When will we see WWII type of gas rationing and food rationing?

[CK_John]

My guess is sometime this summer.

[spanone]

1. the repuglicons will demand it when a democrat ascends to the presidency

[robcon]

2. NEVER. There is not enough support and enthusiasm for it.

During WWII there was a sense of shared sacrifice that made those things tolerable.

Today, the black markets for the rationed items would overwhelm any enforcement attempt.

It will never happen.

[Hydra]

3. As someone here on DU said a few years ago

It's already happening. They're doing it by price.

Don't expect an equal rationing structure- the rich will always have access by having the dollars for it. Those are their "ration coupons."

[winter999]

6. Gee, can't you say that about any free market?!

[WarholPop]

7. right on the nail

whenever a shared sacrifice is required the poor and powerless always pay the price: the poor disproportionately are dying in Iraq for the American oil companies, and the poor disproportionately are paying the price at the pump.

[quadriga]

13. 20 dollar bills = yuppie food stamps

[Taverner]

4. Don't expect to see food rationing, but gas rationing will come next year

Right now our supplies are one incident away from there being a scarcity like there was in the 70's.

[aquart]

9. That scarcity was phony.

[Taverner]

12. Irrelevant. I'm just saying things will be like that first

Before we move to WWII rationing

[snappyturtle]

5. I really hadn't thought about THAT. Why do you think it may happen?

Even though some sort of gas rationing might be a prudent choice, I cannot see it happening. Too many have to drive too far to go to work. How would that be managed?

You know, in a way rationing is already happening! Higher prices on everything is a rationing of sorts.

[winter999]

8. If you want to define the term, "Supply and Demand" as rationing.

[snappyturtle]

18. All I think that has to do with it is how much money people have.

The supply can be good or bad and demand can be high or low..it's the price which I believe has less and less to do with supply and demand.

[CK_John]

10. That is if you have a job this summer. n/t

[CK_John]

14. The fed cannot propup this economic collapse much longer, this depression will make '29 look

like a mere slowdown. Housing first, insurance, now banks, next pensions and finally 401's will go into Chapter 11.

[Junkdrawer]

11. NEVER. "Rationing" assumes shared sacrifice. They'll use price...

so that the Rich will be exempt.

"Why do you hate our freedoms."

[CK_John]

16. Or maybe the Nixon solution of even/odd days for gas fillup. n/t

[quadriga]

15. I don't know, I have a feeling that Clinton or Obama

will have to enact some FDR style social programs. The one good thing from a colapse of the U.S. economy is that it may get us universal healthcare.

[wuushew]

17. Rationing is a horrible idea

Why were the long lines of 1973 worse than the high prices of 1979/80?

If your car is out of gas you are not getting to work on time anyway. Add in the cost of organization and bureaucracy and I really doubt the benefits of such a system are self-evident.

[CK_John]

20. But. . . . but we're at war. n/t

[taterguy]

22. If my car's out of gas I ride my bicycle

And I'm never late to work

FU and your stupid generalizations

[CK_John]

23. No need to be nasty. n/t

[taterguy]

25. I'm fucking tense

My car's out of gas and I have no way to get to work :)

[CK_John]

26. I think everyone is tense. n/t

[Tesha]

19. Never; we're going to let "the invisible hand of the market" do it this time.

And the poor? Well, they can just suck on it.

Tesha

[El Pinko]

21. The rationing will be according to how much money you have.

Those who have tons of money will get all they want.

Those who have little or none, get squat.

This is a fascist plutocracy, not FDR's AMERICA.

[damntexdem]

24. Who care? Bret Favre is retiring! Bret Favre is retiring!

I mean -- let's get our priorities straight here. ;-)

[blues90]

27. I don't know if that will happen , what and panic the people ?

If the people know they are in trouble it will cause panic . I worked in a gas station in palatine Ill in 1973 and it was madness then , people were willing to pay $20 for $3 worth of gas and I was not allowed to pump more that a certain amount each day . It was not odd and even just so many gallons per car max .