Gas Prices

Ok, I am reading headlines like a penny a day and 40% over this time last year all relating to the ever increasing price of a gallon of precious gasoline. Talk about sticker shock, with the price edging ever closer to the $3 per gallon price I, for one am experiencing budget shock on a grand scale. Now instead of thoughtlessly jumping in the car to pop down to the local video store or to drive down to the local hang out to see which friends are out and about I find myself taking pause and planning every outing much more carefully taking into consideration the distance, time involved, and approximating the gasoline usage. So exactly who is getting fat, dumb, and happy with all the excess profits while those of us in fly over country are fearing the next installment of price hikes which are invariably going to come down the pike and be reflected at the pumps? Who is the villain in this inflated, burdeoning, bloated scheme to bankrupt the little guy at the gas pumps? We are treated to all manner of theory and thesis ranging from supply and demand to increasing price in production and even foreign suppliers intentionally driving up prices to punish the evil infidels in the West. So maybe it isn’t some insidious plot designed to disrupt the economy of those of us in the US, so what exactly is the problem here and why are we seeing nearly $3 per gallon gas prices at the pumps and where is it going to end? Frankly, it is scaring me to death and my concern is not just from a financial standpoint. What exactly is going to save us from the dependence on fossil fuels and provide us with a nice, clean, alternative? Talk about being time for a white knight to ride in and save us, the time is definitely now.