Differential Anti-Market Bias

I don't think people are all that freaked out. Politicians, yes. Witness Republicans floating $100 rebates and passing anti-gouging legislation. Media, yes. Can't bag on the strong economy, so focus on price at the pump. But I don't see people getting freaked out over the higher prices. They'll go down. Maybe you have a few less dollars for Starbucks at the end of the week. Other than that, $48 to fill your tank vs. $42 isn't a huge hit.

Here is a great example of government creating a cartel and blaming those who try to buy and sell freely as the bad guy: http://blog.mises.org/archives/005005.asp