How many minutes did you work to buy a gallon of gas in 2000, 1990, 1980, 1970?
And today?

Leo--16 minutes, 15 minutes, 12 minutes, 8 minutes...0 minutes (I'm retired, now)

I watched this same thing in the 1980's when we supposedly had a shortage of energy due to no new refineries being built. The company I worked for had tankers sitting in the gulf full of fuel but not unloading to drive the idea of we needed to get rid of regulation this was under the reagan bandits, now we have the bush bandits and a repeat of the same type of activities to dupe the American public.

Refineries could always be built but they did not want to be regulated is the reason they were not built. In the process we now have few controlling all the energy the big boys and the small companies have been pushed out in the past. See how it works! and boy has it!!!

Let me add if you think those big corporations care about the US get a clue they worship only one thing the dollar! If the US goes under they do not care they will just move off shore or overseas! Oh thats right they already have!!!

We are your masters--BOW TO US--fight and die for imperial wars in our name--and pay with cash or credit card--you dependent peon pathetic mothafuckas--HA, HA, HA, HA, HA--we are better than you--HA, HA, HA, HA, HA...cough, cough

You marginalized geo-thermal as centralized energy stations. There are two main technologies
- centralized geo-thermal stations which work based on gazers and alike; limited to particular geological structure (true and stated correctly by the guest)
- the OTHER missed technology, is building specific pipe structure 20 feet below ground with heat conducting liquid pushed through it. Idea is based on the pretty much constant 70 degree temperature underground. It is much more beneficial since it can be used to heat in the winter and cool in the summer. Even northern territories like Canada can use it, since ground does not freeze below avg 3-5 feet, hence pipe structure there would be only 5-10 feet lower. It saves 30-60% of energy!

greyzone--make this underground piping feature cost-feasible for the residential and manufacturing consumer--and, more important--tied in with air and solar power

Burning coal for electricity is the main culprit of ecological sin

Since I believe every time our President and his Adm amble across the networks of bombing Iran. I can only think of commodity speculators causing hype in the free flow of oil and inflate the price of a barrel of oil.

Combine that with the devaluation of the U.S. dollar. If the dollar is now worth 70 cents and the dollar is pinned to oil instead of say gold. Then the oil producers have no choice but to raise the cost of a barrel of oil to make up for the devaluing dolar.

Add greed and deregulations of business. that which now allows for mortgages to be a commodity on Wall Street and Banks to speculate in such fanciful markets that may promise gorging of wealth with the American people actually taking the risk. Remember risk? That is what is supposed to pay higher earnings. Wealth risks only bail outs. If Americas Social Security funds had been privatized. These Wall Street investors would have risk Americans social security retirements on such failed investments as the mortgage collapse. I noticed that Bear Stearns' CEO walked away with 312 million dollars for collapsing the 5 largest bank in the USA.

There are many factors to cosider in this. So maybe if I was only a good republican with that republican God and faith. I would not let facts get in the way. But facts do get in my way for a reason. To deduce a measure remedy that is better than it was and can last.

What did we do--lose a war or something--that cheap Iraqi oil--ain't so cheap--there are price gougers at all levels--while all of the profiteers
stay in the shadows--knowing they deserve to be hung by their big brass balls

Could we not demand fair practice from these oil companies? Could we require set rates, like any other utility such as water, garbage, cable...
for a fixed time? Could we prohibit increases that exceed the cost of living adjustments which is less than 5% annually?

If we made these OIL Barons adhere to a contract with specific timeframe for prices to remain consistant...and only allowed increases with the approval of popular vote...then our gas prices would remain fixed...if we (californians or any other state/community) insisted on such contracts for any of these oil companies to sell petrol in our local regions... we would be able to maintain a more stable economy!

Water districts can't raise prices just because they want more money for shareholders...oil companies are taking advantage of all of us!

We also need real, affordable, fuel efficiency cars and realistic public transit systems...if the oil companies continue screwing communities...let's invest NO MORE in ROADS...may they rot in peace! let the barons pave the roads to oil slavery!!! ...let congress and public funds focus instead in light rail...bullet trains...public transit advancements!

right now, gasoline is a utility...an essential public resource for us...as long as we let them walk on us...they will

we've got to stand up for ourselves and insist on the ethical behavior from oil giants..or immediately find an alternative to their exploit laden resource!!

Msdisenchanted, Beginning with Reagan the repubs have dismantled all regulation and tariffs that at one time supported our infastructure and kept our commodities at a reasonable cost.

FREE MARKET has been sold to the public by clever propoganda that average joe blow believes it. There is nothing free, everything costs but what the current mind set has done is put the onus on the average joe so the top 2% can reap all the benefits and their portfolio grow. Soon we will all be the status of slaves except for the few favored cronies of this thinking. We are seeing a systematic destruction of America or at least the America we imagined at one time.

When our enemies can untrack our economy with out-of-control oil prices--we will have entered the next phase of the war on terror