Classic Rant #19 (May 28, 2009): I Have Gas

Have you noticed how the price of gas has gone up and down during the past few months?

I don't truly understand why there is such fluctuation, but it is something that affects our pocketbooks, so it is something that I wanted to comment about.

Remember when gas, at least on the East Coast, was approaching $5 a gallon? The oil companies recorded record profits, while the rest of us swooned with misery every time we had to gas up. Some people were spending upwards of $100 per fill up.

Then gas nose-dived. I remember just about six months ago, you could get regular unleaded gas for $1.70 here on the East Coast, and while traveling, I noticed that in Georgia, gas plummeted at some stations to the $1.50 range.

Now, as the summer season begins, I notice that gas is getting closer to $3 a gallon.

Do you notice a pattern here?

Notwithstanding the official explanations (which personally I don't believe a word of) from the oil companies, I would say that the price jumps during the heavier driving summer, and it falls during the lesser driving winter.

I know that is simplistic, but based on the past several months, it seems to be true.

I don't blame the oil companies for trying to make a buck (more like several billion bucks). But why can't they tell us the real reason why gas goes up and down like an out of control yo-yo? Don't tell us about barrel prices, wars in distant lands, or cutbacks or rollouts--just tell us that you are getting us when we need the gas, and letting us off when we don't need the gas as much.

I think the American public would have slightly more understanding of these fluctuations if the oil companies were straighter with us.