Don't Pump Gas on May 15th

Here we go again. I get these emails every year. I haven't seen one yet but I'm waiting for my sister-in-law or her brother to forward it on. The concept, everyone should not buy gasoline on a certain day. In theory it is supposed to force oil companies to lower the price of gasoline. Nevermind the fact that I would like to see $4.00+ per gallon gasoline. This just doesn't work.

Why? Because even if everyone, and I mean everyone, were to participate no one is actually giving up anything. Everyone is still driving to work, to the grocery store or to the neighbors house. No one is asked to take public transit, to car pool, to telecommute, to walk, or to ride a bicycle instead of driving, and hence burning gasoline.

Snopes, of course, as a thorough debunking of this urban legend. But suffice to say, that unless a very large portion of the population REDUCES their gasoline consumption then the price is going to stay right where it is and probably go higher. In fact, it probably will anyway. If we haven't done so already, we will eventually hit the peak oil point.