12. asking the government to do what government does badly and what the private sector has demonstrated it can do better. We should stop asking government to solve problems that were government created in the first place, for government solutions of one problem in the economic sphere are simply leading to more problems. Every time we have attempted to substitute government regulation of prices for prices freely determined in the marketplace we have caused far more problems than we cured. Our efforts to control prices under Phases I, II, III, and IV did not stop inflation but merely produced continued inflation, a shortage of goods, and distortions in the economy. The United States had an energy problem that had long been in the making before the Arab oil embargo converted it into an immediate crisis. The root cause of the U. S. energy problem goes back to 1954 when the Federal Power Commission was required to regulate the price of natural gas that moved in interstate commerce. The FPC kept the natural gas price below its true value compared to other fuels and below the level needed to sustain supply. Because the price was too cheap, demand rose while production declined. At the same time other energy sources like coal were not developed because they could not compete. There is a role for government to play in long range planning, in the anticipation of major problems, and in the formulation of broad policies that will set in motion satisfactory solutions. But this must be on a systems basis, not the piece-meal legislative and administrative tinkering that we now practice. We cannot afford the luxury of legislation enacted almost simultaneously that escalates the demand for natural gas of which we are short, curtails the use of coal which we have in abundance, increases our need for imported oil while