Fabs, as far as who is to blame?
There's a few folks you can blame- I wasn't trying to decide that for you. I have my opinions; yours might be different.
I will leave you with a quote from the old comic strip, Pogo.
"We have met the enemy, and he is us."
:D

An Angry American
 

The high price of oil can be blamed on your 401(k) account. You made a lot of money. Guess what the folks that manage your account were buying!
Compare it to the cost of lead, a shooters commodity. Last October (07) the price of lead hit almost $4,000 a metric ton. A year and some before then it was $600 the same metric ton. Had been that way for years. It is now down to a little under $2000 a metric ton. I don't think it will ever go all the way back to $600.
Some say it is the Chinese need for lead for batteries. Their new nuclear navy used a lot of lead in reactor shielding. They have quit buying and the price is going down because the speculators are losing their butt.

Just remember this, PBR...

If the US elects Barack, it will be an Obama-nation.

Talking about the price of lead, I was in shock when I was in Wal-Mart the other day and saw Remington STS shotshells for $7.64 a box. Last I could remember, they were $5.00 a box and that wasn't too long ago. Amazing how something could increase 50% in a year or two.

An Angry American
 

The price of lead shot went from about $12/25lb. before the speculators started to about $50.00/25lb. @ Sportsman's Warehouse at the present time. Needless to say, but the sport of skeet and trapshooting have been seriously affected by the price of lead. Many folks are now shooting 7/8 oz. loads instead of 1 1/8 oz. in the 12 gauge. The .410 has become poppular for skeet and reloading for it has become popular. Try to find a used .410 loader for sale.
If the price goes down (on lead) it will be interesting to see how many flks are going to go back to 1 1/8 oz. loads in the 12 gauge. The 7/8oz. loads and 24 gram international loads are not very different. There are some problems with velocity according to ATA velocity rules. Not all trap and skeet shooting is registered birds.