RoR: Forum

This was just too funny:

Last week, customs officers arrested a butter smuggler with 90 kilograms (200 pounds) stashed away in his car when he crossed the border from Sweden. Hawkers have been offering Swedish butter on the Internet for 400 kroner a kilogram ($32 a pound) -- about six times the normal shop price.

Post 1

Wednesday, December 14, 2011 - 5:28pm

Rotfl news flash danish drug cartels have now temporarily stopped shipping cocaine and heroine because the butter trade is far more lucrative! Wouldn't that be a gutbuster headline?

Post 2

Wednesday, December 14, 2011 - 6:50pm

I would think the butter smuggler would be a hero because he's trying to help all the people that want to make xmas cookies but can't. But no, must arrest him because he's avoiding import tariffs. That's much more important than trying to fix horrible shortages that make everyone miserable.

Post 3

Thursday, December 15, 2011 - 4:20pm

Tariffs alone can't explain shortages. A tariff-protected good will be more expensive, but it will always be available as long as the price can fluctuate. Some kind of overt or covert price controls must be at work here. Slate had some interesting information about the shortage but not the answer to my puzzlement.

Excise taxes in India killed over 100 people today.

Post 4

Thursday, December 15, 2011 - 7:40pm