Here's a little story...

On Pass Road here in my town, just about five, maybe six blocks from where I live, there's a convenience store. A very hard working family runs this business. Among other things they sell gasoline. But I digress.

In August of 2005 this family did not evacuate for the storm. At a considerable personal expense to themselves, they invested in hardware that enabled them to pump gas and operate their store without being on the power grid. This hardware was housed in a very durable, storm damage resistant building. Tens of thousands of dollars were spent by this family so they could be up and running when no one else was after Katrina.

Shortly after the storm, as in 24 hours, this convenience store was the only business operating in my town for literally dozens of square miles.

So when this store charged $8.00 per gallon of milk, $5.00 per gallon of gas, $5.00 per bag of ice and other "essentials" in our post storm world, people paid the money but grumbled.

Two weeks into October, the owner of the store was indicted for price gouging. His store is currently closed.

These same oil companies you so vigorously defend hold our nation's economy by the pubic hairs. This family owned business did everything "right," positioned themselves to be ready in a time of crisis, and looked to make an American buck and cash in on their investment. Yet anyone who lived through what we lived through gets pissed just looking at the prices, (although five per gallon of gas doesn't seem such a stretch anymore.) especially ice. The Attorney General of the State of Mississippi not only got pissed but pressed charges, charges that stuck. At what point in time after tens of billions of dollars in profits PER QUARTER does it become too much? It's not one neighborhood, as is the case with this storm. It isn't even a state or a region. It's our NATION.

Without being inflammatory or making a huge stretch with some goofy analogy, I could make an argument that these gas prices are a more direct threat to our nation than Osama right now. What's the difference between our nation this moment and two years ago? Gas prices. Our economy goes from robust to life support in 18-24 months? Gas goes from $2.25 to $3.60? Profits in the same oil companies go from 3 billion a quarter to nine billion a quarter? A QUARTER?

Before you scream Chicken Little from the mountain tops just think about it for a minute. You lived through the storm. We all did. This would be a different situation if profit margins were reasonable, like in the millions, six zeroes. How is this NOT gouging? Please explain this to me.