As if the collapse of our nation's financial markets weren't bad enough, here's another sign that you-know-what is hitting the fan after eight years of disastrous Bush-Cheney Republican "governance": gas brawls in North Carolina. The Asheville Citizen-Times reports continued huge gas shortages, people waiting more than an hour to pump gas, and yes, brawls breaking out at gas stations.
The scene at Asheville, NC gas stations this week ain't pretty:
A gas shortage that closed many stations Monday and left motorists in lines of up to an hour or more at others promises more of the same today.
And worse yet, there will no quick fix in the next several days, officials said.
"People are panicked," said Marsha Messer, manager of the Roadrunner Shell station on Merrimon Avenue. Messer stood in the station’s parking lot Monday afternoon directing lines of cars.
"We’ve already had three fights today. That’s why we have the cops here," she said, pointing to Asheville police patrol cars parked to the side.
The gas shortage has spread across the Southeast, and the cause appears to go beyond just disruptions due to Hurricane Ike (contrary to what John McCain said, 15 Gulf Coast refineries shut down by Hurricanes Gustav and Ike have yet to come back on line, cutting the nation’s petroleum supply by 22 percent.) No, it also appears that in addition to losing their faith in the dollar, Americans are losing faith in the nation's gas supply. They don't believe that more gas will be coming, so they drain new supplies as fast as stations get them.
While a tankerload of gas typically lasts the Shell station on Merrimon Avenue about two days, Messer figured her pumps would be empty by late Monday.
That scenario played out at numerous stations in Western North Carolina — a shipment would come, and consumers would drain the tanks within hours.
The problem is not confined to Asheville or even North Carolina. Serious gas shortages are being reported in such far-flung parts of the Southeast as Charlotte, Nashville, Atlanta and Tallahassee.
The gas shortages are, of course, spreading a negative ripply effect across communities, impacting people's daily lives in significant ways. Small business are feeling the impact, as are regular workers. You can't even order a GD pizza.
Gerald Ligon, manager and cook of Frank’s Roman Pizza, on Tunnel Road, said the restaurant had to stop delivery Sunday and Monday because of the gas shortage. It plans on starting up the delivery service again as soon as drivers can fill their gas tanks, he said.
Shannon Crandall, a certified nursing aide and student who lives in Woodfin, said Monday she couldn’t find an open station to fuel up.
"If I can’t get gas, I guess I can’t go to work," she said. "Hopefully, I won’t lose my job."
Well Shannon, in the Republicans' Bushco economy, if the sinking dollar, failing financial markets and crumbling health-care system don't cause you to lose your job, then the gas shortage just might do the trick. Welcome to George Bush's America, 2008 edition. Had enough yet?
UPDATE:
Some stations are rationing gas, as Kismet reports (pulled from the comments below):
I drove up to Asheville two weeks ago and Black Mountain last weekend. Many stations were limiting purchases to 10 gallons. On both trips, I was able to get gas for about $3.99 per gallon, and enough stations were open to get me there without a problem.
UPDATE 2:
The more things change......From a 1974 Time magazine article (H/T bwintx):
When a motorist in Pittsburgh topped off his tank with only 110 worth and then tried to pay for it with a credit card, the pump attendant spat in his face. A driver in Bethel, Conn., and another in Neptune, N.J., last week escaped serious injury when their cars were demolished by passenger trains as they sat stubbornly in lines that stretched across railroad tracks. "These people are like animals foraging for food," says Don Jacobson, who runs an Amoco station in Miami. "If you can't sell them gas, they'll threaten to beat you up, wreck your station, run over you with a car." Laments Bob Graves, a Lexington, Mass., Texaco dealer: "They've broken my pump handles and smashed the glass on the pumps, and tried to start fights when we close. We're all so busy at the pumps that somebody walked in and stole my adding machine and the leukemia-fund can."
As has been pointed out in the comments, if we had learned anything from the 1970s gas shortage, today we'd all be driving cars running on electricity or other alternative fuels and we'd have a comprehensive public transportation policy in full action. Will we learn anything in 2008?
UPDATE 3:
Kossacks report gas shortages far beyond Asheville:
Cassandra77 from TN:
Nashville's been in dire straits for at least 10 days. Yesterday I drove for miles without seeing one station open and pumping gas. It's been really frightening.
bear 83 from NC:
Shortages in Durham, too. The Costco in Durham had no gas yesterday. Most other stations in the area have gas, but there were at least 2 others out.
It is 220 miles from Durham to Asheville, but the problems are not limited to Western NC.
Are We There Yet from GA:
Definitely a shortage around ATL. Gas stations here are out. We have a tank and a half which will last us awhile (the full tank is in our Prius) so we're hoping people come to their senses before too long.
meatwad420 from AL:
I will not say where I live, but it is off I65 in Birmingham and most stations are limiting how much you can get, usually around $50 worth. Premium and mid-grade are out for most stations, the one next to my house has been out since Ike hit that Friday. The station manager said he had to call the police to one fight, but that was the only one.