I’ve gotten a few people that have forwarded emails about how to “boycott” gas on May 15, in an effort to protest high gas prices. Seems the same thing was done on April 15, and someone somewhere thinks that it would make a “statement” to gas companies.

To all of you participating in this: thank you for making the line at my local gas station smaller this morning.

What’s this? A Republican mind set one again coming from the shadows on my blog? Nah. Just a bit of logic and a view of an economist.

Here’s the thing with gasoline, folks. We’re bent over a barrel with our cornholes basking in the sunlight, for all the oil companies to see. There’s nothing we can do about gas prices at the pump. Sorry to be the one to say it, but it’s true. I know, I know, impotent rage feels about as good as swallowing broken glass, but it’s what we have here: there’s nothing we can do at the pump for this.

How can I say that? Well, consider a boycott, right? So everyone in the nation decides to not buy gas on May 15. Fine. Done. All of the gas stations in the US report “$0” for sales. But what did they report on May 14 and May 16? They will report higher-than-expected sales. People that don’t want to buy on the 15th will buy on the days surrounding the 15th. The oil company is still getting the same amount of money.

This isn’t like a “hey, I’m pissed at Coke so I’ll drink nothing but Pepsi” situation. You will still need to consume the same amount of gas that you did the month before and the month before that. Gas isn’t something that people can just “give up”. Boycott one company, then? Avoid all of the stations of one brand? What do you think the #2, #3, and #4 oil companies would be like if they rose to the #1 position? Same problem, different name.

It’s very, very much like the photo industry 10 years ago: they could charge whatever they wanted for film and they could charge whatever they wanted to develop the pictures – layman couldn’t product film or develop pictures. It was a closed market. What happened there? Digital photography came into the mainstream and people didn’t need film or development anymore.

Meaning that until technology comes along with an alternative to gasoline – or until the government gets involved – we will not be able to do anything about the price of gasoline.

Of course, there is one recourse: the stock market. All of the oil companies are publicly traded companies. They’re all making money, hand over fist, and that benefits stock holders with rising share price and dividends. It also empowers shareholders to vote at the annual meetings and control voting power when electing board members. If we can’t give up gas and we can’t impact the price of gas at the pump, this very well may be the only recourse available to us. At the very least, you’ll make money on your investment.

Which you’ll need, at least here in western Washington: we’re at $3.45 a gallon for regular at the moment.