Gov. Steve Beshear rages about gas prices in Louisville, but what he really needs is a hurricane.
Hurricane Katrina allowed Gov. Ernie Fletcher to declare a state of emergency in Kentucky in 2005, which triggered our 2004 price gouging law, enabling Attorney General Greg Stumbo to sue Marathon Oil for price gouging. That law was ridiculous, which inspired the General Assembly to make it somewhat less ridiculous.
The current standard for price gounging in Kentucky involves a state of emergency and prices that are "grossly excessive." The law does not define that term.
We might need a new law that is more clear. What we will probably get is a new law that allows the government to crush any business when the Governor's approval rating slide is found to be "grossly excessive."
