Much of New Orleans still lays in ruins after the battering while politicians and urban planners (central directors) decide what the city should be like when it is rebuilt. There are plenty of calls for President Bush to do something to relieve gas prices (central direction). At times like these, when folks clamor for government officials to "do something" to lower prices, make life better, etc., we could do well to read a few articles that point out why actual responses to such calls could very well make things even worse.
Last summer, a blogger who goes by "Hispanic Pundit", wrote this post that lists several essays that clearly spell out the difficulties associated with central direction. Of particular relevance is the article "I, Pencil" in which Leonard Read describes the complexity of making a pencil.