Oil too expensive? Can the public rebel?

Question

I am not an activist, a politician or anything else....just a citizen that is tired of being taken. Exxon had $40 BILLION in profits. The oil company CEO's make more in a minute than most people do in a year. Cut some of the salaries!!!!!

Here's an idea. Everyone (would be great if we got businesses to do this to) used absolutely, positively no oil or gas for a day or two........the same day or two........a strike? A Boston Tea Party of sorts. Pick a date. May 1st and 2nd. Shut off your heat. Park your cars. Businesses won't want to shut down for fear of losing money, but if they lose 1 or 2 days of profit, how much could they potentially save if the barrel prices went down $10 or $20?

Remember in the 70's when we had to buy gas on odd/even days because they said we'd run out? The truckers all headed to Washington and protested. Things changed when the people fought back.

Any comments?

Answer 1

Environmentalists just blocked another attempt of G.W. Bush by suing the government to place Right Whales on the "endangered list". Bush was about to open the coastal waters of Alaska for exploratory drilling, having lifted Bill Clinton's ban on drilling in that region.

However, an environmentalist group sued, demanding that the Right Whale be placed on the endangered list so that the Bush Administration could not prepare leases in Alaskan waters. They sued, even though previous petitions were answered by the Administration, setting aside some 36,000 miles of ocean for the whales.

The Republican Congress opened Alaskan waters for drilling in 2003. Bush tried to get drilling going on Alaskan governmental lands, but that was stalled by the Democrats in 2004, 2005, and 2006. When Democrats took over the House and Senate, Bush attempted to drill in Alaskan and Gulf of Mexico waters.

But, in flocked the environmentalists with their lawsuits. Environmentalists were quoted as saying:

“Drilling in Bristol Bay would be drilling through the heart of the most important habitat of the most endangered whale on the planet,” said Brendan Cummings, oceans program director of the Center for Biological Diversity. “If the North Pacific right whale is to have any chance of survival, we must protect its critical habitat, not auction it off to oil companies.”

28 billion dollars go to environmentalist causes from the Federal Government coffers every year. Only .4 billion goes toward energy causes. That is 70 times more money going to environmentalist causes!

Yet, people have this notion that Oil Companies are the greedy ones!

Sheesh!!!

Answer 2

Sound like an Idea...how can we do this ... and a lot of people must be involve...

zero21764

Answer 3

The problem is people wont do it. What has to be done is people need to carpool. Take public transportation and not use the gas for stupid reasons like instead of driving to the corner store walk. Americans are the ones throwing away money instead of doing what they really need to do to make the gas prices go down. If the demand goes down the prices will also go down.!

Answer 4

Solve the salesman traveling game algorithm, and put multiple passengers in each vehicle.  Good Brave.  Much savings when people ride with friends.

Answer 5

There are many things we can do to rebel against being skrewed by OPEC and the oil giants.....but, we aren't willing to do it.

1. Stop driving gas-guzzling vehicles.  There is no earthly reason to drive a Hummer or a gigantic SUV or van.  NONE.

2. Buy ONLY those cars that get i35 - 50 miles to the gallon.....

3. Use public transportation whenever possible.

4. Plan driving errands to accomplish them in a more "gas-saving" way by driving fewer miles.

5. WALK once in awhile.

6. Use a bicycle whenever possible

7. Become a "1 car" family.

There are others, but the American people for the most part aren't interested in making any sacrifices.  They just like to complain.

Answer 6

If your not an activist then what are you?  Are you trying to make someone else do your job?  If you really care you will start it yourself and spread the word to everyone around you.  Quit shopping at the higher priced fuel stations.  Go to the cheaper places.  Beyond popular belief the ingredients in gas are the same no matter who you shop with.   Techron just sounds better.  There is no difference.  Go to the cheap places.  Even if you have to go around the corner to get it.  And yes quit driving as much and don't use credit to buy gas.  Credit is one of the leading causes of the high price of the economy including but not limited to fuel.

Answer 7

the "environmentalists" could also let us drill. We have several spots in the U.S. that they won't let us drill, if it's done responsibly and doesn't harm the animas or trees too much, we could get so much oil out of those areas that we wouldn't need dependence on foreign oil.

Answer 8

If you cut CEO salaries then the most talented people will find other employment opportunities.  This will have the effect of driving up prices because the production process loses efficiency.

You should also look at the reasons that oil is increasing in price.  It is not because of greedy executives - it is because countries such as China and India are importing more oil.  Since demand is increasing while supplies are not - the price goes up.

Answer 9

Why make a mess?

Why not switch the mode of travelling with a bicycle and go green in saving the planet?

Then others will be more worrying.

That no one is going to buy their oil any longer.

Luke 8.10,17

What do you think?

Answer 10

you will never get enough people to go along with this to make a difference.

Answer 11

Bottom line is, we would not be in this mess today if it weren't for Ronald Reagan and the very first thing he did when he became president was to remove the alternative energy act of 1976. Thus if he hadn't done that, we would be 31 years ahead of all the oil related problems we now have or more like we wouldn't have. They knew in 1980 we were going to have these up and coming problems (war in the middle east, pollution, rising costs etc.). But it was all about making sure the oil industry sucked every last drop of money from the American people, no matter the overall cost.

The oil embargo of the early 1970's was a act by the "soon to be OPEC" because they knew we had hit peek oil in the US and were looking at the middle east to "fuel" our resources. Basically prices and supply stabilized because of this lobby and the increased supply to the US. Today what we are seeing with 108 dollar a barrel oil, is the increased demand by china and India for fuel as well. 100 dollar a barrel oil is supposed to be an economic indicator of peek oil in the middle east.

Academic experts are now saying we have only 3 years left to get our **** together.

Answer 12

Not buying gas for a day or two does nothing.  I boycott the gas stations for several weeks after I fill up. It is what they sell each month and each quarter that is their benchmark. We need to change our consumption habits.

Do people properlty inflate their tires and get tune ups? This can increase gas mileage by 10-20%.  Does everyone do this? NO.

People can car pool yet a very small % do so. Why because gas prices are not high enough for people to be inconvenienced.

Rolling the speed limit back to 55MPH would reduce consumption in the US by more than 20% and reduce highway fatalities. Will this occur? No, because people want to stay at home 3 minutes longer and then drive fast.

If anyone really cared about gas prices all the above would be implemented and schools and businesses could go to a 4 day week or more telecommuting for businesses. This would eliminate one day of school bus service across the US and reduce gas consumption. Will this occur? Not a chance.

I do not understand why people continue to complain about gas prices but do nothing about it. Do you still see Hummers and big SUVs on the road? Of course you do and pickups also.  

What people actually want is to keep consuming exactly what they are today but gas prices to be lower.

If you had a taco stand and could only make 500 tacos per day but you had 2,000 customers, wouldn`t you raise your prices until there was around 500 people still willing to buy your much higer priced tacos?

By the way, rationing gas in the 70s was because of price ceilings and not allowing for supply and demand pricing so it became unprofitable to sell gas to the US and that is why we had to ration it. One of the dumbest decisions in US history.

I also do not understand why people whine whenever gas prices rise, but if it had increase by the same percent as milk since 1940, it would be price at $120 per barrel.

When will people realize they and their consumtion habits are to blame and not Exxon or anyone else.

Answer 13

Firstly, as a percentage of total revenue, oil companies have a low profit margin, believe it or not. Secondly, most oil profits are re-invested into 1) maintaining equipment and infrastructure, 2) finding new sites to dig for oil, and 3) new technologies, like ethanol and hybrids. Companies aren't stupid - they realize that oil is a finite source and that the future is with alternative fuel sources.

Protest oil costs all you want, as is your right, but you don't have the right to demand a lower price just because you require gasoline to get to work. That's a ridiculous attitude - that somehow the market must perfectly respond to all your needs. Yeah, I'd love if all my expenses were subsidized by the government, but that's not how life works. If you really want to see the price of gasoline go down over night, then you should write to your representatives about lowering, suspending or outright eliminating the gasoline tax. That would drop prices dramatically, but that hurts the government's bottom line. Sure, you pay income tax, sales tax, inheritance tax, gift tax, excise tax, and a number of other taxes, but that's not enough - you have to pay gasoline tax on top of your car registration and the tax you paid when you bought your car.

Answer 14

VOTE REPUBLICAN

Answer 15

Competition is the answer to high profits.  Invest in companies having success with alternative fuel sources.  We all have to have transportation and heat.  Around here, my heat is usually off in May, won't be able to stop using electricity without a solar panel.