PrintNovember 12, 2008
Media geniuses: lower gasoline prices bad
Economic relief is at the pump. Gasoline prices have fallen dramatically. Some in the MSM just don't like it. You see, lower gas prices are bad:
"If prices keep falling, and we all go back to using more gasoline again, that will put more pressure on supplies and send prices higher again.""A resurgent economy could push prices right back up. For a while, rising gas prices perplexed analysts: Usually, gas prices fall when the U.S. economy sags, because demand drops. That correlation didn't occur in the first half of 2008, but it is happening now.""Cheap gas perpetuates our oil addiction. With gas at $2 or $2.50, there's not much incentive for people to buy hybrids or for automakers to invest in technologies that could someday replace gasoline."Falling oil prices might be a welcome sight for the consumer, but they aren't likely to ease oil supply concerns in the long term.
A lot has been made about the high cost of alternative energy solutions. But oil producers face a similar cost problem these days as a result of loss of revenue from the falling world market price."
And there are some other load explanations for why low gas prices are bad:
THERE IS no recession. So what if Americans have dying 401(k)s, are getting foreclosed on their homes, or are telling their children they cannot have their first choice for college. Never mind that nearly 4,200 US soldiers have died in two wars. No worries. We have Pax at the Pump."[...] In the meantime, there is evidence that Americans are driving more and, in some cases, moving back to buying less fuel-efficient vehicles. Alternative energy companies, particularly in the ethanol business, are trading at 52-week lows. Some may even go out of business.
What can be gathered by all this is that an improved economy is bad because gas prices go up. People will drive more and drive the cars they enjoy as they sate their addiction to oil-but the government's addiction to higher and higher gasoline taxes is never mentioned. Oh, and oil companies will not get their profits, which the Democrats and many citizens say they don't deserve anyway-go figure that one out.
Ultimately, the association must be made that free market forces and the private sector, meaning the people who make the country run, are behaving badly. As far as the people in the MSM are concerned there's a lose/lose going on here.
But do notice that much of this negative behavior can be controlled through positive restrictions. Starting with even higher taxation, maybe some petroleum nationalization? I didn't say that first. Maxine Waters did:
Waters responded, in part, "And guess what this liberal would be all about. This liberal will be about socializing ... uh, um. ..."The congresswoman paused to collect her thoughts."Would be about, basically, taking over, and the government running all of your companies. ..."
Yes, the price of gas is going down. And if we're not careful the government will fix that, too.
