Yesterday afternoon, gas prices in Atlanta increased from about $2.70 a gallon to more than $4. Yet gas stations were running out of gas, capping purchases, and shutting off their pumps.

One station took advantage of this and actually charged $5.87!
In fact, the governor had to declare a state of emergency and threaten to impose fines on retailers who were price-gouging.

Of course, Atlanta was not really running out of gas. Some stations were out, but it wasn't because there wasn't enough gas available anymore. It was because there was a run on these stores by stupid panicking people.

One cashier estimated that the station had sold about 2,000 gallons in two hours. On a usual day, the store might sell 3,000 gallons in an entire day. Obviously, it’s going to run out.

What fueled this panic (pun intended)? Throughout the day, rumors spread that we would run out of gas. Some said they were closing all gas stations at 4 p.m. Obviously, that didn't happen.

Why would we immediately run out of gas? The refineries and pipelines damaged by the hurricane will be fixed. And in the meantime, there is enough from storage tanks in our area.

In fact, both major gas pipelines already resumed limited pumping last night. So the hysteria of people drove gas prices up and out. Not the hurricane. Sad, isn’t it?