq.  And right now Bush is "evaluating" possible threats from Iran.  They are not our allies.  So everyone is scared of what might happen, so they jack up the prices just in case.\n\nThere is a supply and demand issue, which is why gas prices tend to go up on the weekends and over holidays, during the summer, etc.  Another problem is that the oil companies have learned that the market will support the high prices, so there is nothing to stop them.  I mean, how can they blame the increase on their costs rising when they made record profits last quarter??  Its not all a rise in cost, the oil companies are making KILLER profits.\n\nWhat can we do?  Short if walking, I don't know...
57963
It's all about oil.\n\nWe can't annex Iraq because the rest of the world will turn against us, and even the US can't fight the entire world.\n\nRevisionist history is what Bush is doing. Freedom for the people of Iraq was never mentioned until AFTER we didn't find any weapons of mass destruction. Before the invasion, all we heard was WMD, WMD, and more WMD.\n\n\nWant to know why gas prices keep going up even though we have control of the the Iraqi oil fields? Because the oil is NOT FOR YOUR BENEFIT. It's for the benefit of the oil companies. Maybe you haven't noticed, but last year, the oil companies made record profits. Not sales, PROFITS. They have never made this kind of money under any other President.
363648
How much they made in profits has nothing to do with the price of gas.  \n\nThere are quite a few reasons that gas prices are rising.  First, simple supply and demand. The price of the oil that is refined to make gas is rising.  This is because worldwide demand for oil is growing (think about China and India).  Right now due to our little war and the other unstable oil producing countries, worldwide oil production is not where it needs to be.  Secondly, with the increased demand for gas in this country, the current refinery system cannot meet demand.  The EPA has put a strangle hold on any new refineries.  There hasn't been a new refinery built in this country for 30 years.  Lastly, the government has allowed all of the major oil companies to either merge together or be acquired by foreign companies.  Exxon / Mobil, Chevron / Texaco, British Petroleum / Atlantic Richfield and Royal Ductch / Shell.\n\nAll of this is the perfect recipe for big profits.  Publicly traded oil companies like Exxon / Mobil are doing what they are supposed to be doing; maximizing shareholder value.  If you want someone to blame, blame the government.  They make the environmental laws.  They started the war.  They allowed all of the mergers.
927848
Gas futures rose as a result of the Democrats taking office, knowing full well that they do not comprehend the importance of this resource!\n\nThanks so much for asking! I'm glad I could clear that up for you!
841269
I suggest reading 'armed madhouse' by greg palast. In this book he makes the arguement (with footnotes) that the reason we went into Iraq is for the oil. But not to take the oil. No ... we want to keep the oil in Iraq. You see economic supply and demand would dictate that if the second largest oil producing nation was bogged down by an occupation then prices would soar. Hmmmm and how have the oil companies been fairing since the invasion???? Who's side do you think this honest patriot is on?? http://blogs.it/0100206/stories/2004/03/15/houseOfBushHouseOfSaud.html
1139307
First of all we did not take over Iraq.  Iraq has its own government (Thanks to the USA) and they make their own rules and laws. We are their to keep the county from falling apart.  You are right about it not being about 9/11, it is for other reasons.  Iraq is the country the took over another country when it invaded Kuwit in the early 90's.  After we kicked them out they have broken over 20 UN resolutions which were put on them by the whole wrold not just the USA.  They consistaly shot missiles at our planes which were patroling their airspace (if thats not an act of war then I dont know what is).  They have used WMD's and would refuse to let weapons inspector into there country. Us going into Iraq was voted on by our congress and by the UN secerity counsle, both of which agreed that Saddam needed to go.  And for your "Bush is a oil hungry Mad-man" comment.  We have not taken one drop of oil from the Iraqi people that oil belongs to them. If you want proof of that just look at the gas prices.
1149237
Government does not raise the price of gas.  A thing called supply and demand controls the gas prices and the price of everything else in our society.
571257
i don't know what the final outcome in iraq will be, but i have made this very point to people i know. i heard the same thing in 1969 myself. we were in an unpopular war then, gas prices were soon to rise, people, for the most part, were becoming disillusioned with our government, jobs were soon to start drying up and many were to move overseas, interest rates were starting to rise. sounds like deja vu all over again today, doesn't it?
790609
What a mess! USA, Saudi, Saudi, Turkey, Iran, Syria all looking to control the Iraqi oil, the US. sure has a lot to answer for, the instability is has created will cause problems for many years in the middle east, was this the intention? maybe it was, oilmen love high oil prices, arms manufacturers, and military suppliers love war. This catastrophe was predicted, but ignored. Now no-one can predict what will happen next, but you can sure there will be no peace in the region. The Bush regime will back the Saudis as they are like one big family, maybe Saudi approves/ helped develop US. policy, whatever happens the Shites will unite, and if they are bombed they'll unite more quickly. The US. will continue to guard their stolen oil fields, until their war funding is cut off, and when they are forced to leave it will be a free-for-all.
550693
Because when it comes to energy, you get it from where ever you can as cheaply as you can.  This is why Bush invaded Iraq after all.  So he can have cheap oil for his Families Oil Companies, so they can sell the oil products to Americans at high prices and become even richer and more powerful than they already are!
283967
Well, the invasion of Iraq may have occured because of that in part. However, the securing of oil reserves is also part of it.  The Peak of Oil production has limited the remaining oil in the world to approximately 1 trillion barrels, that means as more is pumped out there will be less for increasing demand. (Picture the top of a bell curve)  Holding onto oil allows for the continued supply.\n\n   As for the bourse coming online at the end of this week in Iran, it may lead to the dumping of US currencies by countries like China and Russia as well as the European Union.  These state actors won't dump all their currency, but since China holds over 800 million US dollars, they may divest a few hundred million in order to pick up Euros a more stable currency that has far less debt behind it. (Over 8 Trillion dollars if you've been following the news).  The result is a devaluation of the US currency and inflation to prop it up.  \n   Will the USA go into Iran?  I doubt it, it's 3 times the size of Iraq and the US does not have the military to put soldiers on the ground to hold what it might initially be able to take.  Also, since Iraq and Iran are, for religious reasons far closer than than have ever been, the prospect of fighting a mass uprising in Iraq while in Iran is too real to consider.  \n   There have been suggestions of nuclear weapons being used to neutralize threats.  I doubt the USA wants the political fall-out domestically and internationally to let the nuclear genie out of the bottle again.  \n  Will oil be sold in Euros?  Almost certainly, will it negatively affect the US economy, definitely.  Can it be moderated?  Possibly, by negotiating with Iran to sell in Euros in increments.  Will negotiations take place?  It doesn't seem likely given the current political tone.  Is it a mess?  One like that hasn't been seen since World War 2.
456049
That is why we are at war now to get control of other oil in other places!!!
926468
wow,thats amazeing, wot a contrast .....i knew haliburotn were in iraq to grab iraqi oil for its own purposes and not to help with the reconstruction.
1173170
Why do you think the gas prices suddenly went sky high?  There is NO shortage....no lines, plenty  of gas....but they get MORE TAXES with higher gas prices.   Government's answer to paying for war.
525345
In part, gas prices are determined by supply and demand.  Prices are also determined by how much foreign oil is purchased and then passed on to consumers. \nPoliticians and oil companies would have us believe that these two are the primary reasons for the increase in fuel prices, but this is because most Americans do not really look very hard at facts surrounding them on a daily basis, or do not put them together. The 1950's had gas at around 22 cents a gallon.  Yet even with our greater technology, the much increased ease of production, transport, and refinement should have us keeping pace with prices still around $1.00, with the cost of exploration being one of the few legitimate reasons for increasing the prices...of course combined with the reasons previously mentioned.  But this is not the case.  \nWhen hurricane Katrina approached the coast, the price of gas rose over 10 cents a gallon - before - the hurricane had done any damage.  Afterward, when production resumed its normal levels, prices did not subside.  Instead they continued to rise.  The second hurricane did little or no damage, but prices rose again...in the same pattern.  For a dozen years or more, oil companies have followed a pattern of every six to eight months, raising prices until public outcry became strong enough, then when it was lowered ten or twelve cents the public sighed a great sigh; while not really paying attention to the fact that the price was still ten or fifteen cents higher than it was.  \nThe hurricanes, combined with the merger of giant oil companies into mega corporations have removed the checks and balances that healthy competition made in keeping oil prices down.  From 14 to 36 billion in profits, these oil companies answer to no one.  Their CEO's hide under the guise that no one can specifically point their finger at one of them and lay the blame, and our government cannot do anything to one and not the others, so nothing is done.  The oil companies state to the senators that their prices have increased slower than any other comodity.  Yet the simple reason behind this eludes our leaders...the reason...because the oil companies are the catalyst for the rise in every other price.  A farmer, with a tiny edge of profit, cannot afford to absorb the gas prices as they are, and so the prices snowball into every other thing linked to them.  So, why do prices rise?  Well, aside from the legitimate reasons mentioned in the beginning, it is because there is no one who tells them that they have to stop.
464151
It's not the oil thats so high. It's Cheney. He's being like any other republican. GREEDY. I'm saying this cause I am one. He's the reason gas is so high.
873620
If they release oil reserves every time the price rises a little it will go down, but we will pay for it dearly when the oil producing countries see that our reserves are getting low. Six years ago our reserves were at an all time low. We held our own for a while but eventually the suppliers realized we didn't have backup and that's how we reached the all time high prices. Several months ago the reserves were in the ninety percent range and that is when it finally started dropping. If they do use the reserves properly gas prices will remain stable. If it does drop dramatically look out we will pay for it later.