People are only occasionally logical and often make decisions that defy reason. Draining gasoline at stations up and down the east coast due to the recent hacking of a pipeline's systems is the most recent example.
The video of older couples filling up numerous one- or two-gallon plastic gas "cans" might strike us as a liquid version of the toilet paper "run" from this time last year.
Logically, the hoarding of extra gas based on potential shortages actually accelerates and worsens the shortage, but most of us focus on our little corner of the world and our personal fears and needs.
Bottom line: the panicked gasoline purchasing is entirely illogical but entirely predictable. I see that President Biden will be holding a press conference to reassure the public, though I am skeptical that the public will be moved to change behaviors.
The good news about this most recent hacking incident is that our nation's appalling lack of any sort of national cyber-defense may lead to focusing the work of a lot of smart people on fortifying internet security to the level at which we fortify border or military security.
Relying on individual companies to take care of this is a silly as relying on a collection of state militias to provide for the national defense. Perhaps THIS need for federal programs to provide for our electronic security can give our politicians the needed excuse to work on some solutions... together.
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