March 9, 2005

Media Shocked, Shocked, by Water Price Blowout!

JOHN STOSSEL ASKS THE BIG QUESTION AND GETS DUMB ANSWERS AT THE PUMP:

"By failing to account for inflation, the media have some Americans so alarmed that we can't think straight. "What costs more," I asked customers at a gas station: "gasoline or bottled water?" The answer I got from almost everyone was gasoline.

"At that very gas station, water was for sale at $1.29 for a 24 oz. bottle. That's $6.88 per gallon, three times what the gas station was charging for gasoline. "

Posted by Vanderleun at March 9, 2005 8:59 AM
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"It is impossible to speak in such a way that you cannot be misunderstood." -- Karl Popper N.B.: Comments are moderated and may not appear immediately. Comments that exceed the obscenity or stupidity limits will be either edited or expunged.

Based on the quality of reportage, I've got to conclude that "journalists" are remarkably ignorant about all things financial. If I ever hear again that "the tech heavy Nasdaq tumbled today on inflation jitters," it will be too soon.

Posted by: Old Dad at March 9, 2005 11:58 AM

I would amend your quote to say "journalists are remarkably ignorant about all things" and wonder why their opinions are given so much weight. Michael Crichton pointed out that when a journalist or other member of the media describes something of which the listener if intimately familiar, their errors and omissions are laughable, but then when they change the topic to "foreign policy" et al. we forget that this was the same person who said that "wet roads cause rain" a minute before.

Posted by: Stephen B. at March 9, 2005 12:44 PM

Stephen ... the wet roads thing. Yeah, don't forget that a lot of scientists on the dole tend to believe that as well. They feed the 'journalists' this junk science and the resulting synergy is sufficient to be accepted as truth.

Posted by: mdmhvonpa at March 9, 2005 12:57 PM

When ever gas prices take a jump, someone will do a report like this. I always enjoy the ones where they show how much liquid items cost per gallon. Scotch, Chanell No. 5 perfume and Visine always score really high.

Posted by: Mumblix Grumph at March 9, 2005 9:39 PM

Forget the journalists. What about the guy who gripes about the price of gas and then goes in and pays $1.29 for water? Water??? Water is free for chrissakes. If you have to have it in a bottle, fill an empty Coke bottle from your tap. Sheesh. Oh, wait.....that's not cool. Buy bottled water and then re-use that bottle. Duh.

Posted by: Amy at March 10, 2005 7:41 AM

Water isn't free. Most people pay a monthly water bill if they get city water. If they have a well or a spring, then they pay extra in their electricity bill to have the water pumped into the house to the tap. See? Not free.

Posted by: Annie at June 18, 2005 8:26 AM