Is It Gouging for Politicians to Charge $1000 for a Meal?

Michael Giberson

The Associated Press carried the following news item on efforts to prohibit gasoline price gouging:

Northwest Senators Aim To Prohibit Gasoline Price Gouging
POSTED: 1:30 pm PDT
September 21, 2005

WASHINGTON — Two Northwest senators, Republican Gordon Smith of Oregon and Democrat Maria Cantwell of Washington, have introduced legislation to prohibit gasoline price gouging during national emergencies.

Cantwell is concerned oil companies are taking advantage of Hurricane Katrina to raise prices far beyond additional costs….

Of course, last year in her role as co-chairwoman of Kerry’s campaign in Washington, Cantwell had no problem charging $1000 for a meal at Seattle’s Westin Hotel. (See: The Seattle Times.) Either meals at the Westin in Seattle are very, very costly, or Cantwell was raising prices far beyond costs.

Let’s see, here is the menu at the Westin’s Coldwater Bar and Grill. If I order the single most expensive entree I can find — grilled venison loin with pinot noir sauce, wenatchee apple and lacinato kale — toss in the dungeness crab cake with shichimi celery root puree for a starter and add a bottle of wine — it would cost me no more than $100 per person not including tip.

Gouging?