Originally Posted By: NHHEMI
The grand plan to get people used to expensive gas has clearly worked. People are so happy to see gas down at or just below $2 again they don't care that it should be a lot lower. Check the history of gas at the pump when crude is at $40 compared to what it is now with crude at $40.
I am as happy as anyone that gas is at $2 and not $3, $4, $5+ don't misunderstand. However, I also can see we are still being gouged and raped. Why be happy to pay $1 instead of $2 for something that really should cost 50 cents?
At $42 a barrel cost of 1 gallon of crude oil alone is $1. You add these costs above crude oil: refining, Federal + State + local taxes, transportation, retail markup, oil company profit ...
You should be glad that the whole crude oil to gasoline system is so efficient that you are paying only $2/gallon now.
If you look at crude oil and then look at gasoline you can see the big difference between the two. Now look at tap water and bottle water, do you see the difference ? What are justifications for less than 1 penny a gallon tap water and more than $1 a gallon bottle water ?
If you think $2/gal is gouging please itemize all costs from crude oil in the ground to gasoline that you buy at gas station. You will see that everyone involved in the industry made very little profit, and they all are very efficient.