Comments on: David Giacalone on the FTC’s Price Gouging Statement

By: f/k/a . . . .

f/k/a . . . . — Thu, 17 Nov 2005 03:16:12 +0000

price-gouging: the ftc doesn’t convince me

While I was in Washington in a hypo-blogging mode, the FTC told a Senate committee that “Federal Price Gouging Laws Would ‘Unne- cessarily Hurt Consumers’.” (FTC Press Release

By: David Giacalone

David Giacalone — Thu, 17 Nov 2005 03:11:13 +0000

After he saw my prior Comment, the ghost of my old Sicilian Grandpa wanted me to point out that the “G” in our last name is soft, but not invisible.

By: David iacalone

David iacalone — Thu, 17 Nov 2005 03:03:45 +0000

Dave, I agree that there is no urgent need for federal legislation — unless someone on that level comes up with an especially workable definition that can be uniformly applied across the nation.

As with most opponents, the crux of the FTC Statement went to ALL price-gouging laws, so the remarks at my weblog are aimed at the general opposition. As a former FTC antitrust lawyer, I surely agree with Chairman Majoras that we need continuing close scrutiny of the petroleum industry, and effective antitrust enforcement, should price or supply manipulations be discovered that unreasonably restrain trade in any important product in the wake of natural or manmade disasters.