A rational decision in economics is simply a purposeful action. Rain dancing is a rational decision because it has purpose, even though most people would consider it irrational in the colloquial sense. People need to seriously realize that they play a key role in setting prices and if they want them to go down they will either use less gasoline or get the government to remove some of the pretty massive impediments making the demand for gas inflexible. When you do the latter the price will go up, prices never fall in the inflexible range of the demand schedule because consumers are not responsive to price changes in that range. If a company can cut their costs by cutting back on production and raise prices not take a massive hit in total revenue or profit they will, it's what companies do every day on the market and it's predictable. You want to lower costs, you get the government out of the industry so it stops crippling competition, get them out of the industry so they stop increasing regulations making gas as a good less and less interchangable, because the more alternative brands the more flexible the industry demand and the lower the price. Even if some mad CEO took over Pepridge Farm and decided their bread should sell for a $100 a loaf the market wouldn't support that move because the alternatives available make such a price hike impossible to sustain, and puts to rest the idea that CEOs just 'set' prices as they feel for whatever assumed benign or evil reasons. And lastly, you get the government out of the business of restricting supply by stopping exploration and drilling. More supply, lower prices.
