Get handle on gas prices now

Some would argue that the gas and oil industry needs more control and regulation from our federal government in order to get a handle on erratic gas and diesel fuel prices. One of the main reasons that our economy is not recovering effectively is due in part to fuel costs that rise every time our economy shows signs of life.

While some may say that economic recovery and higher fuel costs go hand in hand, or you cannot have one without the other, it is evident that fuel prices rise because of world events. Gas prices seem to react to world news just like the stock market does when investors get a whiff of bad news.

Four dollars a gallon gasoline should be no surprise as prices were projected to soar starting this spring. And they will go higher. We should be used to this annual cycle by now, but we’re not. We feel we are not being told the truth by the petroleum industry when we see record earnings and profits being made.

Once again, families are stretching their personal budgets, cutting out necessities in order to fuel their vehicles to get to work. They reduce their other trips.

The American public cannot understand let alone accept once again the current cost of gasoline. We talk about the high demand for gasoline but no one discusses rationing or putting limits on how much a gas consumer can purchase. Not a single gas station in the Chicago area has a posted sign that says “Sorry, no gas oday. Try again tomorrow,”

It’s time for the Obama administration to step up to the plate and find out what’s going on with the oil industry and do it soon, taking the steps necessary to get a handle on an industry that panics and then profits every time some dictator threatens us.

Gary Lichthardt

Elgin