Rising Gas Prices Fuel Rising Profits

Re “Why Gas Prices Suddenly Shot Up,” Aug. 19: Here we go again. Each year we get a quick spike in gasoline prices along with the same old excuses for the highway robbery. Remember the last time gas prices spiked? Refineries were down for repairs, a fire in a refinery, a sudden rise in crude prices, a disruption in a pipeline from anywhere to anywhere. One big gripe that I have is that the media go along by mouthing the refineries’ (read cartel’s) excuses.

Why cannot the people who dream up the excuses think of something new, like sun spots or the hole in the ozone layer over the South Pole? We could all feel sorry for the petroleum industry, except for one very important thing. Look at the earnings reports for the third quarter of 2003, when they come out some time in October or November. The shareholders will be overjoyed, but the driving public will not.

T.W. Harrigan

Lawndale

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I always thought that Phoenix was in Arizona and that Texas was a different state. Why are Californians paying more for gas when things have gone wrong outside of California? Yes, gas prices have gone up in those places, but why are Californians paying for other states?

Ron Quaytman

Beverly Hills