The Name of the Game

I thought everyone knew that the price of gasoline at your local station had less to do with the cost of oil around the World than it does with age-old problem of “the money game.”

Since money came into existence, there have been those who are good at getting it and those that aren’t. One of the adages that reminds us frequently of that truism is – “the rich get richer and the poor get poorer.”

The name of the game is “Money.” Someone is going to get yours – all of it or part of it. Some folks will do anything to get it – lie, cheat, steal – or manage the market, price-fix, manipulate the commodity, or anything else that will allow one to get more while another gets less.

When it comes to gasoline – some folks “need” more money. “We have to pay whatever the market says we do. It’s an instantaneous world,” says Joe Petrowski, CEO of Gulf Oil, a big gasoline wholesaler.

The market is rigged. Don’t get lathered up about it. Just recognize that when money is involved, it’s a foolish thing to trust the vast majority of folks to be altruistic.

 “To me it seems like a money game,” says Steve Armonett of Indianapolis, who pulled into Ricker’s BP to fill up his Buick LeSabre recently. “They’re just worried about how much money they can make.”

No kidding, Sherlock.

I am reminded of the Psalmist words – The Words of God “are more desirable than gold–than an abundance of pure gold. . . .” And you can get all of that you want.

(quotes, other than the Psalmist, from Associated Press)