Sigh, was waiting for this one to pop up here. Inevitable as sunrise.

Let’s see, for over 30 freaking years many energy experts have been telling us it was coming. That sooner rather than later the squeeze would hit us and energy costs would rise to the levels they should have been a long damned time ago!

And, like the good little Ostriches the American consumer loves to emulate, everybody stuck their head in the dirt and ignored them. At best, more than a few public figures called them alarmist nutcases.

Oil is a finite resource and humanity is sucking the straw a damned sight faster than is prudent.

Are oil company revenues, and profits high? Hell yes! With good reason, they’re selling a limited supply product in high demand.

If you think their profits are high, take a serious look at their costs, and risks. Compare net and gross incomes. Cost to punch that hole in the rocks can, and often do reach several million dollars a day.

Spare me the Accountant mumbo-jumbo, how much did they gross, how much did they put in the bank after taxes.

Risk of coming up empty while involved in punching that hole during the exploration phase.

Extremely high.

Say whatever you want, but when you boil it all down to the simplest formula, they aren’t screwing us. They just got lucky, which won’t last forever, sooner or later those holes will stop producing.

We’re screwing ourselves when we refuse to conserve. Which is the only way to see lower prices long term, by reducing demand. For decades the price of fuel in this country has been artificially low, now prices have risen to more realistic levels. The Chinese and Indians are bidding against us on the world market, there hasn’t been a new refinery built in this country since the 70's because no one wants it in their back yard. People laughed at Carter when he tried to convince us to begin serious conservation efforts and intense research into alternate renewable resources.

Oh yeah, we did it to ourselves.

And, before you go off on me, I am a lower middle income wage slave like most of the population. The cost of filling up hurts, but I don’t have a choice. Just like nearly everyone else. I am no fan of Big Oil. But they're not evil, they're Business people who expect a profit. Just like any one else who takes the risks and does the hard work.

Hate Big Oil? Get a horse.