Well, not that local.

But I am amazed -- yes, shocked -- to see that in neighboring New Jersey, consideration is being given to allowing citizens personal freedom on a magnitude I'd never have believed attainable in that state:

TRENTON - Motorists in New Jersey could soon be introduced to a foreign concept: pumping their own gas.

Gov. Corzine said yesterday that he would push for a trial run of self-serve gas in New Jersey, the only state besides Oregon that bans drivers from pumping fuel.

Sure, the idea is to save money, because if the stations aren't required to pump the gas, they'll save on labor costs -- to the tune of a nickel a gallon. I'm a libertarian, but I have to say -- allowing people to pump their own gasoline? That's a pretty radical idea. Aren't they putting profit ahead of safety?

Fortunately, the reckless move is being opposed:

....opponents - including AAA New Jersey and the New Jersey Gasoline Retailers Association - said it could put thousands of station workers out of jobs, increase insurance costs, and burden the disabled and senior citizens while benefiting oil companies that might keep the savings.

Sen. Gerald Cardinale (R., Bergen), who has been trying to legalize self-serve gas for more than two decades, said Corzine's support gave the cause credibility.

"There is no reasonable excuse for us to be out of sync with the rest of the world - and in the rest of the world, you can pump your own gas," he said.

UPDATE: Life imitates satire. (Or is that the other way around?) As it turns out, New Jersey drivers don't want the right to pump their own gas.

Gov. Corzine's push for self-serve gas sparked outrage yesterday as New Jersey motorists reacted to the notion they might have to pump their own gas.

New Jerseyans sent a flood of angry e-mails to the governor and staged a sedentary uprising at area gas stations as they sat in their cars and waited for attendants to fill their tanks.

Never mind that New Jersey, with the exception of Oregon, is the last state to prohibit self-service gas pumping.

Many shuddered at the thought of having to get out of their vehicles in the rain, the snow, or the scorching heat, just to refuel.

"Gas would have to be at least 20 cents cheaper before I would want to get out of my car," said Chris Rose, 30, of Pennsauken, as he leaned back and watched the attendant unscrew his gas-tank cap at Mac's Amoco station on Route 73 in Maple Shade.

Customs die hard in New Jersey, especially one based on a 57-year-old law that requires the luxury of full service at the pump.

"It's intrinsic to New Jersey's culture," said Ryan Doan, an editor at Weird N.J., a magazine that touts bizarre icons and legends in the Garden State.

"People are just worried about this new experience, like, 'Whoa, I don't know how to pump gas and I don't want to,' " said Jon'a Meyer, a Rutgers University-Camden professor who studies human behavior.

As if to reinforce that sentiment, Corzine's office yesterday was deluged with negative comments.

As of 3:30 p.m., the office had received 413 calls, 410 of which were opposed to the idea of self-service gas, according to press secretary Anthony Coley. The office had also received 508 e-mail messages through its Web site; 497 of them were opposed.

(I usually keep my mouth shut until I hear other people complain. Then I'm often inclined to complain -- about the complainers. In this case, I was only pretending to complain. How I hate reality-based satire!)