Man, today was a long day: I scooped up Pauly D at 6 this morning and we went to pump some iron, and we were gonna go to the laundromat because you gotta keep your shirts clean, but he had to go to his actual job, so I tried to kill time and drove around until the sun started to go down. On days like this I'd normally go out and try to get a golden ticket or two, but I was just glad to get Nonna's lasagna tonight. Man, I miss the days when we'd all go smush. It's just not the same.

Just kidding. I spent a longer amount of time than I'd care to admit Googling those terms. I don't know Snooki, and, no, nobody says New Joisey. Crazy, right?

But as vapid as all of that sounds, as many questions I've gotten about whether it's Taylor Ham or pork roll, and as skewed as New Jersey's reputation is on a national scale, a lot of the nation's moldings have come from what people call the armpit of America. From Frank Sinatra, to the famous painting of George Washington on the Delaware River, to the around 40 people from New Jersey in this year's Olympic Games. Another should be taken into consideration: use of employees at gas stations across the country could solve a plethora of the problems making headlines today as well as spring up many unexpected hallmarks of progress along the way.

For example, in a country worried about job creation and unemployment, the implementation of gas station attendants would create thousands of jobs, which would serve as a relatively easy dent in unemployment. It is menial enough -- with a median pay of $8 an hour -- that it would take the role of a "teenage job", akin to being a grocery store cashier or a lifeguard in the summers. Of course, it could be done by someone in whichever age group they happen to be in. This seems to be in my experience the most popular reason for widespread employment -- I even talked to a lady about it today as I was working my own job. The rest of the economy would benefit, too.

Additionally, the use of gas station attendants would propel otherwise rural areas in at least a nudge towards a more progressive society. In today's fast-paced world -- at least, in New Jersey -- who has the time to turn off their engine, get out of their car, do it themselves, get back in? Leave kids in the car as you go to get something from the convenience store, which not only takes up time but is a danger to the kids in the car. Time is quickly ticking to where the idea of serving your own gas would become impractical. Plus, admittedly, it's nice to just say, "Fill it, regular, cash." If convenience is the objective in the stores one sees while at the gas station, the idea could be expanded with the implementation of gas station employees to pump the gas.

Finally, and perhaps most importantly, is the safety aspect of pumping gas. Between 2004 and 2005, 5,020 gas stations nationwide had a fire or explosion within it, making it one in thirteen gas stations across the nation. To a kid just learning how to pump his or her own gas, the risk at hand can be extreme and is only worse with the concept of driving itself. It is better to remove the danger for everyone involved, and to put the job into the hands of experienced people formally trained in doing it. Basic safety should not need to be elaborated on, especially with the scenario of a loved one involved. We were all taught to not play with fire; there is no difference here.

In summation, the U.S. should follow New Jersey's and Oregon's leads and use attendants in its gas stations. Not only would we be improving economically; we would also be taking a big step in quickening the pace of the country as well as ensuring the basic safety of all of us.