Gas prices continue to rise and that has liberals in a tizzy.

Wednesday, June 21, 2000

Gas prices continue to rise and that has liberals in a tizzy. At least one Ohio lawmaker has called for congressional hearings and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Energy Department have somehow determined they should get involved.

U.S. Rep. Tony Hall, a Democrat from Dayton, sent a letter to Rep. Henry Hyde, R-Ill., chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, demanding a hearing.

”The American people need an explanation for these huge price increases,” he wrote. ”Hearings will put oil executives on the spot to justify what they are doing.”

Hall and other liberals seem to think it is OK for government to get involved in what is essentially a free-market endeavor. While we feel the pinch at the pump as much as the next person, high prices are more palatable than government interference in the free market.

Of course, Hall doesn’t mention that Ohio tourism officials believe the higher gas prices will actually help the state as more Ohioans take vacations closer to home, such as the U.S. Air Force Museum, which is in Hall’s congressional district.

– The Lima News