Just in case you're paying too much for... well... anything....

[herrw.livejournal.com]

Hey, all.  I know I don't post here much but well, I've been busy of late.  And I'd like to share.

Many in this discussion group will likely not remember much about the Trucker protest of 2008.  At the time, fuel was climbing toward $4/gallon, and owner/operators were dropping like flies because of rampant profit-taking in the industry--mostly by uncapitalized brokers.  Between that and the never-ending rise in cost-of-business, it was a pretty tough time to make one's living on the road.

In March of '08, a group of truckers convened a convoy on Harrisburg, PA.  There were 50 there, including me.  A rally followed, and it was decided that in late April of the same year the convoy would roll on Washington, DC.  In the month of time between Harrisburg and DC, the group expanded to over 40,000 members, from 22 states stretching from Maine to Florida and west to Kentucky and Indiana.

We were called fools.  We were called white trash (ok, maybe in many cases that's true).  We were ridiculed tirelessly by just about everyone.  To make things worse, the roll on DC went as far from plan as possible without actually failing to occur.  To make matters worse, almost all the expense came out of the truckers' pockets... many of whom (including me) later lost their livelihoods for their troubles.  However...  It worked.

In about 2 months, the price of fuel dropped to $1.44/gallon.  The reason for this was the target of our pressure:  commodities brokers.  Speculation in the commodities markets by uncapitalized and undercapitalized hedge funds, brokers, and flat-out gambling enthusiasts accounted for more than 50% of the price--well beyond our estimations.  So we figured we had won, we accepted a pat on the head and a few back-pocket promises, and went back to work.

The point of this post is, the price of fuel is back where it was.  Conditions are the same.  And we're mobilizing again.  I'm in the lead, currently, for this particular effort.  We're on hold until our web-guru pokes his head out to bring up our site.  However, you can find videos of us on youtube by searching for "DC fuel protest"

So, anyone wanna be a pirate?

Comments

[kizmet-42.livejournal.com]

I'm not a trucker, nor do I play one on tv, but I had a lovely giggle when you said you were ridiculed tirelessly.

Such a lovely, lovely pun!

I wish you much success.

[lazypadawan.livejournal.com]

Good luck.

[izuko.livejournal.com]

You realize that fuel prices dropped the day after Bush repealed the executive moratorium on drilling, right?

[herrw.livejournal.com]

absolutely. If you read through the reporting at the time, insiders reported that speculators were leaving the market over fears of senate investigations. One of the main points for which we pushed was an end to all of the moratoriums (drill baby drill) and a release of the SPR. In retrospect, the SPR release was mostly a waste of time. If you look at his announcement about the release, you can tell that he knew it would be. But he did it anyway, because it really didn't hurt anything to try.

I fully acknowledge that we were not the only factor which drove down the price of oil. But we were one of them. And the important point to take away from it is that the price dropped. Not because of increased supply--the Saudis couldn't ship us any more at the time, because there was no-where left to put it--but because of rampant speculation.

I might steam over the patriot act. I might gag over medicare part B. But I can forgive all that, because Bush was a man with principles (even if at times I disagreed with them).

[izuko.livejournal.com]

Nobody was really scared of a senate investigation. They've tried before, and the investigations never go anywhere. So long as OPEC exists, they never will. Plus, going after speculators is risky, due to the essential services they provide to the economy (increasing liquidity).

As for the SPR release, it was never even on the table. Hell, Bush was still stockpiling oil.

[herrw.livejournal.com]

I'll have to respectfully disagree, on this point. Perhaps the reporting on multiple news outlets was incorrect. However, that was the reporting: that speculators were leaving over fears of investigation and litigation.

Re: SPR drawdown--damn, you're right. I saw the announcement, which was almost word-for-word what we discussed with Sen. Sessions, and never did the follow-up.

Regardless, it seems from the tone of your responses that you're not interested in being part of this movement, which makes the conversation moot. I've seen enough 'it'll never work, you're all morons!' posts to understand that discussion, once it reaches this point, is self-defeating.

I do hope that you have a nice day.

[izuko.livejournal.com]

A few speculators leaving won't affect a market, in the least. Even oil isn't so big that the power players can't keep things flowing on their own. The "multiple news outlets" (which are often just multiple mouthpieces for the same AP or Reuter's story) can report as they will. That's not how that segment of the economy works.

The tone of my responses only say that I believe you are incorrect in your assessment of how things went.

Beyond that, however, this is not a recruiting community; it's a discussion community. If there's discussion going on, then it's not a moot point.