Well if the oil companies are ripping us off... then hell lets think about that. Lets say.... 3.40 a gallon for a petro product that has to be FOUND, pumped out of the ground, delivered ( in many cases thousands of miles if not half way around the world ) , refined, shipped to a storage facility, then shipped to your local gas station, then a facility exists to pump it into your car.... all for 3.40 a gallon...... ( FWIW, I hate paying 3.40 a gallon for gasoline ) yet everywhere you look hell they sell water at ball parks for 1.50 for 16 OUNCES.....and there are thousands of other examples.....
GASOLINE is not a right.... its a product like any other and market forces will determine what people can stand to pay. The actual profit stream from gasoline sales at your local station are actually quite small...as someone said above.... they make more on the crap you overpay for inside. When you buy that 16 oz coke for 1.39.... thats freaking sugar water... with a huge profit margin ( hell adjusted thats like 10 bucks a gallon for cola ) the retailer is probably making as much off that as he does off of 4-5 gallons of gasoline.