gas prices this summer yikes

[roark]

Here's a suggestion as to how to use your consumer power. Just got this in an E-mail. Seems a bit simplistic, but worth a try:

Familiar with the "Prisoner's Dilemma"?

Simplified outcome: we'll act in our individual best interest (buy the cheaper gas all the time) with the net effect being we're all worse off. :-x

 

[andyzee]

Familiar with the "Prisoner's Dilemma"?

Simplified outcome: we'll act in our individual best interest (buy the cheaper gas all the time) with the net effect being we're all worse off. :-x

Yeah, that's a funny one. Let's say gas at Shell is $2.79 and the price at Exxon drops to $2.59 due to the boycott. Which station would you buy at?

 

[dmc]

Here's a suggestion as to how to use your consumer power. Just got this in an E-mail. Seems a bit simplistic, but worth a try:

wait... i repsonded to this already... And I don't think it was policitcal.... But now i see the post deleted I wonder if it's a reverse politcal delete...

this boycott is dumb...

Please be careful who you end up punishing...

 

[Greg]

Here's a suggestion as to how to use your consumer power. Just got this in an E-mail. Seems a bit simplistic, but worth a try:

http://urbanlegends.about.com/library/bl_gas_boycott_2006.htm

 

[thetrailboss]

wait... i repsonded to this already... And I don't think it was policitcal.... But now i see the post deleted I wonder if it's a reverse politcal delete...

this boycott is dumb...

Please be careful who you end up punishing...

Huh? :blink:

 

[dmc]

Huh? :blink:

Chain letter boycotts are supid... Especially this one... Because it won't hurt anyone except the little guy...

 

[Greg]

Chain letter boycotts are supid... Especially this one... Because it won't hurt anyone except the little guy...

Agreed. See my above link. This chain letter has been circulating in one variation or another for years. You can rest assured that basically any forwarded Email that urges you to pass it on to 10 friends, or "everyone you know" is almost always a hoax or some other Email rumor, pyramid scheme, chain letter, etc...

 

[dmc]

Agreed. See my above link. This chain letter has been circulating in one variation or another for years. You can rest assured that basically any forwarded Email that urges you to pass it on to 10 friends, or "everyone you know" is almost always a hoax or some other Email rumor, pyramid scheme, chain letter, etc...

These things are a great way to harvest emails..

 

[thetrailboss]

Agreed. See my above link. This chain letter has been circulating in one variation or another for years. You can rest assured that basically any forwarded Email that urges you to pass it on to 10 friends, or "everyone you know" is almost always a hoax or some other Email rumor, pyramid scheme, chain letter, etc...

Yeah...figured it was BS. Threw it out here for conversation. Got some thoughts going...and some folks thinking. That's not a bad thing.

 

[dmc]

Yeah...figured it was BS. Threw it out here for conversation. Got some thoughts going...and some folks thinking. That's not a bad thing.

It is a bad thing when you get them thinking about stuff like that that email contains...

It's like saying - I don't like the price of candy because cocoa prices went up so I'm going to boycott the corner store...

 

[ski_resort_observer]

The national average right now is around $2.80/gal. While California is always mentioned on the news, pricewise it's in a world all by itself. don't forget local, state and federal taxes make up a huge chunk, depending on the location, of the price.

DMC is right on that while as an individual you can midigate the price hike but for most it does hurt them. Last year just about this time we facing a similar problem, actually worse as the half the Alaskan pipeline was shut down due to pipe corrosion. The price spiked up and Bush announced that if need be he would authorize a release from the federal reserve to prop up the supply. Almost immediately the price hike cooled off, then the friendly countries of OPEC increased supply and the Alaskan problem was fixed alot faster than first thought and the price tho high did stableize.

Before the national average gets to $4 things will once again fall into place to protect our economy. At least I hope so.

BTW, in Burlington I think(?) they recently passed an ordinace where you could get a ticket if you leave your vehicle idling. In Montpelier they have signs in the parking lots asking people to turn their cars off. There is a debate whether this actually saves any gas but it does show that people are thinking about the problem and are coming up with many diferent ways to try and reduce our use of oil, which is a good thing.

 

[riverc0il]

BTW, in Burlington I think(?) they recently passed an ordinace where you could get a ticket if you leave your vehicle idling.

IIRC, there already was an ordinance, but they just passed another one that essentially gave the original some teeth? Or something to that effect, maybe nelsapbm can enlighten us on the details as she is surely familiar with it.

Regarding DMC's point about consumers vs. businesses accepting increased rates with ease, that does go back to SRO's point that these peaks and slight reductions (3 steps forward 2 steps back style) helps soften the blow gradually over time. Fact is, gas is a limited resource and I would rather both consumers and businesses make financial adjustments now than face a "sudden death" or "cold turkey" shut off down the road with a HUGE spike in prices when demand truly can not be met (unlike in this case, just the industry causing a few waves to spike prices...). Fact is, businesses need to adapt and change just like consumers. I am actually more concerned about Joe Average Lower Class that is barely getting by with full time work on slightly lower than minimum wage. See a lot of that in rural areas like around here in the Kingdom. Those are the people hit hardest by the increases. And if businesses absorb increases as well... cost of goods goes up, inflation happens, businesses cut jobs, and buying power of the dollar continues to decline since wages are not and will not keep pace with inflated prices. Not good. I am forecasting a dire situation within 20 years if the economy doesn't adapt and adjust quick enough and I am planning for worst case scenario with my long term financial situation. Hopefully it will not come to pass that the economy crashes due to a sudden adjustment in energy but if we don't adjust energy usage, demands, and needs now... more draconian measures with much more dire circumstances would need to take place.

 

[SkiDog]

Is there a struggling economy right now??? didnt the dow average just go over a ALL TIME RECORD of 13,000? Doesnt sound like a struggling economy to me.

M

 

[riverc0il]

Who said there was a struggling economy right now? It certainly is not strong though, that is for sure. I would not judge the long term viability of economies and markets based on a one day record on the stock market. Especially considering recent news that the recent housing issues are likely to trickle down into the rest of the economy. Who knows what will happen. But gas prices have been relatively stable over the past year since prices came down from their peak, so no one is suggesting an economy effect from gas prices in the present.

 

[dmc]

Unfortunatly as the rich get richer...
Sometimes the poor get poorer......

 

[thetrailboss]

It is a bad thing when you get them thinking about stuff like that that email contains...

It's like saying - I don't like the price of candy because cocoa prices went up so I'm going to boycott the corner store...

Good point, but Exxon Mobil is in no way the local corner store.....

As for the point about the Dow, so what? That just means that the Dow is up. That does not help with the many people who are being foreclosed because of predatory lending practices and the collapse of the subprime market. Nor does that help blue collar workers on the assembly lines...what are left of them. It only means that one sector of the economy is doing OK on one day. Tomorrow it will correct itself.

 

[ckofer]

Is there a struggling economy right now??? didnt the dow average just go over a ALL TIME RECORD of 13,000? Doesnt sound like a struggling economy to me.

M

That depends where you are in the process...

 

[dmc]

Good point, but Exxon Mobil is in no way the local corner store.....

Dude.... Your missing my point... The guy that struggles to own a gas station is NOT Exxon...
He's a small bisuness owner... Exxon just doesn't give him the business..

 

[ckofer]

The real issue is the amount of fuel we waste. Why is it that big horsepower is such a sales feature? I used to have a plow truck with a 454. Even empty it just gobbled gas. Why? Because most of the fuel used was just becoming heat-not motion.

It's just amazing how may people own big, heavy trucks just for commuting. It's not too unlike the 50's to the early 70's when big, inefficient engines were standard.

Not too get too political, but the only policy that may work is high tarrifs on poor fuel economy vehicles-both at purchase time and registration time. Consumer-level response to high fuel prices is too hard to predict.

 

[riverc0il]

Not too get too political, but the only policy that may work is high tarrifs on poor fuel economy vehicles-both at purchase time and registration time. Consumer-level response to high fuel prices is too hard to predict.

VT was trying to push through legislation to make buying a low MPG vehicle cost more. car manufacturers are going nuts. they also went nuts when legislation passed to require seat belts in all cars. it certainly is an option, but i think that devising ways to make people WANT to buy fuel efficient vehicles rather than being forced to buy them is key in this economy. high gas prices will definitely do the trick.