No question at all but for the gov't with no energy policy to point the finger and blame big oil for all the problems is a joke. It's big oil's job to make money period. Not to create alternative sources of energy, not go make sure everyone has cheap gas in their car, not to make sure every home in america is heated. That's the governments job and the have failed. If you want to start prosecuting people for artificial scarsity you can start at the toy companies at christmas, video game system makers all the way up to hedge funds and beyond.
"bought themselves a world of regulation?" If no drilling at anwar, no drilling on coasts, no building oil refineries, hodgepodges of rules for gas additives, etc, is not considered regulation, we're in..............trouble.
So in your view corporations have no civic responsibilities. They have no responsibility to produce safe products beyond the bare minimum defined and allowed by law. They have no responsibility to protect or sustain the resources they use. But why limit it simply to corporations? Let's apply your philosophy to individual people as well. Your neighbors should have no responsibility to lower the volume of music late at night, mow their lawn regularly, defecate in your backyard, or prevent their rabies infected pitbull from exercising its incisors on your leg.
The things you listed are not civic responsibilities, they are laws. Individuals have a responsibility to obey laws. There are no laws that state oil companies are required to supply gas at a price where everyone is satisfied. And I hope nobody tries to pass such a law.
actually you are 100% wrong. the oil business is a monopoly now in violation of anti-trust laws galore. what we have now is collusion... not the oil companies in bed with each other but the govt helping suppress supply.
your statement assumes we have free markets. the oil companies want to privatize gains and socialize loses... can't have it both ways. oil is too similar to public utilities.... probably should be treated that way... if not then the govt needs to stop artificially suppressing supply. i am thinking you like the Enron model?
Posting stuff like this destroys your credibility. I still see 2 for $1 sales from time to time on gallon bottles of generic drinking water at my local supermart, and the typical nonsale price is still under $1/gallon. Granted, you pay more for brand water but still nowhere near gasoline prices. When is the last time you paid $1/gallon for gasoline?