Edorr said: There is a big difference between taking advantage of people in need of indispensable basic commodities in times of crisis, and selling a piece of electronics at market prices.
spot on!
i love free markets and strongly believe in them. i don't think they work 100% of the time. healthcare is a great example. until we figure this out (like most of the free industrialized world has), we're gonna go broke as a country (while the healthcare industry continues to makes a killing).
when people have no choice in buying something (like getting medical attention when sick), the "free markets" provide a license to gouge and/or kill. you can be fore or against this.....but don't kid yourself as to what's really going on.
healthcare is in fact the single biggest root cause of our "budgetary/spending problems in the US". 5-10% annual increases in costs can not be sustained long term by any country regardless of wealth. this fact has been clubbing us in the head for decades but we still try to avoid it. go ahead and debate the solution(s). the problem itself is obvious and irrefutable.