Posted by Josh Rosenau on September 26, 2006 Gallup/USAToday asked:
Just your best guess — Do you think the Bush Administration has deliberately manipulated the price of gasoline so that it would decrease before this fall’s elections, or do you think the recent decline in the price of gasoline has not been due to any manipulation by the Bush Administration?
42% said “deliberately manipulated.” Astounding.
A more credible conspiracy theory is not that the administration itself manipulates at-the-pump prices directly pre-election, but that the oil industry is willing to take lower profits in the pre-election window in order to benefit the long-term profit outlook. But, honestly, over $3 and I was looking for the absolute best bargain to fill up. The closer to $2, the more I’m willing to take convenience over price. Complex causes.
That said, the fact that the past three years have been pretty good to oil companies does make one cynical.
http://finance.yahoo.com/q/bc?s=%5EDJI&t=5y&l=off&z=m&q=l&c=HAL,XOM
Joshua Rosenau spends his days defending the teaching of evolution at the National Center for Science Education. He is formerly a doctoral candidate at the University of Kansas, in the department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology. When not battling creationists or modeling species ranges, he writes about developments in progressive politics and the sciences.
The opinions expressed here are his own, do not reflect the official position of NCSE. Indeed, older posts may no longer reflect his own official position.
September 26, 2006