Can this theoretically work? consumers lowering gas prices

[fiffer010]

I came across this from a friend who sent me an e-mail. I was just wondering if this could work. It sounds like a good idea but what do you all think, here it is...




I hear we are going to hit close to $3.00 a gallon by the end of 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 $2.75 for regular unleaded in my town.

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!! Now, don't whimp (sic) out
on me at this point... keep reading and I'll explain how simple it is
to
reach millions of people!!

I am sending this note to about 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 and DON"T purchase ANY
gasoline
from EXXON and MOBIL. That's all.

How long would all that take? If each of us sends this email out to ten
more people within one day of receipt, all 300 MILLION people could
conceivably be contacted within the next 8 days!!! I'll bet you didn't
think you and I had that much potential, did you! Acting together we
can
make a difference.

If this makes sense to you, please pass this message on.


PLEASE HOLD OUT UNTIL THEY LOWER THEIR PRICES TO THE $1.30 RANGE AND
KEEP THEM DOWN. THIS CAN REALLY WORK!!!

[genchan]

So what happens when Exxon and Mobil lower their prices below the competing stations by 5 cents ($1.70 instead of $1.75) If we don't start buying from Mobil and Exxon, there is no incentive for the other companies to lower their prices (because they aren't losing business) and if we do switch, it isn't down to $1.30. Not a chance in the world that it would work.

[34saving]

Well, I really don't think this would work because 1) Lots of non Exxon-Mobil stations sell Exxon-Mobil gas. 2) If people are still buying from the other stations they have no reason to lower their prices. Actually, they'd probably raise their prices since they no longer have competition from Exxon-Mobil. 3) 1 and 2 assume you could get enough people to go along with it . . . .which you couldn't.

[Bruce Wayne]

News flash people. Oil prices aren't high because the oil companies feel like fleecing you a bit more.

OIL IS RUNNING OUT!!

Best start getting used to it now!

[VJW]

Au contraire.

The last time that gasoline prices spiked like this was in the Summer of 2000. The price only spiked to around $2.00/gallon, but from a much lower level. We heard the EXACT same tired old excuses back then that we’re hearing now. That demand was high, that there was a shortage, that there wasn’t enough refining capacity, that refineries had closed down for maintenance/storms/fires, that the EPA requirements of different blends was the problem.

In the subsequent quarter, the oil companies and refining companies reported MASSIVE profits. Exxon Mobil's operating income was up 89%, BP Amoco's operating income rose nearly 93% and Texaco's operating income increased by 127%. Refiners also cleaned up: Diamond Shamrock saw earnings increase 310% and Sunoco saw earnings increase by 743%.

This sparked an investigation by the Federal Trade Commission, which concluded that the spike in gasoline prices was caused by refiners, WHO HAD ILLEGALLY WITHHELD GASOLINE FROM THE MARKET TO MAXIMIZE PROFITS. All the other excuses had been fraudulently manufactured and propagandized.

Too bad there are no regulatory cops on the beat with this administration.

BTW, as to oil “running out”, I found it interesting that about six weeks ago, the Saudi oil Minister, Ali bin Ibrahim Alnaimi, stated during a press conference that there was a GLOBAL GLUT of oil.

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[Bruce Wayne]

Have a look for the Hirsch Report. It was published by the DOE before being hushed up because of its dramatic conclusions.

The gap between supply and demand is now very narrow indeed and with India, China et al set to increase demand significantly where do you expect new capacity to come from?

Read this interview with Dr Martin Keeley, noted geologist and environmental sceptic. Even he believes oil will peak in the next 10-15 years.

Oil isn't going to run out, but it will get very expensive.

[moneyrant]

Plenty of oil right now. Traders making a killing. Remember Enron and CA (supposed) energy crisis?

[VJW]

Yep.

#

[akaivyleaf]

I think a real boycott could work on a couple of companies, but the problem is, which companies buy Exxon or Mobil gas and sell it as their own. There are no Exxon or Mobile stations where I live, but if they are the largest conglomerate, some company is buying their gas and pedaling it as their own.

[cicy33]

I also agree that is not going to make them lower prices. We also dont' have the stations here. So what if I am still buying from them? who knows. besides, even if they did lower their prices to compete people would flock to them for the lower gas and then there we would be again.

[VJW]

The only thing that would work is an anti-trust action. Good luck waiting on this administration to initiate one. Their track record, given that they allowed Enron rape California, is atrocious.

Oh, BTW, once again, last week, the world`s top oil producer, Saudi Arabia, said it is “concerned about the quick rise in oil prices because THE MARKET HAS PLENTY OF SUPPLY”.

#

[cicy33]

My grandmother sent me an email today similar to the one posted at the top but included something that the OP's didn't. While I am still very skeptical that this will even work what I found interesting is that they listed the names of stations that don't import their fuel. Yet, they all still seem to charge the same price per gallon, things that make you go hummmmmm. anyways, here is the list:

These companies import Middle Eastern oil:
>> Shell............................ 205,742,000 barrels
>> Chevron/Texaco......... 144,332,000 barrels
>> Exxon /Mobil............... 130,082,000 barrels
>> Marathon/Speedway... 117,740,000 barrels
>> Amoco............................62,231,000 barrels
>> If you do the math at $30/barrel, these imports amount to
>>over $18 BILLION! (oil is now $55-$60 a barrel)
>>
>>
>>Here are some large companies that
>>do not import Middle Eastern oil:
>>
>> Citgo......................0 barrels
>> Sunoco...................0 barrels
>> Conoco..................0 barrels
>> Sinclair.................0 barrels
>> BP/Phillips............0 barrels
>> Hess.......................0 barrels
>> ARC0.....................0 barrels

[VJW]

CHAVEZ OFFERS CHEAP GAS TO POOR IN U.S.

(Reuters) -- Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, popular with the poor at home, offered on Tuesday to help needy Americans with cheap supplies of gasoline.

"We want to sell gasoline and heating fuel directly to poor communities in the United States," the populist leader told reporters.

The offer may sound attractive to Americans feeling pinched by soaring prices at the pump but not to the U.S. government (NO SURPRISE THERE !).

Gasoline is cheaper than mineral water in oil-producing Venezuela, where consumers can fill their tanks for less than $2. Average gas prices have risen to $2.61 a gallon in the United States, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.

Chavez said Venezuela could supply gasoline to Americans at half the price they now pay if intermediaries who "speculated ... and exploited consumers" were cut out. Chavez did not say how Venezuela would go about providing gasoline to poor communities. Venezuelan state oil company PDVSA owns Citgo, which has 14,000 gas stations in the United States.

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[CRFSaver]

My father was telling me about the Gas Crisis in the 1970's where there were plenty of ships off the coast of California that had no place to put their oil. So much for the "lack of oil" then. Right now its the damn refineries that cause all this. There are only 3 refining companies in the US ( I believe) so it doesnt matter where you buy gas from given it comes from one of these three refineries.

You know Georgie aint gonna let anything happen to his boys down in Texas...