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Originally Posted by Nytro
Viable alternative fuels will never happen, never, unless of course the oil companies can make as much profit off those products as they are now. Funny if the price of crude rises we see the effect on prices at the pump within a few days. But if the price of crude drops, well don't hold your breath. The oil companies are too strong and simply will not tolerate being told what to do. The major oil manufacturers continue to post 100 billion dollar plus yearly profits but our government is afraid to even discuss a windfall profit tax, and when they do it dies on the floor almost immediately. We will never see gas prices below $2.00 ever again. Every summer they change to a "summer blend" of gas so they can screw us some more. America is the greatest place in the world to live, but on certain issues our government absolutely sucks. This country revolves around the automobile business, perhaps when it finally tanks and our economy is in the toilet they will wake up and stop letting big business punish the working middle class.
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Quite simply, it's a matter of conflict of interest. Many years ago the Tampa Tribune ran a multi page article on ALL of our congresscritters itemizing the stocks and interest they held in the oil companies. OF COURSE they are not going to vote to reduce profits on the oil companies! That reduces the value of their own investments!
Then to add insult to injury, they put taxes on TOP of those already high prices, expecting us to swallow the reason that it is for our own good, because it will help to force us to reduce the consumption of the gasoline voluntarily.
Truth of the matter is that the government/oil companies have us by the short hairs. As long as we keep buying the product, regardless of price, there is absolutely NO incentive for them to try to keep the prices low. Until we can stop buying, we have absolutely NO leverage in the argument.