For some level-headed insight into things that actually cause high and fluctuating oil prices (and by implication, gas prices), check out Alan Reynolds over at Townhall.com. Surprisingly, none of these issues involve conspiritorial machinations of evil oil companies....

Nobody in Washington shows the slightest awareness of the global nature of the oil market, of the fact that industrial damage from high oil prices has nothing to do with whether a country imports or exports oil, or even the fact that there is a crucial two-way linkage between worldwide industrial production and worldwide oil prices. When it comes to causes and effects of high oil prices, nobody in Washington shows much interest in logic or facts. It might be sad if it wasn't so pathologically pathetic.

Keep in mind that this previous article is from June 2005. This doesn't change any of the fact, but just a reminder that is was written before Hurricane Katrina and $3+ gas. Reynolds also has taken Bill O'Reilly to task twice in the past month for pushing his oil company conspiracy theories. Both are good reads.

The Foolish Factor
O'Reilly blustered, "Nobody knows what the market is, Mr. Birger. Nobody knows what that is. It's not a person." He really seems to imagine the price at your local gas station is literally set by decree by the bosses of five oil companies.

Oil Profits, Prices and Politics
O'Reilly's spin zone had to spin a new theory. He now argues that while prices rose because of some inexplicable hurricane of greed, they subsequently fell because "the oil companies have been scared into lowering prices of oil." He claims to know "the worldwide demand for oil is the same today as it was eight weeks ago. But oil prices are declining -- so what gives? Fear. That's what gives. Millions of Americans are angry with big oil and are buying less fuel." Excuse me? If millions of Americans are "buying less fuel," how could demand be the same?

Also, did you catch that reference by O'Reilly to John Birger? Birger penned mid-September article in Fortune, CRUDE REALITIES: TRUTH AND CONSEQUENCES -The Truth About Oil. Fortune hides most of the article behind subscription, but here is the full article.

Pain at the pump has plenty of Americans ticked. Chances are, though, they are angry about the wrong things. Here are five myths many people believe about today's oil pinch-and what the real story is. What about Big Oil? Aren't the giants guzzling profits? Sure, but there is nothing sinister about that—no cabal of cigar-chomping oil barons plotting how to squeeze the world for their evil ends. Yes, a few crooked traders were able to game the California energy markets for a time in 2001. But in a market as big and wide-open as oil, there are thousands of traders all over the world making the action. Unlike California power prior to the crisis, oil is a freely traded commodity. The markets, not the magnates, set the price.

Birger also offers some fairly level-headed advice, and not all of it is that which one would expect from a defender of "Big Oil". Happy reading.....