Can we form a gas protest?

[Little Star]

I bet that almost every citizen would march against gas prices, am I wrong? How do we organize such a protest? Goddamn greedy bastards!

[bunkerbuster1]

1. Gas protest? You mean like loading up on broccoli and beans

and lettin' 'er rip?

Sorry, I think public displays of whining about gasoline prices aren't real productive. Let's just keep reminding people about how we're pissing valuable resources away in a vanity war, 'k?

[rucky]

2. It's time for state Attorney Generals to take some action.

Just like the tobacco litigation.

what the Exxons are doing amounts to extortion.

And yes, I'd march in a heartbeat. But I'm a firm believer that any protest should have a call to action & I hope the message gets to the AG's.

[RedStateShame]

3. A real protest of sorts

If you really want to protest high gas prices, use less gas. Rely on your local area's public transportation, if available, share rides with friends and/or acquaintances(I would hold off on hitchhiking), and ride a bike to places of little distance. The only way to speak to these people is through your money, and an overt defiance to give them any more money than is absolutely necessary is the best way to tell Lee Raymond and his ilk that you won't stand for their blind greed.

[MadHound]

4. Spot on!

It was through the power of the purchase that we got Detroit to start building more fuel efficient cars in the late seventies, and it was the power of purchase that eventually cut our fuel consumption by 1/6.

This was a double edged sword however. Gas prices were lowered, but they were lowered to such a point that people felt no constraint to conserve. Thus we saw the birth of the SUV. However I don't think that this will happen this time around. I believe at this time we've reached a point where we are genuinely running out of oil.

[Little Star]

8. I agree totally

But the greedy bastards will rob us until the last drop if we don't show our protest like the mexicans. JMHO

[napi21]

5. Public transp. is a great answer, but many people can't.

I live in a Ga. suburb, and there isn't ANY PT at all! I only go out one day a week to the grocery store 3 miles away, so that's a very small problem, but my husband drives to work every day, 13 miles each way. The closest Park N Ride is 11.5 miles from here, so it's useless!

I spoke to him this morning about trying to talk the managers where he works into scheduling people who live near each other to work the same hours so they could car pool. The scheduling is a real problem because he works as a meat cutter in a supermarket chain, and they only have a handfull of full timers who work several evenings each week. We're going to try that, but it may not work.

The other thing I plan to do is replace the bulbs in the lamps I use all the time with the low energy use ones. I had done this several years ago, and changed them in the two I use when I read because the light just wasn't bright enough, but I've been researching them again and I see you can buy some higher wattage ones that might work.

I've done everything in and out of my house that I know of to do.

[Debau2005]

6. I am in the same boat!

I live in Roswell and work in Norcross. I signed up for carpooling but so far no one has signed up that goes and comes when I do. If I did not have such a super deal on my rent, I would move closer to work. I checked on it, but the increase in rent would out weigh the savings in gas!

In my free time I "babysit" horses for people when they are out of town. I no longer make any money on that, I get just enough to put gas in the tank! I hate to ask more, because this is my true passion, and I don't want to lose any clients...

It worries me to no end that there are people who have to chose between groceries/meds or gas for the car. I am not yet in that position, but I do feel the pinch, I can no longer contribute as much to my savings for a house down payment. I am very concerned for my eldely neighbor, her drugs are very high. The Medicare Prescription drug plan has been a joke! I have started taking her with me to the grocery so she does not have to use her gas. But she is still very angry that the government has not done anything to stop the trend...

[MsTryska]

30. have y'all tried calling 1-87-ridefind?

or going to the website?

they might be able to help:

http://187ridefind.com/

[Debau2005]

41. Yes, I am on their list

I have thought about changing my hours. I work 7-4, maybe 8-5 would make it easier to find a carpool!

[MsTryska]

42. tell me about it.....

I work 9-6 - if i worked 7-4 maybe i would have a chance too, but a - i can't get to work that early, b - i'm required ot work until at least 5:30.

[DrGonzoLives]

9. Which is why it was said "if available"

Public transport isn't always available, especially if you're like me and work out in the middle of nowhere. There is no surefire, exactly correct answer that absolutely will work for everyone, other than just use less energy. Even if you just cut down by 10%, if everyone does it, that's a significant impact.

[Little Star]

7. I don't care if we walked every where

They would still keep upping the gas prices. We ned to march IMHO

[DrGonzoLives]

11. What does marching do?

Other than promprt sarcastic remarks from evening newscasters?

Oil companies speak the language of the dollar. They don't give a fuck how many people you have marching. In fact, they probably like it, because that means a bunch of people used up more gas than they normally do getting to the protest in the first place.

We really need to get over this idea that if we raise our fists and march around, everything will be alright. It won't.

[lonestarnot]

12. Then turn marching into an economic impasse. See how closely they

pay attention then.

[DrGonzoLives]

15. That's what we're saying

If you stop buying more gas, they will all feel it. That's the only form of protest that will work with these scumbags.

[lonestarnot]

16. That combined with many other actions to include marching!

[DrGonzoLives]

19. Marching. Does. Nothing. Here.

Unless you're arguing that we should do it to feel good about ourselves.

[lonestarnot]

21. Don't you remember the 60's? Marching, sit-ins on university campuses

etc? Now we can't even organize a shit-in, because of attitudes like this.

[DrGonzoLives]

25. Uh-huh

Go march and do all that stuff you like, the rest of us will be taking effective action.

[lonestarnot]

29. And your oh so effective action is?

[raccoon]

32. Now THAT'S a good idea--people couldn't ignore it, at least

not those close to it.

[lonestarnot]

34. A shit-in? On the whitehouse lawn?

[raccoon]

35. Another great idea! nt

[Ilsa]

13. Don't forget: conserve by driving prudently. I see too many people

racing around to pass, then slamming on the brakes.

[Cathyclysmic]

10. An idea....

Let's face it, we need gasoline, my husband and I need to go to work.

But, most gas stations do not make a profit on selling gas, they break even. What they make a HUGE profit on is cigs, coffee, and whatever. Let's all stop buying crap there. It's expensive and I feel we could really send a message to them and still have gas to get to work.

[napi21]

17. Unfortunately, that would be punishing the wrong guy, wouldn't it?

I never buy anything at a quick stop anyway, but I know a lot of people do. But why do you want to punish the station owner? You're right, they don't make much on selling gas...a few cents at most. If you still buy the gas, the producers still gets HIS profit, and will feel no impact at all.

[Cathyclysmic]

24. Don't mean to sound like Walmart, but...

and by the way I see your point, the middleman is getting hurt...hopefully only in the short term.

But the big gas companies (BP, Shell, Whatever) with also get hurt. They will have to look to make a profit or cut budgets somewhere, beside gouging the customer(this is what Walmart does). If we put pressure on them to make better deals with refineries to get a better cost. Big Oil also owns these small gas stations are also making profits on donuts and coffee also...I don't know how much of a profit, but hopefully enough to make them notice.

Is that coherent? I'm writing in between customers at work.The main thing I feel needs to happen is oil companies having cart blanche to do whatever they want has to stop. Say, do a blitzkrieg across the middle-east region.:eyes:

[TheFarseer]

26. I talked to one gas station owner

He says he hates the high gas prices, because they also have a service station/repair shop and he says if prices are too high, that makes people put off repairs/oil changes etc AND he's not making any more profit on the gas. And of course, people bitch at him more :)

[Cathyclysmic]

27. True..

The gas station we go to has a cartoon on the cash register which ,paraphrasing here, that states the cashier is has nothing to do with the price of gas.

But, that is the paradox the gas industry uses to there advantage. We NEED gasoline(at least how the transportation system is set up right now), so other industries feel the pinch instead of the perpetrator. This pisses me off to no end.

[ComerPerro]

14. A protest would be ineffective without a noticeable boycott. And I can't

because, see, I kinda have to show up here at work to get paid.


Not trying to belittle the idea. But, honestly, what good is a protest if people keep buying gas?

[corporate_mike]

39. True

[madinmaryland]

18. Rather than a protest about prices,

why not a protest about the government's inactiveness and refusal to address the energy problems facing this country. The only energy policy is to give tax breaks to the big oil companies.

They should be addressing renewable resources and decreasing the dependence on all petroleum based products.

[MsTryska]

31. Hear hear!

I'd march to light a match unddr somebody's ass so we can get going on the energy independence thing in a heartbeat.


screw gas prices - what can we use instead of gas, and how do we get it where we live?


(we know the answers to these questions, but apparently the powers that be haven't figured this out yet)

[madinmaryland]

33. Oh, they have it figured out already!

The big corporations that control our government WON'T let it happen.

Fuel efficiency and conservation would help bring these corps under control, which is why they won't let it happen.

[MsTryska]

36. well there has to be a way to make the big corporations do our

bidding.


hitting them int he pocketbook in some way.

of course the silly thing is, they have the money and the stakes to make these changes on their own, and make it happen.

If ConAgra and Shell or Exxon or whomever, teamed up they could have this thing sorted in a jiffy.

And we'd all be buying ShellAgra Sunfuel after watching the commercials with the pretty sunflowers and green grass and blue skies.

[madinmaryland]

37. Unfortunately they will never support conservation.

Conservation will be the only way to take their strength and control of the market away.

[Renew Deal]

20. I have been thinking about this too.

There are a lot of congressmen that have taken cash from big oil. Maybe that should be our target location.

[TheFarseer]

22. I can just see it now

People driving to the protest in their Suburbans and Explorers - some from many miles away. Ugh, we are a retarded people.

[lonestarnot]

28. Maybe the SUV drivers, but not me. I wouldn't have 10 if they

gave them to me!

[Jim Warren]

23. Merchant shuts off pumps in protest

I know a another retailer who is an independant little guy who says the same exact thing.

As gas prices rise, so does angst
Cleveland County merchant shuts off pumps in protest
CLEVE R. WOOTSON JR.
[e-mail]
Eventually, Mike Rhodes got tired of waking up every morning and bumping up gas prices at The Rockett Express.

Last Monday, he turned off the pumps in protest.

"We feel personally like the petroleum industry is gouging the nation," he said. "We just felt that we'd shut (the pumps) down and be the voice of Cleveland County."

Prices in the Charlotte area averaged $2.888 a gallon for regular on Saturday, up 2 cents from Friday. That reflected national prices, which were 12 cents shy of $3 for regular gas. The increases made Rhodes' gas station less profitable, and that made the decision to hit the off switch easier.

http://www.charlotte.com/mld/observer/news/local/14408695.htm

[Little Star]

38. Until people can afford to start walking/bicycling hours

back and forth to work and stop using gas (how are we going to carry our groceries home? we don't all live where there is public transportation). Until people can afford to purchase new cars that use alternative gas. Until these greedy bastards make it possible for all people to afford these much needed green alternatives. The little we (who have the time and money) to do as you are all suggesting is such a small drop in the bucket we will all be dead before it makes any difference IMHO. It all sounds good but I believe it is a pipe dream in reality.

How about this idea if marching and protesting won't work?
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/9071642/

[Little Star]

40. Here is another article

http://www.honoluluadvertiser.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060125/BUSINESS/601250347/1071