It is a rather radical solution.

Well, not really a solution at all, but more likely the first stage of a massive meltdown
on the consumer level, which would cause a chain reaction of events that lead to the
complete shutdown of the oil industry. At least until they explore other alternatives, or better yet, take the ecologically consciouse alternative that they are already intimately aware of and impliment some radical changes very fast.

I figure such a show of mass consumer stubbornism might work as a small localized test in a major US city with say, a population of about 8 million people. If half of that population collectively withdraws avery ounce of their support in the form of their thoughts, actions, and dollars by simply NOT BUYING GAS!! I figure it would send a pretty sturdy message about the current state of the consumer consciousness that has simply had enough!

For example my Aunt and Uncle who live on the outskirts of Albuquerque, New Mexico, do not pay for Gas or Power, and have not since 1989. WHY?

Because they've been running everything on bio-diesel and solar power. Granted they don't do much else but tend the hydro farm, growing all their own food, (Just veggies, nuts, and fruit).
But they seem so darn happy, it made mme realize that I'm freakin nuts to be livin in a concrete jungle paying unbelivable rent for nothing, right along with the astronomical cell bill, and rising gas costs.

STOP BUYING GAS!

And those who know how to manufacture their own Bio-Diesel and build solar panels that have easy plug n play access to all things like tv, cell phones, laptops, you name it....lets teach the collective consumer whores how to do it themselves or just make it so easy for them to grab the power that they never have to pay for any of it again.

OPM

Mod edit: removed all caps in title.

[edit on 7/14/2006 by Gools]

Although I disagree with many of the faulty assumptions in the post and political blather, the premise is correct.
Price is based on supply and demand. Given the same daily supply, a lower demand will lower the prices.

So if the world demand for gasoline dropped, the price would as well.

I agree, everybody could cut their fuel use by 25% easily. Just cut out all unnecessary trips or combine trips. Just next door, 3 kids go to school and drive 2 cars and still at the end of the day, somebody has to go pick up the other kid because one has to stop by the tanning bed!!! Then there are the after school activities that could be cut back. We live about 10 miles from the school so you can see that the gas use could get out of hand real quick. They make about 5-7 trips a day so that is 100-140 miles a day that they drive when a bus could come by and pick them up and drop them off.

I have even seen one of them make 3 trips one evening to a town about 30 miles away(180 total miles) just to give people a ride to work that are too sorry to get a car of their own because their drugs are too important. I think THEY need to walk a little while.

I know that everybody doesn't waste this way, but we can all cut back. If we would show them that we don't need gas as bad as they thought, the price would soon come down.

We ain't even gonna talk about all those people doing all that driving getting a govt. check.

I drive a big diesel 4X4 and have cut back on my driving.

[edit on 16-8-2006 by MBF]

MBF I could not, in any way, cut back my feul consumtion.

I drive to campus every morning, about 15 or so miles each way so 30 miles.
I drive to work every afternoon, about 22 miles each way, so 44

74 miles a day

Not only is that horrible on my poor old 96 chevy cavalier.. but the gas millage is horrible. I fill up at leeasst twice a week. I need to go to school, and I need to work to pay my way to school and support my self, my g.f and my apt.

Would you like to pay my bills? My rent? Feed my cat for christ sake?? No sir, 25% is impossible.

Want to fix gas prices? Fix the government first, their hands are soaked black with the stain of oil. They profit massivly off this and we let it happen. Not going to the gas station won't change anything except make you go fill up twice as much next time you go.
Now if you ask us to stop consumer spending on NON essentials such as a trip to wally mart and really hurt the economy, the gov will pressure the oil barrons to ease up. Trust me, damage the economy in anyway like boycott wally mart and the republicans will do anything for you, they need every last vote.

Originally posted by Rockpuck
MBF I could not, in any way, cut back my feul consumtion.

I understand your situation because I have been there myself. Clearly you are not like the example that I gave, but where you only drive where you have too, other people are very wasteful.

I will gladly pay your bills if you will pay mine because I can't find anyone to swap with me. My bills scare the hell out of most people because I am a farmer(sometimes they do me too).

I have almost given up on fixing the govt now i just fight and argue with them. Like my lawyers have told me, they are the govt and they can do anything to you that they want too and there ain't a damn thing you can do about it no matter how right you are.

Any links to help someone researching this idea MBF?

I have been wanting to beta test something like this for some time. I saw something on discovery a show called dirty jobs, my g/f was trying to explain to me about how this guy was using old fry grease to run his car and it peaked my curiosity.

Anyway any links would be cool.. Thanks.

I bought a flex-fuel chevy truck, it runs on E85. NOw I don't have to rely solely on gas. Isn't that great?

And the nearest station is only 250 miles away

As much as I would love to stop buying gas, it would be impossible to do. South Africa has little to no Public Transport infrastructure - and the little infrastructure that exists is so expensive that it's cheaper to travel with my own car than with a Bus for example.

Maybe the answer lays in smaller, more fuel-efficient cars, and not huge fuel-guzzlers? If the SUV market fell on its back and the small car market took off, then the demand for fuel would automatically decline, no?

Wish we could......................



Its not so easy to just stop buying gas......unless your, " Amish ", they just ride around America in horse and buggy. If there was something else we could buy to power our cars, then that would be a different story.