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No Gas in North Carolina Thanks to Anti-Gouging Laws

Started by cordblomquist · 10 months ago

Rad Berky of NewsChannel 36 in Charlotte, North Carolina reports that fears of Hurricane Ike disrupting the supply of gasoline has caused massive runs on gas stations.  This phenomenon was brought to my attention by CEI’s Vice President for Policy, Wayne Crews, who is currentl ... Continue reading »

14 comments

  • Nancyf

    10 months ago

    What in the world does GOUGING and your desire to do it have to do with the supply of gas????? That's outlandish! There's a STORM coming for GOD'S sake!!!! This is nothing but a rant about an order NOT to break the laws, moral and civil!!!! Ur crazy...with greed sounds like!
    reply
  • cordblomquist

    10 months ago

    Imagine two scenarious, one with and another without the gouging laws:

    With gouging laws, prices stay low and people rush to gas stations to buy gas before hurrican Ike hits Texas and disrupts gas supplies. Pumps quickly run dry and several services crucial to North Carolina like emergency vehicles, mass transportation, and emergency medical generators are unable to get the gas they need.

    Without gouging laws people don't rush to pumps as stations owners raise prices in recognition of the disrupted supplies. People who can't afford the short-term price increases take to mass transit, which thankfully was able to buy the high-priced gas as pumps didn't run dry. Similarly, hospital generators and emergency vehicles were able to keep running, albeit at higher prices, but at least they got the gas they needed.

    This isn't about greed, it's about recognizing that supply disruptions have consequences, and one of those consequences is higher prices. When things are in short supply, some things have to take priority. Prices help us figure out what those priorities are and encourage people to find alternatives to the resources that are suddenly scarce.

    That's not greed, that's simple economics, and it makes us all better off.
    reply
  • Nancyf

    10 months ago

    Baloney. They would have bought it ANYWAY....and that's exactly what the article said! They just wouldn't have paid the obscene and immorally priced gas as it is EVEN with the gouging laws!
    reply
  • Nancyf

    10 months ago

    That's WITHOUT the storm coming and as normally as the price of rip-off fuel.
    reply
  • cordblomquist

    10 months ago

    Nancy, glad you're reading the blog and commenting. I guess we'll have to agree to disagree on this point.
    reply
  • Nancyf

    9 months ago

    My dad owned a gas station. I also attended business school. I understand supply and demand and just how the gas station business works.
    reply
  • Liberty Lover

    10 months ago

    I couldn't have explained it better myself. To bad people just don't get it. Maybe the people of North Carolina will find out about the Economist running for Governor Dr. Michael Munger and make a better choice for leadership in November.
    reply
  • Nancyf

    9 months ago

    Who authorized this gas rationing anyway? Because if the Govenor didn't sign off on it, it too was illegal.
    reply
  • Xaq Fixx

    9 months ago

    Another wierd part of the story...
    I work in Charlotte, live in SC just across the border (you can see NC from my back porch) and the price difference is amazing. By my wife's office in Charlotte it is $6 a gallon, across the street from our neighborhood, in SC, it's only $3.99 a gallon. There is no talk of shortages on our side of the border.
    reply
  • Nancyf

    9 months ago

    Sounds like they were gouging people anyway....hope they get caught!
    reply
  • kurt

    9 months ago

    NO such thing as gouging. U should b able to sell it for what ever people will pay for it!
    reply
  • ben_valent@juno.com

    9 months ago

    Gasoline Retailers Assoc. is pulling a major scam. How is it that
    ALL different brands are ALL OUT AT THE SAME TIME?
    THERE NOT, THAT"S THE SCAM! Last week Im went to a Shell
    at Potter and 84 in Mathews (Wesley Chapel actually) and the owner
    had little cards over the economy gas and the 89 octane leaving only
    the premium (20 cents more than the economy gas) It was a rip off
    so I decided to make a selection for the economy gas
    ANYWAY despite their being a card saying no 87 octane.
    The 87 octane pumped out just fine. Crooked ba$tards.

    THEY HAVE THE GAS. THEY JUST WANT TO HOLD ON TO
    IT TO MAKE YOU THINK THEIR IS A SHORTAGE, THEN
    THEY ARE GOING TO JACK THE PRICE WAY UP.
    How could all these different brands that are trucked in
    on differents trucks ALL BE OUT AT EXACTLY THE SAME
    TIME? THEY THINK WE'RE STUPID!
    reply
  • Tria Xiong

    9 months ago

    Why is there no GAS in NC?
    When do you think we'll probally have our Gas back?
    How will we be able to go anywhere without GAS?
    What are we going to do when there is No more gas in the car?
    reply
  • JOHN DOE

    9 months ago

    THE GOP (GRAND OLD PARTY) NICK NAME FOR THE REPUBLICAN PARTY,
    WHICH SEEMS TO BE WORKING WITH A MAJOR CULT GROUP, MIGHT BE
    RUNNING DRILLS AND GAMES TO CONTROL. LOOK AT JOHN MCCANE HOW
    CLOSE THE POLLS ARE, I GUESS I DON' NEED TO WORRIE ABOUT SENDING
    MY KIDS TO ANY OF OUR NUMBER ONE RANKED UNIVERSITES I CAN JUST
    SEND THEM TO THE ARMY. THE PEOPLE ARE NOT VOTING THIS WAY THIS
    IS A CULT TRICK.
    reply

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