Is there anything we can do to "Lower Gas Prices"? (page 3)

ballistic

Sometime around the year 2000 I think it was, people decided to protest against the government here in the UK which created a 5 year "escalator" introducing higher taxes on fuel year on year. We did this by blockading the half dozen major fuel distribution points in the country. The whole country was brought to a standstill within a week.

I don't think this would work in the US, and to be honest although it made a massive imact here, the government did not actually back down, at least not for about another year.

The protestors left in the end when it became clear emergency services as well as the economy was being hit.

The prices you are currently seeing are the result of global production and demand rather than tax alone. Fuel is so expensive here already that the percentage difference in cost these days is not huge. I guess if fuel got ridiculously expensive here, the government could start cutting tax, but I'm not expecting they would do that imminently.

lisavegas420

Refering back to Gerard post...

Would that really work? I just got a simular email from a friend that was pretty close to the same thing, except the day this email said to not buy gas was Sept 10.

I've thought about this and I don't see how it could possibly work...or am I missing something? I mean sooner or later we would have to buy gas.

Lisa

AllAlongTheWatchtower

This won't be a popular answer, but here it is: elect politicians who DON'T oppose opening drilling in Alaska. Greater supply, lower prices. Coupled with this, if you have an SUV or other gas guzzler, sell it/trade it in for something more efficient. Lower demand, lower prices.

I'm also a big proponent of diesel engines. The VW Jetta with 4 cyl diesel engine gets about 50 MPG. The kick in the teeth of diesel though, is that in "normal" times of prices, its usually a little bit more expensive than gas. Not sure about right now. This has bothered me a lot ever since I found out that diesel is a byproduct of the process that makes gasoline. Still, if you have a car that gets about 25 mpg, and switch to a diesel that gets 50 mpg, unless the price of diesel is double that of gas, you save. My current car is on its last legs, and I'm prolonging the inevitable until it dies, but when it does I have sworn that my next car will be diesel.

On another thread recently, there was someone making fun of people who will drive an extra mile or two to save 3 cents a gallon. Well, I'm one of those people. In my opinion, its practically your civic duty as a consumer to reward lower cost with patronage-otherwise, why should the higher cost station bother? Some people believe different brands of gas are better. I have been told by a tanker truck driver that all the different companies' trucks pull up to the same refinery to be filled up before going out to make their deliveries to the gas stations. The only exception to this that I know of is Amoco's "ultimate" gas, which is clear, and readily seen as being different. I NEVER buy gas at Shell stations, they are almost always the highest priced in any neighborhood I happen to drive through. Exxon is usually the second highest.

stillajwexelder

Yes it is called the law of supply and demand - just stop driving gas guzzlers - you know - SUVS and Hummers that do about 3 miles per gallon, and supply will increase - then the price will drop - as long as there are people willing to pay the price and drive gas guzzlers everywhere even to pick the kids up from school, the price of gas will continue to rise

donkey

I hope they double.

mrsjones5

and I was wondering, do you curb a horse like you curb a dog? That's an awful lot of poop to have to tote home.

Is there anything we can do to "Lower Gas Prices"?