If you thought those silly emails calling for us to boycott this oil company or the other had been debunked, think again. Here's what results when we elect economic idiots to office.
This week, Bee County became the first in the state, possibly the country, to pass a resolution asking motorists to boycott fuel pumps beginning Monday. County elected officials said they would ask others in the state to follow suit.
"Hey, the American people are tired," Martinez said. "What we did is we simply took action instead of complaining. "We're offering our residents a beacon of hope."
Texans don't like to be messed with, especially in this rugged South Texas county not far from some of the state's major independence battlefields.
So, it was only a matter of time before Bee County Judge Jimmy Martinez said someone had to stand up to tackle a national epidemic striking at the heart — and pockets — of local residents: Rising gas prices.
A boycott of gasoline, imagine that -- but it's not a complete boycott -- no, it's targeted at one particular company.
But the boycott call is targeted only at Exxon Mobil gasoline until retailers agree to drop the price to $1.30 a gallon. Martinez said he's especially miffed about reports that former Exxon Mobil CEO Lee Raymond received a retirement package worth $400 million.
Let's pretend for a minute that the good people of Bee County embrace the boycott of Exxon-Mobil and switch their purchases to its competitors. Those other stations would see such an increase in business that their tanks would quickly go empty -- inviting them to raise prices to slow down the avalanche or simply shut down until the next shipment arrives.
Meanwhile, the Exxon stations, now the only places in town with gas, would experience a sudden rush of business -- and given their now-monopoly on gasoline would probably have to raise their prices, too. It's all so silly.
Now, that does not mean that the consumer is powerless. Far from it. We can, if we really think action is necessary, reduce our gas consumption altogether. Combine trips, walk to the corner store or (gasp) take the bus. A drop in gas consumption by even 1% or 2% would send gas prices falling. Just please don't listen to the politicians!
They care a lot less about actually fixing problems than they do about making you feel good.
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