Dear Editor:

It has been quite a season. We’ve seen many things happen around us, including the virtual free-fall of oil trading prices, and we’ve all benefited from the relief at the pumps, but just because the prices have dropped by more than half doesn’t mean we still don’t deserve answers for why it was ever so ruthlessly high so few months ago …especially in LaGrange and especially at the group of stations all owned by the same man.

In fact, just the other day, those very stations were the first raise their prices after the holidays - by almost 20 cents! Gas prices in surrounding Georgia communities continue to run dimes and nickels cheaper than LaGrange, and (this is the part that really gets me) people continue to shop at the highest priced stations/stores in town. Has anyone else noticed this?

Shame on them for gouging our fair city, and shame on anyone who buys anything from those stores. We the citizens of LaGrange deserve better services from our local businessmen, but as long as we blindly ignore their impropriety, maybe we don’t.

Friends, we must hold people like this accountable. We should all coast right by the higher-priced stores, and they should come clean with us. I still stand by last comment: It’s long past time for answers.

Will Barnes

LaGrange