Gas Price Mafia

“We’re raisin’ prices and there ain’t nothin’ you can do about it”. That seems to be the sentiment of the oil and gas producers; sounding much like something out of a bad mafia movie. Gas prices, as we all know, are on the rise with no end in sight.  Rumor has it that prices may increase to well over $10 per gallon by years end. So why hasn’t something been done about that problem?  One reason is what I call the “whine and decline” factor. The corporate execs at companies such as Exxon, Shell and BP all know that once they raise gas prices a surge of whining will emerge from the populace. They also know that after a short period of time there will be a decline in the whining as people surrender to the reality that there is nothing they can do about it. This “nothing you can do about it” theory is flawed, and the corporate execs know this. They only hope you never do.  To the extreme side of solutions, if enough people petitioned the government through the electoral process to force the oil and gas execs to put a cap on how fast gas prices could rise, there would be nothing the corporation could do to stop it. The first problem with this solution is the amount of organization that would have to go behind such a campaign (although with the amount of pain people are going through right now it might be easier than we think). The second is the amount of lobbying and advertising the corporations will throw at stopping the effort.  A less extreme solution would be a directed uproar in the form of protests or millions of letters flooding their corporate offices. This type of bad PR would not sit well with corporate investors and there may be some movement in a positive direction.  The last is for us to simply drive a lot less. Don’t use their product, or use it as little as possible.  

One website that is devoted to helping people find ways to get around the oil and gas corporations is Fuel Razer, found at www.fuelrazer.com .   Fuel Razer offers a complaint form where you can log your opinions about the high price of gas; this form will then be made public to various people who can work to make a change in the situation. They hope to obtain over 1 million comments.

The second reason something hasn’t been done is what I call the “pin the tail on the blame game”.  This one is clever.  The oil and gas execs have made so many excuses as to why we have to pay so much at the pump that people are starting to either believe or agree with them.  Some will say, “Well, look at how much they pay in Europe. We Americans complain too much”.  What these individual fail to realize is that the landscape of America is different than Europe. Driving destinations are spaced further apart causing us to have to use greater amounts of fuel throughout our journeys.

Another factor is that no-one know who to blame. I tested a high gas price forum on MySpace to see what reactions I would receive. I wasn’t surprised at the fact that there were many angry responses. What did surprise me was the anger showed towards me.

Some were angry that I blamed the oil companies, saying that instead I should blame the auto manufactures. Others didn’t understand the dynamics of how higher fuel costs will cause the price of consumer goods to rise, calling me an idiot for suggesting it. The oil companies thrive off of such misguided anger and ignorance; it keeps the attention off of them. It is my strong suggestion that consumers educate themselves to the situation while looking for solutions. Check out sites such as FuelRazer.com for starters. Use the power of the internet, speak to others, and find strength in numbers. And soon you’ll be able to say to the oil and gas mafia, “There ain’t nothin’ you can do about it”.