I don’t think Huenemann’s Social Ethics is to the Social and Economic Justice chapter yet, and my Business Ethics class is not to the question of ‘price gouging’ yet, but my uncle emailed me this thought:
‘ Food giant McDonalds says its 2008 net profit soared 80 percent from last year. It was lifted by growing demand from customers seeking low-cost meals in a deepening global recession. I can’t wait for the democrats’ outcry over these obscene profits. Only a few months ago, Barack Obama called for an emergency economic plan that would relieve the burden on families struggling with high gasoline prices. Obama and Hillary called for taxing ‘Big Oil’s’ windfall profits. This was in reaction to a 3 percent rise in ‘Big Oil’ profits. They certainly won’t ignore an 80 percent profit increase at McDonald’s. Wasn’t it Obama, Hillary, Nancy, and Harry whom all asked ‘Big Oil’ to justify their profits? They publicly spawned the national hate for ‘Big Oil’. They used angry phrases like; ‘The Big Oil party is over!’ and ‘Big Oil is gouging Americans!’ So, is ‘Big Clown’ gonna get his? I bet congress is ready to grab ‘Big Clown’ by his McNuggets and shake them until ‘Big Clown’ admits his wrongdoing. Will we see a week long Senate hearing with Frank and Dodd berating Ronald, Mayor McCheese, and the Grimace? Will they have their day and finally sentence the Hamburgler for stealing money out of our nations poorest pockets in the name of Big Mac profits? What about that sneaky Captain Crook, will he testify? You wait and see, there won’t be a double standard anymore!
Sincerely,
The Whopper’
USUPhilosophy 
I can’t recall; did the price of a Big Mac double over the same time period?
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Did you know that 1 in 8 US workers has at some time worked for McDonald’s! Not that surprising considering that a new set of golden arches is raised every four hours! And to top it off, Ronald McDonald has officially trumped Jesus in public recognizability. Evidence of a New World Order (or maybe ‘entropy’ is a more appropriate word than ‘order’)?
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I suppose the counter argument is that oil is seen as a utility without substitutes for most citizens. Big Macs on the other hand have plenty of substitutes and this is just an example of a company providing a better product than its competitors.
I doubt Nancy Pelosi has thought about all that though. I really can’t stand the woman. Her justifications for contraceptives in the “stimulus package” was a joke. If she wants to acquire funding for contraceptives put it in the “Trojan Responsibility Bill”. That would be the honest approach.
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