You Might Be Suffering, but Exxon Is Doing Just Fine:

Just because the economy is in the pits for most us, don't assume that's true for the oil companies. The big boys of big oil have figured out to earn record profits no matter what's happening with the rest of the world.

You probably turned your thermostat down this winter, wear an extra sweater around the house, drive fewer miles. Maybe you even traded in that old pick up for a little gas saver car.

But big oil just jacks its prices up. Exxon reported a greater profit this year than last: $9.4 Billion. Maybe it's just the economy coming back. For some people. (See The New York Times story.)