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Wednesday, March 21, 2007
Gasoline Prices: What Goes Down Must Come Up


Fair warning: In this word I use the word stupid twice and the word gullible once. But the post is short. Together, those two words comprise more than one percent of the entire post.


I shall be brief.

You have probably noticed that gas prices are on their way up again, perhaps even picking up speed. Those who don't understand a free market, or who value political expediency above reality and think the people are stupid, will soon be doing as they always do. They will call for investigations of alleged price gouging and other sorts of corruption in the oil industry. They'll find an isolated case of it, too, but not enough to make a difference, and not remotely enough to explain the fluctuation of market prices. Then the prices will probably go down for a while, and the subject will cool off again, temporarily.

Here's my question: Did you notice, when prices were down around $2.00 per gallon here in Utah, even when Utah's average gasoline price was the lowest in the nation, that no one was calling for investigations into the intelligence, motives, or credibility of the people who were proclaiming conspiracy, collusion, and corruption when the prices were higher? Or that no one was questioning the education system which produces citizens gullible enough to put up with politicians and media who exploit the prices for political gain when they are high? (I mean, when the prices are high, not the politicians.)

Just a thought.

Here's one more thought: We are in a protracted war with forces who control much of the world's oil supply, and collectively we're too stupid to exploit our own reserves. It's a wonder the prices aren't a lot higher, even when they're relatively low.

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