An Idea on How to get Fuel Costs Down

[hammersley]

Has anybody else received this email?

I don't have a problem with not buying gas from Exxon and/or Mobil:
> **********************************************************************
>
> THE FOLLOWING WAS SENT BY AN ECONOMIST WITHIN THE FUEL INDUSTRY. ANOTHER
> ECONOMICS PROFESSOR AT CAL REITERATED THE SAME LAST WEEK.
>
> We have all heard that gas prices are going to start going up again
> and will be high this summer-$2 and up. We need to do whatever we can
> and do it NOW!!!!
>
> This makes more sense than the "don't buy gas on a certain day" routine
> that was going around last year.
>
> By now you're probably thinking gasoline priced at about $1. 49 is
> actually cheap. Me too. In Philadelphia it is now $1. 58 for regular
> unleaded! 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
> less than $1. 50, we need to try an aggressive response.
>
> With the price of gasoline going up 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 don't buy it. But, (as the gas companies know full well, and are
> counting on), that's not really a practical option since we all have
> come to rely on our cars.
>
> But there is a way we CAN have an impact on gas prices if we all act
> together. Here's the idea: For the rest of this year, don't purchase
> gasoline from the two biggest companies (which now are one), namely
> EXXON and MOBIL.
>
> You see, if they are not selling, they should be inclined, (i. e. ,
> "forced") to reduce their prices. And, because of their size, and
> market share, if they reduce their prices the other companies will too
> to stay in business.
>
> Isn't that a "juicy" prospect? But to have an impact, we need to reach
> literally millions of users. Hey, cynics, it's doable! And better than
> doing nothing but complain.
>
> I am sending this note to everyone on my list. If each of you send it to
> at least 10 more and those 10 send it to at least 10 more and so on, by
> the time the message reaches the sixth iteration, we will have reached
> over one> million consumers.
>
> Acting together we can make a difference. If this makes sense to you,
> please pass this message on, or one you compose, to at least 10 more
> E-mail addresses.
>
> PLEASE HOLD OUT UNTIL THEY LOWER THEIR PRICES TO BELOW $1. 28 - $1. 29
> AND KEEP THEM DOWN. THIS CAN REALLY WORK!
>
> If you're not outraged, you're not paying attention!

 

[jwgary]

I urge everyone who is rationally minded to please ignore such messages. Gas prices are the result of a game that OPEC plays. They flood the market with cheap foreign oil that causes the little guy back home to lose money. He can't even get it out of the ground for what they are selling it for. Consequently, they wind up capping the wells. Prices have to climb a lot to even make them think about uncapping the wells again to start up production. OPEC can then charge whatever they want because they know that our home supply is shut off. It was very uncomfortable when I saw my company go from having three busy shifts to one moderately worked shift in the matter of a few months back when gas was $. 80/gal. This is not the result of greedy oil companies, but their suppliers overseas. Please don't participate in the boycott of the oil companies... My job depends on it.

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[ReggieRam]

This problem is not all the fault of OPEC my friends. While it is true that our government's bowing to environmentalists has caused us to rely on foreign countries for 60% of the oil we use today (a number that grows every day incidently), much of our current problem stems from another area. Environmentalists have successfully lobbied local and state governments to individually apply different standards to fuel types in different regions and at different times of the year (how many times have you heard people complain here about winter blends?), meaning that today in America there are over 500 (not a typo) different fuel blends currently being used. This drives up the cost of fuel dramatically because refineries have to constantly change their refining procedures, taking time and money. Compounding the problem is the fact that we here in the US have been unable to build any new refineries during the last 20 years, a period in which the number of cars on the road and demand for gasoline has nearly doubled. This is also the reason that some regions have experienced shortages in fuel, hence higher prices, while others have been less affected. Say that the New York region is experiencing a shortage while the Wisconsin region has a surplus: Wisconsin cannot ship their surplus the New York because of the different blends used. This causes a dramatic rise in fuel costs for the area experiencing the shortage. It is also no coincidence that the two states with the heaviest environmental restrictions have the highest prices, CA and IL. More refining means higher prices.

I've heard countless Democrats and pundits talk about how the oil industry is making record profits today. While it may be true that TODAY they are making more money, it typically averages out. They are currently making money due to the fact that last year most oil companies actually lost money, a fact that you won't hear reported at all. If you want to know who makes the most off of a gallon of gas or diesel, it's the federal and state governments. When I was living in CA, the federal and state gasoline tax were each $. 18 a gallon, and that's before sales tax. That's a lot of money going to agencies that do absolutely nothing to produce the product in my book. If you want to see the price of diesel drop, demand that the governments drop the gas taxes, and that some of these ridiculous environmental standards be removed. If we, as automobile owners had as strong of a lobby as the environmentalists, then something might actually get done to relieve some of the strain we are currently experiencing due to restrictions that are not scientifically based. CO2 is not the enemy. Ever heard anyone say that the initial explosion of Mt. Saint Helens let off more CO2 than every automobile ever made? That's a fact that never gets reported, yet volcanoes have been erupting since the beginning of time, and are often credited with creating our atmosphere while producing much of the same gases as your truck which is blamed for destroying it. Think about that.

Sorry I'm so long-winded, but this is a subject that really annoys me. Instead of boycotting an industry that has tremendously helped all of us, it would probably be much wiser to lobby our government which does nothing but restrict our freedoms. By the way, I don't work for the oil industry, I'm a firefighter.

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2000 3500 QC 4x4, 6 Speed, 4:10, LSD, Raider cap, Carpet kit, Spray-in liner, K&N Filter. "OBNOXIOUS BEAST"

 

[jsimpson]

very thought-provoking replies!

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http://coffeewithJesus. homestead.com/web1.html 89 1-ton, Amsoil, K&N, cleaned-up exhaust with Dynomax straight-thru, rebuilt injector pump, thermostatically controlled twin 14" PermaCool electric fans, intercooler, 16cm housing, modified 518 OD transmission, Gear vendors OD controler, Reese Titan 2. 5" receiver, R-134 refrigerant, louvered front fenders, 93 aftermarket smoothie grille, Chromacolor black, redlined black rubber rubstrip, black headlights, powdercoated bumpers & door handles, Hadley Ambassadors; 78 35'Avion, 93 Lance 900 slide in with generator . To see my truck, Click on: http://albums.photopoint.com/j/AlbumIndex?u=1169022&a=10097213&f=0

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