Schwarzenegger as Governer?

[JohnL]

>A well-targeted boycott would at least send that message. Pick one large
>company, and participants don't buy from them for a day or a week, or
>indefinitely.

That idea was covered in the Snopes link a few messages back. The affected company would just sell their gas to the companies who were selling.

[AndyC]

Great. So the consumer really has no recourse.

I generally don't think government meddling is a good thing, but I almost wish for some sort of legislation that would require gas price increases to be justified and approved by a regulatory body. Judging by the cost of electricity in Ontario, which is controlled in this way, it probably wouldn't help. Besides, governments benefit from the status quo more than anybody.

We'll just have to live with a perfectly legal quasi-monopoly of competing companies that don't engage in any competition.

Just shows what happens when something everyone wants is controlled by a few big corporations. Somerthing to think about as the various Mom and Pop retail, hospitality and entertainment businesses are wiped off the map.

[JohnL]

>Great. So the consumer really has no recourse.

An all-out boycott of gas might force them to lower prices, but it would require everyone to stop buying it.

Other than that, you're free to come up with an alternative fuel source...