Price Depends on Demand

When I was a student at Kennesaw Junior College, I took an economics course. A little smiling fella with a doctor’s title and an accent taught. The only thing I learned because I think it was the only thing he taught. He repeated it over and over is that the price of goods or product depended on the demand and the availability. I have known that since about the 7th grade when I was a kid of the streets. Which reminds me of a price and demand adventure I had back then: In the 7th grade I discovered MAD Comicbooks and to say it changed my mind-set would be an understatement. And, being the compulsive person I was and am, I swooped up all the back issues of MAD Comic books. By reading every word of every issue I had I learned you could buy back issues of every issue for fifteen cents each. I was a boy with limited means, so I bought a few issues every other week. What I did not take into account was that other kids in my age bracket that loved MAD too. One acquaintance, that lived on Alexander Street one day visited me. He said he heard I had a MAD Comicbook collection and he would like to see them. He did not humbly ask to see them, he demanded to see them. This kid and I were not friends, I thought he was snobbish and considered himself better than us. He went through my MAD Comics and said he wanted my MAD issue #5. I said NO! He said to complete his collection he needed #5. He offered me different prices, up to $5 (this is where the price is determined by demand and availability comes in) I told him to send off for it, like I did. He said he wanted I now. Again, I said NO! It is interesting that this guy and I, completely different in personality, at the taste for certain type o comic books. He left mad, or should I say mad but not MAD? Shortly after that my old friend Jimmy Pat paid me a visit. He is a neighbor to the boy that wanted my MAD #5. Jimmy Pat wanted to go through my MAD comics, which I pulled them out and we both went through them and I talked about the artists and pointed out things I thought were worthy of pointing out. In a short time Jimmy Pat said he had to go and left. The next day I was going through my MADs again and saw that MAD #5 was gone. Jimmy Pat was known for his sticky fingers talent. I knew what happened. Jimmy Pat with his expertise swiping ability stole my MAD #5 out from under my watchful eyes and handed it over to the kid that that wanted so bad, for a price of course. Jimmy Pat denied it taking it and seemed hurt that I would consider him a thief. I knew him too well.