This is a gun forum and so I try to keep my politics out. But this topic (along with a few others such as gun control) is one I will add my 2 cents to.

Oil companies are businesses. When you purchase something from a business, any business, you pay for all of the costs associated with bringing that product to market, along with a some sort of profit for the business.

If you make it difficult/expensive for a business, any business, to bring a product to market, you are going to drive up the price of the product.

Lets repeat that in another way, if you make it difficult or expensive to bring a product to market, those additional costs WILL BE passed on to the consumer.

For a long time now oil companies have been prohibited from drilling locally: Alaska, the Gulf of Mexico, the Dakotas, etc. Add to that we are not building new refineries. These things reduce the supply, which of course will drive up the price .

It does not end there.

Governments, both state and federal make WAY more money in taxes than oil companies do in profits. And they do absolutely NOTHING to help bring that product to market.

You want someone to be pissed off at because of high oil prices, look to your friendly, always useful government.

Their regulations (seasonal fuel blends for one) and taxes are the biggest reason why gas is so expensive.

There is plenty of oil, there is no reason for it to be so expensive. The only reason why it is so expensive is because the governmentpushes the price up. It is not the oil company "sticking it to the little man" as some would have you believe.

/rant off