Why? Because there is absolutely no good reason we as consumers should be falling for this kind of blatant price-gouging scam again, and yet, here we are. And we'll probably blame it all on the Democrats not wanting to drill of the coast of Florida (never mind that those rigs would be just as susceptible to the impact of hurricanes like Ike).
Responding to increased demand fueled by rumors and what can only be described as a child-like superstitious belief that Hurricane Ike is bound to cause near-term gas shortages and drive up the price of oil, Florida gasoline wholesalers have apparently decided to raise their prices by some 50% or so. This despite the fact that oil prices and oil futures are actually down right now, with the current price of a barrel of oil dropping to a new low of $101 just today. From the linked news article:
Andy Klein, director of legal affairs for the company that operates Gainesville’s Kangaroo stations, said Thursday he could not say for sure whether gas prices might spike overnight.In other words, even though it's not true, customers are willing to believe Ike might have some kind of impact at the pump, and gasoline wholesalers are willing to indulge them in that fantasy, and between those two facts stands a lot of money to be made.
Customers in some stores said they believed there would be an increase in gasoline prices because of Hurricane Ike, which is forecast to hit Texas early Saturday.
And what are the odds, I wonder, of certain state politicians trying to spin such a fictional gas shortage on the Gulf coast in favor of the energy lobby? Hmm.
