Fueled Up

Gas prices are on the rise along with oil being back over $75 a barrel as the "recession is over".

Gas prices continued to climb Monday, with the national average up nearly 19 cents over the last 20 days, according to motorist group AAA.

The national average price for a gallon of regular gasoline edged up 0.2 cent to $2.645, according to AAA's daily survey of up to 100,000 filling stations.

Prices have increased every day since July 21, when the national average stood at $2.458 a gallon. During that time, the national average has risen 18.7 cents, or 7.6%.

Gas prices were highest in Hawaii, where a gallon averages $3.179. South Carolina had the cheapest gas prices in the nation at $2.424 a gallon.

The spike comes as the price of crude oil, which is the main ingredient in gasoline, has been pushed higher by signs of economic stabilization and a rally on Wall Street.

At the same time, analysts point out that July and August are peak driving months and that gas prices typically surge during the summer as more Americans take to the roads.

The bubble has to be reinflated, you know. You're just the one paying for it. It's funny. Gas prices go up, people cut back on spending, the economy gets bad news, oil goes down, gas prices fall some, then the cycle repeats...of course the price of oil never seems to go all the way back down to $35-$40 where they were earlier this year.

Everyone's expecting that recovery, and of course prices are going up as that happens. Not much of a recovery, frankly.