I dont know about you guys but Im getting very sick and tired of having to spend an unreasonable percentage of my monthly income just to drive around. Living in California certainly does not help the situation, either! Some people commute over 90 miles (each way) just to get to work. I guess Im one of the lucky ones, since I only commute 25 miles to get to work. While Im sitting there in the usual L.A. traffic, cooking in my car from the scorching summer heat, thinking about how I have another 22 miles to go, looking at my gas gauge and seeing it near empty, remembering that I have to pay $4.50 per gallon for gas in an hour (or more) doesnt help my mood very much. Okay, so maybe my opinion and whining doesnt matter to anyone. But I have heard and read some information SEOPressor that the so-called experts have written and I thought it would be nice of me to share. The price of oil has increased by 100% in the last year. Prices have had this extended run due to a supply shortage from oil producing countries such as Iran, Nigeria, and Venezuela. These shortages have been caused by poor oil field maintenance and political problems, which also include attacks by rebels on oil fields (in Nigeria). Demand is, and has been, rising at a fast pace in the Far East (mainly China), India, and the Middle Eastern petro states. Demand in the United States, however, has been falling. Saudi Arabia has increased its output within the last few weeks. In the last few months, there has been a huge rise in purchases by speculators of oil contracts for future delivery.