At the risk of sounding naive, can't * put a cap on gas prices?

[movie_girl99]

I mean I had this thought as I drove by a station this morning as the attendant was climbing a ladder to hike the prices up again. The gas in the tanks in the ground is more than likely the same gas that was there the day yesterday.. right? More than likely he didn't pay more for that gas so why the price hike? Even if he got a shipment over night he would've ordered it a month or so ago and would've paid the going rate then so why the hike today? It seems to me that this gouging could be stopped if * wasn't such a POS. Enlighten please if I have this all wrong.

[growlypants]

1. yes he can, but he WONT. They'll scream somehting about

"free market economy" and whatnot. Bush and his cronies are ALL PERSONALLY making money from the oil companies. total corruption.

[SweetLeftFoot]

3. The annoying thing is ...

the great free trader is more than willing to institute price control mechanisms when they benefit his mates in steel and farm industries.

Bush - hypocritcal? Never!

[still_one]

2. and he should until the crisis is over

Nixon did it, except Nixon did it for everything

[DoYouEverWonder]

4. Yes, we had them in the 70's

But Bush won't. Why should he, he's getting his revenge because he knows everyone hates him.

[The Backlash Cometh]

5. No. Bush can't. He's a Republican. Only Democratically elected

administrations are courageous enough to do that in a capitalist country.

[acmavm]

6. They could and should put caps on all oil products right now. But this

is a cash cow for the BFEE. The profits they'll be raking in, oh my goodness. And they see this as being their right, the annointed and appointed getting theirs while the plebs and the peasants get what they got comin' to 'em, which is basically nothing.

[Zenlitened]

7. He will, if and when it becomes necessary. Remember...

... the oilmen don't make money if we're not putting gas in our cars.

They are looking for a threshhold point, where the pain of paying is intense but bearable -- but not so painful that we stop buying gas almost entiely.

Think of it as a parasite. Gotta keep the host alive so they can continue feeding off it.

[ignatzmouse]

8. Gas Cap

You're right. There really needs to be a "gas cap" movement. At the very least, it would highlight this rogue administration's and congress's "energy bill" giveaway to those who are glutting us the most. Come the elections that would be nearly impossible to defend.

It has absolutely nothing to do with costs. It is simply using any excuse to squeeze a little bit more out of the public. The problem is if there were actually enough public leverage put on them to institute a cap, the oil companies would simply engineer a shortage to blame on the price restrictions as an attempt to deflect political anger onto those who pushed for the cap.

[movie_girl99]

9. thanks for replies and helping to clarify this for me n/t