Bush: Don't Buy Gas If You Don't Need It

By Steve Holland

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President George W. Bush said on Thursday looters in New Orleans and elsewhere in the chaotic aftermath of Hurricane Katrina should be treated with "zero tolerance" and urged Americans not to buy gasoline if they do not need it because of looming shortages.

"It's going to be hard to get gasoline to some markets," Bush said.

As the crisis along the U.S. Gulf Coast intensified and the federal government came under fire from frantic storm victims, Bush pleaded for time in the struggle to rescue the stranded and get them food, water and shelter.

"We all know this is an agonizing time for the people of the Gulf coast," Bush said. "I ask their continued patience as recovery operations unfold."

He announced his father, former President George Bush, and former President Bill Clinton, will lead a fund-raising effort in the United States for hurricane relief, as they did for the December 26, 2004, Asian tsunami.

With gas prices soaring above $3 a gallon and threatening the U.S. economy, Bush met with Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan and his economic advisers about Katrina's economic impact.

Bush said they all agreed the storm's damage to the gas supply was a "temporary disruption" and urged Americans to use prudence in filling up over the next few weeks.

"Don't buy gas if you don't need it," he said in Oval Office remarks with his father and Clinton at his side. FULL STORY

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Does anyone buy gas they don't need? You are on empty and need gas to get to work, or the store. Isn't this how most people buy gas?

What other president has had to have his father, and a previous president of the opposing party, by his side while giving announcements to give him a sense of authority? Thank you religious right. We are so FUCKED!

Well actually - especially in times of perceived or real crisis - gas panics are often the cause of gas shortages and price hikes, as opposed to the results of.

People freak out. Sense a shortage is looming. Or that prices will skyrocket. They never let their tank get less than half full. They head straight to the gas station to fill up. They come back to the pumps twice as often as they otherwise would. En masse. And so gas does end up running out. Supplies do end up running low. And the perception a shortage exists is further enforced.

So yes, most people buy gas when they're gettin' close to empty. That's when they need it. But at times like this people often end up thinking they need it more than they do and never let their tanks drop below 1/2 and so are toppin' off when they could afford to go a few more days and a couple hundred miles more without swingin' by the station.

Have you ever noticed that fuel prices go up a lot when there's a shortage but they only ever go down a little bit afterwards?

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Originally Posted by BDBionic

Well actually - especially in times of perceived or real crisis - gas panics are often the cause of gas shortages and price hikes, as opposed to the results of.

People freak out. Sense a shortage is looming. Or that prices will skyrocket. They never let their tank get less than half full. They head straight to the gas station to fill up. They come back to the pumps twice as often as they otherwise would. En masse. And so gas does end up running out. Supplies do end up running low. And the perception a shortage exists is further enforced.

So yes, most people buy gas when they're gettin' close to empty. That's when they need it. But at times like this people often end up thinking they need it more than they do and never let their tanks drop below 1/2 and so are toppin' off when they could afford to go a few more days and a couple hundred miles more without swingin' by the station.

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Your perception is different then mine. Do you have any proof, or studies, or links, to backup your stance?

"They come back to the pumps twice as often as they otherwise would." You can't goto the pumps twice as often, and buy gas twice as often as usual, unless you're using twice as much gas. :coffee:

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Originally Posted by Squirt

Your perception is different then mine. Do you have any proof, or studies, or links, to backup your stance?

"They come back to the pumps twice as often as they otherwise would." You can't goto the pumps twice as often, and buy gas twice as often as usual, unless you're using twice as much gas. :coffee:

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You can go to the pumps twice as often. If you go every time your tank reaches half-full, you'll go twice as often as if you waited until it was almost empty. If one tank lasts me a week, but now I fill up every middle of the week as well so as to be sure I never get below half a tank, I'm filling up twice as often. I'm not saying using twice as much gas. I'm saying going to the pumps and inducing a run upon supply twice as often as I otherwise would.


http://www.wtoctv.com/Global/story.a...1&nav=0qq6e2bn there's a link talking about gas running out because tons of people rushed to stations to fill up. Had people just filled up as they regularly do, the stations would not have run outta gas.

And this one goes in to it quite nicely:

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/loc...home-headlines

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Rumors of station closings, gas shortages and even rationing became a self-fulfilling prophecy in some parts of the ***-county area because oil companies could not keep up with panic purchases.

Steven Lopez, 20, was reacting to a warning from his mother that there might be a gas shortage. So he stocked up on extra gas, filling up four 5-gallon containers at a BP Connect gas station on Palm Beach Lakes Boulevard.

"Rumors are creating shortages," said Jim Smith, president of the Florida Petroleum Marketing and Convenience Store Association, which has about 5,600 retail gas outlets out of the state's 9,500 gas stations.

"When demand increases in these panic situations, you can't get enough product delivered. People have gone nuts. I spoke to colleagues in Georgia, North Carolina and other states, and the same thing is happening," he said.

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That guy filled up four 5-gallon containers, along with filling up his car. And he wasn't alone. The panic, as the article states, creates a self-fulfilling prophecy. There's no pending shortage beyond the one created by the panic-buying.

http://www.shreveporttimes.com/apps/...0351/1002/NEWS

another one talking about people filling up 55-gallon drums and gas containers, along with their cars. Again, the mad rush and unnecessary hoarding of gas leading to the fulfillment of rumours that were originally unfounded. If everyone freaks out and rushes off to the pumps in one day, of course you end up with a shortage.

no matter how often you go to the pumps, you cannot buy more gas than your car holds.

arie starts each week with a full tank. he uses 4 gallons per week to get to work, and 1 gallon for errands. if he went for gas 5 days a week instead of 1, he could still only buy 5 gallons of gas, 'cause no more fits in his car.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by BDBionic

You can go to the pumps twice as often. If you go every time your tank reaches half-full, you'll go twice as often as if you waited until it was almost empty. If one tank lasts me a week, but now I fill up every middle of the week as well so as to be sure I never get below half a tank, I'm filling up twice as often. I'm not saying using twice as much gas. I'm saying going to the pumps and inducing a run upon supply twice as often as I otherwise would.


http://www.wtoctv.com/Global/story.a...1&nav=0qq6e2bn there's a link talking about gas running out because tons of people rushed to stations to fill up. Had people just filled up as they regularly do, the stations would not have run outta gas.

And this one goes in to it quite nicely:

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/loc...home-headlines



That guy filled up four 5-gallon containers, along with filling up his car. And he wasn't alone. The panic, as the article states, creates a self-fulfilling prophecy. There's no pending shortage beyond the one created by the panic-buying.

http://www.shreveporttimes.com/apps/...0351/1002/NEWS

another one talking about people filling up 55-gallon drums and gas containers, along with their cars. Again, the mad rush and unnecessary hoarding of gas leading to the fulfillment of rumours that were originally unfounded. If everyone freaks out and rushes off to the pumps in one day, of course you end up with a shortage.

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Dude I know people hoard gas when there's a perceived crisis. I didn't ask you to prove that. I know that.

You said "They never let their tank get less than half full. They head straight to the gas station to fill up. They come back to the pumps twice as often as they otherwise would." I asked you to prove that. It's ok if you mispoke, or were mistaken, it's not a big deal :groovy:

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Squirt

Dude I know people hoard gas when there's a perceived crisis. I didn't ask you to prove that. I know that.

You said "They never let their tank get less than half full. They head straight to the gas station to fill up. They come back to the pumps twice as often as they otherwise would." I asked you to prove that. It's ok if you mispoke, or were mistaken, it's not a big deal :groovy:

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Have you not been watching the news? Have you been to a gas station lately? You can even hear the crowds of people confirming this. you catch "I'm coming back when I get off work, I know it'll cost a lot more if I wait", "are you filling up? damn right and i'll be back later" etc.

Do'h! Sorry I forgot you aren't here anymore. But yeah, it's the truth. People have been rushing the stations, a LOT of them around here have yellow bags over their pumps, and out of service signs. The ones with outdated tech have switched to full service to avoid people getting gas and running, newer ones require prepay all day.

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Originally Posted by basschick

no matter how often you go to the pumps, you cannot buy more gas than your car holds.

arie starts each week with a full tank. he uses 4 gallons per week to get to work, and 1 gallon for errands. if he went for gas 5 days a week instead of 1, he could still only buy 5 gallons of gas, 'cause no more fits in his car.

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look at the articles. you can. you can bring 55-gallon drugs and extra containers. on top of all going at once. just like all these people are doing, causing the shortage.

My question is, given those articles and many others you could easily find if you do a Google news search on "gas panic" or "gas rush", are you and Squirt suggesting that perceived panics and rushes upon gas stations - people buying gas they don't need - do not contribute to shortages?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Squirt

Dude I know people hoard gas when there's a perceived crisis. I didn't ask you to prove that. I know that.

You said "They never let their tank get less than half full. They head straight to the gas station to fill up. They come back to the pumps twice as often as they otherwise would." I asked you to prove that. It's ok if you mispoke, or were mistaken, it's not a big deal :groovy:

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The articles clearly talk about people hoarding gas, buying gas they don't need, and creating the shortage themselves when it didn't exist prior.

Simple as that. Look forward to your footnoted and referenced thesis on waiting for tanks to be empty before goin' to the gas station during a perceived crisis. Thanks for playing, though.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by BDBionic

The articles clearly talk about people hoarding gas, buying gas they don't need, and creating the shortage themselves when it didn't exist prior.

Simple as that. Look forward to your footnoted and referenced thesis on waiting for tanks to be empty before goin' to the gas station during a perceived crisis. Thanks for playing, though.

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Sure Dorothy it's on it's way.. bend over:thumbsup:

telling people "Don't buy gas if you don't need it" is a guaranteed way to make SURE people will be afraid they can't buy gas later and make them stampede to get all they can in case they can't get any later.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by basschick

telling people "Don't buy gas if you don't need it" is a guaranteed way to make SURE people will be afraid they can't buy gas later and make them stampede to get all they can in case they can't get any later.

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Agreed. When prices go up, and you tell people it's because supply is low, they will hoard it. I don't think they'll come every time there tank is half full, and wait in line an hour to save a few cents, but they will come with jugs, etc. and fill up for later use... some will.

Others will keep a cool head about it.

One thing I find interesting from the reports I'm seeing here is that in America gas prices are ranging from $2.88 a gallon to $5.15 a gallon... why the big difference in price?

if i dont buy gas i can't go 2 work ! and am sure i don't want to spend money on UNNEEDED gas ! Mr. Bush I just went crazy today shopping and i spent a ton of money on gas that I will not be needing. I wish he would think sometimes before he opened his big mouth.