I ran into a bit of interesting news on Yahoo today. It seems that
Taxi driver Jaime Tinoco works the streets of Caracas in a 1976 Chevy Nova that guzzles 19 gallons (72 liters) of gas a day. But he doesn't worry about fuel efficiency -- filling his tank costs just $2.30.
This is because
President Hugo Chavez, vows to maintain subsidies that keep fuel dirt-cheap.
While American and European(?) socialists and moderates complain about big oil's profits and gas prices, it seems that their ideological brethren are encouraging cheap fuel prices, to the determent of the environment. Saddam Hussein himself also subsidized fuel prices as part of his "bread and circuses" campaign to pacify his population.

So; are the market forces that are pushing oil and gas prices up good because they encourage conservation and development of alternative fuels, or do you side with Chavez on this? Is big government better than big oil?