well, gas has dropped about $.60 a gallon here in SoCal in the last 
few weeks, another $1 and I'll be happy.  I've always believed the 
oil companies controlled the gas costs, but I really don't think they 
have a whole lot of control over it, there are absolutely market 
factors such as demand.  The price is largely controlled by the oil 
futures price, which is a joke to begin with, that's why when oil 
prices go up, gas goes up the same day even though that more 
expensive oil isn't here yet.

It's always bothered me that in California for example, where we 
don't get any oil from OPEC, it comes from Alaska and California and 
we have our own refineries and we have our own blends, so it can't 
even be exported anywhere really.  Why is our gas, #1 more expensive 
than anywhere else, and #2 subject to the OPEC prices?  I don't know 
nearly enough about economics at this scale, but there is a mix of 
market forces and fishiness.

As an aside, here is the most fascinating technology to reduce oil 
dependance without huge infrastructure changes that I've seen come 
along and it seems to be on the verge of being 
released. 
http://science.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=05/09/18/1638204&tid=187&tid=14

At 09:19 AM 11/7/2005, Newton, Ernie wrote:
>Oil prices are down because the oil companies are coming under fire
>for gouging us and making record profits in the 3rd quarter ending
>September 30.
>
>BP - Net profit of 6.5 billion (yes with a B) during that quarter.
>Exxon/Mobil had the highest profit percentage on record for that
>quarter...75%.
>
>If they want to charge us $10 a gallon, that's fine.  Just don't tell me
>it's because they lost an oil derrick in the gulf because of a
>hurricane.
>
>My two cents.
>
>Ernie
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: Glenn Mitchell [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
>Sent: Monday, November 07, 2005 9:08 AM
>To: [log in to unmask]
>Subject: Re: [HP3000-L] OT: Really funny
>
>
>The newscast I heard last night said that oil prices are now (overall)
>below the level they were pre-Katrina.
>
>Glenn
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: HP-3000 Systems Discussion [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On
>Behalf Of Shahan, Ray
>Sent: Monday, November 07, 2005 12:01 PM
>To: [log in to unmask]
>Subject: Re: [HP3000-L] OT: Really funny
>
>Uh oh, this started as a humor posting - folks, let's not turn it into
>one of those rant-and-rave-for-my-point-of-view things, ok?
>
>At times, even an apparently benign reply such as John's can result in a
>flurry of ill-will, so please people, if this thread's to live on, then
>let it continue on as humor.
>
>All that nice stuff said, I, too, hope we can get all that oil, so
>prices will go down - my wife drives a GMC Yukon XL with a 6.0 V8, and
>when she fills that beast up, the service station now gives the kids a
>free piece of candy!!   8-D
>
>
>
>Have a great week!
>
>Ray Shahan
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: HP-3000 Systems Discussion [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On
>Behalf Of John Lee
>Sent: Monday, November 07, 2005 10:49 AM
>To: [log in to unmask]
>Subject: Re: [HP3000-L] OT: Really funny
>
>I wish Bush would hurry up and get all that oil into the US so prices
>would go down.  What's he waiting for? ;)
>
>John Lee
>
>
>At 11:54 AM 11/7/05 +0000, Roy Brown wrote:
>
> >A reporter asks him 'Mr President, did you have a really good reason
>for
> >invading Iraq ?'
> >
> >Bush turns to his aides, and after a whispered conversation, they pass
>him
> >a piece of paper with three characters written on it.
> >
> >Bush reads it, turns back to the reporter, and in his best Presidential
>
> >voice, declaims triumphantly
> >     'We didn't have just one good reason - we had 710 !'
> >--
> >Roy Brown        'Have nothing in your houses that you do not know to
>be
> >Kelmscott Ltd     useful, or believe to be beautiful'  William Morris
> >
> >* To join/leave the list, search archives, change list settings, *
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> >
>
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>
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Regards,

Shawn Gordon
President
theKompany.com
www.thekompany.com
www.mindawn.com
949-713-3276

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