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Lazy, egotistical Oregonians now have the option to pump their own gas. But will they?

House Bill 2426, which goes into effect on August 4, allows Oregon gas stations to set aside half of their pumps for self-service. The ban on self-service has been in place for more than 71 years. It was a way to ensure low-skilled jobs stay in place, which is why the law still requires staff to fuel vehicles on the remaining pumps. Still, there likely will be some layoffs with the new law.

For a state occupied by so many white progressives, one might wonder why they’ve been so reluctant to change the law. But it comes down to two simple traits: laziness and ego.

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Will privileged Oregon progressives pump their own gas?

Progressives, especially those in Portland, will insufferably lecture anyone who will listen (and those who won’t) about privilege. It’s an invisible benefit we’re supposed to pretend white people have as a way to diminish one’s accomplishments or explain someone else’s failures. But it also lets the (almost always white) Portland Progressive feel good about themselves because they think acknowledging what doesn’t exist will help others and maybe earn them their first black or Latino friend.

But isn’t having someone else pump gas for you the height of privilege?

Many progressives suffer from laziness and egotism. They love to word police, show up to a rally, fire off an angry email, and tweet about the evils of corporatism. They’ll remind you they’re heroes and so much more evolved on issues than you — and you don’t even have to ask them to. They’ll volunteer it.

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Just don’t ask Portlanders to do much

When it comes to actually »å´Ç¾±²Ô²µÌýanything to address the problems they say exist, they’ll sit that out. It’s too hard and doesn’t get them likes and retweets.

Address the root causes of homelessness? Nah. They’ll contribute to it by legalizing drugs. It’s an evolved position, they’ll tell you, to adopt a “harm reduction” strategy. Plus, they’re so much better than you: they won’t stigmatize addicts. Want to address the “disproportionate” number of “black and brown people” arrested for crime? They’ll just ask lawmakers to stop making arrests, instead of adopting programs that could help communities. They love to say they’re keeping “people of color” out of jail because there’s no role a Progressive activist loves more than White Savior. Want to help low-income or low-skilled workers develop into a skilled member of the workforce where they will grow? No way. Pump their gas plebian, and thank them for keeping you employed!

The reason it’s taken so long for Oregon progressives to allow people to pump their own gas is because they like the message it sends that they’re keeping low-skilled jobs available and they love the feeling they get when someone they’re pretending to help feels indebted to them. Soon, you’ll be able to tell one’s ideological perspective based on whether or not they’ll pump their own gas. And something tells me, Portland-area gas station attendants will still have a lot of job security.

Listen to The Jason Rantz Show on weekday afternoons from 3:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. on KTTH 770 AM (HD Radio 97.3 FM HD-Channel 3). He is the author of the book .ÌýSubscribe to the podcast. Follow @JasonRantz on ,Ìý, and . Check back frequently for more news and analysis.