I’m terribly disappointed in the reporting on the current gas shortage and the reaction of the people interviewed in the article. Nowhere in the article are the detriments of current price-gouging laws mentioned, except that private retailers are being reported if they dare raise prices in response to shrinking supplies.

Since it wasnt reported in the article, here’s a newsflash for everyone. You do not have a right to affordable, plentiful gas. Local, county, state, or federal government agencies do not have a right to handcuff retailers and tell them what they can charge for their merchandise.

As constituents, if we ignore this and allow the government to still handcuff those retailers with price-gouging laws, we especially do not have the right to complain about a lack of available gasoline.

Heres an Economics 101 reminder for everyone. When supply of a product goes down, prices go up (or at least they used to until the state legislature starting moving us toward becoming the Socialist State of Georgia). Price increases discourage people from buying frivolously while at the same time ensuring there is product for those who need it. Will the product be more expensive? Yes! Will it be an inconvenience? Yes, but so is sitting in line for 1.5 hours to purchase artificially low-priced gasoline.
These concepts are pretty simple yet seem to have escaped the notice of just about everyone including our representatives in the legislature, Gov. Purdue, and the media.

Kevin Garrett
Cumming