So now they're 'gouging' us?

As of this writing, Hurricane Ike is scheduled to hit Texas in about 2-4 hours. It seems everyone is in a panic thinking gasoline will soon become a scarce commodity. Thousands of people everywhere are lining up at the pumps trying to get in every bit of gas they can.

But their actions come at a price.

Newton's third law: For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.

Greater demand of an item vs. limited supply of that item means the price of said item rises.

Prices in this area have spiked from around 3.45 a gallon all the way up to 4.00 and even 5.00 dollars a gallon in some places.

And now come the cries of 'gouging.'

Cry me a river.

The fact that some stations have inreased their prices to $4 a gallon or higher helps ensure that there will be some gas for me to purchase after work today. I'm not saying I want to pay $4 a gallon for gas. But with every yahoo lining up, raising prices is the best way to ensure that there will be some for me when I need to fill up later today.

Raising prices is also the best way to ensure that there will be some gas for me to fill up next week as well.

By the way... since I'm obviously in 'big oil's' back pocket, I let my car idle while I wrote this...