The "Me Decade" Revisited

Well, I paid my dad back. I told him to keep his money for himself, and to focus on his own fuel needs over us. He took it calmly, and just said not to worry about it. My dad truly has the patience of a saint to put up with this and the travel needs of his job. He occasionally had to go down to South Carolina for meetings with his boss, and now it looks even more likely that he'll have to move down there. I'm conflicted over whether or not I should support him or try to suggest another solution. If he moves, then I might have to move with him. That, or I stay until my mother decides to move, forcing me to live on-campus at double what I have to pay now. Whatever happens, I feel as if I'm sort of screwed.

To the problem at hand for the week: we're finally getting brownouts, availability of oil is dwindling slowly but surely, and we need to prevent havoc from breaking out. No oil is one thing, but mass panic is another. We will definitely have to look back to the gas shortages of 1973-74 for advice and ways to help minimize the havoc. We NEED to ration gas before things get really out of hand. I don't care how--odd-even calendar days, license plate numbers, even limiting service to X amount of customers a day; just something to keep people rational.

It might not please the Eight to hear this, but the government will be needed here. I doubt that large groups of people that desire fuel could ration it themselves,given our need for the stuff. We as victims of the consumerist economy, desire comforts and luxury, including stuff we didn't think we needed. I think advertising and the bottom line has helped lead us in this direction, far after the "Me Decade" ended. The more things change, the more they stay the same. Such a line never rung truer.

I've got another Freewrite loaded up, and then I'm going to bed. Tonight, I might dream of my friends over in the Big Apple. Ten million people, all on the verge of the abyss if nothing is done to help them. Keep the urbanites in your hearts and minds folks...soon they will need us.