If the reports here about gas shortages in NC are right...

...Obama's people would be smart to get a TV ad together on the fly that finds some way to mentally tie in McCain with Big Oil and a sinking economy. NC is supposed to be up for grabs right now. Placing such an ad there in the next few days would be smart.

Local stations jacked prices sky high. Some places as much as $5.00/gallon. People still lined up and filled up. There's hardly a drop of gas left in Raleigh.

"Don't listen to the LIES...if you make less than $250k, life will get easier!"

Just like on 9/11/01

...because this isn't my first rodeo. I know how consumers, merchants and the industry all act in these scenarios. The added factor of a hurricane hitting the epicenter of domestic refining was enough to let me know I would be saving a lot of money by filling up before "the big jack" came into play as Ike met Texas.

I wasn't panicked about running out of gasoline but petrol is already taking a sizable enough bite out of my wallet as is. These prices will stay escalated for a while. Quick to rise, slow to drop.

...McCain hired William Timmons to head up his transition team. Timmons is a long-time Beltway insider who lobbies for (among others) Freddie Mac and the American Petroleum Institute! It makes McCain look like Bush/Cheney and dovetails nicely with Obama's latest salvo.

Public irritation with Big Oil is about to escalate. Obama's team needs to hit this quickly.

McCain taps lobbyist

At least 13 states — Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Louisiana, Mississippi, New York, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia — have laws that specifically address price gouging in the event of a declared emergency. Other states may exercise authority under general deceptive trade practice laws depending on the nature of the state law and the specific circumstances under which price increases occur.

http://www.kipesquire.net/2005/09/which-states-have-pri ... /

NC and AL have put laws into effect. Call if someone is gouging. It may not help immediately, but it may stop it some.

Save your receipts. Inform the places where you get gas you are reporting them. Report it now so it won't keep skyrocketing.

It won't help the immediate supply but it should help with the price.

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