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The Soulful Mr T
Citizen
Username: Howardt
Post Number: 1811
Registered: 11-2004
| | Posted on Monday, April 24, 2006 - 9:34 am: | 
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I wasn't sure where to post this.... was sent to me by a friend. I'm looking for feedback from this august group of braniacs. It's a bit long-winded but might be a good idea. If you wish, copy/paste and send it on.
WE CAN BRING GAS PRICES DOWN - an idea that WILL work.
This was originally sent by a retired Coca Cola executive. It came from one of his engineer buddies who retired from Halliburton. It's worth your consideration.
Join the resistance!!!! I hear we are going to hit close to $4.00 a gallon by next summer and it might go higher!! Want gasoline prices to come down? We need to take some intelligent, united action. Phillip Hollsworth offered this good idea.
This makes MUCH MORE SENSE than the "don't buy gas on a certain day" campaign that was going around last April or May! The oil companies just laughed at that because they knew we wouldn't continue to "hurt" ourselves by refusing to buy gas. It was more of an inconvenience to us than it was a problem for them.
BUT, whoever thought of this idea, has come up with a plan that can really work. Please read on and join with us! By now you're probably thinking gasoline
priced at about $1.50 is super cheap. Me too! It is currently $2.79 for regular unleaded in my town.
Now that the oil companies and the OPEC nations have conditioned us to think that the cost of a gallon of gas is CHEAP at $1.50 - $1.75, we need to take aggressive action to teach them that BUYERS control the marketplace..... not sellers.
With the price of gasoline going up more each day, we consumers need to take action. The only way we are going to see theprice of gas come down is if we hit someone in the pocketbook by not purchasing their gas! And, we can do that WITHOUT hurting ourselves. How? Since we all rely on our cars, we can't just stop buying gas. But we CAN have an impact on gas prices if we all act together to force a price war.
Here's the idea:
For the rest of this year, DON'T purchase ANY gasoline from the two biggest companies (which now are one), EXXON and MOBIL. If they are not selling any gas, they will be inclined to reduce their prices. If they reduce their prices, the other companies will have to follow suit.
But to have an impact, we need to reach literally millions of Exxon and Mobil gas buyers. It's really simple to do! Now, don't wimp out at this point...keep reading and I'll explain how simple it is to reach millions of people.
I am sending this note to 30 people. If each of us sends it to at least ten more (30 x 10=300) ... and those 300 send it to at least ten more (300 x 10=3,000)...and so on, by the time the message reaches the sixth group of people, we will have reached over THREE MILLION consumers. If those three million get excited and pass this on to ten friends each, then 30 million people will have been contacted!
If it goes one level further, you guessed it.....THREE HUNDRED MILLION PEOPLE!!!
Again, all you have to do is send this to 10 people. That's all. (If you don't understand how we can reach 300 million and all you have to do is send this to 10 people.... Well, let's face it, you just aren't a mathematician. But I am, so trust me on this one.)
How long would all that take? If each of us sends this e-mail out to ten more people within one day of receipt, all 300 MILLION people could conceivably be contacted within the next 8 days!!!
I'll bet you didn't think you and I had that much potential, did you?
Acting together we can make a difference. If this makes sense to you, please pass this message on. I suggest that we not buy from EXXON/MOBIL UNTIL THEY LOWER THEIR PRICES TO THE $1.30 RANGE AND KEEP THEM DOWN.
THIS CAN REALLY WORK.
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Dr. Winston O'Boogie
Citizen
Username: Casey
Post Number: 2049
Registered: 8-2003
| | Posted on Monday, April 24, 2006 - 9:41 am: |
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you're joking, right? |
susan1014
Supporter
Username: Susan1014
Post Number: 1524
Registered: 3-2002
| | Posted on Monday, April 24, 2006 - 9:45 am: |
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Right, since there is an endless supply of gas, we should get it for cheap...
But if there is a limited supply, I have to think that it is better that rising prices drive conservation behavior, so that the shock when cheap gas runs out isn't so severe.
Maybe that Coca Cola executive is retired because he forgot all of his basic economics?
I'll pass on this one. |
LilLB
Citizen
Username: Lillb
Post Number: 1576
Registered: 10-2002
| | Posted on Monday, April 24, 2006 - 9:47 am: |
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Sorry to disappoint...
http://www.snopes.com/politics/gasoline/gasout.asp |
Eats Shoots & Leaves
Citizen
Username: Mfpark
Post Number: 3283
Registered: 9-2001
| | Posted on Monday, April 24, 2006 - 9:51 am: |
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LilLB--beat me to it--this one was going around a year or so ago. |
Hoops
Citizen
Username: Hoops
Post Number: 1164
Registered: 10-2004
| | Posted on Monday, April 24, 2006 - 9:57 am: |
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I dont think the idea is so far-fetched. Maybe looking for results in the 1.30 range is but right now I think the prices are artificially high. The same way that Californias energy crisis was caused by Enron speculators buying and manipulating the price, is the same way that oil is sitting at 70+ dollars per barrel.
Hurting ExxonMobile will ultimately hurt Saudi Arabia - an added benefit - and ExxonMobile could cause OPEC to produce more oil to get the price per barrel down.
Actually, I already avoid ExxonMobile as much as possible anyway. |
notehead
Supporter
Username: Notehead
Post Number: 3190
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Monday, April 24, 2006 - 10:21 am: |
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Although the email is obviously bogus, I heartily support boycotting Exxon/Mobil. They are the worst of the worst megacorporations out there. I never go to their stores unless I am right on the verge of running out of gas. |
Dr. Winston O'Boogie
Citizen
Username: Casey
Post Number: 2050
Registered: 8-2003
| | Posted on Monday, April 24, 2006 - 10:38 am: |
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the obvious reason the scheme is stupid is that it doesn't call for reducing consumption at all. it's asking people to avoid a couple of brands, but to continue buying as much gas as ever. the central logical fallacy in the plan is this: why the hell would the other companies "follow suit" and lower prices if everyone is buying their gas at those companies' stations? if anything, consumers would end up with higher prices at the non-Exxon/Mobil stations because of artificially inflated demand.
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Duncan
Supporter
Username: Duncanrogers
Post Number: 6247
Registered: 12-2001
| | Posted on Monday, April 24, 2006 - 11:59 am: |
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Notey...read the snopes rebuttal. It is only a good idea in principle. The dependency goes way to deep for something like this to have any tangible effect. |
musicme
Citizen
Username: Musicme
Post Number: 1655
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Monday, April 24, 2006 - 12:03 pm: |
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How about walking a little more, riding bikes just a bit more. Car-pooling just a tad. Combing trips for things. Call the neighbor, do you need anything while I'm out?
Let me see, global warming due to emissions, cardiac arrests due to fat-america epidemic.
How 'bout sending those bloated kids out on errands?
Oh wait, I gotta drive to the gym so I can work out..... |
combustion
Citizen
Username: Spontaneous
Post Number: 7
Registered: 4-2006
| | Posted on Monday, April 24, 2006 - 12:17 pm: |
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I guiltily admit to using way too much fuel for "pleasure" driving. But my necessity driving is at a minimum. If gas prices continue to rise I can easily cut my mileage to about 10 miles a month, maybe even less. As it is I currently fuel up only about twice a month.
Try using less gas. I often walk to work, even in bad weather. I know everyone can't do this, but look into mass-transit as an option.
Shop locally. During daytime hours I'll often walk to the supermarket, the pet store, the post office, etc. A lot of people balk at walking one whole mile to the store. Sure, if you shop once a week you might have too much to carry. Shop a few times a week, you'll have a smaller load. Besides spending less on gas the benefits include getting more exercise, having "alone" time to think through issues you might be dealing with AND it's good for the environment. If you INSIST on driving to the store, then go LESS often. Write detailed lists and stock up, buy ahead on products you haven't run out of yet but will soon. This keeps you from driving to the store 2 to 3 times a week.
This will sound silly, but get direct deposit and see if your bank has online banking options (most do). The only time I need to go to the bank is to hit the ATM. Even that can be phased out by using your ATM card at the supermarket and getting cash back. By doing this you've cut out a lot of trips to the bank.
Get creative and you can find real ways of buying less gas, rather than the "boycott on this day" or the "boycott this station" schemes. |
Hoops
Citizen
Username: Hoops
Post Number: 1166
Registered: 10-2004
| | Posted on Monday, April 24, 2006 - 12:42 pm: |
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Truly if our state had real mass transit like New York city has then quite a bit of gas could be saved. But we dont. We all need our cars to get from point a to point b.
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notehead
Supporter
Username: Notehead
Post Number: 3194
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Monday, April 24, 2006 - 2:17 pm: |
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Duncan, I'm sure they are right; even if a huge number of people avoided ExxonMobil, market mechanisms would prevent them from being seriously affected due to the nature of the industry. But I avoid them simply because I don't want to do business with them. It's a personal choice. |
Rastro
Citizen
Username: Rastro
Post Number: 2928
Registered: 5-2004
| | Posted on Monday, April 24, 2006 - 2:19 pm: |
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Hoops, if we had a population (and occupation) density like NYC, mass transit would work.
Also, you can't compare a state to a city. NJ is just too big and spread out to support a mass transit system like the ones that can be found in cities. |
Case
Citizen
Username: Case
Post Number: 1408
Registered: 2-2005
| | Posted on Monday, April 24, 2006 - 4:09 pm: |
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It might sound extreme, but maybe we should make up some plausible-sounding reasons and invade an oil-producing country? That'll probably lower prices AND keep the world safe for democracy all in one fell swoop. |
Lou
Citizen
Username: Flf
Post Number: 119
Registered: 8-2005
| | Posted on Monday, April 24, 2006 - 6:04 pm: |
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How about getting rid of your SUVs, Hummers and cars that spend a ridiculous amount of gas and buying smaller and fuel-efficient cars that on top of not consuming so much gas are far much better for the environment?
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mwsilva
Citizen
Username: Mwsilva
Post Number: 492
Registered: 5-2002
| | Posted on Monday, April 24, 2006 - 8:24 pm: |
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If you want to lower the price of Gas by $.60 per gallon, you can do it tomorrow by removing the State tax per gallon. Want another $.45 per gallon, get the Feds to remove that tax.
It is a start.
Me, I think gas should be taxed so that it is $10.00 per gallon, then you would see people walk to work or to the trains. |
musicme
Citizen
Username: Musicme
Post Number: 1656
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Tuesday, April 25, 2006 - 9:20 am: |
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We have an epidemic in this country of over-weight children and adults. Point A to point B indeed.
It doesn't seem like such a stretch to see super-sizing of meals and drinks, ever-expanding clothes sizes and the Lincoln Nav-Esclades to understand that input doesn't equal output.
Get a push mower and get lazy boy off the game platform and out into the sunshine.
His / her heart will thank you, Asthma sufferers would thank you for less smog, local-grown alt fuel farmers would thank you for buying their ethanol...
gee, it seems like such a win/win. Hmm...who's the loser in my daydream? |
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