Commentary on Email Forwards: No Gas on the 15th

I'm sure you've seen this (or something similar) at least twice in the last two weeks:

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"NO GAS... On May 15th 2007
Don't pump gas on may 15th

*In April 1997, there was a "gas out" conducted nationwide in protest of gas prices. Gasoline prices dropped 30 cents a gallon overnight.

On May 15th 2007, all Internet users are to not go to a gas station in protest of high gas prices.

Gas is now over $3.00 a gallon in most places.There are 73,000,000+ American members currently on the Internet network, and the average car takes about 30 to 50 dollars to fill up.

If all users did not go to the pump on the 15th, it would take$2,292,000,000.00 (that's almost 3 BILLION) out of the oil company's pockets for just one day, so please do not go to the gas station on May 15th and lets try to put a dent in the Middle Eastern oil industry for at least one day.If you agree (which I can't see why you wouldn't) repost this as a bulletin, or send to everyone you know via e-mail...''Don't pump gas on May 15th""
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Some people go for it full force, some guffaw, and still others, like myself, rarely buy gas on the 15th of any particular month, mainly because I get my paycheck on the first and have used up most of my cash paying bills by then.

But really, let's look at this logically... First of all, nobody buys gas every day. Let's get really generous and say the average person buys gas once a week. and let's do another generous estimate and say that 2/3 of the people who have access to the Internet even have vehicles (many people with email check it at a public place, a friend's house, or library/Internet cafe-type establishment). Now how about some math. The above estimate assumes every American on the Internet has a car, and fills up their gas tank to the tune of $40 or so every day. With my estimate, the "loss" isn't even a million. Definitely not enough for the big oil moguls to even bat an eye at.

Taking into consideration that if you want gas, you will buy it, even if you don't do so on a certain day, doesn't that mean that the gas companies aren't loosing anything due to you, no matter when you fill up?

If you really want to make a difference, go oil free. Bike, walk, or bus everywhere you go and let the oil companies know where they can shove their outrageous price hikes for good!

Second best is to pick an oil company or two to boycott, any will do. Do some research and decide for whatever reason makes you happy. Human rights records, bad eco-practices, irresponsible drilling, whatever. Don't ever buy gas from that company or it's subsidiaries ever again. It's a lot less random, and it can really get your point across.

The only real vote we have anymore is the one we make with our dollars. What companies will you choose to support?

Of course, not buying gas on the 15th won't hurt anything either, and if it makes you happy, then by all means, join right in.