Gas prices

Each day that passes, I become more frustrated with the current gas pump prices. Why? Because over the last couple of weeks every gas price indicator, including available supplies, available refining capacity, demand, and oil prices have been extreemely favarable, not just leaning to ok, but extreemely good and pump prices have not budges more that a couple of pennies.
Currently we have more than enough gas supply to last the summer at current demand, and demand has not gone up as first believed. (Which initially caused prices to rise 20-30 cents a couple of months ago). If demand does suddenly rise, there is more that enough refining capacity available, for more gas to be refined. Then - here is the frustration - Oil prices have plummeted. They are down from $85.00 / barrel to $73.00 / barrel in one weeks time, and have dropped even further to $70.00 / barrel this last week. Pump prices in my area were $2.91 per gallon (unleaded), which to some of you in larger metro areas, might sound nice, but its not. With oil down 15+ % prices should be dropping. If oil went up $15.00/barrel pump prices would jump within 24 hours and to the tune of 20-30 cents per gallon or more.
Dont get me wrong here. I am not one of those big oil is bad people. Every business has a right to make a profit, but oil is something different than your average chocolate store business. I can pass on chocholate for the rest of my life, and miss it but I do not need it. Until alternatives are redily available we as a nation need to use gasoline to get around, and yes, we are dependent upon it, especially those of us who are somewhat rural, and do not have bus or subway options available for travel. For these reasons, the oil companies should not be allowed to gouge the consumer the way they do at times like this. Price gouging is easy to spot, except to government regulators. Big oil is currently picking the pockets of every man woman and child who has little option when it comes to driving and there are no police to call in this situation.
Just another quick point to touch on here. I realize that some will be saying, this is why we need to drill more oil, so we can be independent from other nations. If we rely only on american company drilled oil then OPEC cannot set the price we pay. WAKE UP.
Lets say that that happens. The US oil companies drill enough oil to satisfy our needs and we no longer need to buy foreign oil. If the foreign oil is selling on the open market for $85.00/barrel, do you think they will sell to the american market for less? Of course not, so Drill Baby Drill!! is not a pump price solution for the united states. An in order to be a truely independent nation we need to be completely free from foreign oil, but that blog is for a different day.