For almost a month, gas prices had been going down slowly. Average price went down by almost 50 cents in many areas. Some people called it a relief; others called it a miracle. Some called it a good fix by the government, saying that the current administration was doing a good job. Whether or not it was one of these things or all of them, one thing is for sure; the prices went down for a reason or two, and it wasn’t because of the generosity of the oil companies. If something happens around a certain time that marks the start and end of a certain event, then there is a chance that certain something happened because of the event. In our case, the even in question was the celebration of the holidays, and lower gas prices meant more people going out and spending. When consumers spend more, the economy gets a little kick, the retailers get a little happy, and for a while all is forgotten about big corporations and their ways.

The gas price went down slowly in the first week of December in many parts of the country. Around Christmas time, gas price was down to almost $2.01 in some places. Someone told me yesterday that they’d noticed a gas station with $1.99; that price hasn’t been seen for a long time in Orange County. However, 3 days ago, the gas prices started going back up really fast. What was $2.07 last night at an Exxon station near my place is $2.21 today.

Supplies, fear of shortage, higher cost price and winter snow blocking transportation are all said to be the reasons, depending on which press conference one is in. Last year, the hurricanes were said to be the reason for the rising gas prices. Luckily, nature is on the site of the oil companies, always coming up with something that forces the oil companies to raise prices.

The gas prices, in December, went down to enable the people to celebrate the holidays more and to spend more. It was also a good gesture by the gas companies in general, because of the shock the public expressed when ExxonMobil reported a record profit at a time when everyone was being hurt by the gas prices. A few meetings were held to see if ExxonMobol or any oil company had raised the prices deliberately and thus conned the people out of more money than was ethical. So far, nothing has been found to point to such a thing, and people have moved on.

The economies of trade do suggest and actually prove that profit is possible ethically, even if it’s on a massive scale. However, continuous profits that come through the increase in prices because of unseen circumstances that aren’t proven to be the cause of such an increase, while the consumer pays more than the fair price because of not having easy access to alternatives, is not normal and needs attention. Now that the gas prices are going up again, people are starting to talk more. How many times are we going to be happy when we see the gas prices going down and forget about it, only to get upset over it when it goes back up, even higher than what it already was.

If this rate of price increase continues, the gas prices will be at a new high, compared to the past 9 months, within a month or two. If you’re upset, bad news will make you mad. If you’re in a serious mood, bad news will make you upset. If you’re happy, bad news will make you serious. If you were doing something wrong and wanted to break it to someone that is affected directly by your action, while still doing that wrong thing and enjoying the results, which mood would you want to catch that person in? Yes, that’s a very simple, very basic and a very broad way to put it.