PRICE GOUGING IS GOOD.
As an attorney, I cannot advise clients to ignore laws, even bad laws like "price gouging" laws.
As a libertarian, I can damn the media for reporting the government's
800 narc number to snitch to the government against free market economics.
The media should drop the 800 number and stop being mindless mouthpieces
for our police state. The media should show more respect to the public.
If the media really cared then they would promote an 800 number to explain
free market economics and why anti-gouging laws cause hoarding, shortages,
poverty and suffering.
The media are more likely to add an 800 number to snitch on hoarders, and
pair it up with the gouging line. That is probably the next step in
the police state.
Price-gouging is beneficent and anti-gouging laws should be repealed.
True gouging is taxation. Government steals money and then pays people to
build and rebuild dangerous housing in dangerous locations that cause injury
and death. Then, everyone must weather the storm of socialism, as government
sabotages the free market again with anti-gouging laws. Government creates
total dependency on moronic government. It is the economic exploitation that
is so characteristic of global socialism. Anti-gouging laws prove that catastrophes
are too important to have government involved.
One of the reasons why I am an undefeated media debate champion, is via my
standing challenge to publicly debate any media mouthpieces about their
coverage of "gouging."
for additional articles about this topic see the media debate challenge (and the win) against a newspaper columnist at http://rexcurry.net/Ruth.html
and see http://rexcurry.net/gouginglaws.html
http://rexcurry.net/gouging.html
Price gouging is good! Misguided criticism of price gouging
follows earthquakes in California, as it follows Hurricanes Florida, and floods in the Midwest.
Price gouging provides extra money for suppliers to buy
larger shipments of necessities and pay added costs for urgent delivery and
extra employees under crisis conditions. Wholesalers and distributors
quickly reroute supplies to disaster areas where increased demand covers
the added costs and permits a greater profit. To defeat price gouging
further hurts those who are already hurting.
Price gouging is great! Higher prices cause people in
non-damaged areas to delay purchases of building materials, freeing the material
up for sale in disaster areas. Protests of price gouging are made by
the same people who whine about bare shelves in non-gouging stores. Price
gouging is how free market pricing restrains buyers who would rush into non-gouging
stores before or during a crisis and leave nothing but anchovies (but at
the non-gouged price, of course).
All goods are private property and sellers can charge
whatever they wish or not sell at all. Anti-gouging laws cause sellers
not to reroute items to disaster areas and to delay selling near disaster
areas. People who support anti-gouging laws are ignorant statists who
cut their own throats (and others').
Price-gougers should be praised. Sellers who do
not gouge prices do not do themselves or consumers any favors. They
encourage hoarding and lessen their ability to increase replenishments.
Any Libertarian or Objectivist will point out that anti-gouging
laws achieve the opposite of what was intended. Eastern Europe, the former
Soviet Union, China and other socialist economies demonstrate that government
attempts to suppress prices causes greater shortages and suffering.
The laws of supply and demand do not change by popular edict.
Mandating price gouging would make more sense than banning
it, though no law at all is best. The "correct" price for all goods
at all times is the highest price anyone will pay. That is how Capitalism
creates abundance and prosperity. Price gouging is beneficial.
This letter was originally published on 11-11-96
http://rexcurry.net was one of the
first websites to use the phrases "price gouging is good" and "price gouging
is great" and "price gouging is beneficial" and "price gouging is beneficent"
in a sincere positive manner. A recent search of the web and newsgroups
for those phrases revealed either no results, or results that used the phrases
in a derogatory manner, and almost no instances of positive advocacy of price
gouging. It is more proof that government schools must end. The
phrase "government schools must end" was also first used by RexCurry.net.
I would have gladly paid $5 a bag for ice instead of throwing out the $90
worth of food these idiotic marxist anti-gouging laws helped me to. -Rick
G.
price gouging: a concept only a politician, journalist or other short-sighted economic illiterate could come up with.
"If a government were put in charge of the Sahara Desert, within five years
they'd have a shortage of sand." -- Dr. Milton Friedman
"The proverb warns that 'You should not bite the hand that feeds you.' But
maybe you should if it prevents you from feeding yourself." - Thomas Szasz