Should we boycott for independence on July 4th by refusing to buy gasoline?

Question

I wonder what the economic effect would be if the citizens of the US stopped the purchase of gasoline for one day?

Answer 1

There are alot of people making money & their is nothing we can do about it unless we stop putting people in office who don't care about the American people & others in the world. This polititions who are helping their buddies then tricking the stupid people who believe they are actually helping them can't be blamed. We have to wake up & get people to vote for the people not for these billionaires who are so corupt. Someone already said if we don't buy gas one day we will still buy it the next so where is the logic to these. I am not meaning to put you down you are trying to come up with a solution but we all have to learn how to think more reasonably.

Answer 2

Sure, I'll do it!  Let's fight the Bush oil regime and publicize it!

Answer 3

The boycott will not work unless you cut use of gasoline.  Not buying for one day will not matter, because you will just buy another day.  Companies as rich as oil companies are not affected by things as small as a day of boycott.  They could probably go a whole quarter of boycott without being in severe trouble.  You need to cut use and that will cause the companies to have no one to sell to.

Answer 4

I LOVE the idea! I don't see the entire country stopping, but it would certainly make a statement if a big enough percentage of people participated. Start organizing!

Answer 5

That's NOT gonna happen.

Answer 6

It would make no long-term economic difference because we would still need to buy gasoline the day after.

Gasoline is a necessity.  It's not something we can do without.  It's not like bananas that we can substitute with oranges.  It's not like diamond rings that are a luxury.

In order to affect gas prices, we need to reduce the demand of gasoline over the long term.  This requires things like more efficient cars, lightbulbs which consume less energy, the use of solar, nuclear, and geothermal power, and so on.

Answer 7

Nothing they would buy the day before and the day after. Don't buy it for a week and you will see change!

Answer 8

I dont think americans in general know how the price of gasoline  works.. i love how we always point the finger on the company if things dont go our way. do you guys know that the price is determine in wall street when the barrel of oil is sold at a certain price. that price is determine by future pricing base on the supply of law and demand. did you guys also know that the majority of those oil is not use on gas consumption but oil use to generate electricity on a daily basis. we also use oil to feed our industrialize nation(computers, air condition etc). oil is our countries blood line and if you cut the supply, you change our way of life. i wonder how most of us can live if power is only available to us 4 days a week. cant use  nuclear energy. so pick and choose

Answer 9

I wouldn't even entertain the thought cause it'll never happen

Answer 10

we need to do something gas prices are through the roof.what will happen if we did  they would get there self together and realize its the people that keep them in business in lower those prices they killing us.

Answer 11

A one-day boycott on gasoline would have no effect on prices.  

Please read this brief discussion of proposed gas boycotts by economist Steven Levitt:

http://freakonomics.blogs.nytimes.com/20...

If we want to reduce the cost, we need to reduce our demand.  We should address the root causes, rather than acting like victims.

Answer 12

He's right, but make a whole month of it and we can have the government begging on their knees!

Answer 13

The only effect that would benefit us would be for literally EVERYONE in the US to cut down on car and truck use for a longer period....something like two or three months.  That MIGHT have an effect, but it'd still be iffy.

Answer 14

Economic effect?  Negligible.  People will just buy it on the 3rd or 5th.

If you want to have an effect... change your habits so you don't need to buy as much gas.

Answer 15

Nope, this kind of protest has been attempted many times since the fuel crises of the 1970s.

Ultimately, the flaws are

1.  You'll still buy the gas the next day

2. Not buying fuel only hurts the gas station owner, not the Oil companies who've already been paid for their fuel by the gas station owner, and most definitely not OPEC.