Posted on 08/17/2004 3:49:10 PM PDT by beaureguard
Your case is slightly different. It's quite easy to explain to reasonable customers the difficulties you face supply, resupply, labor, transportation, permits, etc.
I was a residential remodeller during HUGO when I lived in Northern VA. I rented a Ryder, filled it full of framing lumber and plywood, loaded my crew, and headed to N.C. While I got a premium for what we did, we didn't gouge and got very, very few complaints from homeowners.
It's different when you're sitting on ten cases of water at $1.09 a gallon Monday and the same ten cases are worth $10.09 a gallon on Tuesday and you did nothing, or paid nothing, extra to obtain it.
Walter E Williams, as usual, makes a better case:
http://www.jewishworldreview.com/cols/williams032404.asp
Market pricing is the fairest system of rationing. It's also the most efficient.
Excellent example, thanks for sharing.
I imposed a limit of one large ice and two gallons of water per family. It seemed fair to me to spread the resources to as many families as possible and not to the one rich guy who could afford it all.
And don't anyone start on me with any "communism" BS.
You have to live through one of these disasters to fully appreciate and understand it.
You're right. An area in a state of emergency in the immediate aftermath of a Catgory 4 hurricane isn't really freedom.
Capitalism in its purest form, like socialism in its purest form, do not take into account human nature. They both operate well on paper and in the ether of "theory".
However, when human nature is added to the equation capitalism becomes a form of darwinism. Only the strong (or those with money) will survive. Is it just that the one person in line who had the money to pay $15.39 for the ice was able to buy it whether he had a greater need or not?
Capitalists forget that we live in a society that, to insure its success, must take into account the diversities of human nature. Some people will have more than others and those that can't provide for themselves will need some help.
Capitalists refuse to see this. For them they only exist "to maximize profits".
The post (14) provides another example of the market, not the government, determining supply. The shop owner percieved that his long term interest lay in not raising his prices. This would apply equally to large scale vendors (Home Depot etc.) PR, not ill-concieved laws, will prevent extreme gouging. Moderate "gouging" will more quickly restore inventories, thereby lessening the duration of the crisis. No one should go to jail or be fined for accepting any amount of money for a legal good from a willing buyer.
Yes, of course it should. And if you find a buyer, he obviously doesn't think the price is "outrageous", so who is anyone else to judge?
No. The reason for anti-gouging laws is to make sure people don't die in the aftermath of major disasters because they can't afford the newly jacked-up prices for necessities. It's not about ivory-tower philosophy.
Besides, the 99 44/100% purity of capitalism this author seeks can't be found anywhere else in the United States, so why should he expect to find it in a hurricane zone?
Think 1974 and gasoline rationing in this country, all so prices wouldn't shoot up. What happened ? No supply, people hoarded, shortages and lines everywhere. Remember what happened when price controls were lifted - no shortages and no lines in a very short amount of time.
Bless the free market forever.
The store can always limit the amount a customer can buy. There are pluses and minuses to the market approach in an emergency. At this point in our economic development, it's ideal to have large players like Home Depot and Walmart who have the logistics to bring in extra supply at near normal prices.
Sometimes you may still need someone to drive a 100 miles away and bring in needed items. In the case it's OK to charge an extra high price and most gouging laws I've seen account for that.
Walter Williams, once again, proves that the motivating factor in his life is profit.
Move on folks, no humanity to be seen here.
Er, no, Walter Williams proves once again that he has a much better grasp of economics than you.
Smells like a libertarian at work.
Anyone who buys this will quit believing once they actually have to deal with price gouging and living disaster conditions.
I agree. As a super-capitalist W. Williams is the best... As a human being, he is not a man I would associate with.
That's true. Nixon's and Carter's price controls were a disaster. But comparing a short term disaster that affects one small area of the country, like Charley, with an event that affected the entire country over a period of months and years is wrong.
bulls&*$. The motiviating factor in his life is human freedom.
Your "humanity" pitch is just a backhanded way of condoning government control because it makes you feel better about yourself. Because if you're condemning what he wrote, you're endorsing government control in the name of forced benevolence.
His "profit" motive actually gets things done - and works better, more efficiently, and more justly than any government scheme ever has or possibly could.
ah, "super capitalist" - a term used by the liberals at heart to bash those who believe in real freedom.
Thanks for revealing yourself.
Am I on the right website? I thought we had compassion for our fellow man. To not kick someone when they are down is not anti-capitalism, it is an act of compassion and charity. To intentionally screw someone because of hard luck is just being a greedy bastard.
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