Democratic Party Ninth District
Harold Rose

I pulled into the gas station and filled my gas tank for $102 the other day. Even at that I was disappointed for it had been only a week since it was filled before. No I am not talking about 1930 and a model T Ford. I am talking about October 15th 2007.

The price of a gallon of gasoline is eating away at our economy faster than a buzz saw. We are expected to swallow dozens of reasons why it is so high. You hear the nightly Spin Doctor's play at telling us the news, while trying to convince us of something that is not true..

"Crude oil hit a $98 a barrel price on the stock market; A storm will stop production in the gulf; The pipeline to Alaska has sprung a leak; There is a war threatened with Iran; Now they are fighting on the northern border of Iraq; Turkey is in it; How about Africa."

All of these are just a few of the things that are used to explain why crude oil is higher, and higher.

What is the truth of the Bush give-away of America? One of his first actions after coming to office was to buy crude at an elevated price to fill the strategic oil reserve storage. That little know act forced Crude up several dollars. That was in 2002 I think..

Lets chase some of the price of oil facts. A: October 11th Sweet light crude was near $90.00 a barrel on the futures market. But what was the price the oil company's paid to pump into their refineries and produce our gasoline?

11 BUYERS ARE SELECTED IN RESERVE OIL AUCTION This is the Government selling off from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve Date October 11th 2007.

Amoco Corp acquired the rights to the most , 1.1 million barrels of sweet crude. Price from $38.339 to $39.06. Other refiners with successful bids ( and less than Amoco) were BP, Citgo, Fina Oil and Chemical, Mobil, Marathon, Phibros Energy, Shell, and Sun Refining and Marketing....Two crude oil traders that are not refiners , Transworld Oil and Ultramar, also had successful bids... Some blocks of oil did not get any bids.

Shake your head and say WHY, does the government sell to their oil buddies at on the average of one third of the market price.. Shake again and say 'Why' are they filling up the SPR , almost immediately with high price crude?

We have a Glut in both Crude oil, and Gasoline. I get this from the oil field, the refineries and the offices of the oil companies... Date October 4, 2007, but there are no major changes

I will continue to fill up my 1974 Mo-Pd for about a dollar and drive back and forth to work for more than a week.. THOSE OF YOU THAT ARE CONSERVING GASOLINE ARE THE REASON THAT GASOLINE WILL FALL IN PRICE. I am doing my part.. How about you?

Harold Rose is a professional photographer with 60 years experience. He is a former motorcycle and car racer. He has four sons and one daughter and was educated by searching for the truth using the method of "hobby' finding answers. He was born on a share-cropper farm in Illinois. and picked strawberries with the gypsies.