How would you feel if governments were to ration products?

Question

How would you feel if governments were to ration products?

Answer 1

Hmmm.

Would it have made more sense to ration fossil fuels in the US to cancel trade with Saudi Arabia than to invade Iraq and Afghanistan?

Yes.

Answer 2

Ok, but this would only slow the problem down, not solve the problem of expendable and non-renewable energy sources.

As for consumer products other than water and fuel I only see corruption and uneven distribution if governments ration.

Answer 3

I would feel under the thumb of the govt.

A responsible government  (natl, local, state or otherwise) should provide incentives for individuals and private industry to conserve resources before the point of rationing was necessary.

If it was being dictated unto me, I'm sure I would not respond pleasurably unless I could be convinced otherwise.

This past year Austin was very close to water rationing. We had had a 10 month drought or so before April. If we had to ration, I would ration. It may be burdensome individually but it is beneficial for the greater society and the ultimate good.

So, unless you elaborate on your question I would say that it depends on the context.

Answer 4

we are heading for global potable water shortage,

75% of all the globes potable water was locked in ice and now we are loosing this to melting ice of the glaziers and of the poles and Green land

in the near future farmers will not be able feed everybody

each year they have to feed an exstra 70 million people because of `population growth

,and each year because of desertification and erosion there is less topsoil to produce .

as well as temperature changes (1 degree rise in temperature means 10% crop loss)

so a future with rationed water and food items is almost inevitable

Answer 5

This would depend on the fairness and honesty of such rationing.

Answer 6

It has been done in the past and if it has to be done again I think we would do fine.

Answer 7

I would feel we had not learned from our mistakes.  Attempts to do this  always result in corrupt beauracracies.

Answer 8

I would not like it. I was not around during the second World War, but I know that it happened then. And people went along with it because it was their part to cope as part of the war effort. I hope we do not get to that point today. Sorry to say, but we are a more selfish people that we were 60 years ago. I wish we were better, but we have taken a step backwards. Now it is me, me, me. Then people works for the common good.

Answer 9

We had to during WWII.   If it were a national emergency I would have no problem with it at all.  See no reason now to ration anything.

Answer 10

If it wasn't due to war time matters I would feel that we (meaning not only the government, but society) had squandered the resources in question.

Lets spin this a little and look at this as the  loss of national / global resources and the following consequences being a cross between prohibition and the rationing of WWII:

*Illegal underground "services" would spring up offering the rationed goods to members of the public at a blackmarket price.  Most likely these "services" would eventually fall under the control of organized crime.

*The industries that traditionally controlled these resources would now be regulated by the government and prices would be fixed -- resulting in the loss of a significant number of jobs.

*The trickle down from this would mean that industries that relied upon the companies proving the key resources would have to alter their means of production or close as well.  Meaning more hardships for the economy.

It just continues to cycle and get worse.  By the way -- it's now thought that we've used more than half the available oil in the world.

Something to think about.

Answer 11

I suppose it depends what product and how reasonable the ration.  

It would be a useful tool in reminding people how valuable some products are, and how hard they are to come by.