Gas has gone up 3-4 times this week. I heard a few days ago that here in Missouri, we have the lowest gas prices in the country. Last Sunday, I paid 3.37, yesterday I paid 3.67, but just happened to be passing by one gas station who hadn't raised their price yet from the day before. Everyone else in town is about 3.79. We were down in Farmington overnight, and it's 3.89 there. I think the "excuse" of the hurricane is ridiculous. They did that before, and I'm sure it will be done again. The oil companies are making billions in profits...there is no valid reason to be gouging the rest of us so much.

There are excellent reasons for prices to rise quickly after natural disasters. For one thing, it encourages conservation--you won't take in your motor home for a fillup "just in case," and that will mean three tankfulls saved for other peoples' cars. For another thing, it compensates people for a lot of extra effort to get supplies where they are needed. If, and ONLY if, the price runs up will tank trucks be diverted from where they were planned to go and sent down to where it is more needed. Maybe you could understand it better from your own point of view. If your job was as an electrical or telephone lineman, wouldn't you expect double or triple pay for going out on Sunday night overtime in bad weather? Well, so do people who sell gasoline and emergency supplies. And wouldn't higher wages draw skilled workers from northern states to help out in emergencies? Well, so do higher prices. It's not gouging. It's the free market getting emergency supplies where they are needed as fast as possible. Unless you'd rather trust FEMA. Which not only can't get supplies where they are needed, it can't get out of its own way.

The ladies that were entertaining the republicans have finally sent their bill to the president so he told the oil industry to pay it, and this causes a cascade effect right down the line!

It is supply and demand. Not the Bush's fault. You and your friends are responsible

GWB has NOTHING to do with setting the price of gas. You should be grateful you live in the US and have the cheapest gas in the first world. STOP COMPLAINING!!!