John, You throw out platitudes without providing any of your own facts. Do you have any numbers to back up your observations? I don't see gasoline prices jump at the "mere possibility" of a hurricane. And what "other events" are you talking about? As I stated before, the actual price of gasoline lags the actual price of oil recieved at the wellhead by about a month. The oil futures market may jump when there is a possibility of shut-downs in the Gulf due to hurricanes; maybe this is what you're thinking of. And what subsidies and tax breaks, exactly, does Exxon get? It sounds to me like you think "big oil" is evil no matter what way the wind blows.