Something to ponder ... We hear that we are lucky here in the USA, compared to the price other countries are paying for a gallon of gas. The problem with that argument is that we had been paying $1 - $2 a gallon for years, even though other countries were paying much more than us.  The fact is, the cost to bring a barrel of oil out of the ground is still the same as it was 10 years ago, and this is obvious when you look at the HUGE profits the oil companies are showing. Yes, there are other players in the oil business now who are finding that even the most expensive methods of gas & oil extraction are profitable at $3.00 a gallon.  But the fact remains, it still only take about $18 to bring a barrel of oil out of the ground, the good old fashion way. When you hear someone defending the price of gas and the oil companies, maybe you should ask how much oil company stock they own.  The current administration has the best of both worlds!  They are allowing the big oil companies unrestricted exploitation of the American people, as oil companies are showing record profits, while at the same telling us that the USA needs to find alternative energy sources so we won't be so dependent on oil!