With the cost of gasoline exceeding $4.50 in some parts of the United States, I wonder how soon we will see gas rationing. The last time I remember gas being rationed was around 1978, or 1979. I was living in Sunnyvale, CA at the time and it was always a question of when you needed gas, would there would be any? In the beginning the gas stations would ration out the gas, no one got more than 5 gallons. Which meant that you really couldn’t go very far. Luckily I had an old VW bug that, back then, got good gas mileage so I didn’t suffer like those who had the big “Muscle Cars.” Some states tried “Odd/Even” days based on your license plates. I remember several times parking my car in line at the gas station over night just to make sure that I got gas before they ran out. Sometimes people’s cars would get vandalized during the night, or what little gas they still had left in their tank would get siphoned out, leaving them having to push their car to the pump. Some gas stations made a little extra money on the side by charging people to leave their car in line over night with the promise that nothing would happen to their car. Surprisingly very little changed after that gas drought. Detroit continued to make the big gas guzzling cars and people acted like what happened was just a fluke, nothing they needed to concern themselves with.
Well here we are in 2008 facing the same situation. Gasoline costs have risen over 40% in the last 5 years yet the big oil companies say it isn’t their fault, the oil-rich producing countries say that it isn’t their fault, and as could be expected, the Federal Government says it isn’t their fault. How odd. So, what’s next? Gas rationing. It wouldn’t surprise me at all. Wish I still had my old VW!
Ciao
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