Sirened

Just when people think gas prices have to settle, for at least a bit, they just keep getting higher, this time hitting a new record of $135 a barrel.

Yesterday politicians on Capitol Hill held another dog and pony show with oil executives and of course, they are not to blame. OPEC? Not to blame. Excessive Consumption? Well, at one time President Bush said that was a fundamental right of Americans.

With gas prices at over $4 a gallon, many Americans fear gas could at some point hit, hell who knows? Imagine $9 a gallon?!? That would be outrageous and unbelievable! Of course, not to any American who has recently visited Europe and rented a car. If you ask them, they know exactly how $9 a gallon feels.

In Europe, the cost of a gallon is almost 6 Euros, combine that with the dreadful value of the US dollar and you have $9 a gallon gas right now. The reason gas is more expensive in Europe is because the taxes are higher, and since they have been higher for years, Europeans have never flocked to load up on gas guzzling SUV’s.

And for those who have gas guzzling SUV’s and are complaining about the price, realize that others are paying for your gas too. Those who consume less have to pay more than they should because of those who consume more. Of course, you can help offset some of your oil costs by investing in oil futures. That way, when you pay more you get more in return! It’s kinda like betting on black and red on the roulette table, with the green 00 being an X factor, like rogue regimes hording up all the oil and pissing on your investment.

And you know what else drives up the cost of oil? Shipping oil. It takes oil to deliver oil ya know! Hmm, perhaps that should be ExxonMobil’s new slogan…

photo credit: flickr creative commons

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