As sure as night follows day, it won't be long until we hear that "price gouging" is part of Charley's aftermath. Here, Dwight Lee explains why laws against so-called price gouging actually hinder the recovery from a disaster. The essence of his argument--supply curves slope upward.

At the risk of seeming insensitive (again!), I pose the following question: Why should people who live nowhere near Florida be taxed to assist people who voluntarily choose to live there (indeed, often migrating there from other states)?

UPDATE: Not surprisingly, the brothers Bush recognize the politics of disaster assistance and have scrambled down to south Florida.