[Pipe_Dream]

Does anyone know how many times Big Oil has been investigated for price gouging -- and the Feds have never found evidence against them? It's all a show.

From an AP report (my responses in parenthesis):
House Speaker Dennis Hastert, R-Ill., and Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, R-Tenn., urged Bush in a letter Monday to order a federal investigation into any gasoline price gouging or market speculation. (Ahem, isn't market speculation, or commodities trading, the driving factor behind today's record prices?)

Bush's actions are part of a four-part plan to address gas prices in the short- and long-term. The steps . . . outlined are:

1. making sure consumers and taxpayers are treated fairly; (define "fairly")
2. promoting greater fuel efficiency; (good idea)
3. boosting gasoline supply at home; (another good idea)
4. aggressive long-term investment in alternative fuels. (Only investment by private industry will produce results, and this again is market driven. When gas prices are high enough to drive real market interest in alternative fuels, then and only then will we see results.)

Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid of Nevada dispatched his own letter, calling for a multi-pronged approach to restrain gas prices. Among the steps were swift enactment of anti-price gouging legislation (um, don't we already have that?), an appeal to oil companies to refrain from further price increases (Please, oh pleeeeez Mister Big Oil don't raise your prices any more); use of more alternative fuels and increased attention to existing fuel-saving laws and regulations (again with alternative fuels -- see above).

-- end of AP.

Get used to it folks, gas prices aren't coming down anytime soon.

Yes, yes I'm coming down off my soap box now.