Page 38 - 1980
P. 38
Newsline National Events, Issues
USSR lost — Sales boom in smal I cars
Equitable Petroleum
Corp., made a stop
T he heated talk of boycot- check of New York City mericans will never use gas as freely as they did in 1978.
* ting the Summer Olym stores to find out how A Exxon estimates that in 1985 the gasoline demand will
pics didn’t stop the 1980 $1-a-gallon gas com be at 5.5 million barrels a day, a much reduced rate than
Winter Olympics, which pares with the price of today.
were held in Lake Placid, other liquid products. In July of ’79 service station lines were blocks long. The
New York in February. one year oil went up 50% in price. The public was angry
The results:
In speed skating, Wiscon Gasoline $1.00 + over high prices, but there was more concern over supply
sin’s Erik Heiden won five Distilled Water 1.29 disruptions. v.
gold medals. In the 10,000 Yoo-Hoo Soft Drink 3.50 To avoid the turmoil, Carter met with OPEC to decide on a
Rubbing Alcohol
4.00
meter race, he broke the Perrier Water 5.78 standard price for oil.
world record by six seconds. Lavoris Mouthwash 11.00 "All the factors that caused the gas lines-limited supplies
Woolite 12.00
When the U.S. Hockey of crude, limited refinery capacity are still there . . . the
Cutex Nail-Polish
team beat the Russian team Remover 16.00 chances of having gas lines next year are high,” stated
4-3, there was jubilation felt Head & Shoulders Robert Baldwin, president of Gulf Refining and Marketing
as Americans celebrated the Shampoo 28.00 Company.
victory throughout the coun As time progressed, prices kept rising at an average of 2-
try. 3<t per month. In early April, gas prices had rocketed to
From 9/10/79 Newsweek
Phil Mahre won a silver $1.15 for regular and $1.20 for unleaded. The oil price-hikes
medal in skiing, which made in 19/9 knocked off 1 % of economic growth for 1980. It also
medalist since Billy Kidd in A message added 5% to the annual rate of inflation.
him the first U.S. Alpine
President Carter cut off the 700,000 barrels of oil that the
1964, as well as the only U.S. imported each day from Iran. This act was in retaliation
American skier to salvage a of freedom to the Iranian hostage situation. Iran, looking for other cus
medal. Also, Linda Fratianne tomers, called for an OPEC-wide embargo against the U.S.
was a silver medalist in * s I greet you, America the The U.S. will undoubtably have to rely on imported oil, until
women’s figure skating. * beautiful,” stated the 1990 when plans for producing high amounts of various
During the year, the most Pope when he arrived in the synthetic fuels are complete.
controversial subject was U.S. on October 1. John With gas prices rising, there was a decline in purchases
whether to boycott the Sum Paul II, the first Pope to visit of gas-guzzling cars. This mostly affected Chrysler, the
mer Olympics in Moscow to America, began his seven nation’s third largest automaker. To save the company from
protest the Soviet invasion day tour by arriving in his going bankrupt, Chrysler borrowed billions of dollars from
of Afghanistan. There was Aer Lingus 747 at Boston, the U.S. government, state of Michigan, and the city of
heated debate around the Massachusetts. Other stops Detroit. They also tried to sell overstocks of cars by offering
world. In America it divided were in New York City, Chi rebates. The inventory overhang and sales slump led to the
athletes, upset the interna cago, Philadelphia, Wash largest layoff since the 1974-75 recession; more than
tional Olympic movement, ington, and Des Moines. 100,000 workers were layed off.
worried businessmen who In Eighteen major
have money at stake in the speeches the Pope shared
Moscow Games, and threat his views on some important
ened to isolate the U.S. from and controversial issues:
many of its allies. youthism, divorces, the Mid
Some of the athletes felt dle East, war, and the Arms
they have worked hard most Race.
of their lives to participate in John Paul II paid homage
the Olympics. They resented to . . American’s desire to
being a token of protest be free, its determination to
against the Soviets, and felt preserve freedom with oth
politics should be left out of ers.” A lot of people felt that
the Olympics. he inspired a brotherhood
In April, after months of unity. During his seven day
debate and Presidential tour millions of Americans of
pressure, the U.S. Olympic all religions went to see him. One of Pope Paul Il’s visits Included a stop at Des Moines. Iowa where buttons, posters, bumper
stickers, mugs, and T-shirts were sold to honor the 59-year old Pontiff
officials voted not to partici
pate in the Moscow Games.
