GAS WAR - an idea that WILL work!

[Dangerously Amused]

Greetings Fellow DUers,

I just received this from my best friend. I apologize if it has been posted before, but even if so, I think it bears repeating. The author urges us to forward this to ten more people. I am not good at math, but I'm pretty sure that 88,000 is a LOT more than ten. :)


GAS WAR - an idea that WILL work!

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, here is a plan that can really work. Please read on and join 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 the BUYERS control the marketplace, not the 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 on me at this point...keep reading and I'll explain how simple it is to reach millions of people.

I am sending this note to over 30 people. If each of us send 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!

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.

Kerry Lyle, Director, Research Coordinator
Thanks for your support

[RB TexLa]

1. They will still sell their gas

They will sell it to the other stations.

[Flabbergasted]

6. SO ANY BETTER IDEAS? I'D LOVE TO HEAR SOME!

[FredScuttle]

7. Sure...don't buy gas

now, we'll really have some impact if we get, oh...100 million people to follow that edict.

[Flabbergasted]

9. Ok.... your plan is and will our org. have non-profit status!

[TheFarseer]

35. yes

Don't drive anywhere for lunch. Don't drive anywhere to vacation this summer or pick a closer destination. Anything that doesn't involve burning less gas probably won't work.

[Nickster]

2. This idea can't work. It would in effect drive up the price of gasoline.

If the refiners can't sell it to the stations that we boycott, then they sell it to the other stations. That means less stations selling the same gas.

[Flabbergasted]

11. So how bout a better solution!

[mahatmakanejeeves]

3. walk, use public transit, or take your bicycle

if you can.

[Telly Savalas]

16. Why are you trying to trample the rights of those of us who like

breathing smog?

[mahatmakanejeeves]

30. because I hate America

.

[FredScuttle]

4. sorry, Snopes already debunked this

this is a version of an e-mail that's been circulating for 5 years:

http://www.snopes.com/politics/gasoline/gasout.asp

"A boycott of a couple of brands of gasoline won't result in lower overall prices. Prices at all the non-boycotted outlets would rise due to the temporarily limited supply and increased demand, making the original prices look cheap by comparison. The shunned outlets could then make a killing by offering gasoline at its "normal" (i.e., pre-boycott) price or by selling off their output to the non-boycotted companies, who will need the extra supply to meet demand. The only person who really gets hurt in this proposed scheme is the service station operator, who has almost no control over the price of gasoline.

The only practical way of reducing gasoline prices is through the straightforward means of buying less gasoline, not through a simple and painless scheme of just shifting where we buy it. The inconvenience of driving less is a hardship too many people apparently aren't willing to endure, however. "

[Flabbergasted]

5. Yeah...... Snopes is a cynical bunch of bastards. Screw um!

[Dangerously Amused]

8. Oh. Sorry, then. It sounded like a good idea at the time.

If Exxon had to sell their gas because demand for their product diminished (and the other companies knew it), wouldn't Exxon pretty much have to sell gas at a lesser price to their competitors than their competitors sell to consumers, in order for the competition to still make a profit? I mean, wouldn't it still hurt Exxon's business to some extent?

Sorry if there is a simple answer to all this. Like I said, I suck at math. : )

[Flabbergasted]

10. Exactly right! Some people just love Exxon!

[FredScuttle]

13. Quite the contrary

Exxon would jack up their price because the non-boycott stations would be faced with diminshed supply in the face of growing demand (and, thanks to consolidation, only a few sellers from which to make up the supply) This, in turn, would prompt the non-boycotted company to raise its prices, thereby screwing the station owner and, ultimately, the consumer.

[Flabbergasted]

15. And then be faced with a devalued public image. This could have long

term effects....Hmmm.....Maybe we should consider this?

[FredScuttle]

18. Devalued public image?

As opposed to the squeaky clean, all-in-the-public-interest image Big Oil has now? LOL

[Flabbergasted]

19. There is only talk of a boycott at the moment is there Fred. May make the

shareholders hold back the dough once word gets out.....or....?

[FredScuttle]

20. Like I said before

there would have to be a boycott involving double the number of people who voted in the last Presidential election for it to have any impact. I doubt Big Oil is trembling in its Oxfords about a total gas boycott.

[Flabbergasted]

21. No where near that Fred. 2 million to 5 million would be a successful BC

[FredScuttle]

22. Out of a population of 300 million?

Let's be conservative and say half of that number buy gas...a boycott of 2 million would be 1.33% of the available population, 5 million would be 3.33%. I still don't see Big Oil pissing their pants.

[Flabbergasted]

26. Exxon would shit their pants due to a two percent drop in Gross Revenue

Conservatively lets go with 12 million half time Exxon gas buyers. In a well organized campaign this is possable.

[RB TexLa]

27. And it really doesn't even matter what % it is of US or North American

population as that is useless information, it would matter what percent of the world's energy usage they represent, which would be next to nothing.

[dysfunctional press]

24. have you seen the price of oil?

why the hell would shareholders "hold back the dough"...?(btw- once they're shareholders, they only GET dough, NOT give it)

[FredScuttle]

28. Great point

forgot to mention it.

[Telly Savalas]

14. But demand for gasoline at their competitors would go up

and hence the competitors could jack up their prices.

[meisje]

12. How many times do you plan posting this idea before you get a clue?

[Flabbergasted]

17. Probably until people like you go away!

[meisje]

25. another well crafted idea

[Dangerously Amused]

31. I respect your right to disagree with me.

But I would much prefer that you weren't an ass about it.

[Name removed]

33. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[ReverendDeuce]

23. "GAS WAR" was the title of a Ted Rall book...

That guy is a fanatic! And I love it! :)

(It was not a particularly good book -- but who doesn't love Ted Rall?)

[Lorax]

29. How about this for an idea?

How about if people stop buying SUVs because they NEED to fit their dogs, kids, lacrosse gear, etc into the car all at the same time. How about if we try looking for jobs closer to home (not a solution for all but a solution for some - I did it). How about if we start buying more fuel efficient cars? How about if we walk to the local store instead of driving to the big box across town to save .25 on some crap we don't need? Hey, here's an idea - how about if we start demanding convient, accessible public transportation?

Sorry if I'm ranting but I get sick of seeing these madcap schemes to stick it to the man. Maybe this country NEEDS to see $3 and $4 gas prices for Americans to start getting smarter about our ridiculous consumption.

[Skittles]

32. here is what I replied

better idea is to vote republicans out and KEEP THEM OUT

[4dsc]

34. WHEN WILL YOU ALL GET IT!!

Peak oil is here and the era of CHEAP OIL is OVER!!!

If you want to lower prices try CONSERVING!! The quickest way to get cheaper gas prices is to create a SURPLUS!!

But in the end, when production of world oil starts to go down foreever, the party's over!!

[BiggJawn]

36. I've been boycotting Exxon-Mobil for 40 years.

When is it going to start working?

Lemme guess, you got this in a "Foward this to EVERYONE!" Email from your boss' Admin Assistant, right?

[GumboYaYa]

37. Sell your car and buy a bicycle.

Using less gas is the only solution, as many have expressed already. Anyone who is looking for easy, comfortable ways to maintain their driving lifestyle is part of the problem. As long as people continue to adhere to the car culture, our world will continue to be polluted (perhaps to the point of our own extinction), we will continue to have wars in the Middle East, and a substantial part of our national wealth will be paid to the oil companies.

Put the car keys away and be an example to others. Posting ridiculous plans that will go nowhere and wouldn't work if they did is not being part of the solution. It is an exercise in futility.