I believe the true reason gas prices are high is collusion between the financial institutions that run the oil exchange and the oil companies that produce the gasoline.

First, there are too many middle men who do nothing to produce oil or gasoline but are profiting from oil. These are speculators, many of whom are shills for our financial institutions and distributors who are nothing but shills of the oil companies. Both are responsible for driving up the price of gasoline.

Can our government leaders do something about these outrageous prices?

You bet they can. But will they?

Only when the people take action of removing these congressional pimps from Congress. I say congressional pimps because that is what too many in Congress have become. They are selling out the American people to the people that Thomas Jefferson identified as the greatest threat to this nation.

The taxpayers are giving the oil companies billions in subsidies and not getting anything in return. Congress can either eliminate these subsidies or demand the oil companies invest some of their profits into modernizing their refineries instead of closing them.

They can also require these companies to use a large percentage of American oil to produce gasoline that can be sold only in America if the companies wish to continue receiving these subsidies.

Congress also needs to investigate whether many of the oil wells in this country are being utilized or are they capped and not producing any oil today because the oil companies are waiting until oil prices are high enough to increase their bottom line, as many believe. Congress has the power to do many other things to protect the American people from these agents of greed.

I believe that if the American people knew the facts about how gasoline prices are being manipulated by the businesses that profit from it, the rational among us would demand congressional action.

Mickey Washington

Rocky Mount