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Saturday, September 03, 2005

Pizza and gasoline

Story posted today elswehere:

THE PRICE OF GAS IN AMERICA

(Please read my story and think about it before you reply)

I went to a gas station yesterday; it cost me over $40 to top off my little car. Then I turned my head as I heard someone shouting at the gas pump. It was my ex co-worker. I remember he was in charge of the IT department. At that moment, he pressed the intercom button and started ranting to the station attendant. He yelled, “I should have never voted for that oil man in the White House. It’s my American right to get cheap fuel for my vehicle. How am I supposed to work and make a living? I demand lower fuel prices!”

I looked at his vehicle and it was the same Ford F-350, 4-Door, 4-Wheel Drive, Dual Rear Wheel, Super-Truck he bought about two years ago. I remember he told me that he needed a powerful truck to pull his RV trailer every summer and I remember that he actually did pull his RV, but only once or twice a year. I know having worked with him that he drove his dinosaur of a gas guzzler to work every day.

I was kind of scared to approach my friend, but I decided this might be a good time to share a little story I put together regarding oil consumption. I walked over and started chatting with my old buddy. Then I brought up my little story and he agreed to listen.

Pizza and Gasoline

Let’s imagine that gasoline was pizza. Ok, now let’s say that one day it became fashionable, cool, or macho for people to buy a large pizza and eat only one slice and throw the rest away. The new trend developed into a status symbol because it showed that you had plenty of disposable income. However, many of the trend followers would charge the pizza bill to their credit card in order to keep up with the Joneses.

Now imagine that if a family of five went to the pizzeria, they would order five large pizzas, one large pizza for each family member. Each member would eat only one slice from his pizza and throw the rest away. If anyone wanted a second slice they would have to order a second pizza. Now imagine this wastefulness compounded by the fact that over half of the pizza customers followed this new wasteful tradition. Can you imagine how long it would take for your pizza order to be ready not to mention all the extra waste?

Of course, there was still the 45 percent of the customer base that refused to follow the new trend, but they were looked down upon by the majority and often referred to as “DAMN TREE HUGGERS”.

Then I asked my friend, “How would you solve the pizza problem in my little scenario?”

My friend rebuked me by shouting, “I WOULD DRILL FOR MORE PIZZA! THAT’S THE AMERICAN WAY! ”

Then he climbed up and into the cab of his Luxury Mega Pickup and sped off into the city. I was still standing by the gas pump that he had just drained. I looked at the display and it read, One Hundred Five Dollars and Thirty Seven Cents.

Country’s Service Stations Running Out Of Gas…

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2005/09/03/countryas-service-stati_n_6735.html

President Bush calls for Americans to conserve gasoline

http://www.allhatnocattle.net/Bushtruck1.jpg

Posted by: pedro on September 03, 2005 at 05:06PM

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