additional factors:
4) Artificial withholding of supply from the US markets have produced their desired effect in raising gasoline and diesel prices over $1 per gallon since Jan 2008. How? Artificially restricting refinery capacity and productivity to less than 80% even under these (aftificially) high demand times.
This is a further reason to nationalize the oil companies and force their hands (as guilty as they are and as dishonest as they were before recent testimonies before Congress).
This is another reason to further simplify into maybe just 4 (four) variations on gasoline distillates instead of the 40 something varieties that each state sets (based on polution controls).
This is another reason to run the current refineries at 120% to force gasoline and diesel stocks up, and the prices down by over $2 per gallon, as if they ever had a reason to justifiably be over (87 octane) $1.79 per gallon.
5) Nationalize the oil companies and confiscate these stolen proceeds of over (on broad estimated average) $30 billion per quarter (every three months).
All the excuses and stories given to justify and distract how they earned and why they should earn, and how little it really is are and were and remain bogus.
Freedom is not free. Free markets are not free. Both were paid for at very high (human cost) prices and should not be allowed to be the priviledge of just a few thieves (even those with mounds of lawyers, three piece suits and such).