Sorry if it seems I'm picking on you Bows, but you say some off the wall stuff! (we'll probably be friends on that score).

I think the example you cited here is a parallel in principle to what's happening on a much larger scale in this country, ie. the greed factor.

Just having freedom isn't a solution to anything, or a guarantee of prosperity. The key to a viable free market is basic honor and morality. How people use their freedom is the issue. In this case the scoundrels who gouge the poor with high prices are assuring the failure of what freedoms they do have by taking advantage of their hardship.

There are responsibilities that come with freedom, and without them functioning it won't work.