I Feel Much Better

Having just forked over $70 to gas up the truck, I was glad to see that Lileks had the answer:

Oh, stop complaining about high gasoline prices. Adjusted for inflation it’s still not as costly as it would have been in 27 AD, when the cost of pumping by hand and straining light sweet crude through slave livers would have been ruinous. And it’s still cheaper than it was in 1981, before Ronald Reagan brought the price down by firing the air controllers, who stopped driving to work and thus reduced demand. Or something like that. In any case, it could be worse.

What’s that, you say? You live in the present, and hence are disinclined to accept windy bromides about historical trends? Well, you have a point. So what to do about our gas crisis? The options are few, but clear. Start with this: The government cuts taxes on gas to put money back in people’s pockets, and reduces the regulatory obstacles to new refinery construction.

(pause)

(snicker)

(Gales of laughter; wiping tears from eyes) Oh, that’s a good one, isn’t it.

And there's more! Much MORE.