Sept 1st/don't buy gas

[red]

I've recieved a few e-mails in the last few days stating people are trying to organize a "DON'T BUY GAS" day on the 1st. If everyone in the US would do that, it might help. It will never happen tho.

[bassist_25]

Those chain-mail gas boycotts are pointless. People are just going to be standing there, filling up their cars at the pumps the day before saying, "Yeah, I'll fill up my tank today, but I'll really sock it to the gas company tomorrow by not buying any fuel." We have to buy gas, and the companies know that. I wish I could get my corn alcohol car running.

But there are a few things that people can do:

1. Buy more fuel efficient cars. I know that there's going to be someone out there thinking that I'm one of those people out on a crusade against SUVs. Whenever there's an increase in demand that results from a non-price factor (i.e. the purchase of vehicles which require more fuel), the demand cruve shifts to the right and eqilibrium price goes up. It's simple economics. Most of us are musicians, so many of us do need larger vehicles. I'm not one to tell someone what they can and can't buy, but I do wish that people would exercise more economic responsibility.

2. Car pool. It won't change the price, because the decrease in demand is due to price (rather than a non-price factor, which is what actually moves a demand/supply curve), but at least you'll be saving money yourself.

3. Don't vote oil tycoons into office. This one's pretty self-explanatory.

One of the women my mother works with has a husband who's a trucker. From what I understand, when he went to refuel, he was only alloted so much. I'm not sure what state this was in, but it looks like a gas crisis may be on the horizon.

[lonewolf]

If everybody limited themselves to 40gal/month, it might make an impact. Anything else won't make much difference.

[Mikey Wax]

I know I'd never be able to limit myself. Being in the service industry, I don't know where I'll be from day to day. Some days I drive 60 miles (after arriving at work 30 miles from home) and other days I'll drive 200 miles, just depends on where things are broken.

[Punkinhead]

If everybody limited themselves to 40gal/month, it might make an impact. Anything else won't make much difference.

A weekly thing might (like 2 days a week) if it went on long enough. It wouldn't work like they want it to but, it would force alot of people to conserve and use less.

[HurricaneBob]

I got an email too says i can get a bigger penis!
As of today, im not buying any pizza...........
so fuck opec. Man that will help too, Wake up..

Ok, im outa gas, so i wont buy any.... Genious!
But since its sep 1st we can click on our band pages! wOweE!

[RAM Z]

Buy a motorcycle!!! There is your gas savings at least in the warmer months' plus they are as cool as any GMC Yukon with 20"blades.

I belive that we are starting to see the beginings of bad things to come.
Remember the Mad Max movies?

[jim bagrosky]

I work in transportion. Our company received an email yesterday with a list of east coast service stations, truck stops, etc. that are either completely OUT of fuel or that will only permit 50 gallons. The list is pretty extensive. From the deep South the whole way up to MO, IN, OH, even a few places in WV. Some of our biggest clients are refusing to ship freight due to gas prices. This is creating a mess. Stores can't get shipments of food, clothing, appliances, etc. I'd expect the price of just about everything to go up in the very near future. Once transportion is knocked to it's knees, just think of how everything and everyone else is going to struggle. This is a real scare at the moment, believe me, I'm seeing it every day.

[MOONDOGGY]

Man, a Mad Max world wouldn't be that bad. If I got to wear those cool clothes, shoulder pads, and helmets made out of tires and junk yard scrap, it would be worth it! I would gut my 1990 Mercury Cougar and make it into a lean mean scrap yard beast with spikes all over it.

[gymnast]

A few days ago Sheetz on 4th street in Indiana ran out of gas. Another truck was already on the way, but it was quite confusing for all the people at the pumps when they all beeped and stopped.

[Craven Sound]

Ok, I'll just fill up the day before.

[Danette]

Speaking of chain emails - I got one the other day that seemed to make a little more sense than boycotting on one day. Either your filling up the day before or the day after - when the price has gone up even more. It doesnt seem like it would make much difference in the long run. We are still spending $$ either way.
Bascially what the email said was this ...
If the Saudis are boycotting American goods why not return the favor?
Every time you fill up the car, you can avoid putting more money into the coffers of Saudi Arabia. Just buy from gas companies that don't import their oil from the Saudis.

All of this information is available from the Department of Energy and each is required to state where they get their oil and how much they are importing.

To have an impact, we need to reach literally millions of gas buyers.
These companies import Middle Eastern oil:
Shell......................... 205,742,000 barrels
Chevron/Texaco........ 144,332,000 barrels
Exxon /Mobil.............. 130,082,000 barrels
Marathon/Speedway... 117,740,000 barrels
Amoco.........................62,231,000 barrels
If you do the math at $30/barrel, these imports amount to over $18 BILLION! (oil is now $55-$60 a barrel)


Here are some large companies that do not import Middle Eastern oil:

Citgo.....................0 barrels
Sunoco..................0 barrels
Conoco..................0 barrels
Sinclair..................0 barrels
BP/Phillips..............0 barrels
Hess......................0 barrels
ARC0.....................0 barrels


Now I am not sure how accurate this information is but if it is correct - woudnt it be more feasible to go that route than just not buying fuel on one day?

[Danette]

If this doesnt sound like a scene from Mad Max.. nothing does

Superdome Evacuation Halted Amid Gunfire

[bassist_25]

Speaking of chain emails - I got one the other day that seemed to make a little more sense than boycotting on one day. Either your filling up the day before or the day after - when the price has gone up even more. It doesnt seem like it would make much difference in the long run. We are still spending $$ either way.
Bascially what the email said was this ...
If the Saudis are boycotting American goods why not return the favor?
Every time you fill up the car, you can avoid putting more money into the coffers of Saudi Arabia. Just buy from gas companies that don't import their oil from the Saudis.

All of this information is available from the Department of Energy and each is required to state where they get their oil and how much they are importing.

To have an impact, we need to reach literally millions of gas buyers.
These companies import Middle Eastern oil:
Shell......................... 205,742,000 barrels
Chevron/Texaco........ 144,332,000 barrels
Exxon /Mobil.............. 130,082,000 barrels
Marathon/Speedway... 117,740,000 barrels
Amoco.........................62,231,000 barrels
If you do the math at $30/barrel, these imports amount to over $18 BILLION! (oil is now $55-$60 a barrel)


Here are some large companies that do not import Middle Eastern oil:

Citgo.....................0 barrels
Sunoco..................0 barrels
Conoco..................0 barrels
Sinclair..................0 barrels
BP/Phillips..............0 barrels
Hess......................0 barrels
ARC0.....................0 barrels


Now I am not sure how accurate this information is but if it is correct - woudnt it be more feasible to go that route than just not buying fuel on one day?

I really don't understand what the purpose of that idea would be considering that the recent price hike is due to a shortage of American oil, not oil produced by OPEC nations.

Though, some of the rising prices during the summer can be attributed to OPEC nations running at full output, while everyone demands more oil. The equilibrium price just keeps going higher and higher because more supply cannot be produced to meet the demand.

[Danette]

I know.. I just saw after that the last few sentences I wrote were missing . I type in notepad then sign back on and post - emails, journal, forums and so on. I get tired of getting grief from people about not being able to reach me on the phone.. If they were working like they were suppose to they wouldnt be complaining about me having dial up & using the computer .. so blah!

ANYWHO

The missing part went like this..
I got this before Katrina hit so I am not sure how feasible this would be now in the aftermath but it would definately seem a better choice for an informed consumer than just skipping the pumps on ONE day. I wonder how many people are going to get stuck on the side of the road today because of not buying fuel. Maybe instead of sending emails saying "dont buy" maybe instead we should be sending ones that say "spend wisely".

[MOONDOGGY]

http://www.pennsylvaniagasprices.com/

[lonewolf]

http://www.pennsylvaniagasprices.com/

Lol...the "server is too busy".

[RAM Z]

Hey MOONDOGGY, it would be crazy as hell if we lived in the Mad Max world. A spikey Couger would be cool! I could just see it now, Harley's with primered paint jobs ,spikes, machine guns mounted on their side cars, some huge fat man dressed in nothing but football pads, a leather cod piece, boots and grease with a crazy cigar smoke'n midget sidekick in the side car chucking maltof cocktails in the car windows of passers by!

We could really see this happen for real people! All jokes aside.

I'll be ready will all of you? Yuppies won't stand a chance!

Viva la resistance!


Tom Waits RULZ!

[MOONDOGGY]

Yeah, and we could panit our faces blue, wear cool kilts, and weild large swords.............Ohh, wait........wrong Mel Gibson film! My bad!

[lonewolf]

Hey MOONDOGGY, it would be crazy as hell if we lived in the Mad Max world. A spikey Couger would be cool! I could just see it now, Harley's with primered paint jobs ,spikes, machine guns mounted on their side cars, some huge fat man dressed in nothing but football pads, a leather cod piece, boots and grease with a crazy cigar smoke'n midget sidekick in the side car chucking maltof cocktails in the car windows of passers by!

We could really see this happen for real people! All jokes aside.

I'll be ready will all of you? Yuppies won't stand a chance!

Viva la resistance!


Tom Waits RULZ!

Harleys wouldn't cut it in a Mad Max world (except maybe the Vrod). Those were all riceburners in those movies. If your speedometer doesn't say at least 140, you're toast.

[RAM Z]

Yeah ,I guess your right about the Harleys. All of the big rigs with cow catchers on the front and flamethrowers on the back would get ya for sure!

I smell new a video game!

[songsmith]

...And didn't Mad Max and Danny Glover kill Jesus in Scotland, or am I mixed up?

I remember the gas "shortage" of the 70's... prices went up nearly double in just a few months... some stations ran out... long lines at others... turns out there never was a shortage, the oil companies simply used our fear and lack of real info about the situation in the Middle East to gouge record profits out of us.

That sound familiar? Think it doesn't happen? Remember the California electric "shortage" a few years ago? The natural gas "shortage?"
It seems like utilities get together and decide who gets to spike their profits this season, then next season it's someone else's turn. I'm not much of a conspiracy theorist usually, but I've heard the Enron tapes that made it undeniable.
Hurricane Katrina is simply a gift for the gas companies. It helped spike record profits even further, and on a MUCH faster timeline. Yeah, their drilling rigs and refineries may have gotten hit... and were likely HEAVILY insured. Read: upgrade your delivery infrastructure for little out-of-pocket expense. As for refineries... they could have built more if they wanted, offshore like every other industry, but price is based on demand in every other industry and they need the appearance that demand outstrips supply to make the margins they're used to.---------->JMS

[bassist_25]

Read: upgrade your delivery infrastructure for little out-of-pocket expense.

It's a wonder why much of the oil processing facilities aren't required to be underground as they would be secruity risks and high-priority targets in a war/terrorist attack. I'm not an engineer so I'm not sure how much of that stuff could function underground, but it would seem that more precautions would be taken with the escalated tensions this past couple of years.

This definatley is a blessing for the oil companies. They get to spike the price now for record dividends and then repair the facilities with insurance money.

[BDR]

I didn't buy gas Sept. 1 and the price still went up ...

Oh well, it was worth a shot.

r:>)

[bassist_25]

Rob, that's because the oil companies do inventory on a weekly basis, not daily. When they get to the end of the week, they'll look at the reports and say, "Shit, Robby Douche didn't buy any gas on September 1st. Maybe we should consider alleviating some of the price."

Or at least that's how I think it's all gonna go down.