Re: Price gouging is beneficial. Price gouging is great!

[EMAIL PROTECTED] (rex) wrote:
>Bob LeChevalier <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote in message news:<[EMAIL PROTECTED]>...
>> "Robert N. Newshutz" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
>> >On 9/11 I decided to top off my gas tank, just in case. I was 
>> >disuaded by the newly elevated "gouging" price.
>> >
>> >"Price gouging" is an effective means of countering hording.
>> 
>> I don't think it is.  Allowing price gouging merely encourages people
>> to attempt to corner the market on needed supplies, whereupon they can
>> hoard goods until the price reaches truly exorbitant levels.
>
>He didn't ask you if you think it is,

I don't much care.

>you volunteered that you would want the
>government to intervene in the situation he describe, which in his
>case meant that he would be able to buy or even hoard gas,

If hoarding is as illegal as gouging, he would think twice about it.

>You have just proved how the cliches of totalitarian
>socialism are idiotic, and produce poverty, shortages, misery and the
>massive starvation, killing and deaths that characterized the Union of
>Soviet Socialist Republics, Communist China and the National Socialist
>German Workers' Party.

Since there are anti-gouging laws in place in CA, and they don't have
"massive starvation, killing and deaths that characterized the Union
of Soviet Socialist Republics, Communist China and the National
Socialist German Workers' Party", your claim of proof is shown to be
nonsense.

>You for one  have no problem with government
>violence in an attempt at confiscation of vital
>supplies from both hoarders and gougers in an emergency,

Correct.  But it would not be a mere "attempt".

>and you
>naively think that you and your socialist government will omnisciently
>know where they are,

The government doesn't need to omnisciently know where they are.  It
merely needs to prosecute *severely* when someone turns up.  Most
people don't like being prosecuted.

>and you miss the fact that no one will produce
>more nor go great distances to obtain more, because of your violence.

They don't need to.

>>Private property rights are secondary in a true emergency
>> where lives are at stake.
>
>You are saying that you don't believe anyone has private property
>rights in food, clothing, shelter or anything.

No I am not.  I am saying that such rights are not absolute, when they
conflict with other rights.

lojbab
-- 
lojbab                                             [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Bob LeChevalier, Founder, The Logical Language Group
(Opinions are my own; I do not speak for the organization.)
Artificial language Loglan/Lojban:                 http://www.lojban.org