Maybe the Tennessee General Assembly has gone mad.
They recently passed and sent to the governor, a bill that would make it illegal to sell gasoline at a price lower than the fair market value. The idea is to keep large retailers, like Wal-Mart, from selling gas as a loss leader. Unfair to small business, they say. Small business in this case means convenience stores that sell gas, beer and over-priced snacks. But we are supposed to believe that small businesses are Mom and Pop grocery stores and service stations. These places are almost extinct. I suppose next they will stop the big retailers from selling groceries. (Unfair to Mom and Pop groceries like Kroger, which also sells gasoline in some markets) Or maybe they will stop Wal-mart from selling potted plants. That should protect those Mom and Pop greenhouses. Maybe they should pass legislation to protect Bridgestone-Firestone from competition like Wal-Mart.
What ever happened to free enterprise?
Well, it's up to the governor, who hasn't made up his mind yet. My guess is that he will let it become law without his signature. It's the politically safe thing to do.
In the mean time, it's already up, up, and away for gas prices. Time to air up the tires on that bicycle, and throw rocks at your SUV.
Howard
PS: I hereby swear to limit political comments to once a month.