If one wants to have a effect on the price at the pump one needs to help to lower the DEMAND. Simply not buying on a particular day, will no do that. Parking ones vehicle for a week however will have an effect on the demand. No matter how many "investigations," into the price of gasoline over the years, the result has ALWAYS been the same. The prices at the pump are a result of changes in supply and demand, period
Respectfully suggest that reducing demand will have no effect either.
Let me compare with electricity. 10 years ago we were (virtually) all using incandescent bulbs... lots and lots of 100 watters. Today we're (virtually) all using compact flourescents consuming perhaps 25% of the energy that the incandescents did. We all used vacuum tube TV sets that burned up 100's of watts - and today use transistor sets that use only a fraction of that. Gazillions of watts saved, yet the price of hydro not only hasn't dropped, it's increased so that our monthly bills are higher than ever.
I 'spect that after I finish inventing the car that gets
10,000 miles per gallon :) the effect will be that gas will cost $2,000 per gallon.
I will gladly give up driving a day or two, to make a point. The station owner will NOT be hurt because what he loses one day, he will pick up the next.
This is to raise awareness. Same sort of crap that the Hispanics and Blacks did in their marches. It bought them a lot of concessions from politicians.
Are you saying that you cannot join in unity for just one day?? Whether it works or not??
I'm not saying this one day will make the gas companies drop the price by 50 cents. What I am saying is it is a step in the right direction. At the moment, those big oil guys think they can do whatever they want, and we will just sit back and pay higher and higher prices. If 50,000 people were to do even this one day, then perhaps the next time, it will be 100,000, and the next time 200,000.
Then exactly what will be accomplished? They'll just buy their gas the next day. And if very many people "boycott" gas purchases for a day, it stands to reason they may encounter long lines at the pump the next day and even waste gas by waiting their turn to fill up. This isn't a step in any direction. Like most of the emails that come in with more than one "Fwd:" in the subject line, it's all horseshit.
Let's say you and a large number of drivers participated in this farce on the same day OPEC raises crude prices by $5/barrel. Are you willing to wait to buy gas until the price comes down? If not, it's an exercise in futility. They've got us over the barrel now (pun intended). They know we're not going to change our lifestyles with prices at their current levels. When you are ready to discuss true steps, like reducing consumption or increasing supply, please check back in.
If he will pick it up the next day, exactly what is your point?
What are you trying to raise awareness of? I'd think people already know they are paying a lot more for gas than they were.
I don't know what kind of parallel you are trying to draw here, but it doesn't square. OK, so some minority groups marched to raise awareness of situations, but every driver already knows gas costs a lot more. And who do you think you'll win concessions from? OPEC couldn't care less, and the government can do little to help, short of reducing taxes on gasoline. As others have said, it's all supply and demand.
Hell, let's all jack off on the 15th in the spirit of unity. It doesn't matter if it makes any difference, right?
The sad commentary is that some dimwit started this email garbage a few years ago, and every time gas prices peak, it gets passed around again and again. The scary part is that so many people think the bullshit contained therein is true.
In gas sales yes, but most stations are now part of a convenience store and a lot of customers get gas and then buy a coffee, lottery tichets, etc. No one is going to get two coffees the next day to make up for it.
Raise awareness for what? Do you think some people are unaware of the price of gas? I'm very aware of it and I was paying $6.45 a gallon last month. I'll be happy to join in on something that works. IMO, this is going to hurt more people than it helps. If you really want to make a point, park the car for a day and actually use less of it. As long as we keep driving, they will keep jacking prices.
Come up with a good idea that works and I'll join in.
I will totally agree that reducing gas consumption should be an idea in everyone's mind. But, how do you convince the person making $900,000 a year, and drives a Hummer, to use less gas? I see people all the time on the NET posing how they don't give a rat's ass what gas prices are, as they can afford it. Another thing is you have to look at the MPG ratings for cars/trucks these days. Some people I have spoke with think it's so awesome that there brand new car get's 30 MPG on the highway. They are less-then-impressed when I tell them my 11 year old Bonnie, with a V6 get's almost the same. With the computing power available these days, all auto manufactures should be making cars getting well over 30, and I'm not talking about those shitty little Honda's either. If they could do it 11 years ago, they should be able to do it a hell of a lot better now.
How about you come up with an idea, Ill join in. One can find millions of people who can tell you why something cant work, but to find one person who can make something work is not an easy task.
You start taxing those big bastards. Taxes have historically been used to curb undesired actions or products (see cigarettes).
I think it's amazing that JFK said in May, 1961 that the US would put a man on the moon by the end of the decade, and we did it. But no Apollo-type programs exist for alternate fuels and/or vastly improved mileage vehicles. As much as I hate to say it, I kind of wish Ross Perot had won in 1992 and implemented his $.50/gal. tax. That amount of money put towards energy independence over the past 14+ years would have gone a LONG way.
We will, I believe, see $4 gas by this summer. I think that the stations and suppliers are hiking the prices already so that the next level of increases wont be so obvious. We'll see
I already did if you read my post. It was DO NOT DRIVE ONE DAY. That will have a much bigger impact that buying gas on a different day. No only do we not buy gas on that day, we use a heck of a lot less of it. Think of the impact on mass transit systems, on industry, on the news, as well as your own wallet..
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