What can we do about high gas prices???

I had this sent to me in an email.

Read it all the way through, it makes sense.
The only way to make the oil industry react is to hurt them the only place you can..."The PocketBook"

Here is the idea:

GAS WAR - 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 wi th us! By now you're probably thinking gasoline
priced at about $1.50 is super cheap. Me too! It is currently $3.59 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 the price 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 =3D 300) ... and those 300 send it to at least ten more (300 x 10 =3D 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.

What do you think?
Will you try it?
Is it doomed to fail?
Will people not be bothered to try this?

Please post your (polite) opinions on this issue, also feel free to include any ideas you may have to achieve the same results.

Like I said last year the gas will reach eventually the highest 5.00 and then it will stay on that price for a while, last year was up to 3.00, this year up to 4.00 next will be 5.00.

That is the goal.

How can we stop it, is very simple but We are all so addicted to the gas that as long as the increase is gradually and steadily people will complain but will do nothing about it.

The solution, everybody stop cold and stay home for a week refusing to buy gas.

But we all know that is not going to happen.

So now we see where the tax cuts and the small increase on minimum wage is for . . . so you can pay more for gas.

5.00 dollars a galon anyone?

Oh god, I read this chain letter like 2 years ago.


Listen, oil prices, even if manipulated at the producer/refiner level, are still subject to supply and demand. Use less oil, the price drops.

Personally, I have begun to walk, jog, and bike more. Its working, thus far this year, I've only put 1100 miles on my car. Same deal at my house. At the end of last year, I re insulated the attic, and switched from a gas clothes dryer and a gas range to electric ones. This past winter, my natural gas bill was about half of what it was the previous year.

So. If you want to take pricing power away from the oil and gas companies, use less of it. It may cost a little in the near term, but you save a ton in the long term.

Originally posted by marg6043

The solution, everybody stop cold and stay home for a week refusing to buy gas.

But we all know that is not going to happen.

But some of us can't do that, we have to work, I have to drive to work.

Originally posted by elevatedone

But some of us can't do that, we have to work, I have to drive to work.

Exactly elevatedone, we all know that and that will be our downfall, our dependency.

Because at the end oil companies . . . also knows that and can manipulate it to their advantage, we just adapt and evolve, so now we work for less money. after gas expenses.

Originally posted by elevatedone
But some of us can't do that, we have to work, I have to drive to work.

You CAN cut down. I did.

I drive to work every day, I took my kids to school ... all of the normal things that most Americans do. However, you CAN cut you mileage down, and therefore your gas usage down, relatively easily.

Plan ahead and only go to the store once a week. Some people I know go 5 times a week- "Oh, I have to run to the store, I'm out of toilet paper...".

Get up earlier and leave for work earlier so you don't sit in traffic longer burning fuel.

Get everything done in one trip. The groceries, the drycleaner, clothes, etc. Do it all at once.

Going out on Friday and Saturday night? Catch a ride at least one of those nights.

The list goes on forever...

With only a handful of refineries in California most of the gas that arrives in this area is processed through about 6 refineries. 2 Chevrons, 1 Exxon, 1 Valero and I think the last one is BP (I think) ... so even if I buy my gas from a Rotten Robbies or Safeway/Costco ... I don't really have a way to know which of those refineries supplied the gas.

Skipping on the Exxon/Mobil stations may cut a little into their pocketbook but they'll make it up with the excess sales from their refineries to the other stations.

The only sure fire way to hit them in the pocketbook is to cut down on consumption. Most of can't, or aren't willing, to do so. I have modified, albeit slightly, some of my driving habits to curtail excess trips. But we still log about 25K miles on each of our vehicles .. part of that has to do with living 30 mins away from work. In theory I could move closer to work but the increased housing cost would more than cover the cost of gas ... so all I do is grumble and pay at the pump.

Drrill ffor oiil. II heearr tthat is wwhat helplps prooodducee gasosoline, buutt I amm noot enttirelly certtain aboutt iitt.

i have the best solution for you guys in the US
since in the UK the dollor on petral doesnt have that much effect

Pedal power




or better still




those ways you save on money and you get fit at the same time

Maybe next time UK has war with Germany we don't give them oil and collect the savings after they have been bleed ou tthe ass by germans.

Either that, or they'll have to raise their prices because they have less consumers.

Though too many things need gas for this to work anyway.

Yeah, even if you take account of the difference between US and UK Gallons, we still pay roughly DOUBLE what you do (about $2 per litre) and we're not the most expensive in Europe either -- this is not a sob-story, just an indication of your future.

There has been a dramatic increase in the take-up of diesel cars over the past decade throughout Europe. An average one gets about 40-45mpg which isn't vast, but they don't need a choke and therefore short journeys are much more economical than petrol.

Certain countries within the EU (Greece for instance) have a luxury car tax, applicable to any car over 3L.

You know, we as American should be asking questions to our government about our own oil reserves, is not like our nation do not produce any oil.

We do so why are we paying so much for imported oil?

Ah, because our oil is to be for safe keeping.

Yeah, right.

If the Gas prices rise to $5 or above for 1 Gallon, I promised myself I would go start a riot in L.A. and flip cars in protest with other rioters.

Might also take a Gas mask....and ear plugs.

Does anyone know if a Mirror would reflect microwaves?

Originally posted by Johnmike
Either that, or they'll have to raise their prices because they have less consumers.

Thats what I was saying when this got posted before. (Deleted for some reason? )

Wouldn't it just go up even more when the companies lose the money and need to make it up?

[edit on 26/4/2007 by enjoies05]

One of my thoughts with rising gas prices and rising oil prices is this:

Why does gas fluctuate so much up and down when the price per barrell of oil rises up & down, yet motor oil prices have only increased, on average, $0.50 cents in the last 17 years?

Here, 1 quart of oil runs about $1.49, compared to $0.99 cents 17 years ago. This is for a quality, non-synthetic major brand oil. No one has yet to explain this.

I know it all comes from the same place, but isn't gas refined differently than the motor oil you put in the engine?

NO NO NO, nothing in any email forward is going to lower the WORLDWIDE price of crude oil, nor will it change speculation on gas/oil futures, no will it change oil consumed or produced.

Its a relic of how people thing they can change the world by sending out email chain letters, without actually making any concrete changes in their lives or the world.

How is not buying gas from two different brands, going to make the price per barrel of oil come own, when consumption does not change? Its as stupid as whoever said if we just do not buy gas on a certain day, the price will come down.

OPEC does not set the price of gas your station charges. They sell oil, and a lot of those stations that have a brand like Exxon, are not even owned, they are a franchise. US oil production is miniscule compared to worldwide production.

If you want to spend less on gasoline, it is not going to come magically because you switched where you bought gas. It will take actual changes, and maybe even some exercise, imagine that!

1. Carpool.
2. Drive a car with better mileage.
3. Bike
4. Be smarter about your driving habits.
5. Keep tires inflated to right PSI.
6. Use mass transit when you can.

Just to add to your post.
I found this earlier....

(CNN)-Watch out: Here comes $4 gasoline
Prices were supposed to peak below $3 a gallon, but refinery problems, strong demand could push them much higher.

money.cnn.com...

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- Gasoline prices, already above $3 a gallon in some states, could charge higher this summer and hit $4 a gallon in some locations, according to one industry expert.

money.cnn.com...

"More and more communities are going to see gasoline that approaches or exceeds $4 a gallon," said John Kilduff, an energy analyst at Man Financial in New York. "Where we're currently at with prices, that's a given."

money.cnn.com...

Full story here
money.cnn.com...

In short, gas companies don't give a crap what you try to do against them. You could never make enough of an impact to actually affect them. They're a cartel, and essentially a monopoly.