Watch My Left Hand While The Punch Comes From The Right

This was originally a post on FaceBook.  I decided to expand.

Last week, they raised gas prices from $3.40 to $3.90. They've been at 3.90 all week. Then today, just now, they lowered gas prices to $3.70."Look, America, we LOWERED the gas prices right before Memorial Day! We don't gouge the price to take advantage of the holiday! We LOWERED it! Aren't we saints? We're all in this together and God bless America!"

They do this right before holidays.  Especially Memorial Day, Thanksgiving and Christmas.  A week before the holiday, the gas price raises by 50 cents, then right before the holiday, it lowers by 20 cents, so it looks like they lowered prices by 20 cents (a big knock) when they actually raised it by 30 (a bigger knock).

Another trick - before summer (so any day now) they start a "prediction" that 'this summer, the gas prices will go up to 5 dollars a gallon!' and everyone panics.  But then they only raise the gas prices to $4.70 a gallon, and everyone says 'Well, at least it isn't 5 dollars' and don't complain as much about paying $4.70 for something that just 2 months ago was only $3.40.

Every year, I take a picture of gas prices on December 18 or thereabout, just to prove my points. Here they are, straight from my phone:

December 18, 2011

December 17, 2012

Yes, just 5 months ago, the gas price was $2.63 and yes, in one month you will be paying $4.63 for it. They are tricking us by misdirection. Now don't get me wrong, I understand that it is a business after all and they are in it to make money and bathe in the blood they've squeezed from the turnip that is the American economy. I'm just showing you their quelling tricks. The gasoline industry is, like the wedding industry, the funeral industry, and the health care industry, a stranglehold. You MUST have their product and therefore you WILL pay whatever price they say you will pay. If they raise gas prices to $11 a gallon for the summer, you will pay it. If you want married or buried, you will pay whatever price they say that hall rental or coffin costs. Don't bother saying that you can walk or ride a bike, because it is unrealistic. There are thrifty ways to have a wedding, but that is also unrealistic. And if grandma wants a $6,000 coffin instead of being donated to science, someone in the family will force it because we can't go against dead peoples' wishes. Maybe you can compromise and cremate grandma, but a cremation still costs around $4,000 and then they will charge you $2,000 for the urn. You WILL pay what they want!
Let's lighten the mood.  Here is another picture from my phone.  It is a work that my son made last summer with his crafts.

The Flying Turd