got this email about gas
 

We can still do it, hey maybe they'll see we have some power left.

IT HAS BEEN CALCULATED THAT IF EVERYONE IN THE UNITED STATES DID NOT
PURCHASE A DROP OF GASOLINE FOR ONE DAY AND ALL AT THE SAME TIME,
THE OIL COMPANIES WOULD CHOKE ON THEIR STOCKPILES.

AT THE SAME TIME IT WOULD HIT THE ENTIRE INDUSTRY WITH A NET LOSS OF
OVER 4.6 BILLION DOLLARS WHICH AFFECTS THE BOTTOM LINES OF THE OIL
COMPANIES.

THEREFORE SEPTEMBER 1ST HAS BEEN FORMALLY DECLARED "STICK IT UP
THEIR @$$ " DAY AND THE PEOPLE OF THIS NATION SHOULD NOT BUY A
SINGLE DROP OF GASOLINE THAT DAY.

THE ONLY WAY THIS CAN BE DONE IS IF YOU FORWARD THIS E-MAIL TO AS
MANY PEOPLE AS YOU CAN AND AS QUICKLY AS YOU CAN TO GET THE WORD
OUT.

WAITING ON THIS ADMINISTRATION TO STEP IN AND CONTROL THE PRICES IS
NOT GOING TO HAPPEN. WHAT HAPPENED TO THE REDUCTION AND CONTROL IN
PRICES THAT THE ARAB NATIONS PROMISED WEEKS AGO?

REMEMBER ONE THING, NOT ONLY IS THE PRICE OF GASOLINE GOING UP BUT
AT THE SAME TIME AIRLINES ARE FORCED TO RAISE THEIR PRICES, TRUCKING
COMPANIES ARE FORCED TO RAISE THEIR PRICES WHICH EFFECTS PRICES ON
EVERYTHING THAT IS SHIPPED. THINGS LIKE FOOD, CLOTHING, BUILDING
MATERIALS, MEDICAL SUPPLIES ETC. WHO PAYS IN THE END? WE DO!

WE CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE. IF THEY DON'T GET THE MESSAGE AFTER ONE
DAY, WE WILL DO IT AGAIN AND AGAIN.

SO DO YOUR PART AND SPREAD THE WORD. FORWARD THIS EMAIL TO EVERYONE
YOU KNOW. MARK YOUR CALENDARS AND MAKE SEPTEMBER 1ST A DAY THAT THE
CITIZENS OF THE UNITED STATES SAY "ENOUGH IS ENOUGH"

PLEASE FORWARD THIS ON TO EVERYONE YOU CAN!!!!

Everyone's "not purchasing a drop of gasoline for one day" will not
cause oil companies to "choke on their stockpiles." Oil companies
run their inventories on a weekly basis, and since the "gas out"
scheme doesn't call on people to buy less gasoline but simply to
shift their date of purchase by one day, oil company stockpiles
won't be affected at all.

Next, merely shifting the day of purchase will not "hit the entire
industry with a net loss of over $4.6 billion." Consumers won't be
buying any less gasoline under this "gas out" proposal; they'll
simply be purchasing gas a day earlier or a day later than they
usually would. The very same amount of gasoline will be sold either
way, so the oil companies aren't going to lose any money at all.

By definition, a boycott involves the doing without of something,
with the renunciation of the boycotted product held up as tangible
proof to those who supply the commodity that consumers are prepared
to do without it unless changes are made. What the "gas out" calls
for isn't consumers' swearing off using or buying gasoline, even for
a short time, but simply shifting their purchases by one day.
Because the "gas out" doesn't call on consumers to make a sacrifice
by actually giving up something, the threat it poses is a hollow
one.

Not buying gas on a designated day may make people feel a bit better
about things by providing them a chance to vent their anger at
higher gasoline prices, but the action won't have any real impact on
retail prices. An effective protest would involve something like
organizing people to forswear the use of their cars on specified
days, an act that could effectively demonstrate the reality of the
threat that if gasoline prices stay up, American consumers are
prepared to move to carpooling and public transportation for the
long term. Simply changing the day one buys gas, however, imparts no
such threat, because nothing is being done without.

Moreover, the primary potential effect of the type of boycott
proposed in the "gas out" messages is to hurt those at the very end
of the oil-to-gasoline chain, service station operators ha the people
who have the least say in setting gasoline prices. As such, the "gas
out" is a punch on the nose delivered to the wrong person.

Gasoline is a fungible, global commodity, its price subject to the
ordinary forces of supply and demand. No amount of consumer
gimmickry and showmanship will lower its price in the long run; only
a significant, ongoing reduction in demand will accomplish that
goal. Unfortunately, for many people achieving that goal would mean
cutting down on their driving or opting for less desirable economy
cars over less fuel-efficient models, solutions they find
unappealing.

An event like a "gas out" can sometimes do some good by calling
attention to a cause and sending a message. In this case, though,
the only message being sent is: "We consumers are so desperate for
gasoline that we can't even do without it for a few days to
demonstrate our dissatisfaction with its cost." What supplier is
going to respond to a message like that by lowering its prices?
Those who really want to send a "message" to oil suppliers should
try not buying any gasoline for several months in a row.