22 Feb '21 18:49>1 edit
@zahlanzi saidNo, I hear you. Of course price gouging is illegal, there is a way to file a report to take care of that, and of course,, that IS a federal matter. You are right, companies can be barred from jacking up prices. No argument.
Preventing companies from jacking up the prices in a crisis knowing full well people are forced to pay or freeze to death. That would be better policy.
How many times must we hammer this into you? You can't have free market where one of the parties involved is forced to buy a product. That's anything but free. It's highway robbery.
There is a reason we, for example ...[text shortened]... the prices instead of throwing them in jail.
Feel free to not understand any of these points.
I missed what product that the party is forced to buy? We still talking about TX?
Regarding the fire fighter analogy, our taxes are like an insurance policy covering our house fire by having the trucks come put out the fire. We pay a premium in our taxes for that.
So now, apply that logic to TX. TX could easily buy 'insurance' in some form to cover their losses in a (local/state) disaster. OK, maybe there is no such company providing such a program, maybe the federal govt could have an agency to sell that insurance to any state that wants it? Makes sense to me.
If the homeowner can get 'insurance' (thru taxation) to get firefighters to the house, then you and I can can get Lloyds of London to underwrite a program insuring states like TX. You and I could make a lot of Money!!!!