NO GAS...On May 15th 2007Leaving off the poor grammar and all, let's examine the logic for a moment. Here are the primary assumptions of this line of thinking. There are 73 million Americans on the Internet (who, we assume, all drive cars). They will pay a minimum of $30 (the number actually works out to something like $31.40) per tank of gasoline. Presumably May 15th was selected because all 73 million Internet users who drive would normally all go to the gas station that day. (Now, I could be wrong on this point. It may simply be that the assumption is that all 73 million get gas every day, in which case any day would do.) Further, it would appear that there is actually only one oil company, and that single company is "the Middle Eastern oil industry." (You see, if there were more than one, you'd have to divide that $2.292 billion over multiple companies. Further, apparently no company from which those 73 million might buy gas is getting oil from Texas, California, Alaska, or any other American-based oil source.) Oh, and it appears that this oil company, whoever it is, takes all of the money you pay in gasoline. There are no taxes, no fees, no wages paid to employees, nothing at all. It all goes into the pockets of the elite rich leadership of this fictitious oil company.
Body: Don't pump gas on May 15th
Body: ...in April 1997, there was a "gas out" conducted nationwide in protest of gas prices. Gasoline prices dropped 30 cents a gallon overnight.
On May 15th 2007, all Internet users are to not go to a gas station in protest of high gas prices. Gas is now over $3.00 a gallon in most places.
There are 73,000,000+ American members currently on the Internet network, and the average car takes about 30 to 50 dollars to fill up.
If all users did not go to the pump on the 15th, it would take $2,292,000,000.00 (that's almost 3 BILLION) out of the oil company's pockets for just one day, so please do not go to the gas station on May 15th and lets try to put a dent in the Middle Eastern oil industry for at least one day.
If you agree (which I cant see why you wouldn't) resend this to all your contact list. With it saying, "Don't pump gas on May 15th"
Further, this $2.292 billion is intended to hurt this company (whichever company that is). That means that 1) the company has no reserves to ride out one day in which people don't buy gas, and 2) none of those 73 million need the gas they didn't buy that day. You see, if they needed that gas, then they would either buy it the day before or the day after and all the money of that single day would be recouped in those other days. And it seems quite obvious that when a single company announces profits (that is, income over and above the cost of doing business) of $10 billion for a quarter, a single day's hiccup of $3 billion that is recovered on either the day before or the day after wouldn't even phase them in the least. Again, this assumes that it is one company. You see, if there are, say, 10 companies involved, then the single loss of any given company would average out to one tenth of that amount (which would also be recovered on the day before and/or the day after), and these accumulated companies would each have stores in the billions of dollars of profits with which to simply ride out that single day. (The other problem I have is that I find it hard to believe that "the average car takes about 30 to 50 dollars to fill up." Mine doesn't. My wife's doesn't. I filled up my son's truck the other day; that one didn't. I was with my brother when he filled his; that one didn't. What "average car" are they considering?)
Now, I understand the idea. We're mad about gas prices. It seems largely arbitrary. It appears to be some sort of extortion. We cannot do without gasoline, so they will charge us whatever they can get away with. It does seem odd, however, that while the oil companies take perhaps 10% of the dollar you spend on gas, the government is getting closer to 17%. So who is the bigger problem? And while I don't doubt that oil companies are making far more than they should, what would we recommend they do?
Consider reality. If the oil companies are making ten cents on every dollar you spend at the pump for gas, then the impact on them on this fictional one day crusade would be one tenth the amount listed. That amount would be spread out over all companies. Whatever amount that might be, it would be recovered by gas purchases on the day before or the day after. No one would blink an eye.
The claim that "in April 1997, there was a "gas out" conducted nationwide in protest of gas prices. Gasoline prices dropped 30 cents a gallon overnight" is nonsense. It just doesn't make sense. If we wanted to make a dent in a gas company's pocketbook, it would have to look more like this. 1) We would need to select a target. It would have to be one company and all the companies that buy gas from that one company. 2) We would all need to stop buying from that source -- all. 3) We would all need to stop buying from that source for some time. It might take a month or more. It might need to be permanent. (If the Ford Motor company can continue to take annual losses in the millions of dollars and stay in business year after year, how long do you suppose an oil company with billions of dollars of profit built in can survive?) Note that the result of such a move would cause one company to either go out of business or lower its prices. The upshot would be that the employees of that company would lose and we'd all be paying big prices at the pump elsewhere, possibly even higher than before because we've eliminated some competition.
These types of things make us feel better, but they have no effect. We're all a bit upset about the price of gasoline here. It hurts. It really does. And it seems a bit unfair to hear that the companies that are costing us so much to get from here to there are making record profits at our expense. But we live in a free enterprise system. We are capitalists. We don't get the option of saying, "We can be capitalists, but they can't." What we are seeing is the natural result of capitalism without morality. It is the nature of our free society. Until we are ready to end our free society, it's what we have to deal with. A "gas out" won't do what they are suggesting it do. Perhaps people should take a moment and think it through. It feels good ... but it does nothing. That just seems like foolishness.
1 comment:
While I disagree with the underlying premise (about the oil companies making too much money) if you do wish to do something I would avoid almost the opposite tack.
Pick one oil company (as you suggest) that has the lowest price... even if only by a penny or fraction thereof. Buy exclusively from that company... until someone beats them in price... even if it means having to drive accross town.
You see the original idea just puts a minor bump in everyones profit (if it does anything at all, Birds has a point). However this plan would suddenly jump the profit of the chosen company dramatically. They would notice this. And they would want to keep it coming.
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