To the editor:

Ever wonder why with no major change in the world’s situation – i.e. Iraq, Iran, North Korea, China, etc., ad infinitum, ad nauseam – that gasoline prices have plummeted so in the past few days?

I have and I’d like to share my thoughts.

1) The American consumer has been raped by the petroleum industry for at least the last two years with little if any respite.

2) The American consumer is mad! Actually mad as hell and he’s not going to take it anymore. He’s mad at the petroleum industry with its profits up billions and, more importantly, he’s mad at politicians.

3) We are two months from elections! Whoa! Wait a minute, could that be something?

Yes. I postulate that because George Bush is a lame-duck president whose popularity is so low many Republicans are distancing themselves from him, and many incumbent Republican politicians are up for re-election, and the political mood of many of the populace is, “Fire ’em all!,” a back deal, so to speak, a truce has been arranged.

The petroleum industry will roll back petroleum prices to “reasonable” levels, taking considerable heat off Mr. Bush and the Republican Congress until after the elections when magically, mystically petroleum prices will once again skyrocket due to “world events.”

Anybody wanna bet me?

John Hamm,

Baldwin