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"There is no such thing as price gouging, and anyone who says otherwise is a Communist fool. In a capitalist economy there is no such thing as "price gouging"! In the old communist economies of East Europe there were always lines for everything as things were always in short supply. That was because the prices were kept artifically low. There was no incentive to produce goods for artificially low prices. When they switched to capitalism the lines dried up when the prices went up. The stores are now full of goods. The prices are much higher as well. There were those who complained "But the price of bread is now 10 times what it used to be and I can't afford that." The answer to that is: "If the price of bread is so high then now is the perfect time to get into the bread-making business." Those who saw opportunity thrived. Those who ran to the government for protection -- well, they are called "Democrats."

While Communism was and is a disaster, it's not the same as a temporary emergency. I agree that day in and day out the free market is the way to go, but I know first hand what happens in a disaster such as a hurricane. The market can still work, but it also breaks down in some areas due to charlatans who show up to take advantage of the situation. As I've said in other posts, the gouging is usually related to market cornering activity (see post #290, I'm not the only one), something that a normally functioning market can handle, but not necessarily during a large disaster due to a breakdown in fraud prosecution, communications, and supply sources.

I understand economics probably just as well or even better than either of you. I also have experience with what happens in a disaster. It's best to combine theory with real world experience. But if you're still convinced that you're right, I'll make the same suggestion I made to someone else. Go to a disaster area and corner the market in some needed commodity, and then offer to resell it for ten times the price. And since you're proud of your gouging activity, by all means put up a sign explaining what you've done. But then pray that the police put you in the safety of their jail before the local people who are trying to survive get a hold of you.