I was going to move to Oregon... (Eugene: real estate, travel)

[Nell Plotts]

Excuse me if I show my age.. but in the olden days there were real risks in pumping gasoline and states required that attendants perform that task. With the passage of time gasoline pumps improved and gas station operators desired to cut their labor costs by eliminating the laws requiring that attendants pump gas, customers would pump their own. They promised to pass the savings on to consumers.

It rains regularly in Oregon (or at least we whine a lot about that which does fall) and didn't relish getting out of the car to pump our own gas. Besides we were willing to wait and see if gasoline sellers really did pass the savings on to consumers. Guess what, most of the citizens weren't convinced that consumers elsewhere paid less as a result of pumping their own gas. So, let Big Oil pump gas, thank you!!

[girlintheglass]

Damn, ya'll ... that was brutal. It sounded to me like the person was really looking for better things FOR Oregon. I will agree, it could have been less aggressive. I know sometimes, when I am passionate about something, I may not be abel to see other views right away. Anyway, you are all great! (me too) and I love reading about Oregon. I am in love with it and maybe I will get to move there too.... Peace

[Atillion]

I still can't wait to move there... ATM, my counter reads: 72 Days 01 Hours 53 Minutes 24 Seconds

[Silverfall]

Originally Posted by girlintheglass

Damn, ya'll ... that was brutal. It sounded to me like the person was really looking for better things FOR Oregon. I will agree, it could have been less aggressive. I know sometimes, when I am passionate about something, I may not be abel to see other views right away. Anyway, you are all great! (me too) and I love reading about Oregon. I am in love with it and maybe I will get to move there too.... Peace

I think the issue is that he is not an Oregonian. I think Oregonians are fairly "protective" of our state. We don't like being attacked by outsiders who are criticizing us without having lived with us.

Calling the law communistic does not set well with the natives here. While I don't disagree that it is antiquated and I have been waiting for 17 years to pump my own gas, I also don't come out swinging at people that voted to keep it. The FACT IS that the people of Oregon have voted to keep the law.

Oregon's lack of manufacturing/industrial base is a much larger concern, in my opinion, then whether or not we can pump our own gas. It would have a much more significant impact on our overall economic health. Oregon, like all states, has it's own internal issues that need to be resolved.

If you don't want to be attacked, you need to make sure your tone is in an "inquiring" one. Then the Oregonians will come out in droves to give you information.

[mikemorrow]

Originally Posted by Atillion

I still can't wait to move there... ATM, my counter reads: 72 Days 01 Hours 53 Minutes 24 Seconds

My counter says 38 days

[furyu]

Originally Posted by Nell Plotts

Excuse me if I show my age.. but in the olden days there were real risks in pumping gasoline and states required that attendants perform that task. With the passage of time gasoline pumps improved and gas station operators desired to cut their labor costs by eliminating the laws requiring that attendants pump gas, customers would pump their own. They promised to pass the savings on to consumers.

It rains regularly in Oregon (or at least we whine a lot about that which does fall) and didn't relish getting out of the car to pump our own gas. Besides we were willing to wait and see if gasoline sellers really did pass the savings on to consumers. Guess what, most of the citizens weren't convinced that consumers elsewhere paid less as a result of pumping their own gas. So, let Big Oil pump gas, thank you!!

I moved to Oregon from California where I'd been pumping my own gas for ... ever! It took a while to get used to being 'served' but now, four years into my residence here, I LOVE IT! For all the reasons Nell Plotts mentions plus also knowing that these people have jobs that some unemployed Californian would probably love to have. Almost every gas station attendant I meet seems like a really happy person. I mean that. They are usually cheerful and always courteous. (They don't do windshields, though.)

Most of the nearby Californians drive here to buy CHEAPER gas. Of course, California has regulations for an additive that, so far, Oregon doesn't have which adds to the cost. But just the same, we have cheaper gas here and don't have to pump it.

As far as the inconvenience of not being able to jump out of your car, grab that hose and immediately gas-up, big deal. Even if it takes a few extra minutes, who cares? You get to sit in your car and daydream rather than spill gas on yourself.

My doggy loves it too... attendants always give her cookie!

And the best part really is, not having to smell/inhale those fumes. That can't be healthy.

[figgypower]

Originally Posted by furyu

I moved to Oregon from California where I'd been pumping my own gas for ... ever! It took a while to get used to being 'served' but now, four years into my residence here, I LOVE IT! For all the reasons Nell Plotts mentions plus also knowing that these people have jobs that some unemployed Californian would probably love to have...
...
...And the best part really is, not having to smell/inhale those fumes. That can't be healthy.

Alright, I'm slowly understanding that I should have an acquiring tone, and thanks to Silverfall, I'll be sure to do just that. I can understand that people, who may otherwise be unemployed, are now gainfully employed in gas stations. But what about the total costs? And what happens if additives, which may make gasoline more environmentally friendly, do get added? The only reason I suggest such a thing might happen is because of this huge "green" movement that seems to be going around the country. I don't know if the "green" movement is going to really help out or not, but won't that raise the price of gas to beyond self-serve areas?

Inhaling the fumes probably is a bad idea, but is it alright to have the person pumping the gas inhale the fumes 40 hours a week? Wouldn't that make them more at risk to cancer* and whatever else? Could they pay for the treatment?

I guess, I find myself asking, and I tried to use as much scientific data as possible: are the costs to the people of Oregon, which in my opinion are high enough to matter, worth the benefits of convenience and a few low-paying jobs? Ultimately, I know the people of Oregon have the right to decide their own fate.

*Source:
ACS :: Benzene

[bluebird39]

We moved FROM Oregon to Michigan several months ago. I love pumping my own gas, after not having done it for years. My biggest complaint is that as a woman, I constantly saw men in cars/trucks get helped before me, even though they pulled in after me. I hated waiting for several minutes (or longer) at an empty gas station at midnight, after my shift at the hosptial was over when all I wanted was to get filled up and go home. IMO, it's a bit crazy. I did like it when my babies were little and before all the pumps had credit slots. It was nice to stay in the car with them. But it's so much easier and faster to do it yourself, even at -6F in the middle of winter!

Oregon is a nice state, but so is Michigan. I think you'll find that there are good and bad things about everywhere you live. Oregon isn't exactly a place you can go to "do whatever you like as long as you don't hurt anyone". I doubt any state has those qualities. Good luck finding what you want.

[Silverfall]

Originally Posted by figgypower

Alright, I'm slowly understanding that I should have an acquiring tone, and thanks to Silverfall, I'll be sure to do just that. I can understand that people, who may otherwise be unemployed, are now gainfully employed in gas stations. But what about the total costs? And what happens if additives, which may make gasoline more environmentally friendly, do get added? The only reason I suggest such a thing might happen is because of this huge "green" movement that seems to be going around the country. I don't know if the "green" movement is going to really help out or not, but won't that raise the price of gas to beyond self-serve areas?

Inhaling the fumes probably is a bad idea, but is it alright to have the person pumping the gas inhale the fumes 40 hours a week? Wouldn't that make them more at risk to cancer* and whatever else? Could they pay for the treatment?

I guess, I find myself asking, and I tried to use as much scientific data as possible: are the costs to the people of Oregon, which in my opinion are high enough to matter, worth the benefits of convenience and a few low-paying jobs? Ultimately, I know the people of Oregon have the right to decide their own fate.

*Source:
ACS :: Benzene

Scientific data only gets you so far. Data is very limited and can be manipulated to show many different outcomes. What you need to understand is that Oregon ranks 42 out of 50 for highest unemployment. Due to our high minimum wage requirements here, manufacturers and industrial plants can't afford to locate here.

So when it gets put on the ballot to repeal the law, people talk about jobs lost and while it may not seem like a big deal to you, it is a big deal to working class Oregonians.

I have no doubt that it is completely unhealthy for people to be pumping gas all of the time. If you pull into a gas station you constantly see "new faces." I think most gas station owners will tell you that turnover is really high. It is not a desirable job, but for some Oregonians...it is a job.

So if you really want to get rid of the law, then you need to figure out a way to entice manufacturers here. If you lower the unemployment rate, I have no doubt that law would be repealed.

[furyu]

I'm not sure what law Silverfall is talking about. Repeal the Minimum Wage law? That's unlikely to happen. If anything, the Federal Minimum Wage law should be raised and conform to some state laws that mandate higher wages for the working class people. These damn corporations are raking in million or billions of dollars, and they can't pay their workers a livable wage? Give me a break.

But Silverfall may be referring to repealing the 'can't pump your own gas' law. In fact, in just now rereading his post, I'm sure that is what he's talking about. Of course, people don't want to lose their jobs. It is a big deal, anywhere these days. Low paying is better than no paying, of course.

Figgypower, you raise excellent points... and I like your tone . There has been discussion about adding that additive to the gasoline here, and I think it should be added. It is an environmental concern and we should do everything we need to do to help protect our fragile and imperiled environment. If that additive is added, the cost will rise to about the same as California. It's around 20-cents per gallon. Quite an increase, indeed, especially given the cost of gasoline now. But.... ? What cost saving is worth the degradation of our environment?

The price of gasoline could then be more here, especially for towns along the coast due to the additional cost of trucking the gas in. Everything costs a tad bit more here because of that, at least that's what I've experienced, in comparison to the metro-areas of California, with the exception of gas.

And yes, I'm sure being a gas station attendant is not the healthiest job around. However, I haven't noticed the turnover at the station I regularly go to that Silverfall referred to. There are at least two guys at that station that have been there for the four years I've been living here. Others may have come & gone and I didn't notice.

If people here were to pump their own gas, I doubt very much it would affect the price of that gas. Prices are established by what the cost of crude oil is and what the competitive prices are, and now it seems, what oil companies can get away with charging. We will soon be faced with $5 a gallon gasoline. Who knows how high it'll go.