I think we probably agree more than you would assume. My initial point was simply to be skeptical of any article that uses straight dollar amounts when reporting record profits. Yes it can be a sign of greedy corporations price gouging, but isn't necessarily. Just because you or I assume it is likely to be corporate greed, it's important to avoid confirming your biases with incomplete data.

You point it out yourself, the actual indicator of corporations taking advantage of the situation is the profit margin, not the pure dollar increase.