why are gas prices so high?

My understanding of the price rise lies in our economy. The dollar is so devalued that buyers/importers of oil must pay in Euros, not dollars. With the current exchange rate of $1.55 for 1 Euro, it's an easy figure. But I suspect the real culprit would fall to the speculators in the futures market. Much the same thing happened with the dot.com explosion and market expansion, but then the bottom fell out. Only time will tell the end point of gas prices, but with areas in Europe paying the equivalent of $11 for a liter, the outlook is dismal.  Basic economic principle: what the market will bear....

What really concerns me is that eerie "Star Wars" feeling when we broke the USSR economically.  Are we seeing history repeat itself, only with us on the losing side?   Hmmm...