Could You Survive a Gas Ration???

[qwlauren35]

I feel lucky. I *could* take public transportation to work if I had to. I could visit my mother by taking a train from Baltimore to Silver Spring, stay overnight and get back in the morning (I think.) There are grocery stores, pharmacies and probably everything I need within walking distance.

But I'd probably have to give up my volunteer work. And I couldn't get to my elderly aunts and uncles without a car.

I remember MANY moons ago when Ralphie May was in Last Comic Standing, and said we were going to war with Iraq over oil, and by gosh golly, he knew it, and accepted it, because he wasn't going to give up gasoline. I was disgusted, mortified, saddened... but I sense that deep down, a lot of Americans feel that way. They just don't articulate it. It's amazing how comedians can get away with telling the truth sometimes.

I get 30 mpg in my Honda, and could probably make 10 gallons stretch for 2-3 weeks if I had to. But somehow, I don't think most of America could adjust. And most of America doesn't want to. And most of America would rather be at war than give up their gasoline.

What do you think?

[ComerPerro]

1. There is simply no way some Americans could get by on 10 gallons in 2-3 weeks

[whistle]

2. Certainly...if gasoline is rationed then everyone shares in the hardship

...of getting along with less. Will it mean a 10%, 20% or 50% cut across the board?

[NMDemDist2]

3. we could, but it wouldn't be easy

living in the rural area that I do

[NMDemDist2]

53. on 2nd thought

it would be fine

esp after I buy the horse/mule/donkey and cart

[EFerrari]

111. And hats. They'll all need hats.

:hug:

[NightWatcher]

4. me and my corolla would try

I loves my 35 mpg

[RebelOne]

5. I could barely survive a gas ration.

Where I live, public transportation is not an option. There just isn't any.

[tridim]

9. That sucks, but I'm guessing it's a reality anywhere outside of a major city

Fortunately I work at home and our proposed new office space is within walking distance of my house (it's only 1/2 mile away!). Denver also has a really good public transportation system.

[Sammy Pepys]

I probably could.

I need to fill my car up (13 gallons) about once a week on average...I could probably stretch it to two without a problem.

[LSK]

6. probably

I can work from home if I had to, although work is only 5 miles away. There is a grocery store within walking distance.

[flashlighter]

7. I don't own a car, and I could survive without using Zipcar, so yeah!

[Horse with no Name]

8. I couldn't at this particular time

I work 60 miles from my home. My children go to school 60 miles from our home.
However, we are making a major move in the next few months. We have opted to utilize public transportation instead of purchasing another vehicle.
It is insane that many areas of this country do not have any other alternative than driving.

[GreenPartyVoter]

10. No. We live in a rural area and my husband makes housecalls as a

PC-fixit guy that require him to go long distances. No way he can work at all on a ration.

[melody]

11. I already live that way

I'd suggest the vast majority of Americans get by on a lot less gas than you think.

[qwlauren35]

28. Could you elaborate?

I used to live in North Carolina, and worked with a lot of people on the edge of poverty. When gas prices hit $2.50, a lot of them were afraid that they wouldn't be able to afford to get to work. I think some of them moved. That's the only benefit of that area - housing is cheap, apartments are plentiful, and moving is an option.

I think there are many, many people in the East Coast cities who can survive without much gasoline. But I don't know what percentage of the population they account for.

Outside of those areas, every family seems to have at least one car. Beat up, rusted out, dropping a muffler, used tires... but it runs.

[melody]

97. Sure, and I live in Southern California

We chose a place near my husband's work, after he applied for transfer to a less expensive area. We have a very economical car with an excellent mpg rating. We shop locally. We take walks for daily activities. And we group together parts of the family for day trips when we have to get the hell out of Dodge. It's a matter of being careful, prudent and cost-effective. I should also add that I work at home and remember the gas-rationing in the late 70s. I believe it may have become a natural part of our existence since then.

[TahitiNut]

12. It'd be a nice supplemental income.

:evilgrin:

Rationing is often an opportunity for those who consume the least to profit from the appetites of others.

Factoid: As every Viet Nam veteran knows, GI ration cards (booze, beer, cigarettes) were often a way of getting a little bit of petty cash.

[roamer65]

13. I'd barter or buy any extra gasoline rationing coupons I could find.

The practice was very common during WW2. If people had extra gasoline coupons, they would trade them for sugar or coffee coupons and visa versa.

[CountAllVotes]

14. yes I could and I do

The last time I filled up my car was on March 5th. It still has 3/4 tank left. It gets about 30 mpg.

Needless to say, I do not drive very much.

:kick:

[matt007]

15. SUVs

all of the SUV and Truck people need a gas ration. After Katrina it was just a small taste.

I love watching SUV/Truck folks squirm. Maybe they'll wake up when they cut back on their kids christmas for gas in that idiot box.

[Maine-ah]

38. yeah, man

'cause none of them legitimately need them, and they're all republicans anyway......

:sarcasm:

[SammyWinstonJack]

64. .

:eyes: SUV and Truck people? :shrug: Yeah, what an evil bunch they are! :sarcasm:

I wonder how much fuel is being wasted fighting two wars for oil? Hardly makes any sense, does it? Wasting fuel in order to steal the Iraqi peoples' oil so these greedy oil companies can gouge us ALL at the pump!

But hey, it just those evil SUV and Truck people to deserve to suffer the price gouging, right?

I really get sick and tired of the bashing of people who for whatever reason, drive a vehicle that isn't MPG correct for some. What about those who have older SUVs and Trucks that are paid for? Maybe they can't afford to trade out of it or don't have the means to purchase another vehicle. I guess they should just park their evil SUV/truck and walk.

Would that make you happy? :eyes:

[ThatsMyBarack]

103. Set up some "Small Car Only' gas stations!

[Nicole]

116. I'm a truck person.

I don't need a gas ration to conserve, I do that on my own. I walk or ride the bus 90% of the time.

I filled up my truck on Feb. 15th, it still has over half of a tank. So I've used less than 10 gallons of gas in about 5 weeks for my "idiot box". I'm not squirming.

[meldroc]

16. If vanpools are exempt, I might.

I ride a city-sponsored vanpool service to work, which certainly helps me save a ton of money, compared to driving to work (I'm about 55 miles away from work.)

If I had to drive to work, I'd be screwed if there was a 10 gal/wk ration - when I drove before I found the vanpool, I had to fill up twice a week, burning roughly 20 gallons a week.

If the vanpool was also subjected to a 10 gallon/wk ration, there's no way I could make it to work every day. Maybe if vanpools were exempt, or got a bigger ration, I'd be better off. It's possible that if gas rationing was tight I'd be able to set up telecommuting arrangements with my work.

Grocery stores and other things are within walking distance for me though, so I'd be able to do everything except work within the ration.

[qwlauren35]

29. How many in the vanpool?

Sounds like if there are 5 of you, it might work on 50gal/week.

[RB TexLa]

17. I drove over 700 miles last week, don't think so

[TomInTib]

18. I could do it.

It is a nine-minute (forty-five if I take my dog) walk down the hill for everything that I need.

[Breeze54]

19. I already did in 1973!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1973_oil_crisis


At the height of the crisis in the United States,
drivers of vehicles with odd numbered license plates
were allowed to purchase gasoline only on odd-numbered
days of the month, while drivers with even-numbers were
limited to even-numbered days.


Gasoline lines - Line at a gas station, June 15, 1979.

snip-->

With the onset of the embargo, U.S. imports of oil from the Arab countries dropped
from 1.2 million barrels (190,000 m³) a day to a mere 19,000 barrels (3,000 m³).
Daily consumption dropped by 6.1% from September to February, and by the summer of 1974,
by 7% as the United States suffered its first fuel shortage since the Second World War.

[ms liberty]

60. I remember those days...

Although I wasn't driving when it first started in 1973...I got my learner's permit in 1974. I can remember being in line for hours - just to be able to get $5.00 worth of gas. When you wanted or needed to go somewhere, you really had to think about IF you needed to make that trip, how many tasks you could accomplish during that one trip, and the shortest distances necessary to accomplish those tasks.
And of course, that's when Toyotas and Datsuns became the car of choice for a whole lot of America. You could go farther for less gas.

Those times affected everything about my driving habits. I don't run to town for one thing - I don't go run ONE errand, I run several. I arrange my route in a way that takes the least number of miles and gets the most tasks completed. If I can wait another day to run errands and run more errands at the same time, I do. I'm even more like that now, because I live in a rural area. I drive about 8 miles one way just to get to the teeny little town I live near; if I have to go to a real 'town' I ALWAYS wait until I've got other appointments. mr liberty has to drive about 30 miles every day to work; when he can, he rides the motorcycle because it gets the best mileage. If he drives the car, it gets about 32 mpg, which is not bad but not as good as the bike. And if a 'city' errand has to be run and can be taken care of in the evening hours (he works a 10 hr day), he gets it before he comes home, so I don't have to.

We could deal with gas rationing a lot better than some people, especially here in the rural south, where a lot of people have to have pickups which are real gashogs.

[Breeze54]

112. I hear ya! lol

:hi:

I plan and consolidate all my trips. It just makes sense.
I have a car a little bigger then that motorcycle in you sig! :rofl:
My friend had a Datsun, yellow, and we (4 of us) car pooled to work and the gas lines! ;)

[melody]

98. Ah, yes, my college years ... the days of near riots at gas stations

Maybe that's how I learned to be frugal. lol

[Breeze54]

114. I forgot about the very pissed off drivers and

the fights and shootings for 'line cutters'.
They were the worst! What arrogant assholes!

:hi:

I learned frugalness (sp?) from that and my depression era parents! :P

[madinmaryland]

20. My wife and I might be able to.

We would have to commute together, which would be about 12 miles a day. Bring our lunches rather than going home. That would of course depend on whether I was required to travel on company business, which typically is one day a week.

[gollygee]

21. We could if we had to

My husband's work is a 5-minute drive, and he often bikes in good weather. We live within very easy walking distance of my daughter's school. We live within reasonable walking distance of a grocery store and other shops. We don't have public transportation in my part of town but we'd be fine anyway.

I'd be more worried about how food costs and availability would be effected.

[qwlauren35]

30. Food... it would get ugly.

Transporting food long distances would become a mess. On the flip side, local farmers would prosper. But in general, I think the price of anything that couldn't be bought locally would sky-rocket.

A lot of things would change in addition to not being able to drive long distances.

[guitar man]

22. I bet I could

at 52-57 mpg, I can go a long way on a little gas, and have a lot of fun doing it. :evilgrin:

[ikojo]

40. Let's hear it for two wheels!!!

:bounce: :bounce: :bounce: :bounce: :bounce: :bounce: :bounce: :bounce: :bounce: :bounce: :bounce: :bounce:

[guitar man]

57. YAY!! Two Wheels

I have a 96 mile one way commute to work that I make 3 times a week. From March up through November, 2 out of 3 of those trips are made on the bike. I do one Monday, stay over, do one Wednesday, stay over and then I do my Friday trip in the car.

There is something that happens to the people here on Friday evening that makes me not want to ride through the traffic on the bike. :scared:

[gilpo]

83. Agreed...

I get about 1 mile for 50 calories if I am pedaling hard. ;-)

[gratuitous]

23. Easily

If I'm not taking public transportation, I'm riding my bike (twice last week, twice this week). It would be a bit of a pain, but I wouldn't suffer any significant hardship. And, I suspect, a lot of people if they were forced into it could make do as well. We're a pretty adaptable bunch, and always looking for convenience. If it's no longer convenient to just jump in the car and burn three or four gallons of gas, we'd find some other arrangement.

For example, when the areas around San Francisco instituted HOV lanes where a vehicle could sail down the highway in a special lane if they had more than two passengers, folks began just picking up people at bus stops for ad hoc car pools to take advantage of the HOV lane. The driver received the benefit of using the special lane, and the passenger received the benefit of getting into town faster. I suspect similar arrangements would spring up in neighborhoods, and folks might see the wisdom of taxing themselves to build a mass transit system.

The country could do it, but it won't until it's forced to.

[Virginia Dare]

24. I've been contemplating this of late as well..

and I'm pretty well set. My husband has to drive to work, however I can walk to public transportation, daughter can walk to school. If we had to we could walk to the grocery store, drug store, library, coffee shop, restaurants, dry cleaners, liquor store, beauty shop, doctors offices, bank. I'm thinking I would probably survive it pretty well. :)

[Lady Effingbroke]

25. I tried (without success) to explain to my mother that oil is a finite resource,

and in the not too distant future we will be depending on other methods of transportation such as trains and bicycles; so it might be prudent to get the bicycle out of the garage and start pedaling now in order to get used to the idea.

Her response? "Well, I'm just gonna keep on driving!"

Of course you will, Mother, until you can't.

Then you won't.

And there are millions of Americans who believe as she does.

[RaleighNCDUer]

26. Easily. And probably profit on selling my excess coupons.

I drive @ 250 miles/month. Walk or bike to my primary job. Fill my tank once every 4 wks or so.

[Beelzebud]

27. The idea sounds fine if you live in a city. I guess rural citizens can just get fucked?

[Xithras]

31. Shouldn't be necessary to ration rural dwellers

People in rural areas use a comparatively small percentage of the nations oil. The vast majority of cars in America belong to people living in the cities and suburbia.

Besides, many rural areas (especially farmers around here) tend to buy their fuel in bulk. Most of the farms in this area have 500-2500 gallon fuel tanks on site, refilled by heavy truck, to power their tractors and other farm implements. It's kind of hard to ration those users, and it would be a waste of time.

[Breeze54]

33. I didn't live in a city

that had public transportation and I survived.
I lived in a very populated east coast 'city'.
No busses, so instead, we car-pooled! :) We had no choice!
The company we worked for did start providing school busses though.

[Beelzebud]

35. But you lived in a city. Try walking 35 miles to work everyday.

Or try carpooling when no one is around to carpool with...

[Breeze54]

39. I didn't live in a huge city like NY or Boston

It's a very small city.

Walking 15 miles to work still sucks; same as 35.

A town can vote to be listed as a 'city', for tax purposes, etc.

[Breeze54]

49. Illinois Carpool Center

Illinois Carpool Center
http://www.erideshare.com/carpool.php?dstate=IL

Illinois Carpool ride share
http://www.carpoolworld.com/carpool_list_cities.html?country_code=USA,US&country_name=UNITED_STATES&state_code=IL

http://www.carpoolconnect.com/state/Illinois

http://www.standingupforillinois.org/carpool/

[qwlauren35]

54. Honestly, I wasn't trying to "F*ck" anyone.

Not sure why you went there.

[myrna minx]

32. I don't have a car, so yep. n/t

[aint_no_life_nowhere]

34. 7 hour round-trip by bus to my office and back

My office is about 48 miles from where I live in SoCal. Everything seems to be far from everything else in Southern California, because of all the vast housing development enclaves that separate everything from everything else. I'd have to take 3 buses to get there. I tried it for an entire summer and it was hell. The wait was sometimes 45 minutes for one bus, as many bus routes in Southern California only run about one bus per hour.

If gas rationing came about, so be it. I'd maybe try making my own alchol and mixing it with the gas and burning it in my old car. I'm not sure if it would work but I'd try it. I have an oldie with a very simple carbureted engine and no computer chips.

[MadHound]

91. Umm, your old car would become a flaming hunk of junk in short order

And you would be lucky to get out alive. Alcohol in an internal combustion engine just doesn't work well, whether it has a carb or injectors. You could, at most, get by with about a fifteen percent cut of ethanol, but anything more and you're just asking to be a crispy critter.

[aint_no_life_nowhere]

102. I don't completely agree

People used to run their cars on pure alcohol years ago. My dad burned alcohol in his truck when he was a kid many, many years ago. They even run race cars on alcohol. Alcohol burns cooler than gasoline and has far fewer carbon deposits. But I think that a mixture (as I mentioned in my post) would be better, and 15% as you suggest works well. Pure alchol can do a lot of funny things to an engine that's been running on gasoline because it tends to be a powerful solvent. It will start dissolving a lot of the gunk that's been deposited from burning a petroleum product and it can also dissolve parts of the car itself. But that's a particular problem for newer cars, with all the plastic in the fuel systems. With an older car where the fuel system including the gas tank, fuel pump, diaphragm, etc. are made of stainless steel there's less a problem associated with alcohol. But with a car with a carburetor like I have, alcohol requires a richer air/fuel ratio, so it's necessary to bore out the main jet orifice when using ethanol fuel.

[haele]

36. I'm lucky, I can telecommute.

The only driving I absolutely have to do is to the occasional meeting, doctor's appointments (unfortunately we run those at least three times a month) the kidlet to school (Charter - which is twice a week) and shopping errands - those can be cut down to no more than three a week.
I could cut it down even more if I could trust the kidlet with a bus pass, but that's not happening any time soon.

With all that driving in one crappy, paid for minivan, I could possibly get by on 45/50 gallons a month - that's about $160 a month right now in San Diego. If I can ever afford the $400 - $500 to fix the idle valve control issues and air sensors, throwing in a real tune-up, I can probably get by on a little over 25 gallons a month - probably somewhere around $80, the way prices are. Unfortunately, the latter won't happen any time soon.

Haele

[ikojo]

37. I could....I don't own a car and could take

public transit (and do when it's raining). I also own one of these:




If all I do is go to work and home, I can get by on one tank of gas (1.2 gallons) for four days.

I wouldn't enjoy it but I could walk to Walgreens and the grocery store. There are also good restaurants within easy walking distance for me. As for shul, well they are orthodox (I am conservative) synagogues in my neighborhood.

There is also the bike I could ride, that would do my health a world of good.

Yes, I would survive a gas ration...especially if we were told only x number of gallons...whew it'd be a lot for a scooter!!!

[redirish28]

41. I know my wife and I couldn't. I work at a job 40 minutes from where we live

because where we live is the only place that we can live on both our wages.


My wife talked about this before. The car companys started this situation we find ourselves in. They started by buying up all the tolley systems in the towns and changing them into Bus routes. Later you have oil companys encouraging administrations like BUSh's to get rid of Amtrak. Remember the talk a couple years ago? Why should we keep giving Amtrak money when all the accidents where happening. Well, remember who was charge of taking care of the the rail ways? The Government. Do you think the rail ways would have been in such bad shape with maybe Amtrak taking care of maintence.

My wife would love some like in Europe. It would make things better for everyone BUT most systems would have to run on a 24 hour bases and as one person yelled at my wife America is too big to be connected like that.

[DrunkenMaster]

42. easily & happily

I think it's a fine idea.

[OneBlueSky]

43. no problem . . . I put under 5K miles/year on my car . . . n/t

.

[alarimer]

44. No. I would lose my job since it depends on gasoline

We use a lot in our trucks and boats so with gas rationing, no work for me.

[951-Riverside]

45. Bus/Train fares would sky rocket because of the shortage

[progressoid]

46. If I get a different job.

I travel 12-15,000 miles a year.

[lildreamer316]

47. My husband works two hours away.

We do have a 30 mpg Honda also, but I would forsee a lot of time apart.
(Before you ask, no, we can't move. I have the house in trust for me because my mother was mad I do what I do for a living. It would be hell and break my family apart to try and sell it before I take posession of it in six years. Plus, it's paid for. A free house two hours away is still a better deal than a crappy high interest long mortage down the road.)
Guess I wouldn't see much of my husband.

[CatholicEdHead]

48. Borderline to make it work

I get 24mpg on my CRV overall. I live 5min from work (bikeable 1-2miles), but 180mi from my fiancee. I could probably make it work

[lonestarnot]

50. Yeppers! Have two feet, two legs and a bike, more than thousands of vets!

[Carni]

51. Oh man -- NO! I live 10 miles from a town (each way)

I would have to buy *a hog* I guess and that would not be a good thing since I am afraid of motorcycles lol

[IDemo]

52. Less than 3k miles/year now

I only have 41 thousand miles on my '93 truck. It helps having only 4.5 miles and a fairly quiet stretch of road for the bicycle commute.

[krispos42]

55. Barely, I think.

I would have to walk about a mile to the transit station. Then I'd have to grab a bus either to downtown Minneapolis, or a bus to the Mall of America and take the Light Rail to downtown Minneapolis. Then I have to transfer to a 2nd bus and go slightly west of downtown to my job.

That's going to work.

Coming back, I would have to wait at a bus stop by my job for about 3 hours until the buses started running again, then reverse my direction home.

That would mean in a 24 hour day, I would be spending about 6 or 7 in transit, 10.5 at work, and the balance sleeping, bathing, relaxing, and eating. Very hard, but I could save my gas for doing grocery shopping and the like.

This would work at least until my job moved to Greater Minnesota and I was outside the transit net. Then I'd have to hope to get a place close enough to walk to work, or at least close enough to not drive very far.

I could also pick up and drop of my son without much difficutly except for the aforementioned time involved in the transfers as long as I was in the metro area. Grab the express bus to downtown Saint Paul and transfer. But when the job moves, I have to save my gas ration to pick up my son. I think I could make ten gallons last for 3 weeks if the ONLY thing I did with the car was drive down to the Cities once a week from the presumed new location of my job.

[Kber]

56. I could easy

School, stores, bank etc. are w/in waling distance. I live in the 'burbs, but there is a bus that stops at the train station where you can get a direct line into NYC or change in Newark to go to Phili or Boston.

But...

my husband's job it to support small business computer networks. He spends a lot of time commuting to different locations. He has chosen to limit his customers to a fairly small central location. Since NJ is both small and crowded, it's a workable business strategy.

and

we get daily deliveries of computer equipment and other technologies.

and we get mail from around the country. I suppose I could get a P.O. box and walk over to get my mail each day, but that only saves gas on the final 1/2 mile of the the journey.

and even if I bike to the store, the groceries had to be trucked in from somewhere. (There are some local farms w/in biking distance, but they only sell produce in the summer and fall.)

I need to give your post some serious thought. As is, I fill my tank avery 3-4 weeks 'cause even in winter, I generally prefer to walk or bike if I can. But are there things I am doing that make other people drive more (like ordering business supplies from far away places, or buying veggies from California when they can be purchased from NY or locally from NJ.)

I think your scenario required a rethink of all sorts of things.

[Ganja Ninja]

58. I guess I wouldn't have any choice.

I would have to start working from home if I still had a job. I still have my Triumph which would get me to work if I could find a job closer to home.

[magellan]

107. The tragedy is that many people could work from home

...if only their employers let them. We run our overseas office via the internet.

The technology to support working from home is all around us. It's time companies seriously start looking into it.

[Maine-ah]

59. yes we could

even with our 2 cars. 1 being a VW Jetta, and the other an Nissan Xterra. I work 3 nights a week, and 5 miles from home. Hubbie works 7 miles from home. We pretty much don't go anywhere other than that, other than grocery shopping or to family, all within a 5 mile radius. No public transportation my way.

[BluePatriot]

61. The infrastructure down here isn't set up for it.

The South has zilch when it comes to decent public transit. Think of sprawling cities like Houston, Atlanta, Dallas...I am lucky in that we chose to live close to a lot of things (at the expense of mildly higher rent, a "cozy" environment, and not being able to afford a home as quickly) but my coworkers have 1 hour ONE WAY commutes in their cars at times in order to get to their lower-middle $15-$17/hr jobs. A gas crunch really screws things for these folks. Communities close to jobs that are safe for families and have good schools don't always exist.

[SeattleGirl]

62. I could, as I work from home, and there are stores/restaurants

within a mile of my house. I know that a lot of people don't have that option, nor do they have good public transportation, and they may live in an area where shopping or dining isn't close by.

[hunter]

63. No problem.

My wife and I don't like commuting, so we don't.

Walking or riding our bikes to the grocery store, which is less than a mile away, would probably be good for us.

We really need to start rearranging the U.S. economy so that most people can live without cars. For most people cars should be a toy, sort of like a boat or a big screen television, and not a necessity.

[leftofthedial]

65. 10 gallons could last me for 3 weeks no problem

it already does.

The only exception would be if I have a stretch of out-of-town gigs.

[lectrobyte]

66. If I had to, I could work from home some portion, and car pool for

the rest. My car gets 55-60 MPG, too.

[Gormy Cuss]

67. Yes. With the exception of weekend excursions we already use very little gasoline.

Even with weekend trips we probably use about a tank a month, total. Telecommuting and living within walking distance of a supermarket, plus access to infrequent but reliable local buses and BART all make it possible.

If gas rationing happened there would be public, private, and grassroots efforts to address the limitations imposed by rationing, if the 1970s experience is any indication. Carpooling would be come a necessity for many and public transit service would need adjustments (more frequent buses, for example.) Employers would have an incentive to increase the availability of telecommuting for employees who can work efficiently from home.

Supermarkets would carry less imported produce and perishable goods. Instant turnaround on mail order would go by the boards too. Everyone would see the effect of gas rationing. There's no avoiding that. It will place a greater burden on some than others -- no avoiding that either. Even allowing higher allotments to super rural people won't make up for the difference in cost for gasoline and other goods.

[femmedem]

68. Easily.

My husband and I use about 4 gallons per week for the two of us, and we could cut back further. That is one of the advantages of living in a small city. :)

[Marrah_G]

69. It could be the nail in the coffin of my family.

Single parent of 3, I would not be able to get to work and finding some place close would be nearly impossible and would take alot of luck. I driver as little as possible. To work and home stopping to get groceries on the way. Other then that The only place I go is to pick up my kids from afterschool events and to take my son to karate (except in the summer when its light enough for him to ride his bike)

Unless you live in the city public transportation is not really an option. I have a train station a couple miles away, but getting to my job from the other station would be a very long (and cold) walk or a hugely expensive cab ride.

Still if it happened, I would do like my grandmother and find a way (she raised 6 kids alone in the depression).

[TX-RAT]

70. I'd run drip gas.

High octane, but hard on the motor.

[Mugu]

71. If the ration were 10 gallons a week,

I would have 6 or 7 gallons to spare.

Regards, Mugu

[robinlynne]

72. I'm just waiting for my plug-in electric car. As soon as it is available, i'm buying it.

I hate using gas. i hate the war. i hate exxon mobil. i will give up all plastic made of petroleum, lipstick, vaseline, everything. no problem here.
Whoever starts selling midsized, reasonably priced electric cars is going to get so very rich!

[piedmont]

108. Don't wait-- do it yourself!

http://www.austinev.org/evalbum/

I plan to convert a car in the next couple of years, when I get out of grad school and have the time and money. It's a top priority for me.

[Mr. McD]

73. No way. It's 80 miles round trip to work and back.

My wife drives 32 miles round trip in the opposite direction.

[stirlingsliver]

74. Not a Problem at all For Me

If it would help to save the planet, I could sure get by on gas rationing.

I'd use public transportation, I'd walk, and I'd use a bike.

[Initech]

75. Fuck no!

I have a short commute, but my work sends me all over Southern California (literally) and for one, there's no way I could be able to afford to ration gas. For two, I rely on all the extra money I get from mileage (I get reimbursed .44 cents per mile) as part of my salary.

Of course if it gets the oil company assholes to lower prices back to less than $2 / gal, then count me in!

[Earth_First]

76. Absolutely! (2.3 mi roundtrip)

However once I arrived at work, I'm not sure how much could be accomplished. As a professional landscaper a good majority of my day is spent utilizing gasoline/diesel powered equipment.

Last autumn I suggested that we start to produce our own fuel through processing our own bio-diesel onsite. The idea was received and eventually forgotten through the winter. As the weather begins to break, I'll make the suggestion again in a more business-direct method.

For me it's about doing everything I can, however to most it's a matter of economics. Personally, whatever it takes is fine by me!

[taught_me_patience]

77. Nope

If gas were $8/gal, I'd probably still consume the exact same amount that I do now. (10 gal/week @30mpg).


taught.

[MissB]

78. I could.

Dh bikes to work every day, rain or shine. I don't work. I'm the main user of gasoline in this house and I don't use much.

We all have bikes. We even have tandems that are set up to take our kids and can convert back to two-adult tandems once they get older (and longer legged). We have a cargo trailer that can attach to any of the bikes.

So yeah, we could survive a gas ration.

[twiceshy]

79. I could bike to work - 4 miles......

Except for winter Dec-Mar, when there is too much ice and snow.

[Eurobabe]

80. Yes, live overseas with plenty of public transportation

[recoveringrepublican]

81. Last month, no, this month YES!!!

I use to commute 80 miles a day. Public transportation around the Tampa/St. Pete area is horrible! My husband commuted 60 miles a day. Well my husband got transfered two miles away from our home. He is now making more money. I lost my job! YAY. lol I'm only going to look for part time work near by. We are thinking of selling his car and just having one. I want an adult tricycle now. I'm so flipping excited about everything that has happened this month.

That being said, I doubt many people who live around me could survive a ration. Many commuters and the public transportation is horrible!!! At least if you have to get to work. too many car accidents, to many cars on too little roads. Too many morons.

[taterguy]

82. I have no respect or sympathy for people that couldn't do this

For the past 16+ years we've been actively fighting oil wars. If you think that this is a bad thing then structure your life so that you don't consume much oil. Seems like a very simple concept.

[nolabels]

84. Yes, I could ride a bicycle to work (easy) and relatives live next door.

and grocery and other stores real close. I don't think US business could survive fuel rationing though

[TwilightGardener]

85. Nope--no can do. I live in a rural area, my husband's commute is

about 70 miles round-trip, and my job involves driving extensively to other rural areas, although I do get mileage reimbursement. We have cut down on unnecessary trips to save gas, but I won't change where I live or what I do for a living.

[Evoman]

86. I don't have a car, and I walk a lot.

So yes, undoubtedly...I could even survive no gas, AND no public transportation.

Hell, I even walk to get groceries...yep, I WALK carrying 8 or more bags of groceries..the grocery store is 4 blocks away. Builds muscle and character.

[Ilsa]

87. Yeah. We might need to buy another bike, but we live close enough

for the kids to walk to school, my husband to bike to work, and for me to bike to the grocery store and most other local places.

[bikebloke]

88. Easy

Many years ago, I changed my lifestyle and quit driving. Biking has worked out for me.

So who wants my ration?

[WI_DEM]

89. I could but I'm sure there are many who couldn't for one reason or another.

[treestar]

90. More mass transportation might develop in response

Or other ingenius ways of doing things - we have so much technology now most people shouldn't drive anywhere to work anyway - just work off the computer online.

[aikoaiko]

92. I use 20 gallons a month driving to and fro work.

Scion XB :)

[etherealtruth]

93. No

I live in metro Detroit; we have NO public mass transit system.

I work ~30 miles from home and simply cannot afford to live in the area I work in ... in addition to that, employment is so "iffy" in this area I wouldn't move to be close to a specific job (that may not be there in a year)

[OPERATIONMINDCRIME]

94. Absosmurfley. Course, That's Irrelevant Since There's No Reason To Believe It's Gonna Happen

any time soon.

[michreject]

95. No...My truck only gets 10 MPG

It's a 3/4 ton pick-up. It only gets 6 when I'm pulling the travel trailer. I needed the truck to pull the trailer, which weighs 8700 lbs. 11000 when it's loaded. When the trailer is not hooked up, I use the truck to get from point A to point B.

[gravity]

96. There needs to be a free market mechanism with the rations

For example give everyone ten gallons a week guaranteed. If you don't to use them all, then you can sell them to someone who needs it more. The peope in the city who can bike, can sell them to the people who have longer commutes.

This might actually help the poor more, since they can make a good amount of money selling their rations.

[conning]

99. I like your idea

but I think the amount needs to be closer to 10 gallons a month. We are going to be facing an urgent need to curtail our energy use. The average American uses about 400 gallons of gasoline a year. 100 to 120 would be closer to the amount we should be using.

[gravity]

100. I agree, but I think a gradual decline would be best

Like cutting a little bit each year, so we can make realistic adjustments to the gas supply.

I remember Great Britain was talking about a similar proposal a couple months ago.

[tammywammy]

101. Yes, I have a diesel :)

[SoCalDem]

104. We have:)

[Little Wing]

105. easily

in fact, I plan to basically do that :)

[piedmont]

106. I certainly could.

I live 7 miles from where I work. Even driving the car exclusively, I could stretch 10 gallons for 3 weeks. But I'd probably buy and use a bike or scooter A LOT and really make it stretch.

Most suburbanites would be devastated, though. They would be too far away from work to commute, and have too little land or other resources at their homes to make a living there. You can't even fall back on subsistence agriculture when you only own an acre of land, half of which is covered by a McMansion.

[JTG of the PRB]

109. I could right NOW...

...because I only live 3 miles away from my job. When I move to Longmont next month and start commuting from significantly farther away, I'll have to ration my gas a little more cautiously. I have a 1991 Subaru wagon, and the last few months I'm averaging 270-295 miles per tank. It's about a 32 mile round-trip from northern Longmont to southern Boulder, so I might be lucky to get two weeks out of one tank of gas.

If Subaru gets around to making a hybrid vehicle, I'll buy one.

[EFerrari]

110. Yes, easily and it's due to the great public transportation system

in my town and to the internet. It would be no problem at all.

[Auggie]

113. Bring it on! I work at home.

[doc03]

115. It would depend on how many gallons the

ration is. Just what brought this up anyway it's the first I ever heard anyone even suggest it? Rationing would hurt poor people most of all since they usually are the ones that can only afford to buy an old gas guzzler and they are more likely to not be served by any public transportation.

[Nicole]

117. I did in the 70's, I can do it now.

I walk or ride the bus 90% of the time. I use 5-10 gallons of gas a month.

[fortyfeetunder]

118. Telecommute and carpool

it's possible since I could carpool and telecommute in the current work situation. Riding a bike might be easier if there were less cars on the road.