Iran Starts Gas Rationing with Just Two Hours Notice - Riots

Iran; lacks refining capacity . . . 11 cents per liter . . . imports . . . large budget deficit . . . GO FIGURE!!!!
Did they learn economics from the liberal Democrats?

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Sufferin' Prius Envy @ Jun 29 2007, 12:08 PM) [snapback]470066[/snapback]</div>

:mellow: :huh: :lol: :lol: :lol:

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Sufferin' Prius Envy @ Jun 29 2007, 10:08 AM) [snapback]470066[/snapback]</div>

Huh. 6 years of republican rule... massive deficit... huh.

 

I wonder how the rationing is implemented, especially on such short notice. Also, 100 Litres a month is a lot; it is hard to believe that is rationing at all for most people.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(EricGo @ Jun 29 2007, 12:58 PM) [snapback]470133[/snapback]</div>

There's a two tiered system. Taxi's get more.

They're rationing but they are NOT raising prices. I guess they figured that if they raised prices the rich would simply pay and those that couldn't afford it would be locked out.

They're looking at immediately cutting their consumption to 40% to ensure they aren't reliant on what they import. I think they're looking at having to do without that 40% due to ....some sanctions perhaps?

One has to wonder if a majority of the people are going to start thinking.....forget whatever it is that's causing the sanctions and give us our gas back. If it's Iran's nuclear program, I'll bet the people would rather have gas than nuclear.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Godiva @ Jun 29 2007, 01:24 PM) [snapback]470157[/snapback]</div>

The rich will still simply pay by either buying gas vouchers or buying black-market gas. Just think of the new market. You go buy your X amount of gas and then start auctioning it to the highest bidder.

The government can't raise prices for political reasons. They promised everyone economic prosperity from their oil income. If they raise prices even to the wholesale level of say $2.00 per gallon this would be more than a 400% increase for the people of Iran. Image the inflation from that! On the other hand they can't just keep subsidizing every gallon of gasoline to the tune of $1.60 per gallon either.

 

The old record for oil was $78.40/barrel on July 13, 2006. With this turn of events, it will be interesting to see if that record is broken sooner rather than later.

IOW, could be time for a 'Prius smugness alert'.

 

100 liters = 26(ish) gallons of gas. I know plenty of people who will go through 26 gallons in 1-2 weeks in their SUV's.

Of course, in my Prius i'll go through 10 gallons in 2-3 weeks, so it would be a problem for me

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(HBO6 @ Jun 29 2007, 10:30 AM) [snapback]470014[/snapback]</div>

Wow... There's not enough gas - so let's start by Lighting Gas Stations on Fire!!!

Someone didn't think their cunning plan all the way through...

-Ken

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(kdmorse @ Jun 29 2007, 05:01 PM) [snapback]470292[/snapback]</div>

They should've tried the "don't buy gas on May 15th" strategy... :lol:

 

So, you think there would be riots if rationing returned to the US?

A couple of years ago a pipeline broke between AZ and CA. The supply of gas was lower than usual, but there was still enough coming through to supply the average needs for the state.

Immediately people panicked. Huge lines at the gas stations - and of course, the prices shot up. There was a period in 2005 when we were paying over $3/gallon and happy to get it - because many gas stations were simply out of gas.

So WTH happened? Did people all of a sudden start driving more miles each week and needing more gas? Nope! Remember, we had enough gas coming in, so there was no need to panic.

But people got into the mindset of getting stocked up. If they saw a station that had gas, they stopped and filled up - even if they only needed 1/4 tank. That made the lines longer, the prices higher, and more stations had out of gas signs.

Even my husband started to feel it. We'd pass a station with gas and he'd seriously consider stopping - even though we still had a half tank! He said "but WHAT IF we can't get any more gas?"

I told him if WE couldn't get gas and couldn't get to work, then probably nobody else could either. There was enough gas for our normal needs, and there was no need to worsen the problem.

We did have our share of arguments and shot tempers at gas stations. It happened in September/October, when it is still over 100 degrees here. People get mighty testy when standing in a long outside line - especially when their turn comes and the pump has run dry!

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(pyccku @ Jun 29 2007, 07:53 PM) [snapback]470376[/snapback]</div>

No.

We'd do like we did before. We'd have our even and odd day fill ups. We'd plan in advance. We'd wait in long lines. We'd complain. And some of the less socialized would cut in line and steal.

 

Yes.
We'd do like we did before, but nobody would lower their bloated
self-importance enough to come up with the RIGHT answer, i.e. to
just use less of the stuff. The huge SUV owners still in denial
would begin using them as the weapons they are, at least until they
couldn't get any more fuel for them at all and by then society will
look like New Orleans after Katrina but everywhere.
.
We might eventually adapt to a slower lifestyle, but it's gonna
happen the hard way because everybody's so spoiled and complacent.
.
_H*

 

Like in the story I told above - we did have a taste of rationing with the broken pipeline. It only lasted 2 weeks until they had it fixed again, and things got back to normal.

I'm curious to see what would have happened if it had continued for longer than 2 weeks. Would people have gotten over the panic of "fill up now, you don't know if there will be gas next time you need it!" or would they continue to wait in line for 1/4 tank fill-ups?

During those 2 weeks, bus ridership did go up. Carpooling match boards had lots of traffic. But once the crisis was over, how many people continued to do those things?

Our family is one of the few that did. We all work/study within 2 square miles of one another, and it's a 25 mile one-way commute. Yet we took two cars each day, since I get off work at 3:30 and my husband not until 4:00. I would stop and do errands, or go skate at the ice rink. Once the gas crisis started, we decided to carpool. Now all 5 of us drive to work - youngest DD gets dropped off at day care, then DD/DS get dropped off at school, then DH gets dropped off at work, then I go to work. On the way home, I go pick up all three kids at the day care, then DH at his work.

We saved about $40/week just by shifting to carpool. By buying the Prius, we added another $20/week to our savings. There's a lot we could do with $240 instead of driving two cars to work each month! I do regret that I can't skate now, but the rink changed their hours anyway and it became really inconvenient. So they saved me another $385/year in my annual pass fees. Of course now I have some $600 speedskates sitting in my closet that I never get to use.

 

"So, you think there would be riots if rationing returned to the US?"

As a teenager in NJ during the last gas rationing situtation
i remember: fistfights, people hiring people to sit in gas lines for them, zero police
presence at or around the gas stations, a varying amount of gas
you were allowed to pump--- stations closing on you either by running out or
afraid of running out of supply because of the line temperment......
sometimes you sat in line for a long,long,long
long period of time, other odd times/places you just drove in and filled up--- randomness.
the most difficult part was trying to balance working and sitting in line---
bosses would have employee's sit the lines to fill their cars---but for the regular guy it was
a balance of work, planning and looking for shorter lines....

If memory serves me right there might have been one or two homicides across the
country due to anger/frustration. Metro populations then were, well smaller and as an opinion better socialized than they are now.
for example carjacking was a yet to be developed crime career pathing in this time period,
so as you exited the line with a full
tank, or an economical vehicle the thought of someone hijacking your vehicle
did not even occur to you.

Memories on this situtation i'm sure vary widely dependent on the location
and what was going on at the moment. I'm sure the range of personal experience
with this situtation varied even within the same location...

group violence like iran is seeing around gas stations--maybe but...
probably a much larger ratio of one on one violence in lines this time around dependent on
the area you reside in.

just thoughts and trying to remember

Froley

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Froley @ Jun 30 2007, 11:21 AM) [snapback]470643[/snapback]</div>

I think that there's a lot of pent up rage in Iran as well. As obnoxious as things may be here to some, I think that they're getting a much more raw deal in Iran and they know it.

 

"I think that there's a lot of pent up rage in Iran as well. As obnoxious as things may be here to some, I think that they're getting a much more raw deal in Iran and they know it."


I definately agree, alot of rage pent up against their own bosses...
and how the rulers fundamentalism has failed them...
it must be difficult to fight against the desire to be western simply due to
the social force of one side of their population for conservatism....
any culture under an oppresive thumb has
extreme pressure exerted on it remaining invisible until something ignites it.

the distinct personality of the culture has alot to do with it as well..
some cultures are more violent in groups than as individuals.

it's like the old saying about how an American and a Japanese citizen
reacts to depression.
An American opens the window and shoots at people passing by
A Japanese closes the window and shoots himself.

just thoughts
Froley

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Froley @ Jun 30 2007, 01:21 PM) [snapback]470643[/snapback]</div>

That was when locked gas caps became necessary. You'd get ready to drive to work and most of your gas was siphoned out the night before while you slept.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Neicy @ Jun 30 2007, 04:33 PM) [snapback]470775[/snapback]</div>

I had just bought a Rabbit Diesel and was getting 40-50 mpg! I had the pre-Prius smugness going on as I passed up the gas lines

As for Iran, they are just reaping what they have sown for bad government and bad economics. Who is making all the profits from oil sales? Maybe their prophet is the problem! :lol: