Cantwell taken to task for proposing gas price controls

Steve Chapman of the Chicago Tribune says Cantwell proposed the wrong answer for high gas prices when she proposed giving the president power to control gas prices.

"A lot of people grew anxious seeing long lines forming last week, as motorists rushed to fill their tanks in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. But Cantwell apparently enjoyed the sight well enough that she'd like to make those lines a permanent feature of the landscape. If so, she has the right approach. The government does many things badly, but one thing it knows how to do is create shortages through the vigorous use of price controls," said Chapman.