I have said for years that the Oil Industry is the true ruling entity in this country. Today the Associated Press  released a news story that not only reaffirmed it, but also offered its own proof in reinforcing it.

When the turmoil in the Middle East and Africa began, we started seeing gas prices rise slightly, but it wasn't the violent overthrow of oil-rich countries that threatened the flow of oil. Oil fields weren't set afire, pipelines weren't destroyed, nor tankers transporting crude being hijacked by "Petrol-Pirates." The only place where any of our oil was being affected  was in Libya.  Being that Libya only provides 2% of our oil, it wasn't enough to warrant the usual price-gouging that accompanies any risk of an oil shortage.  Actually, an April 12th New York Times article reported that "Oil fell 3.3 percent, to $106.25 a barrel in New York trading."

Yet somehow the price of gasoline has been rising steadily since March.  It doesn't take anything more than someone at Goldman Sachs to issue a press release that there is going to be (even if there isn't) maybe possibly if-all-the-stars-align-correctly a slight chance that there might be an oil shortage to send Wall Street into a frenzy.  Somehow that removes any expectation of common sense and allows the Oil Industry to go nuts and charge whatever they want. We, as citizens, not having our own private oil reserve of 570 million barrels of oil, have no choice but to pay what they ask.

At least this time it caught the attention of the President, who created a special team in the Justice Department to "investigate possible fraud in oil markets." Not prevent it from happening, mind you, or to punish those who do; but simply investigate it. Nice.  Well, it's obviously happening now, but by the time any Government-appointed "team" gets around to discovering and/or reporting it, they will have been tainted by Industry lobbyists and the crisis will most likely be ended, allowing it to simply be swept under the proverbial rug.

The reason the current situation is so reminiscent of what happened in 2008 is because it directly relates to the last time the Oil Industry was not only allowed to "name their own price," but was assisted in doing so by the White House.

Remember Bush's Economic Stimulus Package, in which he so graciously handed $168 billion to the citizens of this country under the guise of stimulating his struggling economy? No sooner did we have the checks in hand that the Oil Industry started jacking up the price of gas until it had absorbed the so-called "stimulus."  Exxon itself posted a then-record $45 billion for 2008.  Dubya basically gave the industry $168 billion of taxpayer money, completely laundered by We The People. The only difference then was that George W. Bush kept no secrets about being a  puppet of the Oil Industry.  Obama, while not immune to taking contributions from it, knows he can't push too hard because next year is an election year, and he'll need all the help he can get.

But if he wants my vote again, he'd better do something about these gas prices or no one but the wealthy will be able to afford to drive to the polls!