Why did they jack up the price? Because they can.

Drill, drill, drill. It's not going to make us independent of foreign oil, nor do much to lower the price. Only development of some other fuel source is going to do that. The fact that that hasn't happened yet is IMO a bipartisan failing, and I don't see where either candidate has any great plan in this regard. The best one I've seen so far comes from T. Boone Pickens. I'd like to see one of the candidates endorse it.