Oil Companies Raising Fuel Prices Again Claim Demand Pushes Prices Skyward

We all know that the fuel prices that oil companies charge are artificially manipulated. They claim that the demand for fuel is what drives the price we pay at the pump up. So, I'm thinking that this is a load of crap. They raise the price in time for the travel holidays. This isn't really a supply and demand scenario that they would have us believe. I believe that they raise the price because they think that demand will be greater, the demand isn't actually greater until we pump the gas is it? Why are they allowed to raise the price when the current demand is lower than it is on the travel holidays? Isn't that gouging?
The price is supposed to reflect normal demand at that time the price is set. When they say fuel will cost 15 to 20 cents more per gallon by Spring Break aren't they artificially manipulating the price on what they think consumption will be rather than the actual demand? I can see that when we start using fuel at a greater rate than normal the cost of the fuel will raise because we are using more fuel. How is it that they know in advance what the demand will be in order to project the expected cost by the time the demand is actually there?
I think we are being played for fools and every effort should be made by the people to demand alternative fuel sources. Don't tell me that ethanol will work, because the price of corn will skyrocket if its used as our alternative fuel. We need more electric and hydrogen vehicles on the market so that the oil companies won't bend us over every time they think we may be using more fuel in the future.
I feel better.