California: Bustamante needs Econ 101

San Jose Mercury News ^ | August 31, 2003

[John Jorsett]

People don't like it when gas prices go up. So Cruz Bustamante is here to help.

Put gas prices under the control of the Public Utilities Commission, the lieutenant governor and candidate for governor said last week, supporting a constitutional amendment just introduced in the Legislature.

Of course, if prices are controlled and oil companies don't like it, someone will have to force them to keep making gas, or there will be shortages.

No doubt Bustamante will be able to work that out.

``It is about time that Californians had a say in being able to make sure they are not being gouged,'' he said.

[Choose Ye This Day]

Why excerpt it? Here's the whole magilla:



Bustamante needs Econ 101
Mercury News Editorial

People don't like it when gas prices go up. So Cruz Bustamante is here to help.

Put gas prices under the control of the Public Utilities Commission, the lieutenant governor and candidate for governor said last week, supporting a constitutional amendment just introduced in the Legislature.

Of course, if prices are controlled and oil companies don't like it, someone will have to force them to keep making gas, or there will be shortages.

No doubt Bustamante will be able to work that out.

``It is about time that Californians had a say in being able to make sure they are not being gouged,'' he said.

They have one. They can carpool. They can take transit. They can buy fuel-thrifty cars. But they don't seem to want to do that, so Bustamante will courageously tell them that they should be able to have as much gas as they want at a price they like. Or does he plan to ration it too?

Gas prices are high now, even by historic standards, but they are not at record levels when adjusted for inflation. Gas cost $2.40 a gallon in 1980 and 1981, in today's dollars.

Bustamante will have a hard time finding an economist to back this proposal or a lawyer to tell him it's legal. But consider, instead, how it fits with other state policies.

In its air and energy regulations, the state is trying to discourage gas-guzzling cars and gas-wasting drivers. It is spending billions on highways in a vain effort to keep up with the ever-growing traffic, and on transit to provide an alternative to driving.

Add price controls on gasoline and where would that leave state policy? ``Gas is cheap, please don't use much.'' Besides, California probably doesn't even have the authority to control the price of gasoline.

``Gasoline -- and the business of selling gasoline -- is part of interstate commerce that belongs to Congress to regulate, if at all,'' Anthony Sabino, a law professor in New York told the Los Angeles Times. ``With all due respect to Mr. Bustamante, he is either very ignorant of the law, or he's getting incredibly bad advice from his advisers, or it's a publicity stunt.''

Do we have to pick just one?

[John Jorsett]

Why excerpt it? Here's the whole magilla:

Because it's from bayarea.com and excerpting is required.

[bitcon]

That's a socialist for you. Don't bitch though. $2.40 isn't that bad. It's getting past $0.90 and in some places it's past a dollar here, and thats per litre with about 4 litres per gallon. Even after the exchange rate, Canadian to US, it's a better deal there.

[appeal2]

Buz Crustamante

[Reaganwuzthebest]

It looks like Bustamante's "cure" for solving economic problems is to do it the way Mexico does it, with socialism. And we all know what a great success story they are.

[AEMILIUS PAULUS]

Statement: " California: Bustamante needs Econ 101"

Response: No. He does not need Economics.

[bert]

Econ 101 is a capitalist course. Bustamonte is a socialist and therefore Econ 101 doesn't apply.

[Regulator]

Buz Crustamante

Cruz MexiNazi

[FITZ]

That's the other thing about MEChA --- it's not just an anti-American racist supremacy group ---- it's very Marxist.

[Tamzee]

Bustamante...

:::shudder:::

[FITZ]

They don't offer Econ 101 in the Chicano Studies programs for reasons.

[jocko12]

BUSTY A FOOL,LOOK WHAT HAPPEN WHEN DOOFUS TOLD THE PUC NOT TO RAISE THE ENGERY RATES, NOW 38 BIL LATER YOU GET A RECALL!!!!

[Kevin Curry]

Put gas prices under the control of the Public Utilities Commission, the lieutenant governor and candidate for governor said last week, supporting a constitutional amendment just introduced in the Legislature.

A page straight from the Kommisariat of Central Planning's playbook, Moscow, circa 1936.

Bustamante's dimbulb solution for putting out a fire is to smother it with gasoline.

[heleny]

It is spending billions on highways in a vain effort to keep up with the ever-growing traffic, and on transit to provide an alternative to driving.

Is the gas tax money really being spent on the highways? If we built more highways and reduced traffic jams we could improve the average fuel economy far more than mass transit does in CA, for the same amount of money.

If Bustamante wants to lower gas prices, he could start by removing state gas taxes and oxygenation additive requirements.

[DiamondDon1]

Anyone else wonder why:

Cruz Must Lose

DD

[Kevin Curry]

Cruz Must Lose

Not to worry. Even if he "wins" he will lose.

In very short order, loony tunes hijinks and low farce such as this will cause the California proletariat to demand his hide.

Following the Davis-Bustmante debacle, the next election cyle will see California elect a genuinely conservative governor.

[cartoonistx]

[cartoonistx]

Economics!?! We doun need no steenkin' economics!!!

[Tamzee]

Perhaps it would help Bustamante to be photographed in a tank... with a Mexican flag behind him ;-)