The current administration and its pundits protest their collective helpnessess in the face of rising oil prices and the concomitant spike in gas prices at the pump. “There is no quick fix” they say.*
Not too long ago, the same administration oversaw the closing of hundreds of automobile dealerships and took control of GM, micromanaging the production of an electric vehicle called the “Volt.” The administration subsidized the expense of the Volt’s production in order to affect retail prices at the dealer level, and at present propose even larger subsidies.
Not too long ago, the current administration pushed passage of government-managed healthcare (flashback: “we have to pass it to know what’s in it”) claiming that government control of that sector would reduce insurance premiums for everyone.
*The President and his energy secretary have both expressed their hopes that gas prices in the U.S. would rival those in Europe.