Gas Prices and Hurricane Ike

Well, here we go again. Yesterday a bunch of local gas station owners jacked gas prices up more than the $1 per gallon on fears that Hurricane Ike may cut distribution from the Gulf. Funny, I thought we got most of our oil from Terrorist countries?

You know, had the stations owners not said anything or started raising prices people would have gone about their business and the 20 deep lines at gas stations around South Carolina would not have happened last night. Nevertheless, any opportunity to gouge your neighbors for an extra buck seems to be the plan for these crooks.

Just like the rest of you, I want to know where the government is during all of this gouging? They have to know what is happening and who's responsible, yet no price freeze, no reassurance......interesting......two questions come to mind:
1. Do oil companies have politicians so firmly in their back pockets that there's no way in hell that the people that represent us will fight for us?
2. If you're a gas station owner or big oil executive how do you look at yourself in the mirror each day? Does it suck when the neighborhood throws a cook out you're the only one that doesn't get invited? How does it feel to be UN-American?

The American spirit has always been about coming to the aid of your neighbors. However, the oil industry does the opposite. When our neighbors are in need, or ensuing crisis is on the horizon they raise prices. Again, where are our fearless leaders? At what point will they jump in and say, "FREEZE!"?

I'd write my local representative but apparently they don't seem to care (See Martha Alexander). I know this because I've written them in the past and they haven't responded. So, aside from Pork Barrel spending and earmarks what good are they?

As an aside, I really need to know if Martha Alexander believes that dinosaurs walked the earth 4,000 years ago. That's really important to me.