Opinion: Gas-gouging déjà vu: Don’t blame it all on war
But there’s a sheep-like quality to most California politicians as they propose government rebate checks and tinkering with gas taxes rather than attacking the real problem – oil company greed.
One exception to this pattern is Democratic state Sen. Ben Allen of western Los Angeles County, who proposes that oil refiners be forced to disclose once a month their per-gallon gasoline profit margins and what they pay for crude oil. He says this would allow Californians to know at last just how much the oil companies profit from their gasoline gouging.
Said Allen, “We ask the oil companies: Let’s end the…smoke and mirrors. Open your books and show the public your true costs of doing business.”
