Reformer.com

The investment banks taking bailout money from the federal government -- such as Citigroup, Morgan Stanley and JP Morgan Chase -- are the ones that are actively manipulating the energy markets to doubly rip off the American people.
Last year, financial speculators caused massive swings in oil prices. In the 12-month period that ended in July 2008, oil prices rose from $70 a barrel to a record $147, then collapsed below $40 by last fall amid the global financial crisis.
Why? These wild fluctuations weren't purely a matter of supply and demand, although that was a factor. When the speculative bubble burst, energy prices also fell. This year, oil prices have rebounded by 85 percent, and the McLatchy News Service has reported that the investment bank Goldman Sachs recently forecast them to go to $85 a barrel this year.
After gasoline prices in southern Vermont stabilized at about $1.85 a gallon in March and April, the price shot up more than 60 cents a gallon in a matter of a few weeks. Why? Because speculators like Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, Citigroup and JP Morgan Chase & Co. are able to control refineries, pipelines and storage facilities to manipulate prices.