Also, every single year, probably since the fuel crunch of the 70's, the fuel prices jump up drastically in time for the summer vacation season. They always claim that it puts a strain up oil production and refining, that the reserves are dropping just as drastically as the increased amount of consumption. Yet they indicate the fuel prices are drive by OPEC or foreign crude oil production. Which is it? Are we decreasing our reserves or buying foreign oil? If it's both, someone eventually will say "Hey, let's stock up on our reserves before the summer vacation season hits. That means we can buy cheap now and charge less then, all the while enjoying a bigger profit margin".
The odds are, they are doing just that. They are just using this hyperbole to explain why they feel you shoud have to pay over $2.00 a gallon. The reports of earnings for petroleum companies beating "The Street" projections tells you that they are gaining bigger profits.
Naturally, the costs of all other goods and services jump up, due to the increased cost of transportation. When those Chinese goods (or any goods ariving at the ports in California) do make it across the nation, they cost more. Even our own produced are more due to everyone paying higher fuel prices. Maybe our companies have a chance to compete. Maybe they also use that excuse to raise prices and increase profit potential.
At some point, someone is going to figure out that by being less greedy, everyone will gain. It's the people that can well afford double-digit inflation and rising fuel costs while they take cruises on their private yachts or personal jets.
So where does that leave everyone else? At the same place they always have been, the main consumers. Purchase only what you need or really want and force other companies to convince you that their products are worth the discounts they'd eventually offer. That's right, you have the final say, when the population as a whole works on the same principle.