DO you expect to pay low prices when you enter a 7-11 or other “convenience” store?

Seems that people are panicking:

N-95 face masks are sold out. Hand sanitizer is sold out in many locations.

Some folks are raising prices for these items. People are complaining about “Price Gouging” and, apparently some local governments are fining those who are raising prices.

Firstly, these folks have the right to sell their property for whatever price they choose to.
Second, no one forces the “customer” to buy the items.
THirdly, deciding how much is “Too much” smacks of Government price control (and we all can see how well that works out in places like Venzuela)

Failure to prepare for a communicable disease outbreak is failure to prepare. IF the market is willing to pay $1000 for 4 large bottles of hand sanitzer, then that is the price. Shortages are like that. Part of the price one pays for failing to prepare.
(Hint: Washing your hands is almost 100% as effective)
(Protip: It isn’t that hard to make your own hand sanitizer using commonly available ingredients that are not, as yet, in short supply))

Failure to plan means that you get to pay a higher price to those who did plan, or who possess the items you now want urgently and are in short supply. It is called the Law of Supply and Demand.

I applaud those who raise their prices. They are in business to make a profit, and they take chances every day when they place orders for items that they hope people will buy. They have it and others want it. Simple. If others are willing to pay a price for that item, then that is the market price. If not, then the seller will have to lower their prices.

Those who failed to plan ahead should pay a price for their lack of foresight.
Much like those who buy their (relatively expensive)soda pop at a Convenience store or a vending machine rather than going to a supermarket and paying less, or those folks who pay a higher price at a liquor store for a six pack of cold beer rather than buying it warm by the case and refrigerating it themselves.

ETA: Why is it not “Price Gouging” when motel rooms quintuple in price before the Daytona 500 or the Superbowl , or airline tickets tripling in price before Thanksgiving?  

Or, Democrats. Call ’em what you wish.

But if they were true to form, they’d tax 56% of Biden’s delegates and give them to Tulsi Gabbard
Same with Bernie: tax 49% of his and give that to the lowest two….

I mean, let them pay their “Fair Share”….right? 

Also: What happens to the Delegates that have already been earned by Bloomberg, Buttigieg and the other dropouts? 

So Mike Bloomberg didn’t Get It Done.

He dropped out. Apparently his lack of Charisma and his disdain for anyone not from New Yawk and who wasn’t in the Information Technology business got to the voters.

As I said, we don’t have to have our lives disturbed by those irritating commercials of his.

And what have we learned? Gobs and Gobs of greebacks won’t buy an election outside of New York. 

That politicians who wanted to cut funding for Planned Parenthood are accused of
“Limiting a woman’s right to choose”.

Nice conflation there.

Do these folks really think that Abortions should be free? Contraceptives should be free?

Oh, yeah, I forgot…Socialists.

My bad. 

Seems that some folks from Black Lives Matter chose to protest at the local LA District Attorney (forget the fact that they could get them organized and UP at 5: 30 AM….)

Banging on the front door and generally being rowdy got them a door opened and a gun in their face:

“Get Off My Porch”

https://twitter.com/DocMellyMel/status/1234477243260272641

And there you go:

They came trying to intimidate. And it worked.
And that is the response you get from a man who is intimidated and is prepared to defend himself and his family from a rowdy, unruly crowd.
“Play stupid games, win stupid prizes”…

If a crowd forms at 5:30 AM outside of your house, they aren’t there to be nice….they are there to intimidate and frighten the occupants. They are looking for trouble.

And they found it. Lucky for them that they were smart enough, and HE was restrained enough to let things de-escalate.

They claim they were there for the “Promised Community Meeting”.

5:30 AM: Really?
Liars.

After 8 AM and before 9 AM. Or you are looking for trouble.
They found it.

If he’d have shot 2 or three of them I still don’t think I could convict were I on his jury.

Becomes….serious..

One cannot be too prepared. 

So at what point , not having committed any crime, can the Federal or State government confine me to my home or other facility because I have CoronaVirus or other disease? How about curtailing my freedom to move about the country or to meet with others? 

I mean, my freedom to travel or freedom to associate is a constitutionally guaranteed right.

But yet, the Common Good is often best served by quarantining people with a communicable disease.

“Emergency Powers” are all well and good, but the issue is that I don’t trust government officials**, nor are their “Experts” often well enough educated to give actual good “expert” advice. Often the responses are at best made for convenience (of the government) and at worst chosen out of malice or prejudice.

I’m not sure where the line is, or where it should be.

Thoughts?

**  History has shown that government officials are often incompetent, be they law enforcement or otherwise, and often their decisions are shaded by ambition or politics….

And, while I am not an epidemiologist, I did sleep with one once (she was sweet, and …well, that’s not the point of this post) Any way, I digress…

Her’s the thing. The US has now had at least one death from Coronavirus, and has (admitted) at this time, something like 14 known cases.,,,,at least some where we don’t know how they were infected.

Ok, so lets look at this. At least ONE person was infecting people not less than 10 or more days ago…..Likely more like 20-25 days.
The Virus is already here. It HAS BEEN here for at least 14 days,. Someone unknown is (or WAS) spreading said virus for at least 14 days…probably more.

The time for quarantining people entering is too late. The time for keeping people out of the US who were risky (or had risk factors) is long gone.

As of now there are cases in Europe, most of the East, and (apparently) Australia and the MidEast. I don’t know about South America. Unless you stop all air travel, if it isn’t yet in a large city it will be soon.

The Genie is out of the bottle, the cat is out of the bag, the Smoke has left the Lucas Wiring. No putting it back.

Is this a crisis? Yep. Would it be prudent to do a bit of preparation if you haven’t? Yes. Should we panic and run around with our hair on fire? No (unless that makes you feel better, then feel free, just do it in your own home and not in the streets). City folks are at a higher risk than Rural folks (more people more close interactions, more people per square foot, etc, but the risk even in smaller communities  is NOT zero.

What you do need to realize is that the CDC’s effort to keep you safe is-and-was ineffective, poorly thought out, and pretty much useless.

Just remember that Flu kills more people each year than this Coronavirus is likely to.

And also: So far, my experimentation with C2H5OH has been effective….I haven’t gotten the flu nor the Coronavirus. You might want to go to your local liquor vendor and stock up, just in case…..

Then the Confederates

Now they want to rewrite history to get rid of Columbus day. 

When will they sanitize history enough to make everyone happy?

I like the fact that the Italian American’s are upset…..”It’s a slap in the face”…

How much more rewriting of and outright erasures of history will we allow?

So Nancy Pelosi claims that Donald’s response to the Coronavirus effort is “Underfunded”.

I agree.
We need to close the border and quarantine people entering this country from anywhere for a period of….say 25 days (at a minimum).

We need more money for border security.
We need some folks in the CDC who have a clue, who realize that simply scanning the foreheads of people getting of a plane with an infrared thermometer is not a preventative response.

And I would ask this of Ms Pelosi:
Which social programs are you gonna cut to get the funding for these programs?
Welfare? SNAP? What?

I’m open to funding the response better if she will figure out who pays for it. She and her ilk spend every dine we give as taxes, and then some.
So what is she gonna cut??