Dear Editor:
I can agree there are many forces that impact the price of gasoline, government subsidies, speculators, Wall Street bankers, etc. Smith in his response to my letter on the price of gas seems to have missed my point.
My concern is a local one. Namely why is the price of gas always higher here in Jefferson City than in the surrounding communities? There is and has been a continuing pattern of gas prices being at least 10 cents higher in the JC cartel zone than in neighboring areas.
I would really like for our local media to investigate why this is happening. But I do not hold out hope that will occur. I fear our small town media, including this newspaper and the local TV station, do not have the resources or the will to do a real indepth investigation.
With the media unwilling or unable to do the research, the cartel is free to do whatever they want. The media in Columbia does cover the gas prices in their area and it does seem to have an effect.
Update on current gas prices, Oct 6: Columbia, $2.94; Sedalia, $2.96; Lake of the Ozarks, $2.95; Rosebud, $2.97; JC cartel, $3.07.