Per Lou Dobbs question of the day: 93% said

[SeattleGirl]

the government should freeze gas prices during times of crisis.

[ChairmanAgnostic]

1. oh dear. sigh.

I recall the carter daze of even and odd gas filling.
freezes do not work.
the thing about high gas prices is that it changes the economy and permits searches for alternate energy sources, approaches and more.

[Frances]

2. Were gas prices frozen then?

I just remember that we were worried that there wouldn't be enough gas and so we went on odd or even days to avoid long lines.

[NNN0LHI]

3. I don't remember any price freezes back then either

And the odd and even stuff began under Nixon before he was impeached.

Don

[SeattleGirl]

7. I don't remember them either, just the odd/even days.

I only saw the tail end of the show, so don't know the context in which he presented the question of the day.

I agree that raising gas prices could help push us into looking more and more at alternate fuel sources. However, the bad thing, in the immediate time frame, is that it makes it harder and harder to afford gas. And I'm not talking about buying gas for vacation and such, but rather for folks who need to drive to work each day, especially for people who make minimum wage or have financial hardships already in their lives. I am fortunate in that I am able to work at home (still have to go out for appointments, but I basically control my schedule so can lump appointments together on one day if I want), but many many people don't have that option. If gas goes to $5 or $6 a gallon all over, what kind of hit are people going to take?

[ChairmanAgnostic]

11. all true, and all bad, but all necessary

YOU DO REALIZE who will be making their grandkids' fortune from all of this? Haliburton, Cheney, and all their closest fiends.

unfortunately, we need things to come to a head in order to make changes. of course the poor will suffer. So will the middle class. but change will not happen any other way.

[SeattleGirl]

12. Alas, you are probably right.

*sigh*

[Rainscents]

4. Link?

[SeattleGirl]

9. Sorry, don't have one. Just posting on what I saw on his show. n/t

[KoKo]

5. The confusion might be that Nixon instituted "Wage/Price Freeze" to

control Inflation. So it meant that you couldn't get a raise until the Government took off the Freeze.

[stopbush]

10. Nixon instituted the Windfall Profits Tax on the oil industry

as an offset to the deregulation of the industry in 1974. These taxes were continued under Carter and Reagan and were finally lifted in 1988 (I think).

You'll be hearing alot about "Carter's windfall profit taxes that stopped R&D and new refineries in their tracks" from the RWNM, but it started under Nixon and kept going until Bush I took office.

[Lindacooks]

6. I'd prefer taxes on Exxon Mobile's outrageous profits.

They are now the most valuable company in the world because of their price gouging.

[Imajika]

13. I agree, but the problem is...

...Exxon Mobile would most certainly just pass along the increased taxes they pay to the consumer. Taxes on corporations are problematic that way. The executives and shareholders don't lose a nickel, we all just end up paying their additional taxes.

You'd have to do something more drastic to stop oil companies from making a fortune during these fuel crisis. Though appeals to patriotism and human decency sound like a decent first step, it won't work because shareholders would abandon the first oil company that voluntarily gave up profits and find someone else to invest their money with.

Some sort of profit freeze is about all I can think of to deal with these oil companies. Basically, whatever profit a company was making in real dollar terms is all they are allowed to continue making during the declared crisis period. That way all the oil company is allowed to do is pass along their additional cost to the consumer - but no more than that. Gas prices would still rise, but nowhere near as much as they do currently.

Just a suggestion anyway, I am sure there are all sorts of holes in my profit freeze idea.

It's a tough problem.

Imajika

[nonconformist]

8. I think they should too.

Why should big oil profit off our disasters like this?