We have nobody to blame but ourselves for the oil crisis we find ourslves in. Ourselved being our government (who hasn't a clue about global warming/energy conservation etc), our automotive industry (who continues to build 5,700 lb SUVs) and the dimwitted consumer that buys them . There shouldn"t be a vehicle built that weighs more than 3500 pounds, or that has an engine larger than 3.5 litres. These basic parameters should be for all non-commercial vehicles, pickups, Suvs etc. Our auto industry should be ashamed to adverise a hybrid that weighs 5700 pounds and gets 20 miles per gallon as GM has been doing the past months. What is Rick Schroeder (their esteemed CEO ) thinking.

Richard C. Johnson, Columbia, , SC

"Chakib Khelil, the president of Opec, said yesterday that he saw no need to raise oil production" - supposedly the market so well supplied that quota raising, or even busting, is not required. Why then, a decade ago when oil was cheap were all the OPEC nations exceeding their quotas on a regular basis and now when it is at records, they are not? The temptation surely must be intense.

Could it be that they are already pumping as much as they can and Opec can not increase production? Decades of cheap oil and under investment in exploration means oil has a long way to climb before it peaks.

OilFinder, Jakarta,

Opec will lose in the long run, it will force countries to come up with an alternate fuel source. When push comes to shove they will have that alternate fuel source and Opec will be back to building sandcastles. I look forward to watching the oil bubble burst and the greedy lose everything in the stock market. It’s not if just when !!!

Debra, Mason, Ohio

The United States is in the Middle of a War, which takes alot of oil to fight, President Bush is filling the Strategic Petroleum Reserve to 1 billion barrels taking it out of the economy. If the Majority of Nation in OPEC are our Allies why are they not increasing production? Every penny Gas goes up it takes a Billion dollars out of our economy. If you want to steal a Trillion Dollars, you would need to start a War, Fill the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, and require alot of oil for the War.
In my opinion we are being robbed.

You can not take money out of the economy unless someone or something is putting it into the economy - 165 billion stimulus Pachage, Oil companies are in the process of stealing it. Sign the check and mail it to them.

Tom Davis, Kinston, North Carolina

we are reaping the seeds sown for no energy conservation
and a lack of an adequate energy policy,we had many years
to cope with this problem but the general population said
all is well and continued to drive huge vehicles and suvs
at times with only one to two persons in them now payback
is here so their is no need of complaining.

phillip johnson, calera, usa-al

This is the whole point it doesn't matter what I or anyone else says they are going to raise the price of gas and depress the general public to death.Those with the gold write the rules and everyone knows that.I really can't even believe I am taking the time to write this,it is sickening what they are doing to the general public.If the CEO of Exxon Mobil were to see what I see out there everyday maybe they would have some compassion for the common man and woman.The average family or just anyone cannot live this way.But as i said at the inset they do not care.

Dean, Pensacola, Fl

Speculators and Hedge Funds drove up Worthless Internet Website stocks over $1,000 per share that later went belly-up. Supply and Demand should dictate commodity prices, not speculators, hedge funds, companies, countries or anybody just jump on to make easy quick money. Commodities trading leds to hoarding and purposely disrupting oil/gas supplies to get more money because they know how the system works. OPEC said they would be satisfied with $40 per barrel a little over a year ago, but every time traders shoot prices higher they raise what they are satisfied to that level. In otherwords, OPEC is happy with $40 but will gladly take $120 if traders want to give it to them. Record levels of oversupply and inventories of oil stockpiles available.

Mark, DC, US

this is due to the weak dollar..the war in iraq and the sending our jobs overseas ..bush adding 4 trillion dollars to the national debt in the last 7 years..have started to take its toll..oil is pegged to the dollar..at least another 2 years of iraq another 800 billion..20 billion a day in intrest payments..our dollar will be worth what the saddam dinar is worth today. NOTHING

tom, las vegas, nevada

It is obvious that this oil price spike is part of a protracted effort by our adversaries. Note the inverse relationship between our slowing economy and the rise in price. Moreover, did no one observe save for my two cents that the more effort expended by nationalist Iraqis to run a country , the more the opec blagards attempt to squeeze us. Throw 'em to the Iranian Islamofascists. Let the price of oil skyrocket under the new monarchy. We then go in, when begged, and set the terms for repayment of the treasure we spent to have us presently do a slow frog boil for the next 4-6 years. Our economy would sneeze as the rest of the european ingrates die of pneumonia. We'd soon enough see whom each is siding with. Ive no idea why Saudi duplicity is tolerated <They should be paying US to keep the Iranians from over running their borders. Their dictatorship of a country would quickly become a cheap serail.

Jack Ian Mayer, Edwardsville , Illinois