Does anyone else believe the price of oil and gas is nothing more than the oil companies screwing the public?
463011
No, profits are the American way. I doubt you were even born when the oil companies were struggling back in the mid-seventies and early eighties. Aquisitions and mergers have made them some of the strongest American companies.\nThere are now more known oil reserves world wide than ever before. There is also more demand than ever before. Hence oil is over $72 per barrel. We could get all we need from the Canadian oil sand deposits and it would be cheap. But it is being shipped around the world.\nFigure that
436434
Actually, gas prices in the US are artificially low.  We pay about 1/2 to 1/3 of Europe's prices.  Prices here fluctuate almost arbirarily, but also in accordance with supply and demand, and, of course, the price of oil.  It's precisely because we're in this war over oil that prices has gone up. War makes production and distribution a pain, to say the least.  Other oil producing nations, like Venzuela and Nigeria have also had political distruptions.
434511
This is just another urban legend floating around.\n\nBoycotting Exxon isn't going to work to bring down prices.  If everyone stopped buying from Exxon and used the other providers, then the other providers would run out of gas pretty quickly due to supply and demand chain effects.  What would happen is that they would buy their gas from Exxon and overall all prices would go up, not down.\n\nFull mythbuster at Snopes.\n\nhttp://www.snopes.com/politics/gasoline/gasout.asp\n\nTo lower gas prices, you have to lower demand, which includes things like carpooling, public transportation, alternative sources of energy, and better milage vehicles.
1120593
They are but prices for gas right now are through the roof. Try at least $3.50 for a gallon of gas. Everything is more expensive. There are a lot of locals who don't like tourist/ military here.
154555
Yes they are right. The prices are determained by the future supply and demand of oil.  Iraq is not why they are high.  It is by the increase in world demand with supply shrinking.  Mainly do to emerging economies of India and China.  THe govt regualating anything would make it worse.
405461
A couple of years ago, all the Amoco stations in my city became British Petroleum, But I don't think they have much to do with Mobil except that they both are making us take it in our arses with the gas prices. Funny how the oil industry has claimed the highest earnings ever in history last year, yet they "claim" that they are only making a small profit. Hmm...
480529
The oil companies are greedy
329902
Do what they successfully do in some other countries - boycot the big oil companies one at a time - if NOBODY in the US bought gas from Exxon for a specified  time you can bet your bottom dollar they'd reduce the price at the pumps!  Then go on with Chevron or whoever is the chosen one - main thing - target them one or two at a time! They don't care about the US or its citizens - they're in it for the megabucks!  And if they can't get megabucks, they'll take whatever bucks they can get!
1181308
No, neither directly nor indirectly.  One must recognize a number of things.\n\n1.  The federal government alone, via the taxpayers, is funding the war in Iraq.\n\n2.  The federal government does not control the quantity or price or oil or gasoline.  Even if our government was to release every barrel in every reserve in the country for public consumption, that oil wouldn't last even two months.  Any attempts of the government to control or manipulate gas prices would be to lower them, and historically, the U.S. government has proven unable to affect any but the smallest of changes in gas prices.\n\n3.  The war has not reduced our oil supply.  While insurgents temporarily halted oil production in Iraq at the war's onset, most delays lasted weeks, not months, and have long since been remedied.  Both OPEC and independent oil producers around the globe increased production throughout the war, if not because they wanted to help the U.S. out, then to take advantage of record oil prices, due exclusively to demand.
949639
If pols could control gas prices, it would always be cheap.\nIf oil cos could control prices it would always be expensive.\nWhat can we conclude from this?
877565
What, isn't it just coincidence that it dropped almost a dollar in the three months before the election, and has climbed 20cents or more since the election?\n\nYou think politics might have motivated the oil companies to make people less displeased with the government, on the chance that would help their buddies who are incumbents keep their jobs?\n\nPerish the thought.
301774
The environmentalists and congressare to blame. The environmentalists won't let us drill offshore, every time the oil companies try they take them to court, they fight every effort to drill in ANWAR. The stupid republicans don't have the guts to stand up for it. Then we can't build new refineries because some treehugger is worried about a tree slug or some other worthless animal. When oil prices were low it was to expensive for oil companies to invest in new equipment, now that oil prices are up they are starting to re-invest, but it will take time.\n\nOh one other thing is all these stupid blends in this country that is mandated by the government that really don't do anything. Then forcing the oil companies to waste time on ethanol doesn't help either.\n\nWhile some local stations collude on what they are going to charge. (I have been in a gas station when another station has called to ask what they are charging that day).\n\nA one day revolt isn't going to solve anything, other than make people feel better
671618
George Bush has nothing to do with the gas prices. OPEC does. He's the US President, not God and ruler of all the world.
564536
they suck is all i know millions of barrels of oil outta the ground and charge lots of money for it .can you imagine drilling for water and hitting that black crap and think water sells by the gallon now to if they could charge for air they would watch out some day there will be a charge .
478800
WRITE CONGRESS AND THE SENATE AND ASK WHY THEY WILL NOT RELEASE OUR OIL RESERVES???? THIS WOULD HELP BRING DOWN THE PRICE OF GAS!!! ALSO ASK WHY WE HAVE NOT BUILT ANY MORE REFINERIES IN DECADES!! THE OIL COMPANIES PURCHASED ONE A FEW YEARS BACK AND SHUT IT DOWN AND REFUSE TO OPEN IT AGAIN!!The soaring profits have already attracted the attention of many members of Congress. On Tuesday, House Speaker Dennis Hastert warned companies that any price gouging is "unacceptable, and any company who does it will be prosecuted." He urged the oil companies to explain to the American public what they are doing to bring down the cost of oil and natural gas. And he urged them to build new refineries and pipelines. THERE HAS BEEN NO NEW OIL REFINERIES BUILT IN THE USA SINCE 1976! WHY HUGE PROFITS AND THEY WON'T DO ANYTHIGN ABOUT IT!!!
1002698
The thing is the oil compagnies don't want to lose money so they brainwash people into thinking the alternative isn't any good.\nMeanwhile the others are  powerless.\n(The Oil compagnies are more powerful than the latter)
476079
There are laws prohibiting antitrust and collusion for gas prices or any other industry.  However, since there are no charges being brought forward, then the general conclusion is that prices aren't being fixed.