You forgot the biggest issue, and the one that the papers won't talk about: In the so-called 'free market' where the refineries aren't owned by the oil producing companies (ha ha, yea right) they would be producing for their local areas.

Not so: The USA's refineries are producing diesel as fast as possible... And shipping it right out of the country to Europe. This was never done to this scale before Bush, but now, a HUGE amount is pumped right out of this country's supplies, which (oh, the shock) drives up the profits, err prices for the stuff here.

Add to that, the fun of taking a $1 per MIXED GALLON tax theft from the US Citizens by mixing to 1% biodiesel, and another biofuel tax credit (also on the entire shipment, not just on the bio component) from the EU... And you see where the REAL profits are.

If it costs (hypothetically) $3 per gallon to produce and refine the stuff, and you can sell it for $4... Thats good profit. But isn't it MUCH better if it costs $3 to make, but you get $1 from the US, and $1 from the EU... For NOTHING basically... And you STILL sell it for $4? Hmm, doubled the profits! Yay for the CEO, give him another bonus!

That may be an oversimplification, but it is basically what has been happening. And you KNOW it doesn't cost anywhere NEAR $3 per gallon to get it from the dirt to the pump with the volume they do.

Good stuff? Barely-40 cetane is good stuff? I WANT to buy better fuel, and I buy B100 whenever I can afford it. What I'm railing about is that the oil industry pisses and moans about lack of supply in the US driving up the prices... When THEY ARE CAUSING IT.

The USA wasn't a net exporter of refined fuels before the last few years, we were an importer of crude oil and exported empty ships. The whole point was that during the aftermath of Katrina, none of our refineries in the Gulf Coast were online, so we were importing refined fuel from everyone to make up the shortfall.

I have no problem with that, just as we would send refined product in an emergency to anyone else needing it. But the NORMAL process is that each region / country has operated their own refineries to produce fuel for the local markets. Sailing it across the sea from a central producer is silly, it wastes even more fuel in transit and raises the costs. There must be some benefit to the oil companies to do it, and OOH, I KNOW I KNOW!!! Artificially creating a shortage in the world's largest fuel consumer... Means extra profits on the backs of the economy!

It isn't that I am against a company making a fair profit. It is the operative word there: FAIR. Much of the behavior that has caused the current economic woes can be summed up by one attitude in each industry: me first, let someone else hold the bag while I rape and pillage. Japan just got done with a big economic downturn, and learned a few things. They operate their businesses with some ETHICS. If the economy suffers because of predatory behavior, then EVERYONE will suffer. The CEOs over there are WILLINGLY reducing their own salaries to help ensure the continued employment of their workers, AND the survival of the company.

Can you name even ONE American CEO that has come out and said that the compensation levels for the entire board are too high? The ratio used to be about 40. The top pay (The CEO) would get 40 times more than the lowest rank and file employee. Now, its about 400 times.

GM has been holding their hand out for assistance from the US taxpayer, while announcing that they are CLOSING plants in the USA, and opening plants in Mexico and China. You think those Mexican and Chinese-built cars aren't destined for the USA? Predatory ceo-first behavior. No ethics. Firing your worker, who is ALSO your customer... Who's gonna buy your widget when he doesn't have any job / money?

Dow Chemical just announced a big layoff and closings of a few plants... And the reaction from Wall Street? The stock skyrocketed, like they were printing money.

They are still behaving in a me-first way, and the result will be a further degradation of the economy. AROUND THE WORLD. OPEC artificially created a shortage in the 70s, and it came back to bite them in the @$#%. This diesel price issue is the same situation, just with different names.

ULSD is $1.999 at Homeland Express in OKC.
Lewis