Op/ed columnists should use facts.

Why is that a newspaper's op/ed columnist doesn't have to cite where they got their facts. Jon farmer, the other day, used this statement in his column.

Experts says prices may recede a bit as refineries crippled by Hurricane Katrina come back on line this summer and pump out more gasoline. But the days of $2 and below-a-gallon gasoline are -- barring a technological breakthrough still unforeseen -- likely to remain as much an artifact as nickel beer.

I'd love to know what expert told Farmer that prices would recede when Katrina refineries come back on line. I've seen the current price issue linked to the price per barrel and the MTBE conversion.

AAA officials said a few dozen gasoline stations between Virginia and New Jersey had closed in recent days as they converted from fuels mixed with methyl tertiary-butyl ether, or MTBE, to gasoline mixed with ethanol, which burns cleaner link .

I think that the Ledger should make columnists like Farmer and Wood start backing up their statements with some fact.