Gas Prices

To use Saudi Arabia as the blame for gas prices is either ignorant or blatant propaganda. The kernel of truth in this piece is that the Saudis always get a pass on their close friendship with in particular the Bush's who have had close business dealings with not only the Saudis but the bin Laden family, including in GWB's own Texas oil business. (Google Arbusto and Bush). Still, this smacks too much of the same propaganda we are hearing to INCITE MORE MIDDLE EAST INTERVENTION by the U.S., as the neocons and their sycophants would have us do. (Nor did Hillary or Obama shrink from this as Olberman pointed out in Countdown after the "debate"), when precisely the opposite course should be taken.

The blame for high gas prices can be laid at the feet of not OPEC merely, nor of Chinas demand, as local radio talk shows have recently been declaring, but because of a PREEMPTIVE INVERVENTIONIST U.S. WAR POLICY IN THE MIDDLE EAST, which drives volatile and emotionally charged future's trading, and indeed, particularly from Iraq, has limited to supply.

Secondly, is that US oil companies (hardly innocently) have deliberately reduced refinery capacity (which Bush acknowledged publicly), on purpose, to increase oil profits through efficiency. This has created a bottle neck then during supply reductions (e.g. Katrina) which then directly influences prices. Contrary to the propagandists, the oil companies do NOT want to increase refinery compacity, and therefore the government is not to blame for this scenario.

It is true that the state and fed governments are milking consumers dry with very heavy taxation on gas (about 50 cents per gallon!), which is more profit by far than the industry!

And it is troubling that a presidential administration, stacked with oil executives (Bush, Cheney, Rice, etc.) cannot at least give a full explanation, or help solve, the worst inflation in fuel prices, effecting all other consumer goods likewise, while getting a free pass. In fairness, we hear little advice either from the Democratic corner, i.e. Rockefeller.

Ending the present pre-emptive and neocon-based war policy, particularly for a "new middle east", would immediately lead to a drop in oil prices, and thus not only gas prices, but all consumer goods that mark up their freight which is driving inflation on food in particular. Strangely, we hear little of this, if you read closely, in any of the 3 candidates who call for "change". Meanwhile, the government should reduce its gas taxes, beginning with the State.

See my post [url=http://westvirginiaholler.blogspot.com/2008/04/oil-consumption-by-country.html]High Gas Prices: China's Demand or War Policy? [/url] http://westvirginiaholler.blogspot.com/for more.