Requiem
01-04-2018, 01:10
A new law that took effect this week in Oregon will allow residents in rural counties to pump their own gas — a divergence from the state’s decades-long history of having attendants pump gas for drivers.
Under House Bill 2482, which took effect Monday, retailers in counties with a population of less than 40,000 are allowed to have self-service gas pumps. Drivers in 15 counties can now pump their own gas any time of day, while those in three other rural counties can do so after business hours, between 6 p.m. and 6 a.m.
The Internet machine roared, fueled by a local TV station’s now-viral Facebook post last week asking people to react to the new law. Some were angry and perturbed by the possibility of having to pump their own gas in the cold, while those from other states scoffed.
“I don’t even know HOW to pump gas and I am 62, native Oregonian . . . I say NO THANKS! I don’t like to smell like gasoline!” one woman wrote.
“No! Disabled, seniors, people with young children in the car need help. Not to mention getting out of your car with transients around and not feeling safe. This is a very bad idea. Grrr,” another woman wrote.
“I’ve lived in this state all my life and I REFUSE to pump my own gas . . . This [is] a service only qualified people should perform. I will literally park at the pump and wait until someone pumps my gas.”
By the time the law took effect, Oregon had become a virtual laughingstock among social media users who seemed to have visualized an entire state filled with hapless drivers.
“FEAR NOT OREGON!!! I’ve decided to move to Oregon to open a school to teach people how to pump their gas. Short-term business you say?” a man wrote and then listed a list of menial tasks he wants to teach people do. His Facebook comment has been liked 61,000 times.
“I’m in Wisconsin and with the wind chill it’s currently -17. You know what I did this morning?! Had to pump my own flipping gas!! It’s not that hard people!!” one woman wrote.
“It’s official. Oregon is full of mentally defective, full grown children, incapable of the most mundane adult tasks,” another man wrote.
Lost in the online chatter, however, is that the law does not impose wide-ranging changes, meaning many Oregonians who don’t want to fill their own tanks won’t have to. HB 2482 does not require all gas stations in the state to have self-service pumps at all hours of the day. It simply gives retailers in sparsely populated communities, or about half of the states’ counties, the option to do so — and some have said they will continue their business practices regardless of the law. Source. (https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-nation/wp/2018/01/03/i-dont-even-know-how-some-oregonians-panic-about-new-self-service-gas-law/?utm_term=.a106d818eb20)
This is hilarious. I lived in the Portland area for about 18 months and hated having the gas pumped for me.
S.
Under House Bill 2482, which took effect Monday, retailers in counties with a population of less than 40,000 are allowed to have self-service gas pumps. Drivers in 15 counties can now pump their own gas any time of day, while those in three other rural counties can do so after business hours, between 6 p.m. and 6 a.m.
The Internet machine roared, fueled by a local TV station’s now-viral Facebook post last week asking people to react to the new law. Some were angry and perturbed by the possibility of having to pump their own gas in the cold, while those from other states scoffed.
“I don’t even know HOW to pump gas and I am 62, native Oregonian . . . I say NO THANKS! I don’t like to smell like gasoline!” one woman wrote.
“No! Disabled, seniors, people with young children in the car need help. Not to mention getting out of your car with transients around and not feeling safe. This is a very bad idea. Grrr,” another woman wrote.
“I’ve lived in this state all my life and I REFUSE to pump my own gas . . . This [is] a service only qualified people should perform. I will literally park at the pump and wait until someone pumps my gas.”
By the time the law took effect, Oregon had become a virtual laughingstock among social media users who seemed to have visualized an entire state filled with hapless drivers.
“FEAR NOT OREGON!!! I’ve decided to move to Oregon to open a school to teach people how to pump their gas. Short-term business you say?” a man wrote and then listed a list of menial tasks he wants to teach people do. His Facebook comment has been liked 61,000 times.
“I’m in Wisconsin and with the wind chill it’s currently -17. You know what I did this morning?! Had to pump my own flipping gas!! It’s not that hard people!!” one woman wrote.
“It’s official. Oregon is full of mentally defective, full grown children, incapable of the most mundane adult tasks,” another man wrote.
Lost in the online chatter, however, is that the law does not impose wide-ranging changes, meaning many Oregonians who don’t want to fill their own tanks won’t have to. HB 2482 does not require all gas stations in the state to have self-service pumps at all hours of the day. It simply gives retailers in sparsely populated communities, or about half of the states’ counties, the option to do so — and some have said they will continue their business practices regardless of the law. Source. (https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-nation/wp/2018/01/03/i-dont-even-know-how-some-oregonians-panic-about-new-self-service-gas-law/?utm_term=.a106d818eb20)
This is hilarious. I lived in the Portland area for about 18 months and hated having the gas pumped for me.
S.