Tom Brokaw probably noticed, as I did, that there was a lot less traffic congestion at $4.00/gallon. Forcing the proles into mass transit is a huge time-saver for those who can still afford to drive. Higher gas taxes would spark a revolt, so instead let’s “save the planet” by not licensing any new wells, pipelines, refineries, tanker ports, gas stations, etc. Then we can blame “speculators” for high gas prices, and add more layers of regulation to force prices higher still.