The average price for a gallon of gas rose 30% from $2.69 in July 2010 to $3.49 as of March 6. Most of that 30% has come in just the last few days.
We're about to embark on another period of let the markets take care of it. The Money Party manipulators are again jerking citizens around in the old bottom-up wealth redistribution program. Their imagineers are writing the storyline right now.
The conflict in Libya is causing the spike in oil prices over the past ten days or so according to the media script. Take a look at the chart to the right. Can you find Libya among the top 15 nations supplying the United States with crude oil?
Why the Current Panic Over Gas Prices?
The general explanation points to the crisis in Libya as the
proximate cause. The anti Gaddafi regime revolution began in earnest on
February 17. But if the Libyan revolution were the cause, we'd have to
attribute a 50% drop
in a 2% share of the world's oil supply as the cause of the panic. We
would also have to attribute the increase in US gas prices to a nation
that doesn't impact the US crude oil supply and, as a result, should not
impact the price of gas here.
The speculators have an answer. The Libyan situation entails fears of
broader unrest in oil and non-oil producing nations in North Africa and
the Middle East. There is unrest, without any doubt. Citizens are
insisting that their kleptocratic rulers cease and desist from looting
their nation's treasuries and resources. The demonstrations across the
region, revolution in Egypt, and war in Libya are all being fought under
the banner of broader participation in government, greater access to
essentials like food, jobs, and hope for future improvements. Notably
lacking is anti-US rhetoric or religious fanaticism. (Image)
Somehow, the opportunity for secular, democratic regimes equals a crisis
for US energy prices. The embedded assumption is that the conflicts
leading to new regimes will cause a disruption in the flow of oil. With
the exception of Libya, none of these countries have reduced their oil
production, including oil producing Egypt. In fact, Saudi Arabia and
the United Arab Emirates increased oil production to compensate for the short fall due to the military conflict in Libya.
If we don't believe that Libya is the cause, then we get the excuse of emerging democracies. If emerging democracies fail to catch on as the scapegoat, there will be other excuses.
The Money Party bottom line is apparent. It's time to take some more money from citizens. Any plausible reason will do. When you own the media, you have no worries. Who's going to bust you?
The Big Payday at Your Expense
The gas price shock and awe is not evenly distributed. The Western states, New York, Illinois, and Nebraska are taking the biggest hits. There's some explanation for this but not a very good one. All that matters is taking as much in extra profits as possible while the extraordinary events in Libya and the rest of the region allow a plausible storyline. This time, democracy is the villain.
These gas prices will have a direct impact on those least able to afford it. It will cost more to go to work or look for jobs. Commodities will go up even more than they are now. Transportation for the distribution of all products will have an impact on prices. Tourism will fall off. The feeble increases in hiring may be at risk and there will be more gloomy news about how this all impacts the prospects for any sort of economic recovery.
What's Really Driving Gas Prices?
In a recent Business Insider column, David Moenning noted:
"At least part of the reason behind crude's rude rise is the price action itself. Hedge funds and other fast-money types have begun to pile into what appears to be a burgeoning uptrend in the oil charts (take a peek at a weekly chart of USO and you'll see what we mean). Then when you couple the price action with the news backdrop, this appears to be the new place to be for the "hot money.'"We have the usual suspects looking for hot money. The fast-money types, as Moenning calls them, smell another victory in the air. Their market activity is driving prices in a self-reinforcing cycle of increases that are highly profitable when you get in and out at the right time (and if you pull the strings for the market, that's easy). (Image: Fuel Gauge Report)
Who is looking out for our interests?
No one. Have you heard of any congressional investigation? The oversight committees for the Departments of Energy and Commerce are two likely starting points. Nothing. President Obama is threatening to tap the US strategic oil reserve to use market forces to push crude oil and gas prices down. Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke sees commodity price increases, including crude oil, as a temporary phenomenon. They may create a problem, however.
"Rises in the prices of oil or other commodities would represent a threat both to economic growth and to overall price stability, particularly if they were to cause inflation expectations to become less well anchored," Bernanke said before Congress last week. Ben Bernanke, March 1
Doing nothing, like Congress, and trying to manipulate market forces, as the president says he might, are not the heavy-hitters needed to stop this latest rip off. They both buy into the belief that there is some sort of occult mystery to why prices are going up. Everyone who benefits will raise prices because they can. They have no concept of enough and there is nobody standing in their way.
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