From this morning’s News & Observer, under the headline “Meaningless gouging“:
I was disappointed to see Attorney General Roy Cooper in the news
condemning “price gougers” for charging “unreasonable prices” for
gasoline. A man in his position should be wary of the word
“unreasonable.” (news story, Sept. 16). After all, if charging
“unreasonably excessive” prices were illegal, he would have to shut
down movie theaters, baseball stadium vendors, Starbucks and city
parking garages.During last weekend’s price hike, no customer was
forced to pay the high prices. If a consumer didn’t like the price
being charged, he could have gone elsewhere. I had the chance to pay
$4.76 per gallon of gas. I declined and found a station selling for
$3.69. Who’s the fool at the $4.76 station? The person selling it or
the fool buying it?Cooper should know that “price gouging” is a
meaningless term. Gas stations operate on the same economic principles
as any other firm, charging people what they are willing to pay for an
item. This is a basic tenet of a market economy. If you don’t like it,
you can move to 1970s Soviet Union where the government tells you how
much things cost and how much you can have. Then nobody will be gouged.Shane Martin, Greenville
Roy Cordato offers a similar message here.
