wasn’t meant as a counterargument. was merely pointing out the ridiculousness of the “saves lives” comment.
i was correct, what i said was not ridiculous, and there is no valid counterargument. like i said, it literally got someone klled that the gas lines were so long and gas so scarce. they dont have to be. if gas were actual market price, stations could raise prices as supply dwindled, keeping consumption down. again, any time scarcity of anything gets people killed, the issue is political failure, often the lack of market pricing to control supply.
these price fluctuations are temporary and solve the problem. both by increasing supply and reducing demand. so if the gas station charges 20 a gallon, the guy with a tanker truck full of gas nearby in texas and alabama, sends his gas our way and sells it for 19. then more comes, and it sells for 18, and on until the price is market rate again. unless prices go up, he has little motivation to make an effort to send gas here. he can sell it for same price elsewhere. so we have dangerous shortages. and while this is happening, the reduced prices mean people do not hoard. they just get what they need. they drive a little less, and in the smallest car they own. if gas is 20 a gallon for two days, its fine. you only need a few gallons a day. nobody will get killed.
i’m not debating the gouging / anti-gouging. not interested in that debate. don’t care enough about either side to argue. i think the “saves lives” argument that everyone uses for every cause has become so cliché that is is now hilarious. my house is fucked up. my home town looks like war torn somalia and i don’t know if she’ll bounce back. Multiple people i know are now homeless. i give less than zero fucks about the price of gas and your 1.2 gallon tank on your vespa. But i’m a cynical asshole at heart so i will laugh at and mock your absolutely ridiculous “saves lives” argument because it is dumber than dog shit.
reality is not something you are required to accept. price gouging home supplies could help your community rebuild. the price of gas is incredibly important, particularly to communities that need rebulding. the last thing you need is a shortage. gas shortage throw a wrench into everything. when you cant get gas at all, you care. market prices will enable rebuilding. price controls destroy communities. https://mises.org/library/price-gouging-saves-lives-hurricane
we don’t even have running water right now. the price of gas is not at the top of our list. these people just lost EVERYTHING. every fucking penny and because their shit is destroyed and have to rebuilt from scratch they are no longer grandfathered in so they have to rebuild to code. which is quite a few several thousand dollars more than rebuilding as it was. and now you want to gouge the prices on them. so it will cost $500,000 to rebuild a $100,000 home. a home that will never ever ever sell for $500,000. period. so people will not rebuild.
