Yes, the situation in Louisianna is terrible. Dance's point is that the gas companies are using the disaster to increase their own profits. Our prices went up 20% in one day, more than the increase in the cost of crude.
BTW, none of our gas comes from the US, we have more of it here in Alberta.
But as trivial as it seems, if sustained, the entire ecomony could collapse. It will cost me $50/month more to get to work. And that's with a small sedan. No big deal for me, but for someone on a budget, it will mean no more stopping for coffee on the way to work. The coffee shop will have to lay people off because business will be slow. Factories building larger cars are going to have to lay people off. Groceries are also going to increase in price as shipping costs rise. New furniture or computers are going to be off the shopping lists, and people in those industries will be affected.
Even worse, the more gas they sell at these inflated prices, the less likely they are to ever go down. If people are willing to pay the price, as most are as they need to get to work, why would a business lower the price even if their costs lowered? Historically, the price of crude has dropped, but gas prices never have.
Please do not fill up this weekend if you do not absolutely need to.