Here is a novel idea - let’s figure out what public road and bridge maintenance is costing. This maintenance is required because we are driving on the roads causing ware and tare - take that cost and distribute it over each gallon of fuel that is purchased (keeping in mind that heavy vehicles like tractor trailers and big trucks should be paying more per gallon as they do more wear to the infrastructure per mile driven). This will put the “real cost” of driving into the fuel and distribute it based on each persons contribution to the wear on the infrastructure.
Once people start understanding the REAL cost of driving - they will find ways to reduce.
“Why not drill for more oil and build some refineries.”
Partial because the average, long term price of oil is too low to justify the investment, These are very long term projects, it does not make much sense to begin these investments when the price of oil hits $100 if it might drop to $40 in a couple of years (like it did in the 90s). As long as it’s cheaper to import it from elsewhere, that is what will happen. If you were on the board of directors, what would you do?
Taxes are the governments control.We,as the consumer.have the ultimate control! If we can act togeather,we can end the abuse of irrationally high fuel costs.A three day fuel boycott will end the uncontroled rise in fuel prices.
Urban Myth. Oil companies aren’t stupid - they’ll know what’s going on. A boycott may reduce prices in the short term (it’ll take more than 3 days to effect though) but they will go right back up once the boycott is over.
What we need to do is boycott by using %25 less gas and keep the boycott going for say…20 years.
That’s being done now in almost every state in the union. And what happens with the money is it keeps getting raided by other state projects. ALL TAXES GO INTO THE GENERAL FUND.
A three day fuel boycott will end the uncontroled rise in fuel prices
What planet are you on? You should bone up on inelastic products because gasoline is one of them. Let me ask you this, at the end of your three day hiatis, what is the first thing you will do- buy gas perhaps? All you have done is delay the inevitable. Who do you think can afford to wait longer, you or the oil companies? Good luck on your gas strike. It’ll work about as good as a hunger strike or holding your breath…
“let’s figure out what public road and bridge maintenance is costing. This maintenance is required because we are driving on the roads causing ware and tare - take that cost and distribute it over each gallon of fuel that is purchased” It would be interesting to get some current numbers. Of course then we should add the cost of the pollution created by those cars as well, and getting good numbers on that will not be easy.
Boycott…that’s funny. We can’t even agree on whom to vote for, let alone organize a boycott. Let see…we all take the same days off work, don’t get paid. Boy I sure showed big oil by loosing pay.
Makes about as much sense a govt. stimulus plan which is all going into energy.
A 3 day boycott would not mean anything to me. I don’t fuel up any of my vehicles in a typical 3 day period. I suspect that is true for many, and those are the only people who could do it. Someone like a truck driver who is making a living by driving can’t afford to sit idle for some boycott. A person who commutes 200 miles a day will have to fill up or not go to work. How many bosses would be understanding about that for some misguided, Quixotic, boycott?
No, the only way consumers will affect fuel prices is by driving less and/or buying more fuel efficient cars, and they will only do that when the cost gets high enough to make them want to do that. It hasn’t happened yet, at least not since the 1970s.
I don’t think a short boycott will work. If everyone drove the speed limit for a change it would have a significant impact on gas mileage. If you really want to affect the gas price, slow down. Everyone can do that and still get to work. It might take a (very) little bit longer, but we could easily save 10% of the fuel used daily.
How many other people commute as you do? I think that most consultants travel by plane if they are commuting that far. The suggestion was for most people since it is what most of us do that counts. If you alone drive 100 MPH on the highway it will have a negligible impact on the price. If 1,000,000 commuters who travel less than 50 mies one way slow down, it will have a huge impact.
Problem is that we humans are highly competative by nature - and if I can drive 5 MPH faster than everyone else - I’ll get there first - and won’t cost me much! Multiply that by 1,000,000 commuters and there goes you fuel savings.
It’s all about human nature - and sometimes we humans suck.
“How many other people commute as you do? I think that most consultants travel by plane if they are commuting that far.”
Probably not too many, I used to fly about 100K per year until I got really tied of flying and airports (especially with all the post-911 non-sense). I enjoy driving a lot more than flying and I would rather bill my clients for mileage and support my car habit than support united airlines.