It is rumoured that we are going to hit close to a $1.42 a Litre 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, this is a plan that can really work. Please read it and join with us!


We all know that we're being controlled by the oil companies. Does everyone remember how they drove up the prices way past a dollar and got the gas prices to where they wanted them, claiming there was a shortage of oil. Well, there isn't any shortage now, and the oil is more abundant than it was 35 years ago when the price of a litre of gas was 29 cents!!!


Now that the oil companies and the OPEC nations have conditioned us to think that the cost of a litre of gas is CHEAP at $0.78-$0.85, 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 cant 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), PETRO CANADA, SHELL. 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 PETRO CANADA and SHELL buyers. Its really simple to do!! Now, don't whimp out on me at this point...keep reading and Ill explain how simple it is to reach millions of people!!


I am sending this note to at least 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.

This one has been making the internet rounds since 2004. It has made the Urban Legends sites.

Snopes Article on this plan

A moderately lengthy article, but the meat of it is:

A boycott of a couple of brands wouldn't result in lower overall prices: Prices at all the non-boycotted outlets would rise due to the temporarily limited supply and increased demand, making the original prices look cheap by comparison. The shunned outlets could then make a killing by offering gasoline at its "normal" (i.e., pre-boycott) price or by selling off their output to the non-boycotted companies, who will need the extra supply to meet demand. The only person who really gets hurt in this proposed scheme is the service station operator, who has almost no control over the price of gasoline.
The only practical way of reducing gasoline prices is through the straightforward means of buying less gasoline, not through a simple and painless scheme of just shifting where we buy it. The inconvenience of driving less is a hardship too many people apparently aren't willing to endure, however.

i'll do my part.

i won't buy from Petro Canada for the remainder of the year.

best i can do for you, tho...

( i have a short commute, a car in good tune, and properly inflated tires; that much i can do for the planet. )

Me too, me too! As an added measure, no gas from Petromex either! The Cap'n

Screw gasoline. I am switching to nuclear power. I think I am going to need roughly 1.21 Gigawatts.

QUOTE (balljoint @ Apr 13 2005, 12:30 PM)

Screw gasoline. I am switching to nuclear power. I think I am going to need roughly 1.21 Gigawatts.

ONE POINT TWENTY ONE GIGAWATTS?

HOW AM I GONNA GENERATE THAT KIND OF POWER??

$2.37 or so for the cheapest stuff around here right now. I take either the Bike or the bus these days. My 914 doesn't run, so no worries there!

Oh, stop sniveling. US$0.68 per liter, or US$2.58 per US gallon is high by US standards, but still nothing by European standards, so it IS cheap. What's the tax rate in Canada on gas? It's 200-400% in Europe, and 30-40% in the US, depending on where you buy it. Gas is really cheap in oil-producing, no taxes Venezuela, but who wants to live in that armpit?

Want to stick it to the oil companies? Don't drive. Buy a bicycle, take the train, walk. Nothing I hate worse than someone who'll whine about gas prices, but do nothing to buy less of it. I've literally heard people on their cellphone complaining about gas prices while sitting in their HUMMER!

I just shortened my commute by more than half so I haven't had to put gas in my '14 for almost 2 weeks and I can probably make another few days with 20-30 minute commute.

Unfortunately, I go to Shell because it's cheaper than Chevron. It boggling that Chevron has a plant right here close and their gas prices are higher than anyone else's in this area.

QUOTE (lapuwali @ Apr 13 2005, 10:33 AM)

Oh, stop sniveling. US$0.68 per liter, or US$2.58 per US gallon is high by US standards, but still nothing by European standards, so it IS cheap. What's the tax rate in Canada on gas? It's 200-400% in Europe, and 30-40% in the US, depending on where you buy it. Gas is really cheap in oil-producing, no taxes Venezuela, but who wants to live in that armpit? Want to stick it to the oil companies? Don't drive. Buy a bicycle, take the train, walk. Nothing I hate worse than someone who'll whine about gas prices, but do nothing to buy less of it. I've literally heard people on their cellphone complaining about gas prices while sitting in their HUMMER!

LOL!!! Yep, that's why I bought my '14 so I could pay for less gas.

I want to move to the Virgin Islands.....real bad....for good. and gas down there comes in crude form from venesuala (bad spelling) and then refined on St. Croix....which is where i wanna go....gas is like $1.20 i think.

One can also realistically save substantial sums of money on gas by just buying a cheap, fuel-efficient car. A 10 year old Geo Metro in SF is about $500-600, and it would probably limp along getting 35-40mpg for about a year. My 40 mile per day commute would take a little over one work year (200 days) to pay for the Metro in gas savings.

My hope is higher prices in the US will FINALLY allow the economical importation of the 1000-1300cc cars that have been buzzing around Europe and Japan for decades. Most of these will put a Prius to shame in gas mileage, and while they're dull, they're plenty adequate for slogging to work on the freeway every day. M-B came close to bringing in the 50-60mpg SMART into the US, and only just abandoned the effort. If gas prices hit $3/gallon, I'd bet there would be a renewed effort to bring it here.

did just that...my 914 gets around 18 on a real bad day....which beats my Jeep's 12 on a good day MPG....HANDS down! i love my 914!

Yes please boycott Shell. I own shares of Chevron!

what canada should do is build more oil refinery plants. doesnt matter if they can obtain more oil if they cant refine it into gasoline....now those buddies south of us in mexico are becoming quite smart by building a few refineries down there to help the state of california...

QUOTE (Sammy @ Apr 13 2005, 01:44 PM)

If you don't want to pay the high cost of gasoline, don't buy it. Ride a bicycle, take the bus, carpool, get an electric car, whatever. But if you decide you still want to buy gas bad enough you will pay whatever they want to sell it for.

Exactly. This will be the only way to "lower" the prices, and as a commodity, gas will have to be much more expensive than $3/gal (or whatever price/litre) for price alone to put a dent into current consumption rates. It is still cheaper for me to pay +$3/gal for my commute to work than ride a bicycle. If there were readily available electric cars, I'd consider one for daily transport. My 914 is so much fun to drive, I'll pay just about whatever the market charges for fuel.

I also laugh at the SUV drivers who complain about gas prices, especially when these same motherf***ers are swilling down Starbucks @ US$4.50/16oz. That equates to $576.00/gal FOR F***ING COFFEE!!!!!!!! Where are all the people complaining about Starbucks raping you in the @ss now????????

I refuse to listen to the sniveling little winey ass shmucks in their GI-FREAKIN-GANTIC SUV's bitchin about the cost of gas.

I would not buy one of those damn thing, unless I was forced.

I drive a flat four Subby that gets 28 MPG, and I still think that sucks.

I understand that SUV's have thier place, just like large trucks are nessesary for some people. But for the majority of America....it's just not needed.

Oh and of course what did I hear on the radio the other day. Automotive sales of SUV hit another all time high!

STUPID F'IN RETARDS.... get a horse.

QUOTE (lapuwali @ Apr 13 2005, 03:19 PM)

M-B came close to bringing in the 50-60mpg SMART into the US, and only just abandoned the effort. If gas prices hit $3/gallon, I'd bet there would be a renewed effort to bring it here.

They have been selling Smart cars in Canada for almost a year now, through the Mercedes dealers. NOT a car for the freeway, I would be afraid of getting sucked into a Honda intake and getting my car stuck in the K&N filter. S'okay if everyone else is in the same thing but Holy Frig those things are small. Yup, 60 MPG is smart.

Regardless of gas prices I still plan on putting a six in my car in fall....the last gas attack was after I ate my mother-in-laws bean salad.... damn that stuff is good , dutch ovens are great for relations as well....

Bitch bitch bitch bitch bitch bitch bitch. Gas prices going up, don't like it, walk. No one is forcing you to drive. Shit, drive your bike 10 miles to work. Get a job closer to home. Why do you need that big ass house? Get an apartment, a closer job, and a bike with a comfy seat. You don't NEED a car. It is a convience.

Yes, I still bitch about gas prices. But in reality, you can live without it. It all depends if you want to adapt to that lifestyle or not. I don't see the point in bitching about something you have complete control over. No one forces you to buy gas. It costs you to live how you want. Property values are going up, insurance, electricity, and now gas. That is the name of the game, don't like it, don't play.

Also, YES you can live in a box if you choose. And not have a mortgage payment or rent. You might not want to, but you sure as hell can. Just like you might not want to walk.

Another thing, I am not trying to piss anyone off, just playing devil's advocate here. Like I said, I bitch about gas, among other things.

look at it this way, my 1.8L T4 got ~35 mpg ...
that still beats 95% of all new cars sold in the US and that's with a 35 year old car!!!
obviously, not much has changed for the better since 1970.
and, at the time, the T4 was considered a gas-guzzler in europe, not a economical engine ...
the greater part of the US is about 35 years behind when it comes to fuel efficient vehicles ...

if i was going to buy a new car it would buy a hybrid, the closest to a good gas-milage you can get around here.
Andy

I drive 50 miles round trip. I use a Jetta TDI 55MPG As for not buying from one oil Co. it aint going to work IMHO. I used to drive truck and a good friend drove tanker. I would ride with him on occasoin and when we would go to the tank farm you would see Shell Texaco Standard all of the "BIG" guys trucks there hooked onto the same pipe filling up. The big differance was what additave they would dump in before they filled up. If you buy less from one the others will have to buy the extra from someone and the one you aint getting from now has extra to sell.

The real question is when will gas pricing in North America and behond drive inflationary pressures putting further pressure on interest rates....How long can the Fed or Bank of Can keep these rates down for any extended period of time??? and what are the economic ramifications of spiking interest rates even if it is only 2-3 percent??
thats my two bits....
....what the hell invest in German steel....

everyone talks about how expensive gas is in europe, and how we have it 'good' in relation -- true, but MUCH of the gas taxes over there go BACK to consumers in forms of support for public transportation, etc.... our higher gas prices go more directly to the oil companies.

by the way, larry, cool car, but that roll cage is really ugly.

whats with the talk about certain states trying to tax those that don't drive enough or drive these hybrid cars....pretty soon you'll be taxed if you walk since you are not buying gas to get to work

QUOTE (nebreitling @ Apr 13 2005, 01:33 PM)

true, but MUCH of the gas taxes over there go BACK to consumers in forms of support for public transportation, etc....

or, god forbid, to maintain the roadways!

Andy

QUOTE (nebreitling @ Apr 13 2005, 01:33 PM)

everyone talks about how expensive gas is in europe, and how we have it 'good' in relation -- true, but MUCH of the gas taxes over there go BACK to consumers in forms of support for public transportation, etc.... our higher gas prices go more directly to the oil companies. by the way, larry, cool car, but that roll cage is really ugly.

Gas prices are higher recently in Europe, too, and it's not taxation driving it upwards, so the extra revenues caused by the recent price hikes go to the oil companies in Europe, as well. US and Canadian gas taxes also go back to the consumer in the form of services, we just don't tax gas nearly as much as the Europeans do. In both places, the taxes are typically not percentage based (and so rise with rising prices of the gasoline itself), but simply tacked on as a fixed amount per unit (liter, gallon, whatever). Therefore, higher prices with equal consumption sees zero extra revenue in the pockets of government, in both the US and Europe. It is exactly for this reason that there's been talk of replacing the flat per gallon gas tax with a tax per mile scheme instead. This is, of course, foolish, in that it punishes fuel efficiency where the current scheme rewards it.

Also, while gas taxes are SUPPOSED to be used for other transportation purposes like road building and mass transit, it frequently gets shifted to other uses in the US, and I have serious doubts European politicians are any different than American politicians when it comes to grabbing funding whereever they can for whatever they think will get them re-elected.

Jake, if you build a 50MPG 1.7, you may finally sell me a Type IV. 50MPG in a 914 would be a wonderful thing. Fun driving and I get to thumb my nose at the sanctamonious hybrid drivers.

here here, i'll gladly pay premium for a Jake T-IV 50mpg 1.7......

QUOTE (Sammy @ Apr 13 2005, 03:53 PM)

.... if you drive to work I'll tax the streets If you walk to work I'll tax your feet. Yeah I'm the taxman........

a song? who sung that...

If you think about it most of the big oil producing nations invest in US debt so higher oil prices mean they can service more of our debt. Since China is on their way to becoming number one consumer of oil they are also financing some of our debt by buying oil from these countries.

I dont see the cost of gas for average car owner being a big deal. The bigger issue is the cost of higher fuel prices that are hidden in everything you buy. Transportation costs for all the goods that move across the US have risen signficantly. Think about commodity products where transportation is 50-75% of the product cost. Everyone pays more when we see huge jumps in fuel costs.

QUOTE (bd1308 @ Apr 13 2005, 01:59 PM)

QUOTE (Sammy @ Apr 13 2005, 03:53 PM) .... if you drive to work I'll tax the streets If you walk to work I'll tax your feet. Yeah I'm the taxman........  :tunez: a song? who sung that...

That question makes me feel old. Hint the band's name starts with a B

QUOTE (bd1308 @ Apr 13 2005, 03:59 PM)

QUOTE (Sammy @ Apr 13 2005, 03:53 PM) .... if you drive to work I'll tax the streets If you walk to work I'll tax your feet. Yeah I'm the taxman........  :tunez: a song? who sung that...

The Beatles, young guy.

QUOTE (Sammy @ Apr 13 2005, 03:53 PM)

I'm the taxman

I thought it was the walrus?

Jen

Shut the F*** up Donnie....

the Beatles are AWESOME!!! I have tons of thier stuff.....I'm not judging you....

QUOTE (Jenny @ Apr 13 2005, 05:02 PM)

QUOTE (Sammy @ Apr 13 2005, 03:53 PM) I'm the taxman I thought it was the walrus? Jen

I am the Walrus.
I'm the taxman

You say tomayto, I say tomahto.

and I am the walrus. Not you. Me.
Is it time to go home yet??

Jen

Jenny, you are not the Walrus. A walrus is ugly with great big teeth(tusk) and whiskers.

Mmmmmm Walrus...... bake at 350 for 20 min a lbs.

Salt, pepper and sliced garlic inserted in the beast.....



Mmmmmmmmmm

Can I be the Walrus? I think that my avatar qualifies.........


By the way, I'm the director of sales and marketing for a company that moves oil drilling rigs. Needless to say we've been having an exceptional year. I own 8 vehicles and non of them are good on gas. It's called job security everyone........

QUOTE (GWN7 @ Apr 13 2005, 05:30 PM)

Mmmmmm Walrus...... bake at 350 for 20 min a lbs. Salt, pepper and sliced garlic inserted in the beast..... Mmmmmmmmmm

Gonna need a giant size oven.

I've never actually carefully listened to or read the lyrics to Taxman before. I find the entire thing rather hilarious. This came out, I think, rather late in their career as a group, probably around 1970. They would have been rolling in it by then, of course, and Britain was very much a tax-and-spend socialist state at the time that had marginal tax rates of 90-95% on the most wealthy individuals, so the "five percent" number wasn't a joke. Imagine making $1M a year and having the government taking $900K of it. Everyone in the US should be bloody happy with their current levels of taxation...

The Mr. Wilson and Mr. Heath mentioned in the song were Harold Wilson and Edward Heath, who were successively Prime Ministers in the UK at that time, Heath defeating Wilson in mid 1970.