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

Said  Bob LeChevalier <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> :


>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.

Hence the problem isn't price gouging, but allowing someone to corner
the market. A free market would allow anyone to set his or her price,
but then, it would also allow buyers to go elsewhere if they don't
want to pay. But now, a free market doesn't only require freedom, it
also requires diversity: the moment we let oligopolies or monopolies
take over, away goes consumer freedom and hence the markets are no
longer free.  

So, maybe prices shouldn't be controlled after all - but that would
require our governments to be uncompromising in defending and
maintained the diversity of the markets. But that hardly happens, look
at IBM in the past, Microsoft today, just to give you an example. 


Alberto.