Posted on 09/01/2005 9:12:07 AM PDT by blueberry12
Consider this the last straw: I'm calling that statement a lie. (Note: you have indeed said "do the ethical thing"; you've never said what the "ethical thing" is supposed to be.)
Cause I know I'm too lazy to re-type...
You're also too lazy to type the post number? Yeah, right.
You're a liar and without honor.....
You've consistently misstated, misrepresented and flat made-up hypothetical positions that I supposedly took.
Your lack of understanding regarding ethics and morality in business for a capitalistic society is astonishing. However, in your case, I'll must consider the source.
You're parents must be proud....
The post is #199, since we can now add truly lazy to your list of character flaws....
Shouldn't you be in school now, I'm sure the bell is ringing, little boy?
NeverGore
Hold the standard margin percentage as a fixed profit during a crisis....thus if they had a standard 10% and were buying gasoline at $2.00/gal they would continue to charge the $2.20/gal until their supplies ran out. If the new gas came in at $3.00/gal then they would charge $3.20/gal until the state of emergency was over....then let full free market reign again...
You have singularly failed to answer the two objections that have been raised long ago:
First, if a new shipment comes in at $3/gal, the guy who sold his gas at $2.50/gal can't afford the new gas shipment. You're assuming enough capital in savings to purchase a whole shipment of gas despite a shortfall on receipts from the last shipment.
Second, this method of distribution guarantees that the gas station will sell out completely in short order, as everyone stocks up. (Note: this is already happening in Georgia, where anti-gouging laws have been activated.) So your recommendation is precisely as I've described it: first-come, first-served, until the pump runs dry. You haven't remotely proven that this results in the fairest, most equitable distribution of fuel. The first complaint is that first-come, first-served is not at all biased in favor of use by emergency vehicles, but I would think that the most ethical distribution system would give priority to emergency vehicles in some way, shape or form. First-come, first-served, fails that test.
So having claimed that this strategy is the most ethical, go ahead and prove that it is in fact more ethical than the alternatives. Ready? Set? Go ahead.
You posted that to the wrong person. That quote is from post 1, my post is post 2.
But just to get the word out there, price gouging is very dirty business. It should be cleaned up as much as possible, ASAP.
But as I said in my original post, I wish boy do I wish that was the biggest of our problems.
Our problem is supply and demand that stems from all of the refineries that were taken offline via Katrina.
You can't. Unfortunately, there aren't enough voices out there in the mainstream that spout common sense.
What do you mean?
^^^^^^^^^^^^don't go there right now on gas taxes. There might be a time for that, but not now.^^^^^^^^^^^
I disagree.
With all of this talk about gouging, anybody who doesn't mention the tax part of the price in my honest opinion is a friggin liar.
I see no difference, if we're going to complain about private industry gouging us we should also complain about government gouging us.
What's good for the goose is good for the gander.
I agree with you about the price caps. Supply and demand is what will solve this problem. We need more refineries.
But to say we should ignore the taxes is as idiotic as saying that we should ignore the gouging.
Unless you don't really know just how much taxes is in your gas. Then I can understand why you said this.(though it changes from state to state)
Calling someone a friggin' liar is really beyond the pale, BTW.
^^^^^^^^^^I live in one of THE highest gas-tax states. I do not think overall that there is any price-gouging going on.^^^^^^^^^^
*shrug*
Ok. Perhaps you could tell me what the percentage or dollar amount is?
^^^^^^^^^^Calling someone a friggin' liar is really beyond the pale, BTW.^^^^^^^^^^^
It wasn't directed at you specifically. It was a general rant at those who only look at one part of the gouging.
Yes, merchants can charge whatever they they want for their product. The law of supply and demand.
Yes we also have a zillion lawyers out there who are would jump at the chance to bring a huge class action lawsuit against the the oil companies. There would not be a jury in the country that would not return a judgment against the oil companies. The sky would be the limit on this one, perhaps $100 billion.
Yes we also have a lot of angry people who will vote democrat on 2006 over this. Republicans are equated with big oil. This could swing the house and senate to democrat in 2006. Perhaps put hillary in the whitehouse in 2008.
Oil companies thought profits first and did not foresee the consequences. If they would have kept prices reasonable and announced this publicly they would have made a huge public relations coup. Now they are (still) despised by most people, economics 101 or not.
What some people call gouging is simply station owners trying to keep their doors open by keeping gas in their tanks when they have a run on gas and are unable to get fresh deliveries.
What they don't realize is that if the price of oil keeps going up like it is, then the time will come when the poor won't be able to buy gas at all. What are they going to do then? Before we know it some people will start talking about gas being a necessity and a "right" rather than a privilege.
If or when gas becomes a luxury item, communists will have to face reality: It's not possible to defy the forces of supply and demand.
It doesn't matter... It was still gauging if it went up faster than I think it should have... After all, the wholesale market is just a bunch of greedy robber barons splitting dividing the spoils from the working-class... The station owner should have just sold the gas for less than it was worth--I mean, a whole 16 cents a gallon... that means it will cost me almost $2.50 more to fill up my car! Talk about theft! Call the government!!
/s
It's a hopeless case. Some people are just willfully ignorant. The esteemed poster you were responding to probably doesn't even know what the wholesale market is, and doesn't care to learn--it would just burst his little sense of self-importance (e.g., heroic little guy fights back big evil corporation).
^^^^^^^^You can call it economics 101 or whatever.^^^^^^^^^
Heh, that's what it *is* called. These companies control something in which everybody uses, and the price keeps going up not because of gouging, but because of supply and demand.
The gouging(and feel free to post any links that I might have missed) is being pointed at the gas stations themselves. They are raising their prices while the gas they already have in the ground hasn't changed in price from what they already paid for it.
The thing I find funny is this notion that once we move off of oil everything will be A-OK. Nothing will change. Once (x resource) becomes the replacement for oil then (x resource companies) will become the new political tools for the liberals as they will point the finger at that evil (x resource company) making money.
^^^^^^^^^^ Yes we also have a lot of angry people who will vote democrat on 2006 over this.^^^^^^^^^^^^
I disagree. The laws of supply and demand cannot be ignored. What comes up to unrealistic levels must come down. It'll come down before the election.
^^^^^^^^Perhaps put hillary in the whitehouse in 2008.^^^^^^^^^
Nah. You have nothing to worry about from hillary. NOTHING.
If she gained the nom from the D in 2008 she would single handedly re-define the term "negative turnout". As conservatives we need to worry about evan bayh or perhaps mark warner. Those who could put the mask on and actually fool people. There aren't enough people fooled into thinking hillary is a centrist for her to win.
^^^^^^^^^^^^If they would have kept prices reasonable and announced this publicly they would have made a huge public relations coup.^^^^^^^^^^^^
I understand what you are saying. And unfortunately being as americans arent taught things such as economics anymore it's easy for the media to manipulate them.
But the prices will come down. Supply and demand will complete it's circle.
Sadly you've hit the nail on the head.
^^^^^^^^^It doesn't matter... It was still gauging if it went up faster than I think it should have... After all, the wholesale market is just a bunch of greedy robber barons splitting dividing the spoils from the working-class... The station owner should have just sold the gas for less than it was worth--I mean, a whole 16 cents a gallon... that means it will cost me almost $2.50 more to fill up my car! Talk about theft! Call the government!!^^^^^^^^^^^
That's exactly how the people are viewing it as they've been trained over decades to think as liberals do. You're a victim. Between liberal infiltration into our schools and the media this victimist attitude will be very hard to overcome.
It's easy to be a victim, and liberals exploit this at every turn.
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