Friday, May 05, 2006

Gas prices are not the government's responsibility

It's so refreshing to me to finally hear another voice in the cycling community talk sensibly about the current state of gasoline prices. Mellow Velo points to this article and comments:
If the definition of gouging is charging higher prices for a product with dwindling supply and increased demand, you bet.
There is no oil industry conspiracy
It continues to blow my mind that people in this country are terrified of freedom, and feel that any time something economically seems out of whack that the Imperial Federal Government should step in to save your whiny butts. Why in the world would someone think it is the government's responsibility to handle affairs in an open marketplace? The reality is this, and I need you to listen carefully: If you want the price of gas to go down, you have to decrease the demand for gas. It's that simple. If you don't buy it, the price will come down.

Capitalism & The Laws of Supply and Demand
The laws of Supply and Demand are set in stone. It is NOT the government's responsibility to enforce economic equilibrium. Our choices in the marketplace will decide that. So if you are pissed off about the price of gasoline right now, stop whining and do something about it: STOP DRIVING SO DAMN MUCH.

And keep your stinking big government insanity out of my life!

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

"It's that simple. If you don't buy it, the price will come down."

Even more directly, if you don't buy it, the price will hardly matter to you. I haven't filled a tank in about two years, and the fluctuating/increasing price of gas has become little more than a spectator sport to me.

All in all, I'm in agreement with you. There is no such thing as small government. There is a sickening amount of government reliance to solve problems that the government has no business solving. In this case, the government is by and large unable to change gas prices in any meaningful way without resorting to drastic totalitarian measures.

Gino Zahnd said...

Here here! Perhaps there *is* a contingent of cyclists with their heads screwed on straight!

Unknown said...

Very well put. I fully accept the reality of supply and demand and that government really has no place in dealing with the problem, if you can call it that. I did because based on mainstream media, it is a problem for most people.

My post was written because of a frustration with SUV drivers who whine about the price of fuel and a government who feels the need to coddle said drivers.

I agree that government has no responsibility in an open market, but the trends in governmental policy don’t show that. You only have to look to the rice fields and wonder if Chico or it’s local economy would be the same without those subsidies? We’ll probably never know.