"Jerry" writes:

IMHO, this is nothing but a lousy attempt to take advantage of one
situation and "claim" their huge price increases are valid; it is a
GOUGE that I hope BACKFIRES on the oil companies.

Well -- I agree that the price bump in the last few days is
suspicious. On the other hand, consider the following:

o Forty percent of the nations refinery capacity is at an absolute
standstil.

o The main pipeline feeding the entire eastern half of the US for
what refined products ARE available in storage terminals is running
at less than 30% capacity.

o The Gulf Coast has the landing terminals for 50% of all crude oil
consumed by the US.

o Every agency on the ground says it will be *weeks* before things
are back to normal.

Everything we learned in high-school economics tells us: Prices are
going to rise. I fear that it is going to get worse before it gets
better. If it makes you feel any better, buy energy stock.

It's time for consumers to simply NOT buy for a few days and see
what happens.

Well, the trick is not to move your purchase decision - a deferred
purchase is still a purchase. The trick is to actually lower
consumption -- something that, for good or for bad, my countrymen have
not shown a great interest in for decades.

Of course, I suspect the gas price will "mysteriously" begin to drop
after the Labor Day holiday disguised as refineries being "repaired"
( how concidental that they get repaired right after Labor Day
because they can "hide" under the disaster.)

I cannot believe someone wrote that - Do you honestly suspect the oil
industry conspired to make a hurricane happen near a busy travelling
weekend? Sometimes an amazing coincidence is just a coincidence.

Reminds me "And the second gangster says to the third, `but how were
you able to arrange a flood?' ... " [1]

Me, except for attending the hamfes)t, I am sitting at home until
the SOB's rot; I can WALK to the grocery store if I have to!

A great idea all the time -- good for one's health, good for the
environment. Now if we just had urban planning that put the grocery
stores a teeny bit closer to where we lived ...

Of course, I live down in XE land, so we have abundant cheap gasoline
(US $2.15 at current exchange rates) and I have three grocery stores
within a five minute walk of my house.

Jerry

73

-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --
Lawrence Statton - m s/aba/c/g
Computer software consists of only two components: ones and
zeros, in roughly equal proportions. All that is required is to
sort them into the correct order.