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Question Details	Asked By	Asked On
Gas Prices	Petesharky	05/20/04
I am positive that I am posting this in the wrong place but couldn't find a business board that I thought was appropriate. So here goes. I received this email the other day about Gas prices here it is. Any suggestions would be appreciated. YES it is copied and pasted so now that we have that out of the way please continue to read. There is a question at the bottom I promise. IT HAS BEEN CALCULATED THAT IF EVERYONE IN THE UNITED STATES DID NOT PURCHASE A DROP OF GASOLINE FOR ONE DAY AND ALL AT THE SAME TIME, THE OIL COMPANIES WOULD CHOKE ON THEIR STOCKPILES. AT THE SAME TIME IT WOULD HIT THE ENTIRE INDUSTRY WITH A NET LOSS OF OVER 4.6 BILLION DOLLARS WHICH AFFECTS THE BOTTOM LINES OF THE OIL COMPANIES. THEREFORE MAY 19TH HAS BEEN FORMALLY DECLARED "STICK IT UP THEIR behind DAY AND THE PEOPLE OF THIS NATION SHOULD NOT BUY A SINGLE DROP OF GASOLINE THAT DAY. THE ONLY WAY THIS CAN BE DONE IS IF YOU FORWARD THIS E-MAIL TO AS MANY PEOPLE AS YOU CAN AND AS QUICKLY AS YOU CAN TO GET THE WORD OUT. WAITING ON THIS ADMINISTRATION TO STEP IN AND CONTROL THE PRICES IS NOT GOING TO HAPPEN. WHAT HAPPENED TO THE REDUCTION AND CONTROL IN PRICES THAT THE ARAB NATIONS PROMISED TWO WEEKS AGO? REMEMBER ONE THING, NOT ONLY IS THE PRICE OF GASOLINE GOING UP BUT AT THE SAME TIME AIRLINES ARE FORCED TO RAISE THEIR PRICES, TRUCKING COMPANIES ARE FORCED TO RAISE THEIR PRICES WHICH EFFECTS PRICES ON EVERYTHING THAT IS SHIPPED. THINGS LIKE FOOD, CLOTHING, BUILDING MATERIALS, MEDICAL SUPPLIES ETC. WHO PAYS IN THE END? WE DO! WE CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE. IF THEY DON'T GET THE MESSAGE AFTER ONE DAY, WE WILL DO IT AGAIN AND AGAIN. SO DO YOUR PART AND SPREAD THE WORD. FORWARD THIS EMAIL TO EVERYONE YOU KNOW. MARK YOUR CALENDARS AND MAKE MAY 19TH A DAY THAT THE CITIZENS OF THE UNITED STATES SAY "ENOUGH IS ENOUGH" To me all this will do is make May 20th pay day for the oil companies. This really won't solve anything except the oil companies will have to wait 1 day before they are raking the cash again. I think a more intelligent idea would be instead of filling up every time you get gas only go half way. If it takes $20 to fill up the tank at $2.00 a gallon only buy $10.00 worth. Yes I know eventually over time this leads to more frequent trips to the gas station and the company gets their money anyway. Just slows down the pace of how they get it, decreases their daily sales by half considering everyone complied. If a gas station on a regular day takes in $5,000 (relax it's just a number) in Gas sales, and all of a sudden it's taking in $2,500 That still means it's weekly GAS sales would be cut from $35,000 to $17,500 assuming it's open 7 days a week. Not to mention it leaves their underground tanks half full which means that the gas trucks will only be able to refill only half the amount of gas on a daily basis. Which to me is a more direct hit on oil stock piles. Assuming the average person only drives 5 to 10 miles to work daily this could be done. My truck goes 2 weeks before I buy gas if it's a full tank. Not only does it effect the amount of money made in 1 day. Now the oil companies are only distributing half the amount of gas on a daily basis. Meaning that if a truck delivers to 1 station every other day now it will only have to deliver every 4th day. Station owners will take a direct hit and not be able to meet pay roll based on gas sales and not on donut and coffee sales, repairs etc. Oil companies stock piles will stack up. Leaving them holding more oil in their tanks and not able to move it as quickly. Although eventually it will sell they have to hold it longer therefore decreasing their daily weekly and monthly profit. Half the amount of delivery trucks will be needed to deliver which means half the company fleet sits in the yard or each truck goes out half full and makes half the money. The amount of oil bought by these companies would also decrease meaning oil distributing nations would also suffer a daily weekly and monthly loss. Their stock piles will also stack up. Question (finally): Although in the long run the oil companies are going to sell the gas and make the money wouldn't this be a better way to get the point across? Keeping in mind that it would take everyone to do this and meaning if the price drops we keep on doing it.
Clarification/Follow-up by Petesharky on 05/20/04 8:13 am: You seem to fail to answer the question infact I don't quite understand why I would be an idiot considering I don't have your email address, infact I don't even know you. Since I am the one asking the question that must mean that you could only be referring to me. Not to mention I drive about 300 miles every 2 weeks. My Mini van suits my needs considering I am an electrician and have to drive to different sites on a daily basis. Seems to me that the idiots that you are referring to are the idiots that you call friends and family maybe you should use the bcc option on your email copy and paste your statment here and forward it to them. Clarification/Follow-up by Petesharky on 05/20/04 11:28 am: Elliot an excellent point. I never said this could would or should work but I am tired of these nuts going around with these absolutly crazy idea that one day is going to make a difference. Like the great American smoke out could possibly bankrupt Phillip Morris or other tobacco companies. As I said in the question eventually the oil company is going to get the money. it just takes longer I also said it would take everyone to participate to get this to work. This is a fantasy and I realized that when I wrote it. No one is going to do it. Even the one day fantasy didn't happen I bought gas yesterday. I will but it tomorrow. But if given the 2 choices which would be a better way of handling it? Considering that when I was 15 I worked in a gas station and gas was .89 cents for regular unleaded, and .87 for regular leaded that was 18 years ago i don't know that it has risen that much. Thanks again. Pete Clarification/Follow-up by Petesharky on 05/20/04 11:46 am: Great response and I tend to agree with you though I am not touching Bush/Kerry no way not here not home. Maybe because my brothers fight politics at every family occasion. I agree that we need to find better means and safer means to than oil/gas / and natural gas. I am not the author of the email. Just really pi$$ed off when I get something like this and realize that it won't work yet probably a whole bunch of people probably tried it. I wrote this question just saying that in a fantasy world wouldn't this be a better long term way of getting the point across. There are too many factors I didn't figure in and you guys seem to have pointed that out but. The biggest failure I see to my plan is you can't make people, industry would never be able to do it as pointed out in another answer. I probably couldn't do it either. Thanks for the answer. Pete Clarification/Follow-up by ETWolverine on 05/20/04 12:03 pm: >>>But if given the 2 choices which would be a better way of handling it?<<< You're way... filling up half way... would be the better choice. Not because it actually hurts the oil companies in any way, but because it helps your own personal short-term cash flow situation. You get to keep your cash for a longer period of time, and make smaller payments for gas than if you filled up all at once. But that is an issue of personal finance rather than a macro-economic effect. Elliot Clarification/Follow-up by ETWolverine on 05/20/04 12:07 pm: By the way, a 1 day "gas-out" would result in a downward cash flow blip of only 0.2% for the oil companies (on an anuual basis)... hardly enough to make them beg for mercy. Clarification/Follow-up by tomder55 on 05/20/04 12:11 pm: it bothered me also ,and since I got it from a family member ,I had to set it right;so I responded in kind. I asked when they planned to fill up ;the day before ,or the day after . Clarification/Follow-up by Petesharky on 05/20/04 12:53 pm: Hi Elliot I like that answer. But in the long run to me either way is seems like it would become just one big pain in the A$$. Do you think the price has really jumped considering 18 years ago it was .89 cents? Pete Clarification/Follow-up by Petesharky on 05/20/04 12:58 pm: Gee sorry xChoux next time I will consult you then it will be one idiot to another. This is just a topic of discussion no need to get all upset and start calling names. Clarification/Follow-up by ETWolverine on 05/20/04 1:02 pm: Clearly it has. And just as clearly, prices are being controlled from the supply side... that is OPEC. On the other hand, we really do need to take inflation into account. If we assume a 3% rate of inflation over an 18 year period, we should expect a price of 1.47/gal (assuming 0.89/gal 18 years ago). So the jump is not quite as big as you think. And if you consider the fact that we are in the middle of a war in the Middle East, it is not too surprising to see such high prices. Furthermore, we are not anywhere near the prices or shortages that we experienced during the OPEC crisis of the Carter Administration. Part of that is the fact that we DO have the strategic oil reserve. Part of it is that we have established alternate sources of oil, including South America, Alaska, and Europe. More homes are also using natural gas heating instead of oil. Finally, oil use has become more efficient... the same amount of burn fuels an engine or a piece of machinery for a longer period of time, and also emits lower amounts of polutants. So we really are taking control of the situation from the demand side. On the other hand, we still have a long way to go with that. I think that increasing our use of nuclear power would go a long way toward relieving our need for Mid-Eastern oil. But if I say that in the wrong crowd, I could get stoned. I happen to be very pro-nuclear for just this reason... I always knew we would get into a long war in the Middle East and that our sources for oil in the Middle East would become... tenuous, shall we say. For that reason, I've always believed that we should be pushing for nuclear sources of energy that are self-sustaining, relatively cheap, and not reliant on our Middle Eastern relationships. The technology is there, and its clean and safe. But we have heard so many boogyman stories about nuclear power that we are afriad to use it. But it would solve SO MANY of our problems. Elliot Clarification/Follow-up by XCHOUX on 05/20/04 1:14 pm: Peter: Thanks Sarge, can I have another??? I didn't call you a name, dude. I characterized the post. Clarification/Follow-up by Petesharky on 05/20/04 3:39 pm: Got you sorry about that. Now drop and give me 20. Clarification/Follow-up by XCHOUX on 05/20/04 4:44 pm: P: :D Clarification/Follow-up by Petesharky on 05/20/04 5:23 pm: Don't laugh too hard but I filled up too, but yestreday. On the great American smoke out I smoked 2 packs. I don't even smoke. I understand that his thing could never possibly work just posted the question to see what others think. Pete

Summary of Answers Received	Answered On	Answered By	Average Rating
1. If you idiots are going to forward junk to everyone, at leas...	05/20/04	labman
2. I am not familiar on the economic impact of various boycott ...	05/20/04	tomder55
3. Pete, Unless you are planning to drive less, heat your home...	05/20/04	ETWolverine
4. ??? This is the kind of stuff I delete from my e-mail unopen...	05/20/04	XCHOUX
5. The article you pasted is another one of those, "Sounds g...	05/20/04	drgade
6. I don't think that either/or will make a difference. It ...	05/20/04	Doc05
7. Oops, sorry, I filled up this morning at $1.99 a gallon at a...	05/20/04	elgin_republicans
8. You porobably don't need convincing that this well circu...	05/22/04	Cherab
9. You porobably don't need convincing that this well circul...	05/22/04	Cherab

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