So far nobody has pointed out the direct conflict between price-gouging and Judeo-Christian religious principles.
It may be efficient, but it may also be immoral.
But I think some allowance should be made for the fact that costs of sellers go up during such periods, too. It costs more to operate your business and raising prices to compensate for your increased costs is not price-gouging.
"Call me names all you want."
Funny how the people who always start the name calling act all verklempt when it happens to them...
Anyway, you obviously haven't listened to walter e williams or read his work. Or maybe you just can't understand it. The underlying notion is NOT money, it is FREEDOM.
He wants people to be able to decide that if there's a disaster and they want to sell supplies - and they have to go through the trouble of getting transportation, product, personnel, whatever - that they and the buyer be the sole determination of how much the supplies are sold for.
Apparently, you want the government to step in and say, no, you can't offer to sell something in high demand for a higher price.
And remember, one person selling an item at 3x the normal price doesn't preclude anyone else from selling it at or below cost or giving it away. IT"S MERELY ANOTHER OPTION!!!
And it's a good option because many people on the other side of the disaster equation do the opposite of gouging - hording. Don't see you condeming that here.
Letting the market determine the price of a needed item is extremely humane- it acts as natural discouragement of hording. So instead of a guy who only needs 2 gallons of water buying 10 because it's dirt cheap and he wants it all - the price makes him justify whether or not it's worth the extra cost. Then those extra 8 gallons are there for a family of four that need them. They're not sitting away somewhere unused because an 'evil horder' got to them first.
Having 1000 gallons of water available at $5 a gallon is better than having no gallons of water available at $1 a gallon. But apparently you'd rather have people dehydrate and die than some person who is motivated by evil 'profit' come in and fill their needs after the $1 a gallon water was sold out.
W. Williams, when he subs for Rush, is boring and clearly out of touch with economic reality.
Clearly you dont understand either Williams and completely mis-state his moral and philosophic concerns.
Lives are *saved* with free market economics. Socialism *kills* people. So "kill or be killed" is completely the opposite of what you infer.
"I actually want all of the people I know to live a healthy happy life. "
So does walter williams, and to suggest otherwise is insulting.