"Edwin Pawlowski" wrote in message
t...

"Charlie Self" wrote in message
Profiteering is not at all unusual in such situations. I don't know
whether it is moral or not, but I do know that I'd rather pay more for
gas with a dealer who prices it honestly from the start than I would
from one who pops the price based on what he discovers the market will
bear after he has set his normal profit percentage.

I'd like to know who is making the money. Dealer? Distributor? Refiner?
Arabs? All of the above?

Well, if you were invested in Shell Oil, you would have made 30% over the
past year. Obviously, the crude oil producers make out like bandits. I'm
pretty sure nobody in the supply chain is going broke.

I'm actually surprised that gas prices have been as low historically as they
have been. I'm not an economist, but I bet the demand curve for gasoline is
highly inelastic (I think I'm using the correct term here...it's been a
while since Econ 101). What I hope that means is that the demand for
gasoline is not affected greatly by the price. But, as happened in the 70s,
I think the gas prices are starting to get people's attention. Demand for
hybrid vehicles is very strong and I would hope that fuel efficiency is very
high on people's concerns when purchasing a car. I'm sensitive to this as I
currently have to drive 60 miles per day to get to work. The change I've
made is that I've started taking the train most of the time. It's somewhat
inconvenient as I have to take the train downtown and then catch another
going out to the suburb I work in, but I don't have to sit in traffic and
can do my technical reading on the ride. At least I can when some crackhead
isn't sitting next to me singing for 30 minutes straight.

todd