Memorial Day Gas Gouging

Another American holiday tradition: honoring our fallen soldiers by gouging travelers at the gas pumps.

Memorial Day is a day set aside to honor those who sacrificed their minds, bodies and lives defending our freedoms.

In recent decades many of our fallen heroes died in conflicts that also threatened the supply line and profit margins of big oil companies. To show it's gratitude Big Oil, along with Wall Street speculators, has kept the price of oil high.

Gee. Thanks.

While the price of oil does have a large part in the cost of gas, it isn't the only factor. For the past couple weeks the cost of oil has dropped almost $15 per barrel.

Big Oil doesn't produce the gas we use in our vehicles. Refineries do that. (Though some refineries are owned in part or outright by Big Oil.) The refineries in this country seem to be quite profitable despite running at 57 - 80% of capacity.

Where I live, there is a big refinery less than a mile outside of town. The gas stations in town that carry the brand of gas made at the refinery are always among the highest priced.

Either those gas stations are padding their profit margins by selling cheap "mother-company" gas for outrageous prices or the refinery itself is overcharging.

I suspect it may be both.

Which leads me to my next thought.

Usually gas stations don't make much on the sale of gas. They make most of their money selling the overpriced junk food, beverages and trinkets inside their store. However; I suspect they pad their fuel profits a bit more just before, during and after every major travel holiday.

Whether its just one link in the chain or the whole line that is gouging us at the gas pump, the end result is the same. They are grossly profiting from the deaths of our fallen soldiers who sacrificed their lives for higher ideals than increased profit margins.

Note: To our men and women in uniform, past and present, and to their families - thank you.



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