Gas Hurts

And finally it looks like at the very least that there will be some public reprimands. When big money comes around a courtroom I reserve the right to hope that there will be anything but a mockery of justice served. In comparison to what these jokers make by sounding self-important and having junior staff do all the pushing, any monetary amount they are fined is a slap on the wrist.

The executives, [Senator Bill Frist] said in a statement, did not "adequately answer the question of whether the sky-high gas prices we saw earlier this fall were entirely justified," or whether their "profit margins are appropriate."

What truly needs to happen is a dramatic drop in gas prices to help compensate for the long-term gouging that has happened over the past year, and a stablization of the prices overall. Will that happen? They'll wiggle out of it somehow and pay it lip service if something passes of the like onto paper.

Senator Domenici stated, "Americans have been experiencing painful prices at the pump - whether you think so or not, they think so. The oil companies owe the American people an explanation."

If only we could hope for so much. According to the article, while we were paying in some cases over $3.00 a gallon to even $5.00 in some places- the industry reported earnings in the last quarter alone of $33 Billion U.S. Dollars. If this was a company you worked for you could probably look forward to this Thanksgiving when they hand out coupons to pick up a complementary turkey and ham. The consummers don't get the fringe benefits in this, only the shaft.

Full article of interest.