Consumer ripoff no matter the spin

Published 2:35 pm Monday, May 14, 2012

The revised government forecast that the price of gasoline would drop to around $3.59 per gallon by July 4 must have scared the big oil companies half to death. After seeing the price of oil drop from $110 a barrel to around $97, and the wholesale price of a gallon of gas fall from $3.35 to $2.97, the price at the pump had slowly crept down to around $3.99 at most stations.

The day after the new government forecast on May 9, the price at the pump went up around 20 cents per gallon and some of the stations are now charging more than they were a month ago. Surprisingly, the price of oil and wholesale gas have not climbed a bit. With supplies high and demand low, it puts a real spin on the old philosophy, “let supply and demand dictate the price.”

Once again the big oil companies are proving that theft, much like other crimes, is legal if you have a lot of money.

Dean Zevenbergen

Marysville