Gas Prices

[Sip]

Did any one see Chris Rock on Bill Maher's "Real Time." Very funny. He kept interrupting the conversations to repeat over and over again how gas prices sucked. And he made no other contributions. It was great.

Yah like his dumb ass ever needs to worry about paying for gas. It was just a cheap attempt to get audience approval to make himself look like "one of us". Didn't work for me and every time he said it, I told myself shut the f up and let Bill do the talking.

Although his comment about riding mexicans to work was pretty damn funny

[ddd]

Price gouging is a stupid invention of politicians, and it is ignorance of economics that continues to trumpet such mindless claims. Only people who do not understand the concept of a scarcity in the world would be for such nonsense.

Some gas station owners raise gas prices based on the 10 o'clock news they see the night before, and raise it again once their tanks are empty, and they have to order more gas at the higher price.

[Anonymouse]

Yeah easy to say from one who has no car and doesn't drive...but I'll bet if the price of plastic love dolls and p o r n o mags doubled in a year you would be seriously crying the blues....

I do have a car and I do drive my socialistic egalitarian inferior.

[Anonymouse]

Some gas station owners raise gas prices based on the 10 o'clock news they see the night before, and raise it again once their tanks are empty, and they have to order more gas at the higher price.

Well, isn't that a shocker! Some gas stations raise prices according to the demand of a certain scarce resorce! Oh the horror! I'm sorry to inform you but in the marketplace, there is no such thing as "price controls". "Price gouging" is basically the term applied to those market actors who do not abide by the governments stupid regulations. And anyone who is familiar with the 1970s oil crisis is all too familiar with the debilitating nature of price controls.

[ddd]

Well, isn't that a shocker! Some gas stations raise prices according to the demand of a certain scarce resorce! Oh the horror! I'm sorry to inform you but in the marketplace, there is no such thing as "price controls". "Price gouging" is basically the term applied to those market actors who do not abide by the governments stupid regulations. And anyone who is familiar with the 1970s oil crisis is all too familiar with the debilitating nature of price controls.

Demand doesn't change, price of supply doesn't change until gas needs to be reordered, price gouging is a felony in most states. Stupid or not, that's how it is.

[Anonymouse]

Demand doesn't change, price of supply doesn't change until gas needs to be reordered, price gouging is a felony in most states. Stupid or not, that's how it is.

I'm trying to explain to you how gas prices are determined (and prices for everything else for that matter), and you don't seem to comprehend that.

The legality of it has nothing to do with its economic sense, or lack of.

[ddd]

I'm trying to explain to you how gas prices are determined (and prices for everything else for that matter), and you don't seem to comprehend that.

The legality of it has nothing to do with its economic sense, or lack of.

I don't need a lesson on free markets, buddy. My original point was that some of the gas prices are the result of price gouging, which itself is illegal in most parts of the states.

[TomServo]

TripleD, 1. Anonymouse, 0. TomServo's post count, +1.

[Anonymouse]

I don't need a lesson on free markets, buddy. My original point was that some of the gas prices are the result of price gouging, which itself is illegal in most parts of the states.

Apparently you do need a lesson for you cannot comprehend simple economics, or why price controls are ultimately bad, and not helpful.

Legality here has no bearing on economic soundness.

TomServo 0, Anonymouse +1 postcount.

[ddd]

Apparently you do need a lesson for you cannot comprehend simple economics, or why price controls are ultimately bad, and not helpful.

Legality here has no bearing on economic soundness.

TomServo 0, Anonymouse +1 postcount.

Nope, I don't. I never addressed any of the issues you raised, because my statement wasn't intended to go into the effectiveness of price gouging in the marketplace, or price controls in general. I was just pointing out that not all gas stations are raising prices because of increased demand, and the result of them paying a higher price/gallon.

I just reworded my statement several times, and you made a couple of assumtions about what I understand and what I don't.

But, you like to have discussions, and that's cool, except...hal chka on my part. Do I believe price controls are bad? Yes. Do I think a gas station's profit margin should jump from 10% to 30% when a supplier which the gas station doesn't even use increases their price by 5%, due to hurricane-caused damage? No.