> The government doesn't help; it hinders, by subsidies, protective tariffs, and other distortions of the market. These policies help certain politically connec

> The government doesn't help; it hinders, by subsidies, protective tariffs, and other distortions of the market. These policies help certain politically connected groups (mainly large agribusinesses), but they hurt consumers overall. This is so true. In the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy there were plenty of gasoline shortages around NY; but the price did not significantly go up. If the stations were able to charge $9 or $10 a gallon, and the government didn't interfere, you can bet that companies/drivers would have been more than willing to import gasoline from other states. Why sell it in Ohio for $4, when you can sell it in NY for $10. Within a day or two, rather than the close to a week it took for normalcy to be restored; there would have been plentiful gasoline if you wanted it enough to pay. Instead we had stupidity like even and odd days in some counties, and long lines when a station happened to have gas.