There's no way that the big oil companies can control crude oil prices that accurately. 

For starters, the market is global, not limited to the U.S. 
Second, they can't trust each other that much. 

Even the menbers of OPEC can't trust each other enough to make anything other than a crude attempt at controlling the price of Crude Oil. The big production reserves are a thing of the mast. This takes away their shock absorber. Besides, when OPEC tried it back in the 1970's, the major producers were cheeting each other by producing more than the agreed upon volumes.

 The speculators in the Futures Market move the price around more than any other single influence. If you think they're organized, you're kidding yourself. They're out to make money. They're actually betting on influences beyond control. They're betting on the sevarity of the Hurricane Season. They're betting on the sevarity of the winter months. They're betting on the fuel usage during the vacation season (Summer months).

The price is dropping right now, because there's a glut of futures paper floating around. The hurricane season was mild and the vacation usage season went light. 

Trust me, I'm losing my ass right now. I'm hoping that the price goes back up before mid January. That's when my futures are due.

Why would the oil companies want to keep the Republicans in power??  Wouldn't they make more profit with Democrats?? Just think.  No oil production in Alaska, no new offshore production.  Increased regulation and lack of access to new oilfields.  That spells higher prices and profits...

It is really sad that so many americans know so little about supply and demand...

Since they've done so poorly over the past six years, you mean, Anny?

Well, perhaps because the Republicans own Congress?
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But let's play your game.  Why should I think the oil companies like having the Republicans asleep at the wheel?

Perhaps because that's where they put their money?

http://www.opensecrets.org/...

Yes, Republicans pushed this country off the top of a tall building.  As we pass the third floor, headed downards, Republicans chant in unison "Wow!  Look how *FAST* we're going!"  Bush passed the largest tax increase in history, eclipsing the one Reagan put in place.

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Gas prices are only "down" compared to how high Republicans and their policies pushed them.  Unemployment is "down" if you don't count the people who've given up looking for work.  Home ownership is not at record levels--unless you count all those homes the banks own, with their tenants paying "interest-only mortgages."  The stock market has recovered to where Bill Clinton left it when he left office.

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And we've lost jobs in this country every single year of Bush's disaster.

Those who have filed for unemployment, allow benefits to run the course without finding a job already know that when you call the unemployment office that one extra time...hoping to slip in one more $300 check request....the recording tells you that you are no longer listed as "unemployed."

This is a good economy however, according to the White House. 

Next claim: More people own houses than at any time in our history.  True.  It has risen every year since the 1920's except under Reagan.  Of course, we are also looking at all time highs in foreclosure as well, driven by record low lending rates now rising.  Again, borrowing on our credit card.

Lastly, the stock market.  I assume you mean the Dow Jones not NASDAQ.  It's tricky since companies get swapped out of the DOW Jones so it's not an apples to apples comparison.  Let's take a look:  Right now the DOW is trading at 11,500, Under Clinton, the market reached a high of 11,723 on Jan 14th, 2000.  So the market now is trading near new highs, not at highs.  BTW, Bill took the market from 3674 on November 23rd, 1994 to the record high.  Bush has taken the market from about 11,700 to 11,500.  Not exactly a record of prosperity.  But check out some other good numbers as well.

And as for raising taxes, Bush signed the Bill Thomas Tax Act which authorized the largest increase in taxes since WWII.  Of course, like everything the President does, the bill doesn't come due until after he leaves office.  Check out what your taxes will look like in 2011.

Effective Tax Rates in Future Years Under Current Tax Law

Under current law--and the assumption that incomes grow at a constant rate between 2001 and 2014--the total effective federal tax rate for all taxpayers drops from 21.5 percent in 2001 to 19.6 percent in 2004 before reversing course and climbing over the next decade (see the top panel in Table 2). From the 2004 low of 19.6 percent, the overall effective tax rate jumps to 21.4 percent in 2005 as most features of JGTRRA and JCWAA disappear--decreasing the child credit, lessening the relief from marriage penalties, and raising the AMT. The effective rate climbs slowly over the next five years, to 22.1 percent in 2010, primarily because the unindexed AMT affects more and more people and the growth of real incomes pushes taxpayers into higher tax brackets. The effective tax rate takes another jump to 23.6 percent in 2011 after EGTRRA sunsets and thereafter resumes its slow climb driven by continued real income growth and the widening reach of the AMT (by 2014, nearly 22 million taxpayers will be subject to the alternative tax). Overall, then, under current law, the effective federal tax rate will increase from 21.5 percent in 2001 to 24.1 percent in 2014. Because tax legislation enacted since 2001 focuses primarily on the individual income tax, the pattern of changes for the total effective tax rate over the 2001-2014 period derives almost entirely from changes in the effective individual income tax rate (see the second panel in Table 2).

The pattern of changes in the effective federal tax rate for all taxpayers is repeated for each income quintile and the top income percentiles, albeit with slightly different turning points and different degrees of change between 2001 and 2014 (see Table 2). For the bottom four quintiles, the effective individual income tax rate turns upward in 2004, a year ahead of the rise for the top quintile. All quintiles experience a jump in their overall effective tax rate in 2011 following the expiration of EGTRRA. They also all have a higher effective rate in 2014 than in 2001. For example, the effective rate for the lowest quintile increases from 5.4 percent in 2001 to 8.3 percent in 2014; in contrast, the rate for the top quintile climbs from 26.8 percent to 28.8 percent and that for the top 1 percent of taxpayers rises from 33.0 percent to 33.6 percent over the same period.

The differential increase in effective tax rates among quintiles is reflected in a shift down the income distribution in shares of taxes paid (see the third and fourth panels of Table 2). The share of taxes paid by the top quintile falls from 65.3 percent in 2001 to 62.8 percent in 2014, even though that group's share of income does not change. Four-fifths of that decline occurs for the top 1 percent of taxpayers, whose share falls by 2 percentage points, to 20.7 percent of federal taxes in 2014. The share of taxes paid by each of the middle three quintiles climbs by about 0.7 percentage points.

Thanks for the assist, Tom.  Here's a simple chart showing the National Debt as a percentage of gross domestic product.  Appropriately enough, Republicans tend to send it into the *RED*.  Not only is Bush giving away the store to his corporate sponsors, he's mortgaging it so he can give it away *TWICE.*

http://www.dailykos.com/sto...

Why are tax receipts at an all time high??  The reason for the deficit is not because of tax cuts, its because of uncontrolled spending.

Republican policies has caused high gas prices??? What policies?? Name them.  Trying to drill more offshore causes gas prices to rise??  Trying to drill Anwr causes gas prices to rise?? trying to limit the number of gasoline formulations causes gas prices to rise??
Just what policies would the Democrats enact to lower gas prices?? Huh?? I thought your fearless leader ALGORE wanted $5 per gallon gas?? Or have you guys flip flopped on that as well?? Flip, flop, flip, flop.  Man, grow a friggen spine..

Half the population not paying taxes?  You're almost right.  The figures I see say 40%.  If you include every man, woman and child in the US.

In addition to these non-payers, roughly 15 million individuals and families earned some income last year but not enough to be required to file a tax return. When these non-filers are added to the non-payers, they add up to 57.5 million income-earning people who will be paying no income taxes. 

Even 57.5 million is not the actual number of people because one tax return often represents several people. When all of the dependents of these income-producing people are counted, roughly 120 million Americans – 40 percent of the U.S. population – are outside of the federal income tax system.

Darn free-loading toddlers.   Here's a nice graph of the number of people paying no taxes by year.  Funny how you whine about Bush so much with his tax policies but then act like you're on his side, or he's on yours.  You're probably one of those people who wishes there were more jobs so there would be a broader tax base.  I guess you're also in favor of raising the minimum wage so that the freeloaders who work 40 hours a week and still live below the poverty line can start contributing something.

You didn't answer my other questions, Anny.  And you happily tacked on another part, which I never said that I went along with:
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"To each according to his needs."  I never said that.  You just tacked that on so you could hate me more easily.
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Are you one of those top 1%?  If yes, are you hurting?"
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If no, are you willing to see your own taxes double, because that's what it will take to pick up the difference if we let the top 1% off easy.  Why are you so intent on cutting your own throat, to make life easier for those whose lives are already easy?
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Taxes pay for a lot of things, my friend,  They pay for roads, police, fire, and a big, expensive, drawn-out project we've undertaken in Iraq, among other things.  They're not just "taken from you and given to poor people."

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And everyone who spends any money pays taxes.  People who pay no income tax nonetheless pay sales taxes, excise taxes, and if they drive, they pay gasoline taxes and vehicle taxes.
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So, turn off that hate radio and start thinking for a change.