Gasoline Prices ? WTF?

Here is what I don't get.

In the 70's we had gas lines going down the street and around the block because Gas was supposedly in short supply, OPEC was going to cut off the flow of Gas into this country and the price was skyrocketing from 33 cents a gallon to 75 cents a gallon (or something like that , hell I don't exactly remember either). I was employed at a gas station as a pump attendant at the time and can remember coming to work and being amazed at how long the lines were and how long people waited, willingly or not, to put gas in their car. People were evil, E-V-I-L, concerning how long they waited, what the prices were and whether or not we are going to run out of gas. Gas stations made more money that summer, than ever before.

Also, at the same time, the industry and our gas station switched dramatically. Gone was the dingy interior of the station with its one vending machine, full of crap only the teenagers who worked there liked anyway. Gone were the 6 gas attendants plus the manager who would run to your car, turn on the pump, pump your gas, check your oil, wash your windows and in extreme cases, check your tire pressure for you. Gone were the pumps that has to be turned on and reset with the special key so more gas could be pumped. Gone were all the jobs they harassed us to get done every day, week and month like scrubbing the outside restrooms, painting the pump islands, buffing the office floor, hosing down the parking lot and cleaning the windows.

In its place, within 60 days of the gas lines of the 70's came the "Self-Service" station. 60 days ago I would talk to you at your car window. Now you could barely hear the muffled voice through the speaker of the Fat guy on the stool in the building, behind the locked door. Yesterday I would take your money, put it on my roll, put the rubber band back on it and put it back in my shirt pocket. Now you had to haul your butt outta your car, come up to the window and "Pay before you pumped." We were scared sh**less of the wrath of the buying public for a period of time.

Back then, to put it bluntly, PEOPLE WERE PISSED !!

Fast forward to today.

Since 2000, the price of gas has went from $1.35 to $4.00 (or more depending upon where you live) and no one has said a thing about it. It has risen over $1.00 a gallon in the past year and we haven't said jack!!

Here is the crappy BS full of horse turds explanation we always hear from the big oil compaies when somebody wakes up from their budweiser marijuana cocaine buzz long enough to realize we are paying too much for this product once again. "(...no they want an answer now, No it can't wait,Yes you have to say something to get them to go away....Ok here -) Oh, ahh, ummm, clearing throat, You see the uh, um, price of gas has been um, affected by pressure put on the available supply by an increase in the consumption of gas in China and because of the ummm (what's the word I am looking for ....OH wait I got it !) uncertainty of the continued availability of Gasoline from the middle East, as well as by production shortages caused by planned maintenence being performed at several refineries."

Are you buying these horse turds? Gimme a break. 

If it had anything to do with supply and demand, then the price you pay would be dependant upon the cost of obtaining it and making it. We haven't built a new refinery with any substantial capacity in this country in more than 25 years. The price goes up way too high, and then settles back into place .50-.75 cents above where it was before the rise began and you want us to believe it has anything to do with the cost of producing fuel and nothing to do with manufactured pricing and big oil greed? Gas is stockpiled in several places in the US in various sectors for as much as a year. Yet , magically, the price on the street at every station is just about the same everywhere you go. It is not Supply and Demand as they would have you believe. It is however , Gouge and Exploit. Mostly because we believe this stupid crap.

Take a look at this . Basic Information about Gasoline this site will talk all about how the government and the EPA sees the issue. It doesn't say a thing about why pricing goes up and then settles back down (always) above where it started.

The problem is that every one of their reasons for why the price is up is bogus. Every single one of them.
Take a look at this : No Tension ? Big Supply glut ? Ooopsie !!

What do you think?

Thankx for reading my rant !

-bigmike

Visit my blog online at http://bigmikerant.blogspot.com/