to those of you who were griping about predictions of gas prices reaching 4 dollars a gallon this summer, i hope you've opened your eyes and stopped complaining. i told you that they might reach 3.17 or 3.20, like they have in the past, but then they'll go back down to the mid to upper 2.00's. now what's happening? they're taking a striking downturn ($2.79 and dropping). this is due in part to previously downed oil refineries being started back up again (not a nationwide no-pump-gas day). there's more supply, so the price goes down. it's that simple.
now, as far as laying the blame on someone for prices being "high," take into consideration the fact that oil companies get an average of about 8 cents per gallon sold to the public when the government gets an average of about 50 cents per gallon in taxes on that gas. stop blaming exxon, and work to get a major tax reform enacted.
enabling more refineries is, of course, just a short term fix to fuel costs. i agree that the long term solution is new technologies that would relieve us of our dependence on this oil, but you cant expect that to happen overnight while you prevent more refineries from being built because you want to preserve your precious coastal view. seeing a metal thing in the water is a small price to pay for cheaper gas. also, it's been proven that marine life thrives around these rigs. not to mention alaska's caribou population growing dramatically with the advent of their oil pipeline system.
all i ask is that you lighten up, enjoy life, realize how good things are, and smile a bit.
