What a shock I felt as I tried to fill my tank! It balked and didn’t work, and a voice over the speaker announced, “Prepay only. Use your credit cart at the pump, or pay by cash inside in advance.”
I’ve always filled up first, then went into the station to pay. I asked the cashier, “What’s going on here? Why this change?” For years I’ve done it the old way at that very station, and I even felt like I got to know most of the clerks. “That’s because,” came my answer, “there have been too many drive-offs without paying!”
People are stealing gasoline nowadays, and it doesn’t even cost as much per gallon as in Europe. Are we so poor that we have to resort to stealing gas? I suppose on the front burner somebody will say, “It’s these big oil companies that are getting too rich.” In all our excuses, nobody’s thinking about the local gas dealer who makes only about 37-cents per gallon profit. Whom are we really hurting by stealing gas?
I just don’t understand how anybody can justify that to themselves, stealing someone else’s gasoline and livelihood. What’s wrong with American’s morals of honesty and hard work? Is no one teaching that any more to our young people? Where are our morals learned, by young or old, in church, school or home? Where’s the shared responsibility for teaching decent moral standards?
I’m pessimistic for America going at this rate, because it appears that none of the above mentioned institutions are effectively promoting higher values among our citizens. Who listens to the church anymore? The people who really need to hear these sermons are never in the pews. The schools have to be careful not to step on any toes in teaching values. Do teachers still raise ethical value questions before school pupils—in any intentional purpose? So many homes are ‘run’ by absentee parents, or some who themselves steal gas. Please take at least this one moral seriously: “Pay, before you pull away!”
John Bispala
Webber-Camden