America out of gas

Some parts, that is. A lesson in how to do a good job of shooting yourself in the foot. That link was written September 22; the problem persists:

ASHEVILLE, N.C. (AP) — A gas shortage that's frustrating drivers in the Southeast has prompted a community college in North Carolina to cancel classes for the rest of the week.

Officials say an increasing number of the 25,000 commuter students at several campuses of Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College aren't showing up.

A spokeswoman for the college in western North Carolina says even professors are calling to say they're stuck at home.

Drivers throughout much of the Southeast have been scrambling to find gas since Hurricane Ike shut down or reduced work at more than a dozen refineries on the Texas Gulf Coast. Some stations don't have gas to sell, while others report long lines.

Oh, my, the shortage is leading to fist fights, and could result in the cancellation of major college football games.

There's a solution: raise the price, but that's illegal due to state price gouging laws. It's amazing how journalists can't connect price controls as the cause of the shortages.