I read today that oil futures have hit $100 a barrel for the first time. That's sure to mean even higher gas prices at the pump than the outrageous amounts we now pay (here locally the cheapest is already 3.17/Gal). Where I live there are a lot of motorhomes and other RVs on the road every weekend. I can't help but wonder how they are able to afford to drive those things, but that bothers me far less than the cost I have to pay for gas. I drive as little as possible, mostly to work and back. Even then, it costs about 60-70 bucks each week.
I've thought long and hard about what we, the people, could do about it. In this country we seem to do a fair amount of protesting (we do MORE belly-aching than protesting, but at least SOME protests occur) but we don't often use the most powerful tool we have as consumers.... BOYCOTT. I know what you think... we can't completely boycott gas... of course not. We all need to drive. In California people drive to the next door neighbor's house instead of walking (at least, that's what they say). I do believe however, there IS a way that we can use the power of boycott to lower the prices of most anything we decide. I'll use gasoline as an example, but it really could work for most things... from the price of milk to the cost of automobiles... and it's actually pretty simple. Instead of trying (and failing) to boycott ALL gas stations, we select the top half dozen or so oil companies and boycott them. First, we send (all important) letters to the major oil companies telling them that we will NOT buy THEIR gas, that we will ONLY buy gas from others until THEIR prices lower to under a set price (say, 2.50 a gallon), at which time we will buy ONLY THEIR gas until the rest lower their price to the same amount. Then it becomes automatic that anyone who charges over the set price (hmmm, maybe we should make it 2.25) would see a boycott. Sure, it would be difficult to sacrifice a bit of convenience... maybe a lot of convenience for a short time, but it's better than being at the mercy of big business and it CAN work! It's important that we write or call and let them know what we are doing, so they will understand why their profits are falling... and they surely would.... but how nice would it be to have them at OUR mercy????
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3 comments:
$3.17 lucky. The only place to get $3.18 here is with a membership to BJ's or Sam's Club. Regular stations are $3.22 and up :(
I agree with the boycott, I only get gas aprx twice a month.
Good job with the BLOG, keep it up :)
First, congrats on starting your own blog & much success to you!
Gas prices - I can remember my DH and I travelling to Calif. a few years ago (like 5 or so) and getting to a certain point in the state and the gas price being the deciding point where we turned around and headed back north toward home, Canada, because we could not swallow the exorbitant price! Appears that it will be so for everywhere if the current trend continues.
As for MADD - my DH and I made a personal decision to not drink any alcohol at all, about 10 yrs ago when our dd's were in their teens. How could we ask them to not drink if we did not show a better way? Its been a blessing actually - I saw SO MUCH pain in my own family as a child as my parents were 'weekend alcoholics' and I still bear the scars. What a joy to never rely on alcohol to 'have a good time' or rob us of our money or sensibilities'... in fact, if we also boycotted the companies producing alcohol and it were no longer cool to drink then maybe it would become something exclusive and so expensive that many could not afford it, then there would be less drinking drivers and so less alcohol related driving deaths? This coming from a person who lives in the heart of 'wine country' here in Canada... funny hey? Sorry for rambling but you got me thinking.
Will be back for a visit!
~ B
Good idea, and I'm all in, but how to mobilize the rest of the nation?
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