Ironglow,
You have to know by now that no matter what you do, raise gas prices, lower gas prices, raise taxes, lower taxes, you are never going to make a liberal happy.
If you raise the price of fuel artifically they will complain that A- It was not enough to get us off fossil fuels, mind you with out any other form of fuel to take it's place realistically.
B- that the sprouts and tofu now cost more, the bus, subway and other forms of public transportation now cost more and are more crowded.
If you raise taxes it was never enough, and more are needed,
If you lower taxes then it was all about class warfare and the rich get richer, when actually more people become rich as the standard of living increases.
The liberals will not be happy even if we are all riding bicycles and walking, have only cottage industry, and eat only organic tofu and sprouts on collective farms wearing vegan clothing. But then again that was the idea Pol Pot had for Cambodia, and millions of people posed for rifle fire, that questioned his ideas. And millions more would have starved to death in the silly farming communities.
We need to understand that these people understand nothing of economics, that they believe in feelings rather than hard science, and that no matter what you give them it is never enough and they think they should be incharge, That they know more than you do about your profession or business and how to run it, never having run so much as a lemonaid stand.
We sooner should let 5 year olds e in charge.