New Jersey implements Communism against 8 free-market businesses

Quote from link:




While none of those named in the suits Friday face criminal charges, if found guilty of gouging, the defendants face up to $10,000 for the first offense and up to $20,000 for subsequent offenses. Each sale of merchandise is considered a separate offense.

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That's an impossible fine.

So enforcing a standing law is now communism?
Taking advantage of allready suffering people is the right thing to do, as long as you make as much money as possible?

You, sir, are not a republican or democrat, you are a fool, just wait till nature hits you with a hammer and everything you own is blown to smithereens.
I bet you call yourself a christian, too?!

I'm no commie - but price gouging does need to be punished, as it's pretty much extortion from businesses who find they have the monopoly for delivery after local or national disaster.

This excludes the possibility of people being able to eat and drink if they businesses put their prices up too much, not because they need to, but they want to exploit people to make 10000s more profit.

It's not communism to punish that - it's common human decency to say that it's not acceptable.

So you think it's ok for them to take advantage of people?

I don't believe price gouging, in order to take advantage of people, is the right thing to do. Of course it's wrong.

But not everything wrong should be punished or regulated by the Government.

When the government unnaturally interferes with the market, it causes more problems than it fixes. In this case, artificially keeping prices low, when there's a shortage of supply, will only exaggerate that shortage, because the gas stations will run out much quicker. If the government left things alone, the prices would go up in the event of shortage (which they naturally should), which has the effect of making sure people only buy what they need, leaving more for others.

The government isn't God. It's not a religious priest. It's not our Mom and Dad. The government serves only one legitimate purpose: protect our inherent and inalieable rights. Low gas prices are NOT a right.

Not everything that is wrong infringes on someone else's natural rights.

Agreed

Like it or not, western economies are based on a very simple premise. Supply and Demand. A very sad thing to see these people in this situation, however, why were they not prepared for this? These folks had plenty of time to ready themselves. The businesses that "took advantage" of the storm victims are only doing what the big coorporations do every day,use the CAPITALIST system to their full advantage. The government has no right to step into this situation. They are only pandering to the media.

Enforcing communistic laws is communism, yes.

Not every law should be enforced.

The right thing for the government to do is mind it's own business.

It's up to the gas station owners to determine what is morally right and wrong. The government should only interfere if the gas station is infringing on other people's natural rights. Nobody has a "right" to low gas prices.

I don't condone taking advantage of people through price gouging. You're missing my whole point. My whole point, is that the Government is NOT God. They have no right to butt their head into every single thing in the universe. The legitimate role of government is very limited in scope.

So what if the peed off people who are cold and hungry decide that they don't want to be exploited and put the store owner's head on a stick and share the food out equally amongst themselves?

We won't have to apply the law to stop them doing that either?

I pretty much agree with this.

I live in New Jersey and while my area did not get hit too bad from the storm -- power out for about a week in the town, road closures, some flooding -- we had explicit warning the storm was going to be severe for over a week leading up to it.

You know a bad storm is coming that's going to disrupt power, you go get supplies.

But what if, for one reason or another, you couldn't?

I'm the biggest Constitutional/fiscal conservative there is. But come on, jacking up prices to take advantage of people in need during a time of crisis?

Give me a break (in the words of John Stossel).

That's because you're a true traditional conservative my friend, and not one of the modern corporatist conservatives.

Murdering somone IS something the government should punish because murder infringes on a person's natural and inaliable right to "life."

Like I said, paying low gas prices are NOT a right.

Why is everyone missing the point? Nobody is condoning price gouging. I'm simply saying the government shouldn't prevent price gouging. That's not a legitimate function of government.

Do you think the government should regulate EVERY SINGLE right vs. wrong in the entire universe? Should it be illegal to not invite your mother-in-law over for thanksgiving dinner? Should it be illegal to not read the Bible?

Leave right and wrong to individual choice.

The government should only step in when someone's natural rights are infringed upon. Paying low prices for gasoline is NOT a right.

And if you need that gas to run a generator to keep your family warm otherwise they die of exposure?

I understand where you're coming from, but I'm pretty firm about it. You've got to prepare. I don't know what reason there is for not preparing -- maybe you mean someone is alone and elderly or something? Yeah, I can see that. Maybe the government [we sure do have a lot of that here in NJ, they take enough fucking taxes] should have done a better job identifying such people and getting them a lift to a shelter.

I'm just trying to relay to you that the warnings were everywhere, they were explicit, and it was known that the power grid was going to get demolished. There are areas around here that always, always have flood and power issues when there is a bad thunderstorm -- let alone a full blown hurricane.

There's a law against price gouging. Been on the books here for a while now.

I have no doubt that some people had no means to prepare themselves for this disaster, and I feel for them. I do not condone price gouging, but the government is not and should not be in charge of setting prices. This leads to all kinds of problems in the future. Give them an inch and they will take a mile.

Yep, should have, would have, but obviously not.

This still doesn't excuse price gouging at a time of national crisis. It's legally, morally and ethically wrong.

Free trade is a fine good and sound concept, but exploitation on the back of an emergency is not.

Maybe it costs more to bring things into a broken infrastructure, bunkie?

That's taken into account with price-gouging proceedings.

A higher cost of supply can always be demonstrated in times of emergency.. but gouging is when the mark-up is way in excess of that.

I'm more concerned about the widespread and rampant looting that took place -- carried about our Marxist governments favorite 'yoofs' -- that is getting pretty much zero play in the judenpresse.

[link to blogcritics.org]

In essence, anti-price gouging laws are price controls. That is to say, they prevent suppliers of goods from charging market prices if those prices are deemed excessive by government. Needless to say, since suppliers are not in the business of losing money, when the price of any good exceeds a government mandated maximum price, suppliers will stop supplying that good. They obviously are not going to sell an item at a loss as that is a sure recipe to put yourself out of business. Consequently, a shortage of that good develops.

[link to blogcritics.org]

GREAT BLOG POST! Must read for all the stupid people posting on here.

If I own an egg, I can sell it for 10 cents
or a ten million dollars.
It's MY egg.
If you don't want to buy it, that is your right.

I saw that left-wing maggot Lis Wiehl on O'Reilly
almost foaming at her commie rat mouth over some
grocer charging 10 bucks for a gallon of milk.

She wanted the guy crucified.

I would have poured the milk over her left-wing
rat bastard head if she gave me any shit about it.

So what do the gas stations do next? They just shut down and tell you to fuck off when they're full of gas. The gas doesn't BELONG to you or anyone in the neighborhood but the station owner. Don't like it, don't buy it.

This thread is the perfect example of how most people don't have a clue what communism is.