MattD: "Here's another fun example. In my town, there are still tons of trees down in the roads and powerlines not yet fixed, because the people doing that work aren't allowed to charge a premium. But the vast majority of yards have already had their leaves and downed branches cleared, and downed trees are on their way to being cleared, because the private gardening services are able to do whatever deals they want."There is an upper limit to the number of trees you can clear and powerlines you can fix. If we assume that the "people doing that work" are working at full capacity, allowing them to charge wouldn't get more trees cleared or more powerlines fixed, it would just rearrange the order in which it gets done (i.e. you effectively bribe them to clear away your tree first).
@Uber - such an amazing company. Saved the hassle of waiting for a cab in the aftermath of hurricane sandy#lifesaverI get the sense that their service levels generally remained relatively high compared to less price-flexible options.
@Uber_NYC @Uber @sarakata Amazing service in this gridlock. Told my whole office to use. :D
.@uber do you really need to do surge pricing at 2x in nyc now?
Wage rate | $10/h | $20/h | $50/h
=================================
5 gallons | $10/g | $16/g | $34/g
10 gallons| $ 7/g | $10/g | $19/g
20 gallons| $ 6/g | $ 8/g | $14/g
30 gallons| $ 5/g | $ 6/g | $ 9/gMattD: "Here's another fun example. In my town, there are still tons of trees down in the roads and powerlines not yet fixed, because the people doing that work aren't allowed to charge a premium. But the vast majority of yards have already had their leaves and downed branches cleared, and downed trees are on their way to being cleared, because the private gardening services are able to do whatever deals they want."There is an upper limit to the number of trees you can clear and powerlines you can fix. If we assume that the "people doing that work" are working at full capacity, allowing them to charge wouldn't get more trees cleared or more powerlines fixed, it would just rearrange the order in which it gets done (i.e. you effectively bribe them to clear away your tree first).
The average Atlanta resident with a job drives 66 miles every day. In fact, people here drive so much that if you added up every commute and every trip to a store or soccer practice on just one day, you'd get a number that's larger than the distance between the Earth and the sun.Now, how is that efficient? Of course, it isn't. Unregulated markets do not maximize efficiency. They maximize profits, which typically reduce efficiency, because inefficiency holds more profit potential for more companies doing more things inefficiently. That's why we have paper towels where we once had towels. Regular towels do a better job of cleaning up, use less water and other resources when you throw them in the wash, but are hated by paper towel manufacturers because proven, sustainable, and affordable competition are a direct threat to their existence.
Of a potential 23 points, the U.S. scored only 5 in that category, which takes into account factors like public transit usage, fuel economy, and the miles traveled per capita. Americans travel the most vehicle miles per capita out of the 12 countries, and along with Canada, travel the least on public transit. Meanwhile, China, Germany, Italy, and the United Kingdom all led this category, each scoring 14 points.That's what happens when you stop thinking about ways to solve problems and instead put your faith in the magic market which will solve everything for you! And make everyone rich! And provide justice because Free Market!
In the case of the hurricane, the commodity where supply is inelastic is probably hotel rooms. They're not going to build any new hotels next week just because lots of people are trying to get out of the blacked out areas.posted by vasi at 8:09 PM on November 4, 2012 [1 favorite]
[snip]
Say you own a hardware store. How many flashlights should you keep on hand at the beginning of any given week? The correct answer to that question depends in part on what happens if there's a sudden surge in demand for flashlights.
500 power workers came up from Alabama to restore power to the Northeast.Weren't spurned to do so by the free market, fyi."
There are zero libertarian arguments in this thread. Absolutely no one here has argued against gouging laws on the behalf of the supposed "rights" of the gas station owners. Not a one. That is the argument that would be animating libertarians.
If you read the link they were actually arrested for an inspired attempt to win a Darwin Award by driving around with a truck full of gasoline in 5-gallon plastic jugs
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Oh, it's detailed in the Forbes article. Carry on.
posted by ymgve at 3:06 PM on November 4, 2012 [2 favorites]