Gas crisis thanks to Ike?

[ScottyB]

I'm just cruious - is there some kind of "gouging" legislation active down there?

yep. quite a few subpeonas sent out to some stations charging over 8/gallon for regular right after ike hit. these stations are not far from me but i never saw anything close to that high.

their reasoning is that there should be a limit to price hikes during natural disasters since people are forced to buy more of or certain resources they normally wouldn't buy.

unfortunately this allows people to continue to buy it without much thought instead of changing their habits or the product only being bought by people who really need it.

[ViPER1313]

you better believe the gov't will try to step in to regulate prices on gas.

How's that working out in Charlotte and Nashville?

I never said it would be effective, I just said that they would try & regulate it. And poorly, from what I have seen.

[.RJ]

And poorly, from what I have seen.

Because it never works. The gov't has tried this over, and over, and over. Repeating fail.

[ViPER1313]

Of course it always fails, because ever attempt to ever regulate the price of gas has been short-term knee-jerk BS. Regulation of an industry over time can have positive effects - would you rather have more or less regulation in the following areas:

-Pharmaceutical drug research & production
-Food production (fruits, vegitables, meat in particular)

Even you hardcore Republicans should realize that most corporations are concerned with profit's first, consumer second (whether you think lawsuits or the government should regulate them.)

[.RJ]

[Ginger]

Even you hardcore Republicans should realize that most corporations are concerned with profit's first, consumer second (whether you think lawsuits or the government should regulate them.)

Are you serious? This just represents massive misunderstanding of economics at the most basic leve and is, at it's core, based on a bleeding heart normative-ideology opinion.

Just because a necessity becomes more scarce doesn't mean that government regulatory agencies should intervene, or that it will work better than other goods.

You know what happens when you regulate the price of scare goods below the market price?

YOU RUN OUT. FAST.

I've seen it happen in all kinds of markets - this isn't some kind of "maybe not here" game. It's life. Believing otherwise is stupidity on stilts.

And - guess what? It's happening here.

[Ginger]

-Pharmaceutical drug research & production
-Food production (fruits, vegitables, meat in particular)

And to answer your question - less and less on both counts. I guess it doesn't matter that the FDA was established under false pretenses driven by consumer reaction to a FICTION novel as long as it's goodly intended, huh?

And you're decidedly incorrect about price regulation being only tried in the short term. See: rent controls for starters.

[Apoc]

I like it when Ginger talks economics.

It makes me realize that not everyone in this world is stupid and does my finance degree's heart good. Too gay? I don't care. I'm gay for Ginger's understanding of economics. There, I said it!

[.RJ]

I like it when Ginger talks economics.

It makes me realize that not everyone in this world is stupid and does my finance degree's heart good.

Too gay? I don't care. I'm gay for Ginger's understanding of economics. There, I said it!

Please do not insinuate that ginger is not stupid.