Marathon Mike
“‘We Need Food, We Need Clothing’: Staten Island Residents Plead for Help 3 Days After Sandy,” ABC reports. However, as the New York Daily News notes, such horror stories aren’t preventing Mike Bloomberg from focusing on more important mayoral duties:
Desperately needed food, water and generators were being rushed Thursday to Sandy-ravaged Staten Island while local leaders blasted the city’s “idiotic” plan to stage the New York City Marathon in the midst of the crisis.
Staten Island Councilman James Oddo urged Mayor Bloomberg to reconsider, especially while rescue efforts are still underway on the hard-hit South Shore.
“The notion of diverting even one police officer, one first responder, one asset away from this carnage is beyond irrational,” the Republican lawmaker told The Daily News.
“The mayor said to me, ‘We’re not going to diminish what is happening on Staten Island.’ You know what happens on marathons – you put a cop on every corner. How are we going to have enough resources?”
Speaking of which, the New York Times evidently has enough resources, in spite of the myriad disasters caused by Sandy, to run stories such as this article yesterday: “A Restroom Plan Can Reduce Worry:”
A raceday outfit. A prerace meal. A playlist. A warm-up routine.
And there is one more thing runners obsess over but are often too shy to discuss in public: making sure that digestive issues have been dealt with. “If you don’t address it or wing it then that’s when you lose valuable time in the marathon,” John Honerkamp, chief coach for New York Road Runners, said.
It is a vital part of any proper prerace routine, said Adam Banks, chief executive of NY SportsMed, a sports therapy practice. “Carrying that extra weight with you for 26 miles is extremely uncomfortable.”
That’s why 1,750 portable restrooms, from A Royal Flush, are placed at the start of the New York City Marathon.
“A lot of runners laugh about it, but a really important component to having a good race is doing your prerace business,” said Beth Risdon, a running coach and running blogger.
No really — that’s an actual headline and the first paragraphs of an article in the most important paper in the most important city in the world in a time of natural disaster.
Gray Lady Down, indeed.
(Cross-posted at Instapundit.)
Bloomberg finally came to his senses and cancelled the marathon. It’s amazing that it took him this long, though.
I now am the proud owner of an American Cancer Society 2012 New York City Marathon T-shirt, which my friend was selling as a way to raise funds for the ACS as part of her first time in the event. It would have been nice if Mayor Mike hadn’t bulled ahead with the thing and then changed his mind only after she in the air on the the 2,000 mile flight to the city (though she did text me a nice shot of the dangling crane near the hotel the ACS-sponsored runners are staying at south of Central Park. Apparently all runners in this year’s even will get credits to qualify and compete in 2013 if they choose to do so).
Supposed “price gouging” poses the question: In which situation are you better off?
(1) The goods you want are sold-out and unavailable at the usual, lower price, or
(2) The goods are available at a temporarily higher price.
In case (2) you can decide if the price is worth it.
When merchants are punished by laws against price gouging, they have no incentive to plan ahead by stocking-up. So, if you individually have not purchased ahead, you are out of luck.
No Price Gouging Here
- We’re Honorable, So We Don’t Have Any Stuff -
A good effect of “price gouging” is to usefully ration limited supplies. At twice the price, many people will limit their purchases to just cover the emergency, rather than buy up everything they can.
The worst effect of “no price gouging” is to dissuade companies from planning ahead for emergencies. Existing companies are much more knowledgeable and better positioned to serve the public than emergency teams trying to set up an infrastructure in one or two days.
Consider a gas station with no emergency electric generator. Why don’t they all have one?
The generators are expensive to buy, install, and maintain. The station can’t recover these costs in normal times, as they compete against stations that don’t incur that expense. The responsible station must rely on much higher prices in emergencies, when they can pump gas and their competitors can’t. But, they can’t charge higher prices in emergencies, so they don’t acquire emergency equipment.
The same goes for larger gasoline storage at service stations. The station doesn’t need it in normal times. The costs of a larger tank could only be recovered by “price gouging” in emergencies.
The public attitude toward higher prices in emergencies is shaped by political posturing. The public cannot be protected as long as they are so misled.
Why doesn’t the government (wise politicians) allow free trade at any price? This would not stop them from providing emergency services “for free”. They can advise people not to buy the goods they need at higher prices, and instead to wait just a bit for government aid which is on the way, soon. Let the people decide.
Politicians do no make things better buy denying the public an option. That is the government monopoly at work.
Probably wasn’t the right call for any of NYC for Bloomberg to call of the Red Cross, not call for evac until the very last minute, downplaying the storm prior to that – and also turning away the National Guard, ’cause they carry guns.
So who’s in charge? Can FEMA or the ARC or the National Guard just “go in, even when the mayor says: “Get out!”"?