> what was meant by the phrase : " And starting in 1973 under Carter we got our first
> taste of... " . Taste of WHAT -- Peanut Butter ??? In 1973 Jimmy Carter was the
> little - known Governor of Georgia, with no influence on national politics. He
> didn't become President until 1977 !!!


Your right George.

I was mixing up my one term Presidents. Carter was elected in 1976, Ford never was elected, but had just become President or was just about to. The Presidency was still a shambles from the watergate debacle, when all heel broke loose.

The perceived political instability in America presented an opportunity for the despots of the world. That's when we first learned of OPEC, and how a percentage of our oil was actually imported, and not domestically produced. Of course, as domestic production has been stifled ever since, our truly desperate dependence on foreign oil has laid us wide open to economic disaster after disaster.

The average Joe had never noticed any of this before then, or at least given it any real thought at all. We were all mostly still in the "Invincible America" mode of thinking. Our leaders should have been aware of the pitfalls of a high oil import rate, and of the middle east unrest. But they were way too pre-occupied with getting past watergate. But "Joe Citizen" became very aware real quick, with the 1st OPEC oil embargo in late 1973-early 1974.

So the anwswer to your question, George; is the sudden overnight doubling plus some, of gas prices; long lines at the few gas stations that had any gasoline to sell at all(remember the green, yellow and red flags); lowered national speed limits; odd-even gas rationing, and in some parts of the country, the strict rationing of home heating oil.

People froze in their own homes! That gas rationing, though it could have been worse, did in fact pretty much kill intercity automobile travel for several months, at least for any trip requiring more than one fill-up over a two day period. I don't know how those that had to travel for their jobs managed - I think that many didn't - Just closed up shop!

It was then that America re-discovered the train. But Amtrak was new, and still a complete shambles. What trains there were, were way overbooked and way overcrowded. The equipment was falling apart, unreliable, uncomfortable, rode rough, and half the lights, heating and cooling didn't even work. Many trains ran with speed restrictions imposed because of equipment problems, so were chronically tardy. Two trips I made were behind glass (lexan) that was so scratched it was hard to see out of. The dome diner windows were completely opaque. It was a great first impression for many Americans - set back the passenger train cause for decades!

Disruptions to imported oil, and the resultant horrific effects on our economy, have been repeated several times now, over the last several decades. So yes, we have had plenty of warning. But every politician; of every stripe, party or persuasion; from here to the moon and back, for decades now; has done not one damn thing about it.

In fact, both major parties have mostly made it much much worse that it had to be, each in their own way. While the republican ideology dictates they resist government ownership of passenger trains, the democrat ideology seems to cause them to block domestic production of just about anything at all; especially oil, and coal, and hydro-electric, and nuclear, ad infinitum.

So just what is left, but the stone-age re-invention of fire in our caves! OOPS - can't do that either! Two of my neighbors got $250 tickets last November for burning wood in their fireplaces on a cold rainy day! I was lucky - wasn't home the day the fireplace gestapo came around.

It didn't used to be that way - before watergate; especially for the democrats. But they are that way now! A Pox on all their extremist houses!