Wednesday, June 11, 2008  A Little Truth About Gas Prices  As
gas prices rise, the confusion over cause and effect becomes
more apparent with each debate or discussion of the issue. It's
easy (fun even) to point the finger this way and that, but the
root of the prices we see at the pump is a little more
complicated than "Bush is an idiot" (though he is).  A few of
the major factors in today's prices:  1. Demand Low taxes and
prices in the previous decade lead to increased consumption
(Hummers!) without a contrasting increase in production. Demand
caught up with supply in a way never seen before.  2. Hurricanes
Katrina wiped out a significant portion of our domestic refining
capabilities.  3. Political Chest Pounding You think Iran's
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad isn't enjoying the attention Bush and the
Neo-Cons are lavishing on him? And you think he hasn't been
leveraging that with threats of cutting off supply? And you
think this all isn't having an effect on Russia's output?
Political tensions abroad - which most de