anyone that does business or has anything to do with any oil companys needs to overcharge them like they do us !!

The only thing wrong with this article is that it is completly upside down. It ends with the fact that gas prices are still climbing! It should be no suprise that everything we buy will cost us more as long as our government allows oil companies to profit the way they do. Businesses are struggling for their survival because their fuel costs skyrocket and they have to pass those costs onto the consumer/end uer. Meanwhile Exxon Mobil profits climb to 39.5 BILLION! Gee, I wonder what types of industries or companies the wealthy politicians in Washington invest in? How else can you explain there unwillingness to deal with oil and gas prices. Meanwhile consumers keep shelling out more money to make ends meet. Bottom line: LOWER GAS PRICES and the rest will take care of itself!

Americans live and breath oil everyday and depend on it as it shows in our economy.It is time that our government tells the truth why the oil and gas is so high.For one we are slowly running out of a NON RENEWABLE RESOURCE and america better open their eyes and realize this is the reason for inflation and it will never go down now.(Lower the gas price, please it will never happen).In 20 years cost of living will be so high here in america our dollar will be useless and if you don't believe this you are naive and spoiled with our way of living!Think about it cost of oil goes up,up,up and everything else is a domino effect and you would of think our government would've listened to the oil providers and experts in the early 80's telling them we would reach global peak in the early 21'st century and they shrugged it off,now look were we are as a nation.Scrambling like cockroaches looking for alternatives and it might be a little to late.Yes there is oil in a lot of areas but it cost ever so much to get to and distribute inwhich you will have to pay more for it.Remember OIL IS A NON RENEWABLE RESOURCE.Remember russia collapsed as economics and political mistrust took over in the mid 80's(loaf of bread in american dollars $15.00)So good luck and god bless,thank you.

It amazes me when people constantly complain about rising gas prices, but then I see Hummers being driven all over the place, really, what is the purpose of driving something like this other that substituting braun for brains. But hey, I'm sure they get great gas mileage. Here's an idea that I have been doing ever since the prices started skyrocketing, fill your tank to full, and when it reaches 3/4 of a tank or just below, fill er up.  It's much easier to put $20.00 worth of gas than to put $50.00 or more worth in. I can go almost a week on a 1/4 of a tank, just going to work and shopping.

As long as gas prices are going up the economy is going to go down. We as Americans use way too much oil, but it’s not just us other countries are beginning to use as much if not more than Americans. Why take a few trips into the city every day just to get one thing done at a time. I live 6 miles outside of the city and I now make 1 trip a week. I get everything I need. If I forget something it waits or I walk into the city to get it. After a few walks I don’t forget much.

The bottom line is GREED!  Yes I agree that there is more consumption of oil in the world, BUT why do you think the oil companies haven't built a single new refinery in DECADES?  Not because of cost, but because they can manipulate supply and keep everyone in fear that we are running out of oil....nonsense!...there are vast supplies of untapped oil all over the world and today's technology will tell you how to get it , all you chicken littles who think that the end of oil is near! You don't see oil producing countries or the oil company giants in fear of going out of business.  Even when the so-called experts tell us now that supply is ample and demand is down...prices keep skyrocketing because no one will stop them (oil companies).  The oil business is a complete monopoly that everyone is a customer to.  The oil companies use every excuse in the book to tell the consumer that prices go up ...demand use, weather conditions, unrest in the middle east, market fears, operations cost, explorations, but they can't explain their obscene profit margin!!!
No wonder OPEC doesn't want to cooperate with more production!  

your obvious to young to remember in the 1970's the american oil fields reached thier peak and gas back then was running out and gas was $4.50 a gallon then.Then we sighned with opec and the next 2 decades we went back to our ways of who cares our government will help us again!!!Now we are right back to this crap again.Remember i did say their is vast amount of oil in the world it's just not light like it is in middle east.It's in shallow rocks and sand but it will be ever so costly to produce and were do you think the money is gonna come from right from your pocket.Even saudia arabia knows they are at there peak, they are building huge projcts for tourism to prepare for their future for when they do run out. Tony are you to naive???Or are you to busy looking in the sky for aliens!!!!!

Has anyone mentioned that the Bush administration has done nothing to help the situation?  Why would they help?  Tax rebate- hardly enough to salvage what has been a failed presidency.  Our president comes from an oil business background so don't expect him to do anything to help control the price of gas and oil company profits.  Oh yeah, remember the war in Iraq?  How much is that costing Americans today and for years to come?  This country needs a government overhaul.  It has grown too big and is disfunctional.  The ruling majority never leaves power.  Elections are almost a joke.  We need to take a serious look at what is happening- the disapperance of the middle class.

you are right and the other thing me and my friends all agree on is the fact pres. bush was in the oil business and has lots of friends and don't be surprised if the high cost of gas is the way we are paying for this war,it would be a smart move like you said for a war that we will be fighting for a very long time.Most people i talk to don't have a clue on why gas is so much or that we are even in a war,that just shows you how clueless and ignorant a lot of people are in this country.perfect sense for a long dragged out war would be to icrease the gas price to pay for it,just another senario for the high cost of gas.

Well I guess if the Oil Companies profits are all on the uprise we all need to get a job with em' because I'm sure they pay well.

How about we stop electing a bunch of tree-huggers and a bunch of pantywaists who are so desperate to please the environmentalist whackos that they'll do anything to curry favor, and instead elect some intelligent people who will recognize the fact that the US has oil under our soil, if we will just drill for it and build the refineries necessary to use it.  We have the oil, if we'd only pull it out of the ground and use it.

As for the Bush administration doing nothing about it, they are the first administration to propose any serious funding for alternative fuels.

cjburke62 Has a point, you know why a refinery hasn't been bulit in the US since the 70's? For the reasons he or she has stated. There is oil off shore in Florida. You know who is drilling off shore from Cuba for the oil?, China. Yep, until the tree huggers figure out. That is costs companies bad faith and law suits to pollute any more in the US. Ever hear of the EPA? That arm of the goverment has teeth. Drill for oil off shore, Alaska. Bulid refinerys on US soil, thumb or noses at OPEC. Work on other sources on energy. Using food to refine into menthanal is a joke. That is a major trigger to higher food costs. Bush Cheney and what ever you can say is making huge profits on high oil prices. Guess who really is making the money? THe goverments in the middle east that owns the oil..........Make the connection now?

Joe, why hasn't Big Brother decided to "cut the profits" of your employer? Just for spite, why don't we just have Congress tax them into bankruptcy? You know, since they're probably evil and probably deserve it.

It is all G. W. B.

Another reason for the increase is that petroleum products are added to our foods.  The preservatives BHA, BHT, and TBHQ are petroleum based.  Let's take the petroleum out of our foods - this would be a good conservation measure.

There are some good points but way too much rambling about oil company profits ,and GDubya.  Here's some reality (R), and some observations (O).

1. (R) The price of oil is skyrocketing because there are a lot more people bidding for it.  (O) As the rest of the world attempts to grow their industries and improve their standarsd of living, it will only get worse.  

2.  (R) Oil and the petroleum products derived from it pervade our industries from manufacturing to food production.  As oil prices rise, so do all those areas that depend on it.

3. (R) New refineries are not being built because the licensing and approval process is so complex and so contentious that no one want to go through it any more.  (O) Given the current prices for petroleum products, building a refinery makes good business sense.  

4.  (R) Transportation and heating are the two largest uses of oil and its products.  (O) Conserve in the other areas, and it probably won't affect prices to any significant extent.

5. (O)  Using our food corn for ethanol is just another misguided attempt to retain our current fuel-burning vehicles.  (R) The use of corn in our food chain is similar to oil in our fuel chain - it pervades almost everything - sweeteners, milk, eggs, meats, oil, etc.  Divert it from food processes into fuel processes and everything based on it goes up in price.  (O) Several studies indicate that it costs more energy to produce than we get back.  A least the cellulosic process has potential to solve that problem.

(O)  There have been no serious attempts on the part of Government to support the development and deployment alternate energy sources since the early 1980's.  For the most part, the cost of energy produced from alternate sources was much more expensive than with fossil fuel, so there was no economic incentive to do so.  Like so many other problems facing us, we remain, or at least did remain in near total denial that oil will eventually be unavailable; like many cancer victims, we simply will not face facts early enough to avoid falling into crisis and the nrely on miracles to survive.

About the major oil crisis, well said about havin it right here in our own country.  we need to stop relying so much on the other side of the world and giving them our $, what about canada, if i'm not mistaken, can't the govt. do more business with them??  On the rising cost food issue, not for nothing, but the govt. has middle and lower class families in such financial crisis, they could raise the bar a bit with food stamps.  in my family of four, we are considered middle class,(my husband and I both work two jobs) but cannot afford to pay bills, and get groceries and not cut into one or the other.  Our bills are behind because we want healthy children, but the bill collectors won't understand that.  When SS advertises you can own your own car, home and still get food stamps, but you fall short of getting them by only a couple dollars, but watch gas and food prices go up, where does that make sense.
(and food stamps are NOT welfare, it is govt. subsidies)

inflated prices mainly gas will slow down when WE slow down..Those with computers in their autos ,large or small,switch them to the gas milage section and watch it...It doesn't that a degeree to figure out that if you go slower you will get better gas mileage...Hello..Instead of going 65 to 85 try to go 50to60..I do and get better mileage.

As long as the value of the US dollar keeps falling our prices will keep climbing.  We need to seriously reduce the amount of foreign goods we import into this country or place tariffs on imported goods that will allow American goods to be competitive. The foreigners, including all the oil producers, have a good look at our neck and are going for blood.