Around the country people are reacting to the ever-increasing price of gasoline in ways that just 10 years ago would have seemed like the premise of a dystopian sci-fi thriller, or maybe a dark comedy.

Here's a sampling:

Recently, drivers in Holly Springs, Georgia, a northern suburb of Atlanta, who are stopped for speeding now have to pay a $12 surcharge to cover the gasoline costs of the cops who stop them.

A Kentucky woman was arrested for prostituting herself in exchange for a $100 Speedway Gas Card.

Nevada brothels are offering $50 and $100 gas cards to improve their declining business (mostly from truckers). These "double your stimulus" incentives are for anyone who spends $300 or $500 at the brothels, respectively.

And finally, in New York City, taxi drivers are pleading the Taxi and Limousine Commission to institute a $1.00 surcharge on every fare to cover the rising price of gasoline, which in New York is around $4.38 per gallon right now. Compare that to $1.80 in 2004, and you can see where the cabbies are coming from.

I'm glad I live in New York and don't own a car, as opposed to one of the other places mentioned above. Still, I'm not looking forward to those inevitable, even more crowded subway rides.

[Image: Derek Jensen on Wikimedia Commons]