Ok, I’ve had enough!!!!!

I have had to bite my tongue many times the last several weeks. Not because of County Council, or a sports topic, but because of the recent spike in gas prices.

Let’s be perfectly clear, I truly feel, we, the consumers are the ones being ripped off!

Even before the fear of Hurricanes Fay and Ike sent prices spiraling higher the price of crude oil had steadily gone down for weeks.

It seemed like every day that the rice of crude oil was at a 7-month low. Just last week it had settled at “just” $87.00 a barrel.

Yet, gas kept spiraling up and up. Now, I understand supplu side economics, supply and demand and all that good stuff. At the same time, I also know that it bothers me that gas stations and big oil companies can “speculate” and raise the price whenever they want, yet, when THEIR expense goes down, namely crude oil, they don’t automatically LOWER the price.

The recent bout with the Hurricane Ike crisis exhibited just how far some people are willing to go to get a fast buck. In less than 48 hours I observed one local gas station raise their price of gasoline a total of $1.55 per gallon over 7 price increases!!!!!!

I understand that local gas stations are subject just as we are to the changing price whenever they get a new shipment of gas, but when local stations prey on local customers by raising constantly their price on gas ALREADY in the ground I have issues.

To me, it comes down to what’s ethically and morally correct. The recent episode we have all had to live through has made me come t the conclusion that the decisions gas stations made were neither morally nor ethically correct.

You can hand me the excuse that corporate sets prices but at the same tie, when a station maintains a price that is 73 cents higher then a competitor across the street, corporate made a horrible decision.

My morale to the story is this, remember long and hard the station whom took advantage of us during this recent episode and only frequent the ones who tried their best to maintain som sense of sanity.

My case in point ism this morning The Plot Travel Center at exit 52 off of I-26 had unleaded gasoline for $3.69, the next lowest rice I found between Clinton and Laurens was $3.95.

See the disparity? That’s my rant, what’s yours?