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The most annoying thing about not being able to pump your own fuel is that it takes a very long time to fill up because you have to wait for some knucklehead to get off his cell phone, put out his cigarette and walk over to your car to start pumping. You can forget about being on time anywhere if there are more than two cars in the gas station. Multi-tasking doesn't seem to be a required skill for gas-pumpers.
The most annoying thing about not being able to pump your own gas is when the cap isn't properly secured and it triggers a service light on the dash.
The second most annoying thing is driving an antique car that requires the nozzle to be held during fueling and the attendant gives you attitude... like I wrote the law
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. ...
Silverfall, I agree that scientific data can only take someone so far, especially for laws. That's why I decided to quit being an idiot and listen to people who live and love Oregon. But, with all due respect, I seriously disagree that economic scientific data, like the two studies I provided are as easy to manipulate as you say it is or is worthless as you imply it to be.
If that were true, how can you make the claim that "you need to understand is that Oregon ranks 42 out of 50"? That ranking, based on Oregon's unemployment rate, is based on scientific economic data. I know to an extent because I studied how to find that unemployment rate. Its basis is the same economic science. Could you tell me what Oregon's unemployment rate is at all, if you couldn't trust scientific data?
Furthermore, couldn't you imagine that possibly many economists are clamoring to disprove each other? Those studies were in peer-reviewed journals; skeptical scientists won't even allow it to be published if data was that limited or easy to manipulate.
And on the contrary, I care a lot about those who are poor. My family and I moved to the U.S. from a 3rd world country, and in the beginning life was kinda hard. My family and I, separately, are doing pretty well now, but we realize that's in almost direct relation to the fact that we enjoy such extensive liberties in the U.S. How could I not care for those suffer?
I don't disagree with you and the minimum wage laws, I just wonder: what if all that money that goes down the tubes for the convenience of having gas pumped was instead given to those who inhale gas fumes 40 hours a week to earn an education? If they had a more thorough education, couldn't they then earn a better living?
Quote:
Originally Posted by bluebird39
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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.
Bluebird39, thanks for the kind words! You'd be surprised how much freedom some States give you, but yes, I will need to work within certain reasonable limits and that's ok.
I remember when we first moved to Oregon we complained about how inconvenient it was to have to wait for someone to pump your gas. After living in Oregon for 20 years now, I can't believe that I ever worried about something so trivial. Living here has allowed me to slow down, decompress and focus on what's really important. Given all of the really important issues that we need to deal with in Oregon, this doesn't even register.
I don't buy the argument that it costs millions of dollars a year in higher gas prices. I travel all over the country and I can see no correlation between gas prices and self serve states. From what I see, the oil companies will charge whatever the market will bear. I don't believe that they would really reduce the price of gas in Oregon if the self serve law was changed. They would just find some other reason to justify the price.
When I think back to how upset I was to lose a few minutes every month getting gas, it's really rather embarrasing. Luckily living in Oregon has let me get some perspective on life and stop wasting so much time and energy obsessing on things that just aren't that important.
I am a mother and I absolutely LOVE not having to get out of the car to pump my own gas. I love Oregon for this!
I grew up in places where we had to pay extra for full service (to have somebody else pump it for you) and even then those stations were out of the way and a bit hard to find. Also, the attendants were often away somewhere and you'd have to wait forever until they showed up to do their job... not in Oregon!
We moved to Oregon a few years ago and I just couldn't believe how wonderful the service was every time we had to fill up. The attendants are always so friendly and upbeat and very quick. A few times they have even washed my windows!
We moved away from Oregon for a year and like a big dummy the first time I drove up to get gas I sat there like an idiot waiting for someone to come pump my gas for me. I sat there thinking "Wow! The service here is awful... I miss Oregon..." and then it suddenly occurred to me that... well... I wasn't in Oregon anymore and I'd have to get out in the bitter cold and misty rain to pump my own dang gas. Dang it.
We are so happy to be back in Oregon. We love it here... and especially when you have little kids, it's so nice not to have to juggle the kids and pumping gas and if you have to go inside to pay - getting the kids in and out of the car is always a big pain. I also will never miss the gasoline smell that I used to get on my hands sometimes when I used to have to pump my own gas.
I hope this particular law never changes. Oregon really does spoil it's people in many ways. It's so nice!
Oh and I also wanted to say - check out gasbuddy.com and you can find and compare gas prices around the country. You can even join and contribute. Oregon gas prices aren't that much different. Oregon as a state needs money and all these gas station attendant jobs bring more tax dollars into the state - doesn't it? If we got rid of those jobs, the state would lose that money, wouldn't it? Gas Stations make a lot of money... think about every drink they sell and the markup on every drink... same for all the snacks and food and candy... what is hurting gas stations is the cost of gas.
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!!
A significant part of the price of a gallon of gas is the gas tax in the state and municipality. So it's very hard to compare prices in a neighborhing state, and since Oregon has no self-service, except for diesel, you'll never know how much the difference would be IN OREGON.
Quote:
Originally Posted by haggardhouseelf
I am a mother and I absolutely LOVE not having to get out of the car to pump my own gas. I love Oregon for this!
I grew up in places where we had to pay extra for full service (to have somebody else pump it for you) and even then those stations were out of the way and a bit hard to find. Also, the attendants were often away somewhere and you'd have to wait forever until they showed up to do their job... not in Oregon!
We moved to Oregon a few years ago and I just couldn't believe how wonderful the service was every time we had to fill up. The attendants are always so friendly and upbeat and very quick. A few times they have even washed my windows!
We moved away from Oregon for a year and like a big dummy the first time I drove up to get gas I sat there like an idiot waiting for someone to come pump my gas for me. I sat there thinking "Wow! The service here is awful... I miss Oregon..." and then it suddenly occurred to me that... well... I wasn't in Oregon anymore and I'd have to get out in the bitter cold and misty rain to pump my own dang gas. Dang it.
We are so happy to be back in Oregon. We love it here... and especially when you have little kids, it's so nice not to have to juggle the kids and pumping gas and if you have to go inside to pay - getting the kids in and out of the car is always a big pain. I also will never miss the gasoline smell that I used to get on my hands sometimes when I used to have to pump my own gas.
I hope this particular law never changes. Oregon really does spoil it's people in many ways. It's so nice!
Why does there have to be a law disallowing self-serve to allow full service? (Altough when self-serve was allowed in Illinois most all stations quickly became self-serve.)
Silverfall, I agree that scientific data can only take someone so far, especially for laws. That's why I decided to quit being an idiot and listen to people who live and love Oregon. But, with all due respect, I seriously disagree that economic scientific data, like the two studies I provided are as easy to manipulate as you say it is or is worthless as you imply it to be.
Data is not worthless, so not sure where you are reading that I think that.
What I am saying is that data is easily manipulated and skewed based on what data you CHOOSE to use. This study is so narrow in it's focus, that I personally don't find a lot of value in it. Economies are complex, and can't be easily dissected into smaller segments. They all impact each other and need to be looked at IN CONJUNCTION in order to valuable. It's like telling someone to describe your face and they only talk about your nose. Gas prices are only one part of the whole, and not easily talked about without talking about the rest of the economy.
I'm a real estate agent, and you can use the average home price, median home prices, whatever and you they will say DIFFERENT things about the real estate market. Data is not an end all be all, but it does have importance.
Knowing how to put the data into CONTEXT and the BIGGER PICTURE is much more important than one little slice. Lawrence Yun of the NAR is getting significant heat for skewing the data.
You are also making the assumption that even if we could pump our own gas, that the people of Oregon would agree to additional taxes to take that money and put it towards education/healthcare, etc. I suggest you google Measure 5, if you think Oregonians would do that, or google our kicker checks and what happens when legislaters try to keep them.
Oregon is progressive in many ways, and in many ways it is very conservative. The politics of Oregon are all over the map. Oregon is not as liberal as people think it is.
Why does there have to be a law disallowing self-serve to allow full service? (Altough when self-serve was allowed in Illinois most all stations quickly became self-serve.)
I just really appreciate how in Oregon it's all part of the deal, where as where I came from it cost extra and you were expected to tip them. I tried to tip in Oregon a few times when we first moved here but they always told me it wasn't allowed.
Also - we've found that CostCo has the best prices and the most friendly and efficient pumper people. It's always packed, though (for good reason), unless you get there first thing - right when they open.
There's a station in Eugene... over in West Eugene... where I have seen people pumping their own gas. Or maybe it's not gas? Maybe it's something else? Does anyone know what I'm talking about? There's no sign or anything... not even a building.... just white pumps - they look like gas pumps. No attendants or anything. It's very odd?
Commercial only stations (key card) permit customers to pump their own gas.
I agree with Silverfalls. Oregon is liberal only in the sense that civility and quality of life tends to be the shared value.
Last edited by Nell Plotts; 05-09-2008 at 04:00 PM..
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