Whenever and where ever the free market succeeds, fault will be found and the shrill extremist elements will be heard. Their complaint is not about what the free market does, but is an ideological opposition to the very idea of a free market. One need not look too long or far to find the ideological roots of such thinking.
I think anti-energy jerks have heard stories of romance involving people in other countries wearing berets and riding their bicycles into town for a baguette and some cheese. They think the US should be like that. But we’re not sophisticated enough to do that. But if our gas cost more, well maybe... Just maybe... Oh, what a wonderful fantasy world it would be!