# And the profiteering begins **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [September 11, 2001, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-the-profiteering-begins/80915 "2001-09-11T21:01:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![UncleBeer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/977dab/32.png) [@UncleBeer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleBeer)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2001, 12:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-the-profiteering-begins/80915/21 "2001-09-12T12:13:17Z")
Actually the problem I’m having is not a rise in prices, they’ve remained remarkable stable here in Toledo. It’s finding a station that has gas. I stopped at three on the way to work this morning only to be turned away by the attendant with a “Good luck.” ---
**Author:** ![Mauvaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mauvaise/32/11084_2.png) [@Mauvaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mauvaise)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2001, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-the-profiteering-begins/80915/22 "2001-09-12T14:09:00Z")
**Dire Wolf** just gave me some excellent advice to pass along: If you do have to get gas at a gouged price: Save Your Receipt. Then call your state attorney general. ---
**Author:** ![screech-owl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/82dd89/32.png) [@screech-owl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/screech-owl)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2001, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-the-profiteering-begins/80915/23 "2001-09-12T14:23:18Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Arden Ranger \* > \*\*…Now, my Congressmen just embarrass me. Jim Inhoff shouldn’t be allowed to speak during a crisis. \*\* What happened? Misspeaking? Vitriolic rhetoric? Case of athlete’s tonsils (foot-in-mouth)? Mouth in gear before brain is fully engaged? ---
**Author:** ![Tranquilis](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tranquilis/32/3639_2.png) [@Tranquilis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tranquilis)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2001, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-the-profiteering-begins/80915/24 "2001-09-12T14:39:12Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by screech-owl \* > \*\*What happened? Misspeaking? Vitriolic rhetoric? Case of athlete’s tonsils (foot-in-mouth)? Mouth in gear before brain is fully engaged? \*\* All of the above, and he wasn’t the only one, not by a long shot. OTOH, our [Sen. Biden](http://www.senate.gov/~biden/) really sounded statesman-like. Well done, Senator Biden, and you’ve got my vote! ---
**Author:** ![RdBl2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/50afbb/32.png) [@RdBl2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RdBl2)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2001, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-the-profiteering-begins/80915/25 "2001-09-12T14:58:51Z")
Well, now we know who to look out for if a crisis hits – the fuel distributors. I thought we had laws in this nation about unfair pricing or profiteering. These guys are as bad as ambulance chasers and maybe we need to petition congress, later on, to start slapping laws in place to stop this. ---
**Author:** ![Arden\_Ranger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b487fb/32.png) [@Arden\_Ranger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arden_Ranger)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2001, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-the-profiteering-begins/80915/26 "2001-09-12T15:52:21Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by screech-owl \* > \*\*What happened? Misspeaking? Vitriolic rhetoric? Case of athlete’s tonsils (foot-in-mouth)? Mouth in gear before brain is fully engaged? \*\* He just embarrasses all of us, making this tragedy a platform for him Anti-Missle Defense stance. “And this is why the Anti-Missle Defense is so important…[yada, yada, yada]” I honestly expected better from Oklahoma’s represenatives. I shouldn’t have, he’s always been an ass, but I did. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2001, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-the-profiteering-begins/80915/27 "2001-09-12T16:07:23Z")
this is sorta related in a round-a-bout way: a trusted source in the insurance industry tells me that as soon as the “act of war” jargon starts flying around (like CNN, the president, others) the insurance companys are off the hook and won’t (or can’t- thats the only break i’ll give em’) pay up on any claims, including life and property. seems the farther you’re down, the harder the kick… ---
**Author:** ![redtail23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/3e96dc/32.png) [@redtail23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/redtail23)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2001, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-the-profiteering-begins/80915/28 "2001-09-12T16:10:21Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Arden Ranger \* > \*\*Gas got up to $5.00 a gallon in OKC. > > Gov. Keating stepped and put his foot down on that right quick. > > Sometimes I have to admire that man. > > Now, my Congressmen just embarrass me. Jim Inhoff shouldn’t be allowed to speak during a crisis. \*\* My thoughts exactly. (Well, except that Inhoff shouldn’t be allowed to speak, period. 😉 What the hell has he done now.!?!) Lines were around the block here by early afternoon, but I haven’t seen any confirmed reports of price gouging locally. I heard that it started with a couple of stations in Tulsa jacking prices up to $5/gal; I know that there were some radio stations yesterday warning everyone that gas prices would triple almost immediately. Putzes. Prices were up by about 10-15 cents/gallon this morning from yesterday morning, but I think that’s purely the result of the panicked rush. I know that quite a few places closed due to low supplies and they were running nonstop bulletins on TV last night asking the public to give priority to emergency vehicles. As of this morning, I heard reports that the major oil corps were taking steps to make sure that none of their distributors were price-gouging. If anything, I suspect that highly influential people like President Bush and Governor Keating, who have major ties to the oil corps, will intervene with the companies and ask them to keep price increases in check to maintain public morale. ---
**Author:** ![Mac\_Guffin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/2bfe46/32.png) [@Mac\_Guffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mac_Guffin)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2001, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-the-profiteering-begins/80915/29 "2001-09-12T16:20:02Z")
TheNorth Dakota Governor and Atty. General both just came on TV and threatened price gougeing gas station owners with prosicution under deceptive trade practice and rackettering laws. Gas did hit $5 a gallon in some areas here. ---
**Author:** ![kabbes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e99b99/32.png) [@kabbes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kabbes)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2001, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-the-profiteering-begins/80915/30 "2001-09-12T16:26:55Z")
**gatopescado** , you’re jumping the gun. Firstly, Lloyds of London have declared that they’re not even going to _talk_ about the possible insurance implications for 48 hours. Secondly it’s a whole lot more complicated than that. There is specific terrorist insurance that covers this kind of eventuality - “act of war” only stops personal line insurance payounts (and that only because the government backs that kind of peril). Assuming that they’re not bankrupted from what will certainly be the largest insurance losses ever recorded, the companies will pay. The intriguing (from an insurance perspective) aspect comes from the catastrophe reinsurance angle. Insurance companies cover against disasters by reinsuring against “catastrophies” (the technical word used). The definition of a catastrophe is a source of more than one court case - the question for the reinsurers to untangle is whether two separate planes crashing into the two separate towers counts as one catastrophe or not. If it does, should the other two planes also count in with it? This is not a straightforward question to answer. pan ---
**Author:** ![CrankyAsAnOldMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crankyasanoldman/32/11670_2.png) [@CrankyAsAnOldMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CrankyAsAnOldMan)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2001, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-the-profiteering-begins/80915/31 "2001-09-12T17:20:30Z")
Here’s a still-valid auction someone is selling of their own digital photo snapped last summer. It looks like a person or persons who are angry about the auction have bid the price up to impossible levels–over $18,000, and I’m sure they don’t intend to pay. [http://cgi.ebay.com/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=1004965289](http://cgi.ebay.com/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=1004965289) ---
**Author:** ![Tranquilis](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tranquilis/32/3639_2.png) [@Tranquilis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tranquilis)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2001, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-the-profiteering-begins/80915/32 "2001-09-12T17:25:14Z")
This just in from CNN: > [@](#): > > ATLANTA (CNN) – Losses from Tuesday’s terrorist attacks against the United States are expected to run into the tens of billions of dollars. Insurance comanies tell CNN that the industry considers what happened an act of terrorism – not an act of war – so they do plan to honor their customers policies. ---
**Author:** ![Arden\_Ranger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b487fb/32.png) [@Arden\_Ranger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arden_Ranger)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2001, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-the-profiteering-begins/80915/33 "2001-09-12T17:25:25Z")
**Cranky** , e-bay seems to have taken matters into their own hands and invalidated that one ---
**Author:** ![Thrasybulus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c68b51/32.png) [@Thrasybulus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thrasybulus)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2001, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-the-profiteering-begins/80915/34 "2001-09-12T17:33:16Z")
A few gas stations here in Northeast Wisconsin jacked up their prices yesterday and today announced they would be donating all of the excess profits to the relief efforts. (Some quick tap dancing so they will not be prosecuted I guess.) ---
**Author:** ![Myron\_Van\_Horowitzski](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9de053/32.png) [@Myron\_Van\_Horowitzski](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Myron_Van_Horowitzski)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2001, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-the-profiteering-begins/80915/35 "2001-09-12T18:15:11Z")
Isn’t anybody going to rag on the stupid fuckheads that started the rush in the first place? “Oh my god, Mabel, we better gas up and head for the hills, them A-rabs is gonna stop sendin’ us oil!” In Viroqua they were lined up for the gas pumps all the way down the highway, and the price got jacked. They deserved it! One woman had her car full of 10 gallon barrels! WTF? The oil prices WILL go up as a result of the attack, but I don’t see any of us burning our furniture for fuel anytime soon. Here in La Crosse there were no lines and the prices didn’t change. ---
**Author:** ![Rock-n-Rolga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/22d042/32.png) [@Rock-n-Rolga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rock-n-Rolga)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2001, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-the-profiteering-begins/80915/36 "2001-09-12T19:56:17Z")
Here in central NC there were also no gas lines or price-gouging, but I did see a small case of profiteering elsewhere: after the Greensboro News&Record printed a special edition last night, a guy was going to stores and gas stations all over town and buying at least 10 copies of the paper for .50 at each stop (after the lady who runs the Amoco near me refused to sell him more than one copy, he got huffy and told her that every other place was giving him more than ten copies, no questions asked. She still refused to sell him more, good for her!) He then put his kids out at a busy road (Friendly Avenue) by a shopping center and had them selling the papers for $2 each. The Amoco lady said that each kid had a pretty good stack of papers, too. Fucking greedy shitlicker. It’s bad enough that you profit in even a small way from others’ suffering, but teaching kids that it’s all right to gouge others is just pathetic. They should have rounded up the lot of them and made them stand on the same corner wearing sandwich boards saying, “I AM A SCUMBAG WHO TRIED TO PROFIT AT THE EXPENSE OF THE SEPTEMBER 11TH VICTIMS.” I’d like to think that in this day and age, a little public shame can still go a long way. ---
**Author:** ![bernse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a9a28c/32.png) [@bernse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bernse)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2001, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-the-profiteering-begins/80915/37 "2001-09-12T21:08:02Z")
Gas in my small city went up 5c per litre today. Its now at 78.9. Then again, some stations have been trying to raise them for the past couple weeks, only to drop the prices since nobody else followed. I’m sure its a good excuse though. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-the-profiteering-begins/80915.md?page=1)