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Fight Gas Prices !!!! (1 Viewer)

John Stockton

Second Unit
Joined
Jan 9, 2000
Messages
391
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 $1.97 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! 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!!

Acting together we can make a difference.

If this makes sense to you, please pass this message on to all the people you know.

PLEASE HOLD OUT UNTIL THEY LOWER THEIR PRICES AND KEEP THEM DOWN.

THIS CAN REALLY WORK.

YOU KNOW THEY LOVE HOLIDAYS AND SUMMER TRAVELERS.
 

MickeS

Senior HTF Member
Joined
Jul 24, 2000
Messages
5,058
I already do this "boycott" then, since I buy my gas from Diamond Shamrock.

Who's Phillip Hollsworth?

/Mike
 

CharlesD

Screenwriter
Joined
Mar 30, 2000
Messages
1,493
Personally I think higher gas prices in the US would be a good thing in the long run, so I am going to make sure I buy gas from EXXON/MOBIL this summer :)
 

Jay H

Senior HTF Member
Joined
Mar 22, 1999
Messages
5,654
Location
Pittsfield, MA
Real Name
Jay
How is buying gas from somebody other than Mobil/Exxon gonna affect gas prices... Or are we trying to get Shell/Hess/Independents to raise theirs due to the newly demand?
Since we all rely on our cars, we can't just stop buying gas.
I don't at least not to the extent that the majority of Americans do. I bike to work, yearround in NJ, and although I usually drive in cases when I have class after work or if there is like a ton of snow. I know that if I didn't have a car, I could actually still bike. I know how to make snow tires and I surely can deal with the cold. I've biked to work when the temps were like 15°F (not including wind chill). I still run alot of errands by bike, including banks, grocery shopping, and visiting friends. So it's not entirely true to say we all rely on our cars. To me, my car is a luxury and I treat it as such. I will take long trips with it and stuff but I bike to work so the money I make from my job is not related to needing gas.
I perhaps fill my tank in my car once a month (in fact, its due for it's first tank for April soon).
Jay
 

Vickie_M

Senior HTF Member
Joined
Dec 31, 2001
Messages
3,208
Well, I haven't owned a car for 12 years, but I live somewhere where public transportation is fairly plentiful. I remember living in a city where you had to put "public transportation" in quotes, and have lived in towns where the words public transportation don't even exist. So I'm sympathetic, but not too much. Maybe if gas prices went up a lot higher, gas buyers would start fighting for Amtrak and all other forms of public transportation.

Americans are such whiners. Our gas is dirt cheap compared to European prices.
 

Aurel Savin

Supporting Actor
Joined
Nov 15, 1998
Messages
839
We can all start buy not buying gas guzzler cars ... I have a feeling there might be a big SUV sell-off soon :)
 

kevin_tomb

Stunt Coordinator
Joined
Dec 19, 2001
Messages
146
Maybe instead of crying about gas prices....why dont you just drive a bit less...?? Or better yet tune up your car and get rid of the "cruise the mall SUV" that im sure a lot of guys and women own. Lets see, most of those SUVS get about 12-16 or so MPG....DAMN....a regular car gets about 24-32 depending on size etc////WOW what a NO-BRAINER.

Dont whine about gas prices. USE LESS OF IT! Europe has gotten along just fine for many years with higher gas prices and noone cries. They have the same needs and uses for cars we do. To transport your family and its cargo. We have just gotten lulled into a wasteful way of thinking again just like we did in the late sixties early seventies. I take my NEON which gets me anywhere I wanna go at about 33 MPG overall. The explorer will just sit, or maybe get sold...Dont really have to have it......
 

Aurel Savin

Supporting Actor
Joined
Nov 15, 1998
Messages
839
This is the reason small engine 4 cylinder cars are the norm in Europe. Also distances are a lot shorter ...

I am willing to bet that there is a very small percentage of people who have 1 1/2 hour commutes there.

The major problem with gas prices here ... and I am sorry for people who own them .. is gas guzzling SUV's!

The car companies are to blame as they relentlesly push them as "the" form of transportation.

Has the American lifestyle changed so much in the last 10 years as to warrant the need for them?
 

Colin Dunn

Supporting Actor
Joined
Oct 10, 1998
Messages
741
Location
Indianapolis, IN
Real Name
Colin Dunn
I don't think a "need" for SUVs has emerged in the US in the last few years. In the '70s, all the families had under-powered "compact wagons" that were more fuel-efficient, but not nearly as luxurious, as the SUVs. In the '80s, when mini-vans were new, they were all the rage among upper-middle-class families.

As far as I can tell, SUVs caught on due to a combination of the '90s boom excesses and families wanting a vehicle convenient for active/busy lifestyles (moving 2-4 people along with sports equipment, musical instruments, etc.). When SUVs became popular, the jokes about mini-vans started up, almost as a way of shaming "cool" 30-something Yuppie parents into buying a $35K SUV instead of a $20K mini-van.

SUVs are not the only form of vehicle that can move people along with their "stuff," just the most popular form at the moment. I've read that car companies are introducing scaled-down, combination car/SUV products in an attempt to get the prices down and fuel efficiency up. We'll see how successful they are...
 

Dave Nibeck

Stunt Coordinator
Joined
Feb 23, 2000
Messages
152
In the '70s, all the families had under-powered "compact wagons" that were more fuel-efficient, but not nearly as luxurious, as the SUVs
Yeah ok. My first car was my parents 197? Caprice Wagon with a 454 Chevy big block. It was not as luxurious as today's SUVs but man was it fast. And @ 6 mpg, you could watch the fuel gauge move when the secondaries on the 4bbl opened up!
 

terry deto

Stunt Coordinator
Joined
Mar 28, 2002
Messages
118
Location
Jackson,MI
Real Name
Terry
The old Cherokee chief sat in his reservation hut, smoking the ceremonial pipe, eyeing the two U.S. government officials sent to interview him. "Chief Two Eagles," one official began, "you have observed the white man for many generations, you have seen his wars and his products, you have seen all his progress, and all his problems."

The chief nodded. The official continued, "Considering recent events, in your opinion, where has the white man gone wrong?" The chief stared at the government officials for over a minute, and then calmly replied. "When white man found the land, Indians were running it. No taxes. No debt. Plenty buffalo. Plenty beaver. Women did most of the work. Medicine man free. Indian men hunted and fished all the time.".

The chief smiled, and added quietly, "White man dumb enough to think he could improve system.
 

CameronJ

Stunt Coordinator
Joined
Feb 28, 2002
Messages
244
Rubbish. High fuel prices is a MAJOR complaint in the UK & other European countries.
The bottom line is that a major component of gas prices is taxes.

In the US, depending on your state, gas taxes can make up between 15-40% (depending on prices) of the price of gas. In Europe, the tax can be upwards of 80%.

What this disparity in taxes does is overemphasize the fluctuations that the actual wholesale price of gas does to the retail price. In the US, if the wholesale price increases 50%, the retail price will increase a slightly smaller amount on a percentage basis (because the taxes paid a fixed on a per gallon basis). In countries with higher tax rates, the retail price increases a much lower percentage than the wholesale price. What the high taxes do is essentially insulate the European consumer from a lot of the price fluctuation (again on a percentage basis) that we in the US see.

That being said, I'd rather pay lower prices and deal with higher fluctuations than the other way around.
 

Chris

Senior HTF Member
Joined
Jul 4, 1997
Messages
6,788
I don't think a "need" for SUVs has emerged in the US in the last few years. In the '70s, all the families had under-powered "compact wagons" that were more fuel-efficient, but not nearly as luxurious, as the SUVs. In the '80s, when mini-vans were new, they were all the rage among upper-middle-class families.
Need for SUVs arose when people decided that station wagons sucked. I would kill for a station wagon; hell, we are looking at one right now.. (Toyota Matrix) sure, they can say it's an SUV, but let's be honest: it's a station wagon.

Lots of us have difficulty working with even a four door.. two toddlers + their safety seats + a double stroller in the trunk.. try and go serious grocery shopping.

It was a lot easier years ago (though not nearly as safe) when mothers held kids in their lap while they drived. But, in a drive to be safe (which is a GOOD thing) kids now have safety seats which occupy a lot of space, and bam! space runs low quick.

I personally don't want an SUV, but a minivan also not an option.. so we're hoping one of these wagon type things will work, we'll start test driving later.

That having been said, gas here is $1.23. And I consider that high. But then again, more then 3/4 of gas cost is Tax, so it's hard to blame Exxon/Mobile or anyone for driving gas way up.. they aren't even the majority of the cost per gallon
 

Henry C

Stunt Coordinator
Joined
Oct 6, 1999
Messages
154
I remember reading somewhere that, at least in CA, the tax on a gallon of gas is like 40 cents. Gas is roughly $1.60 here for regular. So that's about 25%. Take that with a grain of salt though.

Henry
 

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