NO GAS . . . On May 15, 2007 Don't pump gas on May 15th!?

Question

In April 1997, there was a "gas out" conducted nationwide in protest of gas prices. Gasoline prices dropped 30 cents a gallon overnight.

On May 15th 2007, all internet users are to not go to a gas station in protest of high gas prices. Gas is now over $3.00 a gallon in a lot of places.

There are 73,000,000+ American members currently on the internet network, and the average car takes about 30 to 50 dollars to fill up.

If all users did not go to the pump on the 15th, it would take $2,292,000,000.00 (that's almost 3 BILLION) out of the oil companies pockets for just one day, so please do not go to the gas station on May 15th and lets try to put a dent in the Middle Eastern oil industry for at least one day.

If you agree (which I can’t see why you wouldn’t) email this to your entire contact list with it saying, ''Don't pump gas on May 15th"

If you need gas, get it the day before or the day after!

Answer 1

yes i am spreading the word too. I would like to know what these people so against are doing to help the situation.
Buy hybrid cars? spend millions in batteries that don't work.
We already have proven that united we protest we do get are point across!!!!! If someone has another idea for those of us working class people let us know!!!

Answer 2

You know, if the oil companies were smart, they'd jack the prices up on the 16th, because they know some idiots actually waited another day to fill up. Thus more profit!

That's what I'd do if I were an evil oil company. I'd be turning this useless symbolic protest into higher profits. And if I can figure this out, you can bet the sharks at Exxon can too!

To Missy S - Yes I do have a better suggestion to lower oil prices. STOP USING GAS. Or at least cut back how much you use. Let's say you can talk 10 million people into taking public transit or carpooling or biking to work one day a week, instead of driving. Let's say each of those would have burned 2 gallons that day. That's 80 MILLION gallons not used that month. Because the demand goes down, prices will drop.

Answer 3

1. There was no nationwide "gas out" in 1997. There was one in 1999, but it didn't cause gas prices to drop 30 cents per gallon overnight. In fact, it didn't cause them to drop at all. Despite the popularity of the email campaign, the event itself attracted scant participation and was completely ineffectual.

2. There are over 205 million Internet users in the United States, far more than the 73 million claimed.

3. If, say, a hundred million drivers refused en masse to fill up their tanks on May 15, the total of what they didn't spend could amount to as much as $3 billion. However, it doesn't follow that such a boycott would actually decrease oil companies' revenues by that amount, given that the average sales of gasoline across the entire U.S. is under $1 billion per day in the first place.

4. Whether the total impact was a half-billion, 3 billion, or 10 billion dollars, the sales missed due to a one-day consumer boycott wouldn't hurt the oil companies one bit. Think about it. Every single American who doesn't buy gas on Tuesday is still going to have to fill up their tank on Wednesday, Thursday, or Friday, making up for Tuesday's losses. Sales for the whole week would be normal, or very close to it.

A meaningful boycott would entail participants actually consuming less fuel -- and doing so in a sustained, disciplined fashion over a defined period of time -- not just choosing to wait a day or two before filling up as usual.

Answer 4

An idea like this while it may sound like a good idea I don't see it having any effect at all. The reason being is the people who don't fill up on the 15th will either have to fill up the day before or the day after. And the almost $3 billion number that is if every single one of those people fill up a full tank one day. First of all what are the odds that all 73,000,000 fill up on the same day anyways. All I'm saying is while this may sound like a good idea, it really isn't going to hurt the oil companies at all or have an effect on gas prices because either way you are going to have to fill your tank up sooner or later.

NOW, if you really want to stick it to the oil companies you should do what I did and start riding a bus to work if it is at all possible and limit your driving on the weekends. I started riding the bus a month ago and I have only had to fill up my gas tank once since I started riding the bus. SO YEAH if you want to stick it to the oil companies suck up your pride and ride the f-in bus or try to find a place to live within walking distance of your work or school. Now if we could get this idea through everyones head that might have an effect on the oil companies. But let's be real, one day of people not filling up with gas is going to have no effect on the gas prices.

The only way we can have any effect on gas prices is if more people start riding buses or other mass transit systems, if people start buying fuel efficient cars (i just bougth a 98 Honda civic 35 mpg is nice), and find a place to live closer to work or work closer to home. Those are the only 3 choices I see on us having any effect on gas prices. If we could get everyone to fill up their gas tank just twice a month instead of once a week. Now think what kind of impact that could have on the oil companies.

Just my two cents. Hope you enjoy.

Answer 5

I totally agree with this motion to get the gas prices lower, it is worth a shot! For all you people out there who are dissing it, if the prices do go down (no thanks to you) how about you put that extra cash you might save and put it toward some kind of charities if you have so much! If you want to give it away, my hand is open! I am young and just moved out of my parents a couple years ago, and I tell ya it is really tough trying to make a life for my self, because it is hard to afford anything with this so called inflation! It wouldn't be considered inflation, if they quit inflating the prices like they are! Ever thought of that one! Only difference in my thinking with this is that it should be done bigger, and everyone should fill up on the 14th and go as many days as you can without getting any gas! Cause how would they like 4 or 5 days without gas purchases!

Answer 6

Will not buying gas on one single day decrease gas prices? NO! Think about it. How would it? People will just buy in the days before or after. To truly affect gas prices, people need to be willing take steps to use less gas. How about taking the bus, carpooling, riding a bike or buying a more fuel-efficient car? The only way to really lower gas prices in a free market is to decrease demand. The less gas we all use the less the price at the pump matters. Don't complain about it. Do something that will really make a difference.

Answer 7

"If you need gas, get it the day before or the day after!"

Defeats the purpose, doesn't it?

The point is this, gas prices are going up because demand is up.
It is simple supply/demand economics.

IF (and that is a really BIG if) the American public was serious about gas prices, we'd do the right thing, the green thing, including:

> get rid of our gas-guzzling SUV's (et al);

> use and demand more public transportation;

> ride bikes when possible;

> demand more research in renewable energy sources (i.e., solar, thermal, wave and wind).

The simple fact that Americans don't want to give up our lifestyle or try to make demands on elected officials is part of the overall problem.

Then there is the issue of the war, which really affects all that foreign oil we import.

And then there is the China factor - we buy too much stuff from China, so they buy more foreign oil to produce stuff for us, which in turn drives up the price of foreign oil.

And then you have to consider the fact that U.S. refineries are old and in short supply.
It doesn't matter how much oil we import, those refineries can only produce so many gallons of gas a day.

Supply-demand.

A "gas-out" means nothing to any of the people who should be affected, but won't be.

Answer 8

The 30 cents a gallon drop "overnight" is a myth. I lived and drove through that time, and it just didn't happen. The oil companies barely even noticed the so-called "gas out".

And, getting gas on the 14th and 16th instead of the 15th is useless. It only means, for example, that instead of people buying 60 million gallons of gas on the 14th, 60 million on the 15th, and 60 million on the 16th; they will buy 90 million gallons on the 14th, and 90 million on the 16th. You tell me why the oil companies would, or even should, care about that?

Answer 9

This would be like taking a dollar away from a muti-millionaire for a day. The so called drop of 30 cents a gallon over night never did happen Sorry to burst your bubble...

Answer 10

There will always be a skeptic. Just don't get gas on the 15th. The strike is not on the 14th or the 16th or even the entire week of the 14th. Just 1 day. Maybe it'll work and maybe it won't (again). If it does work you will be a part of something great and if it doesn't then at least you still attempted something instead of just complaining!

Do you have a better suggestion to lower gas prices?