Gas price revolt!

[The Deuce]

I apologize in advance for putting such rhetoric on here, but I don't really want to pay $3.00 for gas. This was given to me by a friend, and will be a struggle as I love mobil in my bike.

************************

I hear we are going to hit close to $3.00 a gallon by the summer. 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 it and join with us!

By now, you?re probably thinking gasoline priced at about $1.50 is super cheap. Me too! It is currently $1.87 for regular unleaded in my town. (California) 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! In addition, 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 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 about thirty people. If each of you 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 generation 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 email 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.


PLEASE HOLD OUT UNTIL THEY LOWER THEIR PRICES AND KEEP THEM DOWN. THIS CAN REALLY WORK. YOU KNOW THEY LOVE HOLIDAYS AND SUMMER TRAVELERS.

[Mr 5 0]

Spam mail.

Good intentions I'm certain but getting millions of strangers in various parts of the country to stop buying from one or two oil companies for six months or more just because you send them a breathless e-mail (I get about 30 - 40 per day that all say "IMPORTANT - MUST READ and I instantly delete them) is probably wishful thinking, at best.

There are a lot of reasons for gas price increases. Some of it is pure corporate greed along with a lot of middlemen taking cuts from the sale of oil and gas and a lot of it is availabilty, demand and other natural market forces at work. It isn't always a conspiracy to screw you, believe it or not.

I don't buy Exxon or Mobil gas so in a way, I'll be part of the boycott but don't expect this to have much impact just because someone starts a internet chain letter. People are weird and tend to buy whatever they want to buy, including gasoline brands, despite what some internet e-mail advises them to do.

Getting a chain letter telling you not to buy Exxon or Mobil gas may work for some but every person receiving such an e-mail isn't going to pass it along to ten others, I can guarantee that. These pyramid schemes usually fall flat but hey, why not give it a shot?

I'll leave this up for member interest and comment and I wish the boycott well and hope it drives down gas prices, but don't hold your collective breath, folks.

[lx mike]

Every time gas prices start to rise up (usualy around spring/summer) you hear about something like this to get them to drop there prices. a few years ago the thing was to not by gass on a certain day of the week. then another one was just buy on certain days. now it't just don't buy from certain companies. just another thing that will pass.

[The Deuce]

I agree that this idea probably won't work. Heck, I don't think anyone will really do it. Between all the SUV's and the war in Israel, there is really nothing we can do to stop the rise. Besides the fact that gas has inflated at a rate slower than almost any other consumer good in the past 30 years. Sorry for taking up bandwith with the original, I don't want to get a rep for being the guy who posts the useless S**T.

[Ty'97Cobra]

SPAM ALERT !!!!!!!!

Also, how many of you received the $10 or $20 coupon that was promised to you by Outback, Boston Market, etc. when they had the "send this to 10 people and you will receive" e-mail.....

NO ONE!!!! LOL.

[Dark_5.0]

The price of a gallon of gas is actually about 50-70 cents a gallon it is the taxes imposed on gas that make it so high.

I dont want to go off on a rant.....but do you know how much goes into producing a gallon of gas....I am surprised its as cheap as it is.

I work in the oil field and always have and I see things from the other side. The oil price has been low for the past ten years for the most part...Taxing imported oil and taking measures to stabilize the oil price at say $18.00 a barrel would go a long way in stabalizing the gas price at the pump.

Later,

[Unit 5302]

Well, there is a HUGE problem with having the 2 largest oil companies in the US merge. The Exxon-Mobil merger has hurt American's at the pump significantly. Price gouging is VERY real, and the oil companies recorded record profits all last year with their new found power over gas prices.

Regardless, Venezuela has just had a coup, and oil prices dropped sharply with the announcement the country will now be controlled by more American friendly leaders. Russia is eager to get it's oil production up, and neither Russia or Venezuela gives a crap about OPEC.

This crap about winter/summer gas has got to quit, and the American people need a serious representative looking out for them when it comes to prices at the pump. They used to have competition. Now they don't. I expect some of the same problems in the computer industry as well. Now that the HP/Compaq merger looks to be in the final stages. What a horrible, horrible decision by the US government.

[1BAD89]

Price gouging is VERY real, and the oil companies recorded record profits all last year with their new found power over gas prices.

Back when gas shot up to $1.70+ for regular unleaded, and everyone was freaking out, a few places marked up their gas to like $2.40+ and man was that a mistake. They were the first people on the news, they had big stories interviewing them, and since it's against the law, they quickly went down. People need gas, that is what is comes down too. Gas prices have been jumping 10 cents here, and 10 cents here and another 10 cents there, it's pretty ridiculous. When filling up my car used to cost $14-15, now it cost $19+, and I have to fill up pretty often, it kinda sucks. I'm just glad it's not hovering around $2.00 though, it could be worse you know. Right now it's like $1.24 for 87, and $1.38 for 93, and I'm bitching about that. When it goes from $.89 to $1.29 within a few months, it's kinda hard to adjust too, because your like " Oh man that is outrageous". Heck people in Cali would love it if it was that cheap. Now I just need to get the price of 110 down from $4.50-$5 a gallon, and I'll be a happy camper! A guy I was talking to asked me how much my 110 was, he was like "Yeah that stuff is expensive, how much is it now, like $1.70? I was like...... BAHAHAHAAHAHAHA I WISH! $4.50 MAN! AND he was like .

[Unit 5302]

Gas jumped from about $1.20/gallon to $1.60/gallon here in the Twin Cities real quick. Oil prices didn't increase, and neither did the consumption.

The oil companies came out and said it was because of greater demand that was "anticipated." LOL. They think demand might go up, so they raise prices. The government was seriously looking at the wrong monopoly when they were giving Microsoft the shaft. When a company can control pricing based on anticipated market conditions in a few months, they have way too much power over their industry.

[1BAD89]

Looks like me and you are up way too late Unit. What ever happened to the days when gas used to only go up a few pennies?

[Unit 5302]

It was down to $1.00/gallon here within the last few months, and that's about as cheap as it's been since I started driving. There were a few stints at $0.89, but $1.00/gallon is just fine with me. Actually, I don't have a problem when it hit's $1.30. After that, I get a little edgy. When it hits $1.60+ is when I get ticked.

Gas prices didn't stop me from test driving a 95GT today.

[1BAD89]

Yeah it got down to $.89 here too, I am in the same boat you are, $1.00 I don't mind, $1.30'ish starts to piss me off, especially since I have to put 93 in my car, and $1.60 'ish makes me pretty upset. So how'd the test drive go?

[PKRWUD]

This topic always amuses me. We pay less for gasoline than most of the world. Don't like the prices? Don't drive. Have to? Drive an economy car. This is a great country, but it sure has it's fair share of whiners. I lived in Australia 17 years ago, and gas (petrol) cost 95 cents a liter. That's nearly $3.60 a gallon. With the exchange rate in place then, it worked out to roughly $2.80 a gallon, U.S. dollars. No biggie. Italy pays over $5 a gallon today.

Hell, my truck get's lousy mileage, and I don't enjoy spending $35 to fill both tanks, but the fact still remains that gasoline, even at $2.00 a gallon, is dirt cheap. Fortunately, it's still $1.55 right now, but I've heard it will peak around $1.80 by June. Still a bargain. Still cheaper than milk. Still cheaper than bottled water.

Stop whining.

Take care,
-Chris

[1BAD89]

Still a bargain. Still cheaper than milk. Still cheaper than bottled water.

I'm not bitching, hell I pay $5 a gallon for 110, premium feels really cheap after that. But about your comment. Do you fill up your car with 20 gallons of milk? Or do you fill up you car with 20 gallons on water? No, you don't. So I really don't think you can compare them. Milk vs. gas per gallon, milk is wayyyyyy higher, and a gallon of bottled water is too. I think a gallon of milk is around $3, that would roughly be around $60 to fill up your tank. I mean heck, I could say, well gas is cheaper than pop, chips, cds, condoms, magazines, videos, clothes, alcohol, etc.... but that wouldn't make any sense because I'm not buying them in the quanity that I do gas. Nor do cars run on those things.

[Mr 5 0]

PKRWUD:

You're right about the misconceptions regarding gas prices.

I've read that 40 years ago (1962) regular gas was about thirty cents per gallon. Ah, the good old days, right? Unfortunately, the minimum wage was about $1.20 or so, and it took an hours (minimum wage) pay to buy four gallons of gas.

In 2002, the minimum wage is, what? About $6.00 per hour. Gas is about $1.50 per gallon. Four gallons of gas equals one hours minimum wage pay. Just like in 1962. It's all relative.

Difference is, a big, heavy 1960's car with a big engine got about 12 miles per gallon. A late-model Mustang gets about 18 average and most Hondas and Toyotas get well into the high 20's mpg so we use a lot less of that expensive gas than dad or grand-dad did in his 1959 Chevrolet Bel Air with a 348 V-8 getting 12-14 mpg or the guy with a new 'hot' Pontiac Bonneville 421 getting 10 mpg.

Gas companies are no saints but the constant accusations of 'gouging' every time the price of gas goes up gets old. There have been many, many congressional and Justice Department investigations into the price of gas and every single time it turns out that there was no 'gouging' or anything illegal. Just market forces at work and good business practices that keep the companies profitable.

Everything goes up.
You want a raise every six months, right? I do. Well, oil companies -and any company - has to eventually raise prices to accomodate that necessary expense of giving raises, along with everything else it takes to stay viable in a very competitive business.

Taxes are another factor.

In my state (CT) the state and federal taxes add 57 cents to every gallon of gas. Think about that: 57 cents! That means that when gas is, say, $1.41 a gallon (current price here for 87 octane) taxes add 57 cents to the price so without the taxes, a gallon of gas would cost 84 cents per gallon!

Feel better yet?

As I said, gas companies are no angels, they're a business and need to make a decent profit but when you look at how much taxes add to the price, what gas actually costs before taxes and that a gallon of gas costs almost the same portion of your income as it did forty years ago as well as being far, far cheaper in the U.S. than anywhere else in the world (almost), then it puts the price into perspective a bit better and all the howls about 'rip-off's' and 'price gouging' sound a bit hollow when exposed to the facts.

Hey, who wouldn't like to buy gas for twenty cents a gallon but that isn't reasonable, no more than buying a new car for what it cost 40 years ago ($2800.) is reasonable.

The price of gas isn't cheap but it's within reason. That's about as good as it gets.

[Dark_5.0]

Originally posted by PKRWUD
This topic always amuses me. We pay less for gasoline than most of the world. Don't like the prices? Don't drive. Have to? Drive an economy car. This is a great country, but it sure has it's fair share of whiners. I lived in Australia 17 years ago, and gas (petrol) cost 95 cents a liter. That's nearly $3.60 a gallon. With the exchange rate in place then, it worked out to roughly $2.80 a gallon, U.S. dollars. No biggie. Italy pays over $5 a gallon today.

Hell, my truck get's lousy mileage, and I don't enjoy spending $35 to fill both tanks, but the fact still remains that gasoline, even at $2.00 a gallon, is dirt cheap. Fortunately, it's still $1.55 right now, but I've heard it will peak around $1.80 by June. Still a bargain. Still cheaper than milk. Still cheaper than bottled water.

Stop whining.

Take care,
-Chris

\

The voice of reason

[Unit 5302]

The constant acusations of price gouging gets old, eh? Well, if they wouldn't price gouge, you wouldn't hear about accusations. I don't know anybody in there right mind that would attempt to compare a European country to the US in terms of transportation. That's ludicrious. Consumption in the US is unbelieveably higher. As it will be due to population density and space between urban centers. In Italy, chances are real good you don't need a car. In the US, chances are pretty good that a car is practically a need.

Buying in quantity, and refining in quantity makes gas less expensive here. Fluctuations in pricing are what brings price gouging into the picture. When gas changes price $0.40-0.60 in a week, and the companies give the excuse of "Anticipated Greater Demand" that is flat out gouging.

I guess if the oil companies having no excuse for price increases, having record profit years, having independant studies showing no reason for significant increases, and dropping the price immediately any time the word "investigation" is used doesn't convince you that gouging exists, nothing will.

Also, the price isn't what I truely have problems with. It's the price FIXING that I have issues with. If oil is $30/bbl then gas is going to be more. When oil is $25/bbl, remains $25/bbl and gas prices go up and down 50% depending on what the oil companies feel like charging, that's a problem.

[Dark_5.0]

Price gouging would be much worse than what your seeing now.

It takes alot to produce a gallon of gas in the US vs. middle east etc... In the middle east oil flows freely from the ground so there is little overhead, they still profit at $8.50 per barrel. In the US oil does not flow freely oil is harvested through the use of rod pumping wells, Progresive cavity pump wells, plunger lift wells etc...On the perimeter of these wells they have water injection wells wich is known as a water flood or CO2 injection wells wich is known as a CO2 flood. Either CO2 or water is injected into the ground to squeeze the oil into a concentrated spot so it can be pumped out of the ground. On top of that the maintenance of these wells is outrageiously expensive if you have a 10,000ft well you have to have 10,000ft of rods to hook to your pump, and when the well has a mechanical failure wich is usually once a year there goes 30 - 50,000 to get the well going again. Imagine all of that overhead, US companies dont see a profit till about $15.00 a barrel unless your in California then its even worse than that.

If oil companies were able to price gouge at will they would turn a profit every year so explain to me why from 97-00 most didnt turn a profit at all.

The stock market has alot to do with the oil price as well its not as simple as supply and demand.

Later,

[Mr 5 0]

Unit:

Yes, the accusations get old when even the rabidly liberal, business-is-the-source-of-all-evil Clinton administration Justice Department does an exhaustive investigation into gas price rises and finds...nothing. No illegalities.

What they find is simple supply and demand, refineries off-line, transportation snags, etc but no price gouging or price fixing, which is highly illegal and would be prosecuted to the max, especially by a liberal, business-adverse Democrat administration, as Clinton's was.

European gasoline prices are wildly inflated in large part due to the heavy taxes the socialist european countries impose on gasoline. They claim it's to hold down automobile use but it also serves to fill national coffers and the oil companies never see that share of the cost of gas, of course.

Just as in America, where gasoline would be under a dollar a gallon - as it was back in 'the good old days' of the 1950's and '60's when gas was under thirty cents per gallon and taxes were about five cents per gallon.

If the cost of OPEC crude drops, why is that automatically a reason to expect the gas companies to instantly drop their prices? If the cost of steel goes down, does Ford drop the price of Mustangs? Hell no. They may hold the price and not raise it but they don't lower it. It's called profit enhancement and every business does it in one way or another.

The gas we put in our tanks today was extracted and refined some time ago - not last week - and conditions may have made it more expensive then. The gas we put in our tanks in August may come from another time period when the extraction, transportation or crude oil cost was higher - or lower. All these variables will affect the price at the pump.

Oil/gas companies do jack the price around but it's often justified and not the rip-off, gouging or price-fixing they are accused of in a knee-jerk fashion by politicians and folks who don't take a moment to consider what's involved in getting the gas from the wells in Saudi Arabia to the neighborhood pump and why prices are often unstable in an unstable business.

Granted, the ''middlemen' (distributors) and some gas station owners do jack up the pump price, but that's local/regional pricing, not going to the big oil companies.

Folks who cry the loudest about gas prices and demand investigations might also want to talk to the states and the federal government representatives that impose huge taxes on pump gas, driving what would be a low-cost commodity into a high-cost one, then complain about the price at the pump.

My state adds about thirty-five cents to a gallon of gas...the feds add another twenty two cents, making the gas you pump (in CT) close to sixty cents per gallon before you even start to calculate the actual cost for the gas, alone.

I feel weird defending gas companies but facts are facts and I get tired of the same old cry of 'price gouging' every time the price of gas goes up so I think a bit of perspective is overdue here on this popular subject.

Where is it in the constitution that gasoline should be dirt cheap? Gasoline is actually very affordable - even after the big taxes imposed on it. Gas as a part of the family budget is about the same today as it was a generation ago, only the taxes have gone up - a lot. Cars get way better mpg than they did even 20 years ago, so although we drive more we use about the same amount of gas, on average. Some reflection about the actually cost of gasoline is sometimes revealing, unlike simply calling the oil companies crooks, poiunding the table and yelling about 'gouging' as some politicians like to do for whatever political benefit that brings from the uninformed and easily led.

I'm no expert, I only have a very basic understanding of all the mechanics involved in getting oil out of the ground and to the local gas pump, but although I don't doubt the oil and gas business has it's crooks and dirty dealers, mostly on the local and regional level, I also believe that the cost of gas is generally justified and - as I've pointed out - taxes are a big part of the gas-cost problem that is usually ignored or overlooked by the folks who cry 'price gouging'.

[PKRWUD]

I agree that taxes suck, but I don't have a problem paying gas taxes. I don't know how it works in other states, but in California, that's where the majority of the money for road maintenance and improvements comes from. When I lived in the Valley, the roads sucked, but where I am now, they're pretty impressive. Especially after travelling to and driving in the southeast last Christmas.

Then there's the "exit number" thing. Apparently, there's some Federal regulation that says that all exits on highways and freeways are supposed to be numbered. This law has been on the books for over 50 years, and I believe that most states are set up this way, except California. Everyone here was fine without the numbered exits for years, but it seems that some recent folks that moved here from elsewhere complained about it loud enough that someone listened. So, now the state has to come up with $300 million to number all of the exits on all of the freeways and highways in the state, and modify all of the signs. Fortunately, that expense will also come out of the gas tax coffers.

Take care,
-Chris