Reply #78: Price controls just lead to shortages

[LibertyFox]

Isn't that what happened back in the 70s when there were price controls on gas? I'm not old enough to have been affected but I read about lines at gas pumps. Price controls leading to companies shutting down production or selling to overseas because the most of the oil isn't profitable in the US. We get shortages, and the weak economy is crippled even more. As much as we can hate on oil companies the solution is not to punish them, it's to see to it that alternatives are more viable.

Personally I'm fine if gas prices become unacceptable because oil simply costs too much. If that happens then cars like the Prius and Volt become more competitive due to markets than due to federal subsidies, I think that strengthens the public perception that this is not the government trying to force them into cars and instead look at them as viable alternatives.