In Atlanta we're suffering the hurricane induced gas-price hysteria again.

Hurricane Ike is bearing down on Texas as I type, and from the time of my morning commute to later this evening, gas had risen as much as 40-50 cents and most of the stations in the general vicinity were completely out of regular gas.

Those of us who are unlucky enough to have been at the point where we needed to fill up again get to pay out the rear end for fuel because of media induced panic. There is no shortage of gas now, and there was no shortage of fuel after Katrina, none after Rita and Gustav turned out to be a total dud. Granted, some refineries had to be taken offline, but each time a hurricane rumbles into that general vicinity, we keep getting figures from the media that "this area is responsible for 20% of the country's gasoline supply". Funny how that specific area keeps moving back and forth and always seems to coincide exactly where a hurricane is supposed to make landfall.

If this does not underscore the reason why we desperately need to build NEW refineries (hopefully further inshore) in this country, I don't know what will. I don't care what your political affiliation is, if you're as upset as I am about the absolute absurdity that has surrounded the price of gas the past 3-4 years, tell your Congressmen so. Tell them it is time to stop pandering to the environmentalists and NIMBYs and do what is best for this Country's future.