Here, Spike!

118 Here, Spike!

Spike the Dog comes to that command. So does Spike, the Oil Price Increase. One major difference, though. Spike the Dog responds to the direct command. Spike the Oil Price Increase responds to everything.

Recent headline: Russian Pipeline Leak Sparks Oil Price Hike. Well, maybe that’s justified. Of course, when they fix it, IF they fix it, you’ll see the headline Russian Oil Pipeline Patch Sparks Oil Price Increase.

So, it breaks, they shut down the oil and because there might be six fewer barrels per day for a month, the price goes up. Then, they patch the thing and they have to make up for the six fewer barrels so they charge more and the price goes up.

Heat Wave Sparks Oil Price Hike. Well, sure. Fossil fuels for the electric generators and a heat wave makes demand increase and oil prices rise.

Then there’s End of Heat Wave Sparks Oil Price Hike. Of course. With demand down, oil companies’ profits will fall and they’ll raise prices.

Middle East War Sparks Oil Price Hike. Neither Israel nor Lebanon produce oil in any quantity, but speculators bid the price up because they fear the oil producing countries will get drawn into the conflict and the supply will be reduced.

Middle East Peace Sparks Oil Price Hike. On general principals.

The Right Wing Whacko fringe will tell us that the biggest cost in a gallon of gasoline is the tax. Maybe so. Blame it on the government and not on ExxonMobil, which is just a little candy store trying to sell a few Milky Way Bars. They’ll also tell us that the spotted owl crowd is preventing us from exploring and drilling in Alaska and that Venezuela is to blame because it’s a neo-commie country these days.

The Left Wing Whacko fringe will tell us that it’s just the oil companies up to their favorite old trick, price gouging.

Nah. Impossible.

Who do you take it out on? No one.

Boycott Exxon? Doesn’t mean anything. The “Free Market” is a fairy tale.

The answer is hurt the stock. That’s the only thing they pay any attention to.

The oil companies are NOT OIL companies, and neither are the industrial conglomerates, the big retails stores or the auto companies. They are FINANCE companies who happen to sell oil or jet engines or clothing or cars.

Spike the Dog is just a dog. Slobbers. Eats, goes for walks and runs.

Spike the Oil Price Increase is a spear pointed at your head, your wallet and your psyche.

I'm Wes Richards, my opinions are my own, but you're welcome to them.

(c) 2006 WJR