I understand how popular it is to blame the oil companies (“Soaring Gas Prices” Dec. 8-14). They seem to always be making record profits. But, people need to take a look at the speculators who continually abuse Wall Street-style capitalism. With the assistance of government indifference, many speculators seek to maximize profits at any cost to the rest of the republic. The past thirty years, many speculators have turned Wall Street-style capitalism into a predatory cannibalistic disgrace. And, few receive punishment of any kind. Another reason why a strong third party is needed in Washington, D.C.