Conglomerates should pay for price-gouging after Irma

In the event of an emergency, such as hurricanes, Florida has anti-gouging laws to keep citizens from being ripped off on needed items. How is it then that the little mom & pop establishments get nailed, but the huge conglomerates like airlines and gas companies make billions in overcharges in times of emergency, and the government says and does nothing?

Before Irma was heading our way, gas was about $2.20 a gallon. Once Irma was headed this direction, that same gas went to $2.69 a gallon at every station in town & it remains in the $2.50-plus range! Why?

For those wishing to evacuate by plane when Irma was coming, the airlines were charging $1,000 to $3,000 dollars a ticket! Why?

The law is the law supposedly, but apparently the big companies with deep pockets and political connections are able to make their obscene profits all the while they are raking us citizens over the coals. Legally this should not happen. What’s good for the goose is good for the gander. It appears that there is no morality left in the operations of these huge companies. At the very least, they should be fined in an amount equal to the extra profits they made in their illegal actions.

Their justification of supply and demand could be used by every business in the time of crisis.

This story was originally published October 7, 2017 at 1:41 PM with the headline "Conglomerates should pay for price-gouging after Irma."