Oil Companies

With gas prices creeping back up again, we will be hearing a lot of whining about big bad oil companies and "price gouging. " The term "price gouging" was in the news a lot last fall during the big spike in gas prices following Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. In free markets, price gouging is not an issue. It is only an issue in socialist economies and in markets where no competition is allowed. For instance, a beer at Camden Yards sells for $3.50, which works out to more than $20 a gallon.

Oil companies' greed costs us at the pump To the editor: Recent media coverage and newsletters addressing the recent fuel price increases blame "unrest in the Middle East," even though production has not been affected. Yet, there is another side to these increases which few dare to mention — greed by the major oil companies, who continue making billions of dollars in profit while ordinary Americans struggle. As vehicle fuel mileage has increased over the past few years and demand has decreased, prices have risen to make up for lost oil company revenue.

TRI-STATE karenh@herald-mail.com Record prices meant record profits for oil companies last quarter. With the summer driving season over, demand - and prices - for gasoline are meeting temperatures on the way down. How far gasoline prices are likely to drop - or whether the trend will continue - is anyone's guess, said Ragina Averella, public and government affairs manager of AAA Mid-Atlantic. According to AAA, the average price of self-serve regular gasoline in Hagerstown Thursday was $2.359 per gallon.

Nick Gavrilov, in a letter to the editor, questioned a statement that I made in an earlier article in The Herald-Mail. I said that we (the U.S.) are sitting on an ocean of oil. He asked where this ocean of oil is. That's a reasonable question. The answer is, this oil is located in various oil-shale formations inside the lower 48 states. We have known about oil shale for more than 50 years. Until recently, however, it was unavailable for extraction at a reasonable cost per barrel.

Oil and water don't mix -- but oil and sex? Apparently so. An Interior Department agency that is supposed to collect oil and gas royalties from corporations that are drilling on public lands has been collecting a lot more than that, if you know what I'm saying. According to reports to Congress, "A culture of ethical failure" existed in the Minerals Management Service, which is supposed to be the bill collector and financial watchdog over the oil companies. If you need more specifics, it could also be said that "a culture of ethical failure" exists in the Playboy Bunny Mansion.

HAGERSTOWN - Selling gasoline is barely profitable. Gas can legitimately be more expensive in one county than another. A one-day public "boycott" won't mean a thing. As the price of gas rises yet again - AAA Mid-Atlantic said Wednesday's national average of $3.09 a gallon was a record high - facts sometimes are clouded by emotion. Those with fuel connections often hear people get it wrong. In a recent National Association of Convenience Stores survey, more than half of the respondents thought major oil companies own most gas stations.

CHAMBERSBURG, Pa. -- The answer to the crisis of high energy prices facing the nation cannot be solved by drilling for oil alone, but U.S. Rep. Bill Shuster said it is a good place to start. With a Sheetz sign for gas at $3.99 per gallon as a backdrop, Shuster, R-Pa., announced Tuesday that he has introduced legislation titled the Energy Independence Act that would allow drilling on the continental shelf and the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR), along with programs to develop alternative energy such as nuclear and wind power and coal liquefaction.

The Obama administration announced last week that it would be investigating oil companies and oil markets to uncover possible fraud, price gouging and manipulation by speculators.   Are you kidding me? The president knows that the public is generally suspicious of oil companies, so this plays well politically. He also needs a scapegoat. It is sheer hypocrisy to affix blame to the oil companies when it is the administration's very own policies that are contributing to the problem.

“I live in the county, but I do have my rights to express my opinion regarding the stadium in Hagerstown. The best way to revitalize downtown is to remove the present mayor and council and get a new council, a new mayor.” - Maugansville “Article about our current President Obama juggling between being presidential and campaigning. Wow, he's gonna try to be presidential, rather than being the campaign in chief, campaigner in chief that he's been for the last 3 1/2 years.

Column was ideology looking for an issue To the editor: Tom Firey's opinion piece ( “When Government Makes Your Health Care Choices,” Feb. 29) is an example of an ideology looking for an issue. Firey begins his column with a compelling story that might not have achieved his objective, as it points out the need for universal health coverage in the United States. He goes on to infer that it was some government policy that prevented a child from getting experimental treatment for a virulent form of brain cancer.

The Obama administration announced last week that it would be investigating oil companies and oil markets to uncover possible fraud, price gouging and manipulation by speculators.   Are you kidding me? The president knows that the public is generally suspicious of oil companies, so this plays well politically. He also needs a scapegoat. It is sheer hypocrisy to affix blame to the oil companies when it is the administration's very own policies that are contributing to the problem.

"I've contacted our state delegate to see what we could do to make sure that the Washington County Hospital is not torn down, and if so, that it will never be put into the Washington County landfill. " — Clear Spring "Maryland is amazing. They don't want the resident citizens to own firearms, and now they're passing gay marriage. Just think of the countless lives that'll be destroyed by that. " — Keedysville "Republican delegate for Washington County Neil Parrott said he was looking to see what laws need to be updated, and he came up with the abandoned or discarded refrigerator.

PORT FOURCHON, La. (AP) -- As the crude crept closer to Florida, the risky effort to contain the nation's worst oil spill hit a snag Wednesday when a diamond-edged saw became stuck in a thick pipe on a blown-out well at the bottom of the Gulf. Coast Guard Adm. Thad Allen said the goal was to free the saw and finish the cut later in the day. This is the latest attempt to contain -- not plug -- the gusher. The best chance at stopping the leak is a relief well, which is at least two months from completion.

"There's no doubt in anybody's mind, the Democrats control the government. They're in charge of spending money, they're in charge of all the laws. They just dominate it. There's no way the Republican Party or anybody else can do anything. So they're in complete control, with Obama at the head, telling what to do. Let's pray that socialism never takes hold with the ACLU behind it. " - Hagerstown "Well, I guess we're gonna have to boycott the oil companies. The price of oil has come down $18 a barrel, and gasoline has not budged.