People are scared about the rise in gas prices so they go to the gas stations to fill up, otherwise, "prices will be higher or they will run out of gas!"
[Update] That's the same panic that happened during the Carter Nixon years when OPEC cut back in their production to cause an increase in gas prices.
During that summer, my friends and I laughed at the line of cars up and down the block. Some of us made money selling cups of water to the people waiting in the cars.
Fights broke out at gas stations. Gas stations ran out of gas. Lines of cars blocked street traffic. Some gas stations went out of business.
Today? Fights. Gas stations running out of gas. Lines of cars blocking traffic.
All I can do is shake my head and call the people fools.
History is repeating itself for other reasons, but it is still repeating itself.
Only people who live in places that have excellent mass transit can wrongheadedly refer to others as fools for seeking to gas up before another gas spike. The state of Michigan, according to the media, suffered one of the biggest of these "spikes." The governor has requested the Feds (don't laugh) to investigate. People are well aware of the manufactured rolling blackouts in Cali by Enron execs. We know that the "fix" on the pump prices is in. However, we still must get to work, take kids to daycare, take folk medicine as well as to the hospital, etc. Only a complete moron would ignore this reality; thus, revealing who truly is the fool.
Posted by: bibtecario at September 3, 2005 07:27 PMI live in an area where mass transit doesn't exist.
"Mob mentality" is kicking in and it is not rational. It is irrational and it is causing stations to run out of gas.
Right now, there are 3 stations in my area. One has run out of regular and mid grade gas. A second has run out of regular grade gas. The third has the highest prices of the 3 and now has a line.
The other two had lines earlier today.
Yes, people are behaving foolishly.
As I said, here in Detroit, the gas spike is tantamount to "gouging." When the gas goes from $2.49 to $3.29 (20 cents shy of an entire dollar), and you factor in everyone's understanding that this kakistocracy is not only in bed but coitally occupied with big oil, it makes perfect sense to get the gas before the price escalates once again. Check the facts. No metro Detroit nor Michigan station has run out of gas. And everyone I've witnessed was cool, calm, and collected. When gas rockets up 80 cents overnight, good luck trying to buy them out. When gas goes up that fast someone's getting rich. Now, perhaps were you live (However, I distinctly recall reading that you live in or around DC, which has mass transit) and Lks calling you out 'bout why you two have yet to met), the oil companies decided to "manufacture" empty stations, akin to the "manufactured" California rolling blackouts. Yet the same bahavior you've witnessed simply does not hold true everywhere.
Posted by: bibtecario at September 5, 2005 11:47 PM
Yeah so let's see if Democrats recommend price controls.
Posted by: Cobb at September 2, 2005 10:19 PM