The thought of gas prices jumping another 44 cents a gallon next week is chilling. Although Republicans would like to be able to encourage Hawaii residents to purchase gas as if we were doing business as usual, we understand the natural instinct to fill your tank for $3.18 per gallon on Sunday if you know it could climb to $3.62 per gallon on Monday.
For the past three and a half years, the Democrats who dominate our state Legislature have been experimenting with ways to control the price of gas. They ordered $350 thousand worth of studies by economists and petroleum experts, and then ignored their nearly unanimous advice — not to interfere with the market. Instead, they kept tweaking and re-tweaking a law that could never work and ignoring the real reasons for the high price of gas in Hawaii.
Now, with gas prices poised to jump another 50 cents a gallon overnight, they can no longer hide their folly. It is plain for all to see.
First they told us the gas cap would lower prices, then they told us it would make prices fair, now they