A very sad thing is going to happen. Despite the fact the oil companies are at record profits, you can bet “Ike” will cause an astounding jump in oil prices again. Just when the fuel and money is most needed to aid the people involved in this disaster. Every movement, whether it be a personal vehicle to supplies and rebuilding will be more expensive. Time for the oil companies to really make money… excuse me but this is sinful.
The citizens of the United States are going to be slammed again. No one can tell me when pressure is on for your own monetary survival you are as willing to aid others.
Any politician with his hands in the oil industry should not be allowed to represent the Citizens because he will fail to do so with unbiased judgment – What the United States needs to do is give some astounding tax breaks to new energy research from taxing the profits of the oil industry. Wake up America, there must be some good, honest, citizen oriented politicians out there; let’s support them.

Likely inundated with complaints by economically ignorant consumers, politicians react to this “threat” of sudden rising prices totally unaware of (or insensitive toward) the damage they’re actually creating. “If sellers don’t raise prices, supplies vanish. Anxious buyers line up and often buy more than they need, just in case. Those not at the front of the line may get nothing. [...] [Y]ou allow people to raise prices — even to “gouge” — because only people who REALLY need them will cough up the money. Gouging also encourages greedy entrepreneurs to rush in with much-needed goods, or to look for more supplies.” Politicians of any party should use their access to the media to educate the public, not prey on their ignorance with phony solutions to a non-existent problem

Ironically the same news station promoting price gouging as fact in the story below, ABC, is the same news station that debunked it in May of 2006.

Gas Price Gouging Hits Hurricane States — Officials Are Instituting Emergency Anti-Price Gouging Laws in Their States by CHARLES HERMAN, ZUNAIRA ZAKI and SCOTT MAYEROWITZ

More on the myth of price gouging below:

Walter E. Williams Explains “Price Gouging” Myth

Say you owned a small 10-pound inventory of coffee that you purchased for $3 a pound. Each week you’d sell me a pound for $3.25. Suppose a freeze in Brazil destroyed half of its coffee crop, causing the world price of coffee to immediately rise to $5 a pound. You still have coffee that you purchased before the jump in prices. When I stop by to buy another pound of coffee from you, how much will you charge me? I’m betting that you’re going to charge me at least $5 a pound. Why? Because that’s today’s cost to replace your inventory.

Historical costs do not determine prices; what economists call opportunity costs do. Of course, you’d have every right not to be a “price-gouger” and continue to charge me $3.25 a pound. I’d buy your entire inventory and sell it at today’s price of $5 a pound and make a killing.

The Myth of “Price Gouging” by Alex Epstein

Price gouging is myth; market determines what price is fair Matt Hittle