Price gouging actually *helps* in a crisis

[Patiod]

Let the good folks at the American Enterprise Institute explain it all to you...

<snip>
Stamping out "price-gouging" by hotels merely means that more of those fleeing the storm will be homeless. No one wants people to pay more for a hotel, but we all also want people to have some place to stay. As the price of hotel rooms rises, some may decide that they will share a room with others. Instead of a family getting one room for the kids and another for the parents, some will make do with having everyone in the same room. At high enough prices, friends or neighbors who can stay with each other will do so.

There is another downside to price regulations. Companies in states all across the country, hoping to make a few dollars, are thinking of loading up their trucks with food, water and generators and heading down to Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama. The higher the prices, the faster these "greedy" companies and individuals will get their products down to desperate customers. But their greed means less suffering. The more products delivered, the less prices will rise. Political grandstanding today means future disasters will turn out even worse.

<snip>
Making the companies pay for others' altruism not only creates the wrong incentives, it is also unfair. If we need to help out, make everyone pay.
<snip>

http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/editorial/outlook/3332041

[NYCGirl]

1. Sure it does. It helps the people doing the gouging! NT

[Waya]

2. 'But their greed means less suffering?'

What bullshit. These people have nothing. NOTHING!
And here come the good Samaritans with food and water at 5 times the regular price, wanting to ease these people's suffering.
Their charity is just overwhelming.

[bushisanidiot]

3. Fucking vampires..

I'm sure Jesus is proud of them..

[Spinzonner]

4. Sociopathic Economic Theory

[Bob3]

5. make everyone pay - With what?

Okay with what? these people have nothing - and nothing to lose. I could easily see riots starting over food and water if this insane idea was tired. The only way they could pay would be with funds given to them by the government - soooo, the gougers would be doing the good Republican thing by taking government money while extolling free Enterprise.

"if we need to help out" what you don't live on planet earth? what happened there doesn't affect you. Swine.

[atommom]

6. But why should the wealthy and greedy have to suffer (by making

less profit than they could if they gouged), just because the poor and downtrodden are suffering?

The sad part is that they don't even realize how bad their rationalization makes them look!

[fasttense]

7. Just like the potato famine, laze fare government

let the market control the price of goods while millions starve to death. Free trade, free trade free trade.

If you don't believe it, look at the only action the federal government has taken so far. Only after one of the "haves and have mores" asked for the release of oil reserves was it done. Now these oil companies can get cheap from the government and sell it at the going rate. Free trade, free trade, free trade.

[CrispyQ]

8. I can't believe how people fall for any argument that includes

'free trade.' Like the only other option is no trade? What about fair trade? It's in our power to change things if only the sheeple would wake up & join us.

[Patiod]

9. What are you all, a bunch of commies?

Boy, you just expect the government to do it all for you, don't you.

The free market will help out, if prices are high enough to motivate fly-by-night contractors into the area to "help".

Maybe we need to get Grover Norquist in here to shake some sense into you filthy hippies.

Go capitalism!!!



/I'm sorry, I'm out of vitriol, frustration, and sarcasm for this morning. I think I'm going to go throw up now.

[K-W]

10. The invisible hand guides the wealthy to do what is right.

Which is nothing like when we had Kings who claimed ownership of the country and told us that god guided them to rule benevolently. Nothing like that at all...

The American Enterprise Institute is enganged in the ancient art of justifying tyrranny.

[Patiod]

11. Kicking